Chapter 137: Planning and Relaxation
Chapter 137: Planning and Relaxation
In the evening, the room was brightly lit.
Naoki sat at his desk, listening to the melodious insect chirps outside as he penned the recipe and preparation process for "[Grass Cake]" into his cookbook.
Gourgeist, Tyrunt, Froslass, and Pidgeot had all gone out to play.
Now that summer was approaching, on clear nights, one could see countless fireflies dancing by the river.
Coupled with the radiant moonlight, the beautiful starry sky, and the vast grasslands, it created a picturesque natural pastoral landscape akin to an oil painting.
And among this scenery were Pokemon, carefree and playful, living in harmony with nature.
Naoki, however, stayed behind to take care of some matters at home.
Staring at the hastily drawn map of the ranch he had made during the day, Naoki fell into deep thought.
"The ranch still lacks some facilities. We have the chicken coop, the Pokemon house, and the salt house, but there are a few other structures we need."
"We need a granary to store grains, a watermill to grind wheat into flour, a greenhouse for year-round planting, and we should also prepare a stable."
As he gazed at the map, Naoki marked the existing facilities and then began to plan where the new ones could be built.
"The watermill will go in front of the chicken coop, utilizing the river's flow to power the waterwheel."
"The granary... that can go next to the Pokemon house, and the stable can be built beside the sheep pen."
As for the greenhouse, Naoki intended to place it next to the farmland.
He quickly sketched out the approximate locations of these new structures on the map.
Even with these additions, there was still a large area of unused space on the ranch.
Naoki's gaze shifted to the west side of the ranch, where there was a vast expanse of grassland.
He drew a circle around it and thought, "This area can be turned into an orchard. We can plant fruit trees and create a space for Pokemon like the Bear Cubs in the mountain to enjoy."
Just like the abundant cherry trees in the Elven Orchard, any surplus could be shared with the wild Pokemon living in the mountains.
Additionally, the farmland needed to be expanded.
But first, he had to capture one or more Pokemon that knew the move "Plough."
With their help, he could prepare the soil, plant seeds, fertilize, and harvest with the assistance of Pidgeot for watering and his riding goat for enhancing crop growth.
This way, the workload would be much more manageable.
With these plans in mind, the brick pathway project could be postponed for now.
It was better to finalize the layout once all the facilities were in place.
Leaning back in his chair, Naoki recalled the recent happenings on the ranch.
The Salandits had evolved into Salazzles, resulting in significant increases in their size and weight.
With only one having evolved so far, their current salt house felt a bit cramped.
Naoki considered two solutions to this problem.
The first was to expand the salt house.
The second was to teach them how to dig, creating an underground cave beneath the salt house to provide more space for the Salazzles and potentially a future Salazzle King.
However, since Salazzle didn't yet know how to dig, this plan would have to wait.
Next on his mind was the matter of the Ice Eevee.
While the Creamy Ice Slush could help it grow stronger, there hadn't been much progress as the Ice Eevee didn't consume it as frequently as the riding goats did with their special meals.
Aside from these thoughts, Naoki also reflected on his idea for the Grass Trial.
The first stage of the Grass Trial would involve a battle with a single Riding Goat.
The second stage would pit the challenger against two Riding Goats.
And in the third and final stage, they would have to face off against three Riding Goats working together.
With this in mind, Naoki turned his attention back to the ranch map, focusing on the empty space below the Riding Goat pen. He took out his pen and sketched a simple battlefield for the trial.
"Here, we can build a dedicated arena for battles."
And so, early the next morning, Naoki sprang into action.
He used a lawnmower to clear the grass, creating a rectangular arena.
To test the size, he summoned Gourgeist and Tyrunt to stand at opposite ends.
After observing them for a moment, Naoki mused, "It might be a bit small."
Concerned about the Pokemon not having enough space to maneuver, he expanded the battlefield a little more.
Once he was satisfied, he nodded in approval and asked Gourgeist to dry the soil with a Flamethrower. Finally, he grabbed a bucket of white paint from the storage room and marked the arena with lines and symbols, just like in the Pokemon anime.
Soon, a functional and familiar-looking battlefield was ready for use.
Naoki dusted off his hands and returned the paint to the storage room.
Purely training might not be that appealing to some trainers.
Naoki fell into deep thought.
What if he offered prizes as incentives?
As for the type of prizes, Naoki hadn't decided yet.
After all, the Grass Trial had three stages, and it was unlikely that anyone would be able to pass all of them in a short period. He could decide on the prizes once someone managed to complete all the stages; there was no need to rush.
With that thought, Naoki set the matter aside for the time being.
His gaze shifted to the farmlands, now completely enveloped by a lush green aura.
The three Riding Goats were positioned at three corners of the farm, each using the Grass Field from a different angle to ensure that every crop received ample care.
Watching this scene, Naoki was filled with anticipation. "I wonder what kind of miraculous crops the Riding Goats will be able to cultivate."
Would they be like the glowing tomatoes and icy-cold watermelons from the game, or would they be like the super-large produce from Stardew Valley?
If it was the former, that would be fine.
But if it was the latter, then one watermelon would probably be enough to feed them for several weeks.
