Lucas woke to the warm rays of the morning sun.
The curtains were still open, allowing sunlight to pour through the windows and illuminate an entire wall of the bedroom.
He rolled over and reached toward the spot beside his pillow.
Ralts was already gone.
Only a small patch of lingering warmth remained.
Lucas sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
A familiar, soft cry drifted upstairs from the first floor.
It was Ralts.
The little Pokémon sounded as though it was calling for him.
“I’m coming,” Lucas replied.
He climbed out of bed and stepped barefoot onto the wooden floor.
The cool wood instantly chased away the last traces of sleep.
After pulling on a clean T-shirt, he headed downstairs.
Ralts was sitting on the dining table in the living room.
The moment it saw Lucas, its crimson eyes brightened.
It hopped down immediately, ran over, and affectionately rubbed against his leg.
Bulbasaur wasn’t far behind.
The little Pokémon slowly crawled out from the kitchen, the bulb on its back glowing faintly pink beneath the morning sunlight.
“Good morning.”
Lucas smiled as he gently stroked Ralts’ head before patting Bulbasaur on the back.
The kitchen had already been renovated.
The old stove had been replaced.
Clean water flowed instantly from the faucet instead of forcing him to wait for rusty water to clear first.
Opening the cupboard, Lucas grabbed a handful of noodles.
He then took two eggs and a bundle of fresh vegetables from the refrigerator.
Soon, the water began to boil.
He dropped the noodles into the pot.
While waiting for them to cook, he washed Ralts’ and Bulbasaur’s bowls before filling each with their favorite Pokéblocks.
Both Pokémon currently ate Pokéblocks worth 100 League Credits per serving.
Lucas wanted to buy them higher-quality food…
Unfortunately…
His wallet wouldn’t allow it.
Fortunately, the two Pokémon ate peacefully without disturbing one another.
When the noodles were finished, Lucas transferred them into a bowl and added a little soy sauce and sesame oil.
The flavor wasn’t anything special.
But it was warm.
And filling.
Today’s goal was simple.
He was going to buy Mareep eggs.
Everything had already been arranged the previous day.
While shopping for supplies yesterday, Lucas had learned that a nearby farm outside Petalburg City was selling Mareep Pokémon Eggs.
The owner hadn’t listed a fixed price online, saying interested buyers should visit in person.
Lucas had called immediately.
A cheerful young woman answered.
She invited him to visit anytime the following day.
Actually…
He had considered buying Mareep eggs directly from the System Shop.
The shop sold Pokémon Eggs of every species imaginable.
The only problem…
Every single one started at one million League Credits.
A Mareep Egg alone cost one million League Credits.
Each.
When Lucas first saw that price…
He had simply stared at the screen in silence.
The System’s prices were outrageous.
Still…
He suspected every Pokémon Egg sold by the System was of exceptional quality.
Someday, after becoming wealthier, he planned to buy one just to see the difference.
But today…
Reality was much more affordable.
A little after eight that morning, Lucas left the farm.
Ralts settled comfortably on his shoulder while Bulbasaur returned to its Poké Ball hanging from his belt.
Then he began walking toward Petalburg City.
Ten minutes later…
Something felt wrong.
Twenty minutes later…
His feet began aching.
Thirty minutes later…
His thighs started burning.
An hour later…
Lucas stood beneath a large roadside tree, bent over and gasping for breath.
“…Maybe I should buy some kind of vehicle.”
He looked at Ralts.
The little Pokémon tilted its head in confusion.
Lucas straightened himself before looking first toward the endless road ahead…
Then back toward his own farm, which had long since disappeared from sight.
His physical condition had improved tremendously since arriving in this world.
Over the past several days, farming, renovating the house, and training his Pokémon had forced him to stay active.
But…
Walking for hours was completely different.
Carrying supplies required short bursts of effort.
Walking demanded endurance.
Four hours of traveling in a single day was exhausting.
More importantly…
It wasted precious time.
Two hours walking there.
Two hours walking back.
Half the day disappeared.
As his farm grew, his schedule would only become busier.
Time was valuable.
Spending it walking up and down roads wasn’t efficient.
