Chapter 109: Days Without a Horse
Chapter 109: Days Without a Horse
It was another brand new day.
On this morning, after finishing his work on the ranch, Naoki leisurely picked up a spray bottle and began watering the flowers in the flower field.
Early in the morning, the three Combee were already hard at work.
They flew among the blossoms, collecting nectar from the flowers.
Naoki enthusiastically greeted them, "Good morning, Combee!"
"Buzzz~"
The Combee responded with a melodious buzz, acknowledging Naoki's greeting before continuing their task.
After finishing watering, Naoki began to inspect his ranch, the home he had built with his Pokemon companions through their hard work.
In the fields, Flygon was still practicing Rain Dance.
In front of the chicken coop, Buizel was herding the flock of hens.
More than a month had passed, and the little chicks that had hatched from their eggshells had grown significantly. They were now slowly learning to scratch for food in the grass like their mothers.
At this stage, the chicks knew that once their bellies were full, they shouldn't eat anymore, so Naoki had changed their feeding system in the coop to free-feeding.
This was much more convenient.
Seeing him approach, Buizel, who was leisurely herding in the grass, raised its paws and waved enthusiastically to greet him.
During this period, this lost little Buizel had completely integrated into the life on the ranch.
It had learned from Naoki's example of working diligently from morning to night. Every morning after breakfast, it would automatically come to the chicken coop to herd the chickens, and in the evening, it would drive the hens back into the coop before returning to the wooden house to sleep alongside Naoki.
Naoki smiled and nodded at Buizel before continuing on his way.
Up ahead was the Pokemon cottage where the three Miltank lived.
The grass seeds Naoki had sown in front of the cottage over half a month ago had already sprouted, and he believed that it wouldn't be long before they grew into lush, nutritious grass.
The three Miltank had finished milking and were now lying in the grass, soaking in the sun.
They loved their life here.
The food here was much more delicious than what they had on the previous ranch.
To show their gratitude to the ranch owner, they diligently produced milk every day.
—After all, it was a waste to keep it in, so they might as well milk it all out, and it made their bodies feel lighter too.
Further ahead was Salazzle's Salt House.
However, lately, the weather had been getting better and better, and the Salandit had been running around outside under the leadership of Alcremie, resulting in a significant decrease in rock salt production.
Naoki couldn't help but feel helpless about this, but he didn't lock the Salandit in the house. Instead, he let them play freely.
Seeing that no one was in the salt house, Naoki walked over and closed the door before heading to the territory of the Riding Goats.
The three Riding Goats had finished their party and were now lazily lying in the grass, chewing on some grass.
And next to them was an unexpected presence that caught Naoki by surprise.
It was... Minun?
He walked over and looked at Minun, who was staying by the Riding Goats, and asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"
Minun gently swayed its body, its expression cheerful as it replied, "Min, Minun!"
Because it felt so comfortable here!
At that moment, Naoki noticed the faint green glow emanating from beneath the Riding Goats.
He instantly understood.
Due to the presence of the Riding Goats, the grass in this area was particularly rich in Grass-type energy, dense and vibrant.
This environment was like a sanctuary for plant and Grass-type Pokemon, so they naturally gravitated towards this spot and lingered here.
"Riding Goats, I'll leave Minun in your care. I have to get back to work," Naoki said.
The Riding Goats readily accepted the task of looking after Minun.
Naoki then went to the storeroom behind the house, retrieved an axe and a saw, and began crafting a wooden fence using the remaining wood and the simple workbench inside.
He intended to handcraft a wooden fence to enclose the flower field, separating it from the fields, and turning it into a dedicated area for appreciation.
So, Naoki had to do it himself, working diligently until the afternoon to finally finish the task.
He erected the wooden fence around the flower field and hung a sign with a floral design at the entrance, thus completing the entire garden.
Naoki clapped his hands together, only then noticing the calluses that had formed on his palms without him realizing it.
However, he didn't mind.
Perhaps, for a farmer, these were badges of honor representing hard work?
Brushing the dust off his hands, Naoki patted the heads of Golurk and Flygon by his side and asked, "What do you guys want for dinner tonight?"
"Agas!"
"Gaoh!"
The two Pokemon replied in unison.
Naoki couldn't understand a word they said, but he laughed it off and said, "Then how about some sandwiches!"
Golurk and Flygon: "..."
Despite his suggestion, Naoki still took out their favorite meat cutlets from the refrigerator, preparing to make some fried cutlets.
Just then, the video phone behind him rang.
Naoki raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Who could be calling him at this hour?
He washed his hands and answered the call, hearing the voice of Mayor Thomas on the other end.
"Good evening, Naoki!"
"Good evening, Mayor Thomas! What brings you to call me today?"
"Haha, it's about the horse race at the end of March. Since you have a phone installed, I didn't send a letter and called you instead."
"The town will be hosting a spring horse race on the 25th of this month. Anyone with a horse Pokemon can participate, and there will be quite a few passing trainers joining as well!"
"But it seems you haven't started raising any horse Pokemon yet, so you won't be able to take part."
"However, you can still come and watch the race. You can purchase racing tickets for the contestants you favor, and if they win, you can exchange the tickets for various items!"
Racing tickets? So, it's like betting on the horses... But the mention of exchanging items piqued Naoki's interest, and he asked, "Items?"
Mayor Thomas replied, "Since most of the participants will be passing trainers, the town has prepared a lot of items that trainers might need, such as various evolution stones, training equipment, and wondrous items for Pokemon."
Evolution stones...
Naoki immediately thought of one of his life goals—to collect all the Eeveelutions.
Most Eevee evolutions required evolution stones, except for Espeon, Umbreon, and Sylveon. To collect the rest, he would need a total of five evolution stones.
Specifically, the Fire, Water, Thunder, Leaf, and Ice stones.
He currently had only one Water Stone, which had been given to him by Teddiursa when it found it.
Even though he didn't have an Eevee yet, it was always good to be prepared.
After hanging up the phone, Naoki began to ponder his current situation.
There were ten days left until the horse race.
According to Mayor Thomas, there was a limit to the number of racing tickets each person could purchase.
These tickets could be used to bet on favored contestants, earning more tickets that could then be exchanged for items.
Additionally, one could also participate in the race. The winner would receive not only a champion's cup but also the reward of choosing one item for free.
If one was confident enough, they could even purchase racing tickets to bet on themselves.
Now, the question was, could he find a horse Pokemon within these ten days?
And even if he did, could he train it to the extent of winning the championship?
Hmm, that was indeed a problem.
(End of Chapter)
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