“Aron, think you can copy Drilbur and learn how to Dig?”
Shiryu turned to Aron with the question.
“Aron?”
Aron looked a little uncertain.
He had tried digging before, but only up in the mountains, where the ground was packed with solid rock.
No matter how hard he’d worked at it, he’d never gotten very far.
The soil here on the ranch was much softer, though.
Aron figured it was worth a try.
“Aron!”
He watched Drilbur carefully, then plunged headfirst into the ground and followed behind him, copying his movements as closely as possible.
After about ten minutes, Aron’s imitation was already starting to resemble a proper Dig.
His movements were still somewhat clumsy, and he couldn’t burrow with anything close to Drilbur’s smooth efficiency, but he was already good enough to turn over ordinary farmland.
“So you really do have a knack for Dig.
That’s Elite Four-tier potential for you; you pick up new moves fast.”
Shiryu praised him approvingly.
With a little more practice, Aron should soon be ready to join the ranch’s excavation work properly.
Shiryu reopened the Ranch Shop and spent 200 Ranch Coins on a bag of Heal Herb seeds.
Compared with ordinary crops such as Wishing Wheat and Rolling Beans, medicinal plants were noticeably more expensive.
Carrying the bag over to Zigzagoon, Shiryu asked, “Zigzagoon, could you sow these in that field for me?”
“Zigzagoon~”
She nodded enthusiastically.
Shiryu strapped the Heal Herb seeds onto her back using the same setup as before, then sent her to the field Drilbur had cultivated earlier that day.
Scyther had taken a short break after finishing the Wishing Wheat harvest, but it wasn’t long before he started clearing weeds again.
Watching all the Pokémon go about their assigned jobs in an orderly rhythm, Shiryu couldn’t have been more satisfied.
“Beldum~”
Beldum floated up beside him as if asking what he was supposed to do.
“Beldum, go train your moves by the river.
You’re the Chief of Ranch Security, remember?
You’re one of the most important Pokémon here.”
As Shiryu spoke, he took several pieces of Exp.
Candy from his pocket and offered them to Beldum.
He had spent some time the previous night thinking seriously about the ranch’s security.
There weren’t any criminal organizations operating around Postwick, nor had he encountered any exceptionally high-level wild Pokémon nearby so far.
Even so, building a ranch here would inevitably attract wandering wild Pokémon, and there was always the possibility that someone with bad intentions might eventually take an interest in the place.
Shiryu needed at least one genuinely powerful battler capable of protecting the ranch.
Beldum was the obvious choice.
With god-tier potential, his talent for battle was unquestionably the highest among Shiryu’s Pokémon.
Raising his strength as quickly as possible would give the ranch a reliable safeguard against future threats.
“Beldum~”
Beldum understood.
After eating the Exp.
Candy, he surrounded his head with Psychic energy and launched himself toward the river with Zen Headbutt.
[Beldum consumed multiple pieces of Exp.
Candy.]
[Beldum reached Lv.
15!]
[Beldum reached Lv.
16!]
[Beldum reached Lv.
17!]
“Just a little more and Beldum will be able to evolve into Metang.”
Shiryu had deliberately given Beldum nearly all of the Exp.
Candy earned from the ranch’s recent quests.
He wanted him to evolve as soon as possible.
…
The sun gradually sank toward the horizon.
Its warm evening light washed across the ranch and painted every Pokémon in shades of red and gold, making the peaceful countryside feel even more relaxing.
Inside the wooden house, Shiryu was busy preparing dinner for everyone.
Soon, a large pot of Doppel Bonnet mushroom soup was ready, filling the house with a rich aroma.
“Foma~”
Drawn downstairs by the smell, Fomantis finally woke after sleeping nearly the entire day.
She hopped down the stairs and made her way over to Shiryu’s leg.
“Fomantis?”
Shiryu glanced down at the tiny Pokémon, barely thirty centimeters tall, then laughed.
“You slept all day, but the second you smelled dinner you woke right up, huh?”
“Foma~”
Completely shameless about it, Fomantis rubbed the bud on her head with one leafy hand and leaned toward him almost as though she were acting spoiled.
“All right, all right.
It’s nearly done.
I promise you’ll get plenty.”
Shiryu continued working as he spoke.
Once the pot of Doppel Bonnet soup was finished, he carried it outside.
“Dinner!”
The Pokémon still working around the ranch immediately came rushing over.
Of course, the soup wasn’t the only thing on the menu.
Shiryu had also cooked a large batch of premium Wishing Wheat, bringing out its rich aroma and turning it into a fragrant grain dish.
“There’s enough for everyone.
Don’t crowd.”
He brought out plenty of bowls and gave each Pokémon a serving of Wishing Wheat along with a bowl of mushroom soup.
As everyone began eating, information about the meal appeared on the system interface.
[Doppel Bonnet Mushroom Soup with Wishing Wheat — B- Rank Dish]
[A mid-grade meal.
Doppel Bonnets can improve a Pokémon’s evasive ability, while their savory flavor pairs extremely well with fragrant Wishing Wheat.
Even a picky child who refuses to eat properly might happily finish two full bowls.]
[Cooking Effects: Satiety Lv.
2, Cold Resistance Lv.
1, Evasion +1%.]
[Evaluation: A highly commendable meal.
Judging by the completely empty bowls around the ranch, every Pokémon clearly enjoyed it.
Even if the cook becomes a true culinary master someday, this dinner will still be worth remembering.]
…
Shiryu looked away from the system evaluation and glanced at the Pokémon.
Every bowl was empty.
Even Beldum, who was normally picky about food, had finished everything.
“Seriously?
In that case, maybe you guys want mine too—”
He didn’t even finish the sentence.
The Wishing Wheat and mushroom soup in his hands vanished almost immediately.
Then the Pokémon went after whatever remained in the pot and rice cooker, cleaning out every last drop of soup and every grain of Wishing Wheat.
Shiryu stared at the spotless cookware.
“So much for leaving no leftovers.”
He shook his head helplessly.
Apparently, he was going hungry again tonight.
…
After washing all the dishes, Shiryu waited until the Pokémon were busy playing outside before secretly making himself a bowl of instant noodles.
For good measure, he threw in a sausage as a reward for surviving another day of ranch life.
Once he’d finally eaten enough to fill his stomach, Shiryu went upstairs to the balcony.
He had no intention of sleeping in the bedroom tonight.
Instead, he’d hung a hammock outside.
Lying back beneath the open sky, Shiryu watched the stars twinkle overhead while the warm summer breeze drifted across the balcony.
It was unbelievably comfortable.
Before long, he fell asleep.
…
In his dream, Shiryu was riding a white horse across a frozen grassland.
Fine snow drifted through the air.
Then a black horse came racing toward him.
Someone was riding on its back—a strange figure with what looked at first like an enormous dark-green head.
No.
That wasn’t its head.
It was a massive dark-green bud.
Its actual head was quite small, while its silvery-white body looked almost luminous against the snow.
As the two horses approached one another, the mysterious rider glanced toward Shiryu.
Purple energy flashed within its eyes.
Shiryu’s consciousness immediately began to blur.
When he came to again, he rubbed his sleepy eyes and found himself lying in the hammock on the balcony.