Before Beldum could even respond, Shiryu heard another notification from the system.
[New Side Quest 1: The Ranch’s First Defense.]
[Quest Description: Wild Pokémon may intrude upon the ranch at any time.
Defeat the intruder to protect the ranch.]
[Quest Reward: 10 Luxury Balls and a small quantity of Exp.
Candy.]
[New Side Quest 2: Catch Suitable Ranch Partners.
(2/3)]
[Quest Description: A ranch cannot grow without the help of many different Pokémon.
Catch Pokémon suited to ranch life and recruit them as partners.]
[Quest Reward: Viridian Power.]
…
Seeing the newly added quests, Shiryu broke into a grin.
“Looks like even the system approves of my plan to fleece this sheep.”
He turned toward Beldum.
“Beldum, use Take Down!”
“Beldum—!”
Beldum accelerated with startling speed.
Before Wooloo could properly react, the metallic Pokémon slammed straight into its thick coat.
Wooloo’s fluffy fleece absorbed a considerable portion of the impact, but not nearly enough to make the hit comfortable.
Its round body lurched backward from the force.
“Iron Head!”
Shiryu immediately pressed the advantage, intending to finish the battle before Wooloo could recover.
Beldum shot forward once more.
Thud!
The heavy Iron Head struck Wooloo cleanly and flipped its entire body over.
The round sheep Pokémon bounced and rolled across the dirt several times before finally coming to a stop, its eyes spinning as it fainted.
[The Ranch’s First Defense completed.]
[Rewards obtained: 10 Luxury Balls and a small quantity of Exp.
Candy.]
…
The moment Shiryu saw the notification, he said, “Withdraw the rewards.”
A soft flash appeared.
Ten minimized Luxury Balls and several pieces of candy materialized in his hand.
Shiryu enlarged one of the Luxury Balls and threw it toward the unconscious Wooloo.
Back at the Pokémon School, throwing Poké Balls had been an actual part of the curriculum.
Students were specifically trained to hit their intended targets accurately when attempting a capture.
After all, no matter how strong a Trainer became, missing every Poké Ball they threw would still make them a laughingstock.
Shiryu had always been quite good at it.
His very first throw struck Wooloo cleanly.
Red light enveloped the Pokémon and drew it into the Luxury Ball.
The ball dropped to the ground, rocked lightly once, then went still.
Click.
The capture was successful.
[Catch Suitable Ranch Partners completed.
(3/3)]
[Quest Reward: Viridian Power.]
…
A strange sensation immediately spread through Shiryu’s body.
The world around him suddenly seemed sharper and more vivid than before.
Even more remarkable, he could clearly sense the emotions of Beldum and Drilbur beside him.
“So this is Viridian Power?”
It was said that only once every ten years would someone blessed by Viridian Forest awaken this mysterious ability.
Shiryu walked over to Beldum and gently placed a hand on its head.
A warm, soothing energy flowed from his palm into Beldum’s body.
Viridian Power possessed healing properties capable of calming a Pokémon’s mind and treating its injuries.
“Beldum~”
Beldum relaxed beneath Shiryu’s touch.
The recoil damage it had suffered from using Take Down vanished completely.
Shiryu then crouched beside Drilbur and ran a hand over his head as well, easing away the fatigue he’d accumulated while helping clear the weeds.
“Your turn.”
Once both Pokémon had recovered, Shiryu released his newly caught Wooloo.
Wooloo had already regained consciousness, but the lingering pain from the battle and its depleted strength left it visibly exhausted.
Shiryu rested a hand against its warm fleece.
Healing energy flowed into Wooloo’s body.
Through Viridian Power, Shiryu could sense the Pokémon’s emotions directly.
At first, Wooloo was still somewhat irritated about having been beaten and captured, but as the pain disappeared, that resentment quickly faded with it.
Before long, Wooloo seemed to accept Shiryu as its Trainer.
“Wooloo, welcome to the family.
We’ll be counting on you from now on.”
“Wooloo~”
Wooloo smiled happily, its earlier frustration completely gone.
“Viridian Power really is convenient.”
Shiryu murmured to himself before remembering the Exp.
Candy he’d just received.
He divided the pieces evenly among the three Pokémon.
“Beldum?”
“Dril?”
“Wooloo~?”
Beldum, Drilbur, and Wooloo had never seen Exp.
Candy before, and all three studied the oddly shaped treats with obvious curiosity.
Shiryu gave them a serious look.
“These will make you stronger.
You don’t get opportunities like this every day.”
The moment they understood what the candy did, all three tossed the pieces into their mouths almost at once, as though afraid someone else might steal them if they ate too slowly.
As the candy dissolved, a warm sensation spread through their bodies.
It felt remarkably pleasant, almost like the soothing warmth of Viridian Power.
A moment later, all three Pokémon grew stronger at once.
[Beldum consumed Exp.
Candy that grants a small amount of experience.
Level increased to Lv.
12!]
[Drilbur consumed Exp.
Candy that grants a small amount of experience.
Level increased to Lv.
16!]
[Wooloo consumed Exp.
Candy that grants a small amount of experience.
Level increased to Lv.
9!]
…
“They leveled up that quickly?”
Shiryu stared at them in surprise.
He had used Exp.
Candy plenty of times in the games and knew how quickly it could strengthen a Pokémon there.
But this wasn’t a game anymore.
Actually witnessing his own Pokémon grow stronger right in front of him made the effect feel far more extraordinary.
Another quest appeared on the system interface.
[New Ranch Quest: Catch ten Wooloo.
(1/10)]
[Quest Description: A capable rancher must do more than expand the ranch’s land.
A thriving ranch also requires a large number of Pokémon suited to livestock farming.
Catch more ranch Pokémon.]
[Quest Reward: 1 Steel Gem, 10 Luxury Balls, and a small quantity of Exp.
Candy.]
…
“Ten Wooloo?”
Shiryu scratched his head.
It wasn’t a particularly difficult task.
Wild Wooloo were fairly common around Postwick.
Still, tracking them down one at a time would be annoying.
He looked toward his newly captured Wooloo.
“Wooloo, do you know any other Wooloo around here?”
“Wooloo?”
The sheep Pokémon paused, then nodded.
“Wooloo~”
“Perfect.
Could you do me a favor and bring your friends over here?”
Shiryu thought for a moment before continuing.
“I can give you and the others a home.
Once I get this ranch properly cleared and running, you’ll all have plenty of room to play, and none of you will have to worry about finding food.”
As Wooloo listened, a picture seemed to form in its mind.
Rolling around the ranch every day, eating delicious plants, and spending its time with the rest of the flock.
The idea alone was enough to make Wooloo beam with excitement.
“Wooloo, Wooloo~!”
It bounced happily on its little hooves for several moments, practically announcing that it would go find its friends right away.
“Great.
I’m counting on you.”
Shiryu stroked the thick fleece along Wooloo’s back and once again marveled at how soft it was.
If he managed to collect a few more Wooloo today, he might not even need a proper bed tonight.
He could just sleep on a pile of wool.