https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-11-Caterpie-Exclusive-Enhancement/12536986/
Chapter 10: School of Fish
Chapter 10: School of Fish
At noon, Naoki prepared a refreshing dish of cucumber salad. The dish was perfect for combating the summer heat, providing a cooling sensation to the body.
Gourmet and Motostoke continued to enjoy their sandwiches, as Naoki had been busy all morning and didn't have the energy to experiment with new recipes.
Instead, he planned to take a well-deserved break in the afternoon and try his hand at fishing by the river.
Concerned that Motostoke might get bored, Naoki found himself contemplating the sticky rice flour and red bean paste in the cabinet after lunch. Perhaps he could whip up a little snack for their fishing trip?
And so, he set to work.
Naoki took out the sticky rice flour, added water to form a dough, and rolled it into long strips before flattening them out. He then carefully added the prepared red bean paste and sugar, shaping the mixture into round balls.
Soon, a batch of snowy white rice balls appeared on the stove.
Motostoke was intrigued by this novel creation and curiously drew closer to observe, emitting a curious "Gaom?"
Naoki glanced at him and smiled, "This is a snack called 'sticky rice dumplings.' I wonder if you've ever tasted them before."
Motostoke shook his head, "Gaom..."
"Well, you'll get to try them this afternoon," Naoki replied. "I just hope you'll like the taste."
Motostoke nodded eagerly, "Gaom!"
Naoki couldn't help but chuckle, "You're so eager, what if they taste like hot soup?"
"Gaom..." Motostoke rubbed his head with his claw, looking a bit sheepish.
Gourmet, on the other hand, couldn't bear to watch this display.
Had he always been this silly?
Was that how the other Gourmeat had looked at him?
At that moment, Naoki turned to face Gourmet. "Gourmet."
Gourmet immediately ran over and positioned himself on Naoki's other side.
"Gaom gaom gaom gars?"
Naoki pondered for a moment before asking, "Did you come here from the Padiah Pit?"
Curious about Gourmet's origins, he wanted to know if it had fled from the 0th District to the Padiah region after losing a territorial dispute with another Gourmeat, just like in the game.
Hearing this, Gourmet nodded its head.
"As I thought," Naoki mused to himself.
He continued, "Were you fighting with another Gourmeat before?"
Gourmet's eyes widened in surprise, "Gaom gaom gaom gars? How did you know?"
Naoki thought, 'This little guy doesn't know how perceptive I am.'
Not wanting to hurt Gourmet's feelings, he refrained from asking about the outcome of the territorial dispute. Instead, he asked, "What are your plans from now on?"
"Gaum gaors!" Gourmet exclaimed.
Although Naoki couldn't understand the words, he could guess Gourmet's intentions.
It wanted to stay here.
This was exactly what Naoki had hoped for, as Gourmet's strength would undoubtedly make it a valuable helper on the ranch.
Excited by the prospect, Naoki maintained a calm exterior and said, "You can stay here if you want, but you'll have to help me manage the ranch."
"Gaom!"
Before Naoki could finish, Gourmet eagerly nodded in agreement.
With the last sticky rice dumpling wrapped, Naoki placed them in a steamer and cooked them over low heat.
Estimating the cooking time in his mind, he grabbed a small stool, his fishing rod, and bait, and made his way to the river that encircled the ranch.
As he prepared to cast his line, he said to Gourmet and Motostoke, "I'm going to start fishing now. You two can go and play."
In the spring, the ranch was filled with dandelions and a type of small, yellow wildflower.
Suddenly, Motostoke felt a tickle in his nose.
He let out a mighty sneeze, and the dandelion's seeds were scattered by the gust, flying up into the blue sky.
Motostoke tilted his head back, his eyes innocent and filled with curiosity as he watched the seeds float away.
By the river, Naoki turned to Gourmeat and asked, "Don't you want to play too?"
"Gaom?" Gourmeat shook his head, his gaze shifting from the slowly flowing river and the fish swimming beneath the surface to the fishing rod in Naoki's hand.
A light bulb seemed to appear above Gourmeat's head as he had an idea.
Before Naoki could react, Gourmeat's aura suddenly surged, and he jumped high into the air, changing forms mid-jump before violently smashing into the water.
"Whoosh!"
A large wave of water was sent crashing into the air, turning into droplets that fell like rain.
Naoki was left stunned, his mouth agape as he watched the spectacle.
Gourmeat jumped back out of the water, proudly proclaiming his achievement with a loud, "Gaom!"
Naoki looked down and saw the turbulent water slowly calming, and one by one, dark shadows rose to the surface, their eyes rolled back, clearly dazed by Gourmeat's attack.
Naoki was momentarily at a loss for words.
He looked at Gourmeat and said, "I know you're doing this to repay me for taking you in, but you really didn't have to go to such extremes."
Gourmeat immediately hung his head, looking dejected. "Gaom..."
"Alright, alright," Naoki relented. "I'm not blaming you. Actually, you did a great job!"
Gourmeat's eyes lit up at the praise. "Gaom gaors~"
Naoki sighed. "...
He motioned for Gourmeat to start collecting the stunned fish and placing them in a small bucket filled with river water.
Gourmeat obediently did as he was told, quickly scooping up the fish.
The fish this season weren't particularly plump, but that didn't matter to Naoki, who was just starting out.
He picked out the three Magikarp mixed in with the regular river fish.
Gourmeat looked at the red fish curiously. "Gaom?"
"We can't eat those," Naoki replied, shaking his head.
He had intended to release the Magikarp back into the river but then thought of the lake on his ranch.
Preparing the land and raising Miltank would take a lot of work, so why not start by raising some fish? He could raise not just the Magikarp but also these regular river fish.
After a moment's thought, Naoki carried the bucket to the lakeside and released the three Magikarp into the lake.
Instead of leaving, he stayed to observe how the Magikarp were doing.
After all, he wasn't sure if they had just been dazed by Gourmeat's attack or if they had been knocked out completely...
Fortunately, the Magikarp were lucky, and they hadn't died. After a few minutes of unconsciousness, they slowly opened their eyes and began to swim about in their new surroundings.
(End of Chapter)
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