“So…”
“I either need a vehicle…”
“…or a Pokémon I can ride.”
Ralts let out a questioning cry.
Lucas chuckled.
“You’re still too small.”
“When you evolve into Kirlia…”
“Or even Gardevoir…”
“Maybe you can carry me around with your Psychic powers.”
He paused.
“Wait…”
“Gardevoir can learn Teleport…”
His eyes suddenly lit up.
Then…
Just as quickly…
The excitement faded.
“…That’s still a long way off.”
Ralts puffed out its cheeks and let out an unhappy little cry.
Lucas laughed.
As they continued walking, his thoughts turned toward riding Pokémon.
The very first one that came to mind was…
Arcanine.
There was simply no helping it.
Arcanine was unbelievably cool.
A powerful Fire-type.
Fast.
Strong.
Endless stamina.
Perfect for traveling.
Perfect for battling.
Anyone riding an Arcanine would attract attention everywhere they went.
Even before coming to this world, Arcanine had always been one of Lucas’ favorite Pokémon.
Unfortunately…
Reality wasn’t that simple.
The first problem was availability.
Growlithe were practically monopolized by the Jenny family.
Ordinary Trainers had almost no chance of obtaining one with good potential.
Wild Growlithe certainly existed…
But they lived deep within dangerous mountain ranges far from civilization.
Searching for one wasn’t realistic.
Especially for a beginner farmer.
The second problem…
Was the System Shop.
Lucas quickly checked the price.
Growlithe Egg: 2 million League Credits.
Not Arcanine.
Growlithe.
He would still have to hatch it…
Raise it…
And eventually evolve it himself.
Lucas sighed.
“Forget it.”
“I’ll wait until I have more money.”
“Then I’ll buy one male and one female…”
“…and raise a whole family.”
Ralts burst into laughter.
At least…
That’s what it sounded like.
Nearly two hours later…
Lucas finally reached his destination.
The entrance to the farm was surprisingly easy to miss.
Located at the end of a small side road outside Petalburg City, it was marked only by a simple wooden sign reading:
Kaino Farm
Following the narrow dirt path inside…
The view suddenly opened before him.
This farm was far larger than his own.
A vast pasture stretched across dozens of acres.
White fences divided it neatly into several sections.
Countless Mareep grazed peacefully across the fields.
From a distance…
They looked like fluffy white clouds drifting across green grass.
The buildings were equally impressive.
A large two-story red brick farmhouse stood proudly in the center.
Several enormous barns surrounded it.
Modern farming equipment was parked outside, with one machine looking practically brand new.
Lucas couldn’t help smiling.
“Rich…”
The moment Ralts spotted the flock of Mareep…
Its eyes sparkled with excitement.
It leaned forward eagerly, clearly wanting to run over.
Lucas quickly picked it up.
“Behave.”
“We’re here to buy eggs.”
“Not herd sheep.”
Just then…
A woman walked out of the farmhouse.
She appeared to be in her early thirties.
Although she wasn’t particularly tall, she carried herself confidently.
She wore a faded work jacket.
Her dark hair was tied neatly into a ponytail.
Years of outdoor work had given her lightly tanned skin, while several faint freckles dotted her cheeks.
Her sharp eyes immediately settled on Lucas.
She seemed genuinely surprised.
Apparently…
She hadn’t expected someone looking like him to be today’s customer.
A seventeen-year-old boy.
A Ralts perched on his shoulder.
And a wrinkled piece of paper clutched tightly in his hand…
Covered with handwritten questions.
“Are you Lucas?”
“The one who called yesterday?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m Lucas.”
She smiled and offered her hand.
“I’m Kaino Rin.”
Her handshake was firm.
“Come on.”
“The eggs are inside.”
She led Lucas through the main building before entering the large barn behind it.
At the very back was a specially heated room.
The temperature inside was at least ten degrees warmer than outdoors.
Soft yellow lights illuminated the room.
The scent of fresh hay mixed with another warm, comforting aroma.
Wooden shelves lined the walls.
Each shelf was filled with thick straw.
Resting upon the straw…
Were dozens of Pokémon Eggs.
They were much larger than Lucas had imagined.
Each was roughly the size of two adult fists placed together.
Their shells were creamy white with pale gray spots.
When he gently touched one…
It felt pleasantly warm.
Some eggs rested directly on the shelves.
Others sat inside temperature-controlled incubators.
Every single one had a small label displaying its expected hatching date.
Kaino Rin picked up one of the eggs.
“Mareep Eggs.”
“Every one of them comes from healthy breeding stock.”
“They’re all excellent quality.”
She carefully handed one to Lucas.
He accepted it with both hands.
Almost instinctively…
He held it as gently as possible.
The shell felt warm.
And somewhere inside…
He thought he could faintly sense tiny movements.
“How long before this one hatches?”
Kaino Rin checked its label.
“About three more days.”
“Mareep Eggs usually hatch within a week.”
Lucas nodded thoughtfully.
Three days wasn’t long at all.
“How many eggs are currently available?”
She walked to another shelf and checked her inventory.
“Eleven.”
“The rest have already been reserved.”
Lucas took a slow breath.
“And how much is each one?”
“One hundred thousand League Credits.”
He had already calculated the cost countless times.
Eleven eggs…
One million one hundred thousand League Credits.
The price was exactly within his budget.
Anything higher…
Would have been impossible.
He looked up.
“I’ll take all eleven.”
Kaino Rin blinked.
“All of them?”
Her eyes carefully examined him once again.
His clothes.
His shoes.
The Ralts on his shoulder.
Finally…
The Poké Ball hanging from his belt.
“You own a farm?”
“I just bought Fujiyama’s farm outside Petalburg.”
Recognition appeared on her face.
“Oh…”
“Fujiyama’s place.”
“My father took me there several times when I was little.”
“It’s a nice farm.”
“Just a little old.”
“Have you renovated it?”
“I just finished.”
She smiled.
Without asking any further questions, she retrieved a sales contract and began filling it out.
While waiting…
Lucas remembered something.
“Oh, right.”
“Do you also sell feed?”
“And nutritional supplements?”
“What about shearing equipment?”
Kaino Rin laughed.
“So you’re not just buying eggs.”
“You’re stocking an entire farm.”
She pulled out a thick product catalog.
“This feed is specially made for Mareep.”
“We have separate formulas for lambs and adults.”
“Nutritional supplements only need to be given once each month.”
“This package is perfect for the number you’re buying.”
“As for shearing equipment…”
“We sell both manual and electric clippers.”
“The manual ones are cheaper.”
“The electric ones save a lot more effort.”
Lucas carefully read every page.
Feed.
Supplements.
Shearing tools.
Fresh bedding.
Fence equipment.
Since he was already here…
He might as well purchase everything at once.
He checked every item he needed before handing the catalog back.
Kaino Rin quickly entered everything into a calculator.
The final total appeared.
110,000 League Credits.
Adding that to the eggs…
The grand total became:
1,210,000 League Credits.
Lucas quietly calculated his remaining savings.
He still had roughly 2.3 million League Credits left.
Not a fortune.
But enough to survive comfortably for now.
“Alright.”
“I’ll take everything.”
Kaino Rin organized the paperwork.
Lucas signed the contract before handing over his League identification card.
The payment process finished much faster than expected.
Less than an hour after arriving…
Over 1.2 million League Credits had vanished from his account.
“When will you collect the eggs?”
she asked, handing him the receipt.
Lucas hesitated.
“I didn’t bring anything to carry them.”
Kaino Rin smiled.
“You don’t have to.”
“We provide delivery.”
“Just leave us your address.”
“We’ll deliver the eggs along with all your supplies.”
Lucas gladly accepted the registration form.
After writing down his farm’s address…
He handed it back.
As Lucas left Kaino Farm, he turned around for one final look.
The endless white flock of Mareep.
The impressive red brick farmhouse.
The vast fields.
Quietly…
He set a new goal for himself.
His own farm didn’t need to become this large.
But one day…
It would at least have a proper road leading to it.
The trip home proved much easier than the journey there.
Kaino Rin informed him that the delivery truck would be leaving that afternoon.
He was welcome to ride back with it.
Thankfully…
He wouldn’t have to spend another two exhausting hours walking home.