Naoki stood there for a while before making his way across the ranch to the grassland in the southwest corner.
He intended to develop an orchard in this area.
Although he had already planted a few trees in the farmlands, the number was too small.
These tree fruits could be used not only for making delicious Poffins but also for juicing and feeding wild Pokemon.
For example, the group of Ducklett across the river.
Ducklett were also adorable Pokemon, and building a good relationship with them might lead to hiring them for help in the future.
Just like the Junimo from Stardew Valley and the Seven Dwarfs from Harvest Moon, they could assist with harvesting crops.
With these thoughts, Naoki proceeded to inspect the area.
If he wanted to develop an orchard here, he would first have to get rid of the grass to prevent it from competing for nutrients with the saplings.
Speaking of planting trees, Naoki suddenly remembered a fascinating fact about a Steel-type and Rock-type Pokemon—Passimian.
It was said that Passimian patrolled the mountains relentlessly, and if they found the mountains becoming desolate, they would tirelessly carry soil and plant saplings, tidying up their territory until it was neat and beautiful.
Despite being such robust and colossal monster-like Pokemon, they had a simple and honest hobby akin to that of a tree-planting old farmer.
It was quite intriguing how the Passimian had this contrasting charm to them.
"It would be great if I could catch one and have it help me manage my orchard," Naoki thought.
However, it was a pity that none seemed to exist in the Pasio region.
There were some in the nearby Galar region, but he didn't have the time to go there at the moment.
Just as Naoki was pondering this, Butterfree flew over and conveyed a message:
"Buu!"
"What is it?" Naoki looked over and guessed based on Butterfree's expression, "Do we have guests visiting the ranch?"
"Buu~" Butterfree nodded lightly.
Hmm? Naoki was a little surprised.
Who would be visiting the ranch so early in the morning?
He stepped forward and accompanied Butterfree back to the front.
Soon, Naoki spotted a hesitant figure standing in front of the ranch.
It was a girl around sixteen or seventeen years old with short purple hair. She was crouching in front of the ranch, covering her ears and closing her eyes as if she were a little hamster, muttering to herself.
"Hello!" Naoki raised his eyebrows slightly and greeted the girl.
However, she didn't respond.
He walked closer, and only when he was near enough did he hear what the girl was saying.
She looked terrified and kept repeating, "You can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me."
Naoki was speechless.
"Hello? Can you hear me speaking?" Naoki waved his hand in front of him.
Seeing that the girl didn't react, he asked Frospy, who had run over to spectate, to pat her on the shoulder to get her attention.
Frospy happily obliged and patted the girl with its tiny hands.
"Mama~"
But the next second, the girl screamed as if she had been startled, then fell and sat on the grass.
Now that she seemed to be aware of him, Naoki asked again, "Hello? Do you need help?"
"Ah! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you! Please forgive me!" The girl quickly stood up and kept apologizing.
Naoki was confused.
Just then, a man ran over from a short distance away.
He was a middle-aged man with a slightly plump build, brown hair, and a brown shirt.
Naoki recognized him.
He was Mr. Elo, the owner of the seed shop in town.
"Today, I wanted to encourage her to face the outside world, so I asked her to help me inform the nearby ranchers that Elo's Seed Shop has a new batch of tree saplings. But as you can see, it didn't go as planned..."
Mr. Elo sighed, his face filled with worry as he looked at the girl by his side.
Out of concern, he had been following her from a distance.
Naoki understood the situation and nodded, getting a general idea of what had happened.
He didn't seem too bothered by it and simply said, "Such an extreme fear of the outside world is probably due to psychological factors, right?"
Naoki didn't know much about such matters.
Mr. Elo nodded, his face still creased with worry. "Yes, we've invited psychologists for treatment before, but it hasn't been very effective."
Naoki nodded in response, glancing at the girl before simply indicating that he would be purchasing a batch of fruit tree saplings from the store in a while.
With that, Mr. Elo left with his daughter.
Froakie looked at their retreating figures and asked, "Mama?"
Naoki turned to Froakie and said, "This is what you'd call severe social anxiety."
Froakie looked at him, confused.
Naoki explained, "It's when someone becomes extremely afraid of the outside world due to certain reasons, scared to interact with strangers, and only willing to stay in places they consider safe, like their home or their room."
In common terms, it was known as being a shut-in.
"Mama?" Froakie tried to process the meaning of his words but couldn't understand at all.
It recalled patting the girl earlier and seeing her scared reaction, so Froakie asked curiously, "Mama?"
Naoki asked, "Are you asking if that kind of condition can be cured?"
"Mama!" Froakie nodded.
"I don't know either, as I'm not a psychologist," Naoki shook his head, smiling as he ruffled Froakie's small head. "Alright, go play now! I need to get to work."
He headed to the storage room and, armed with a hoe and sickle, made his way back to the plot of land. Using the sickle, he cut away the overgrown grass, then turned the soil with the hoe, making it soft and ready for planting.
Only after digging twenty holes did Naoki finally take a break.
He leaned on the hoe, gazing at the land and imagining what it would look like in the near future.
There, he envisioned a lush orchard filled with ripe, juicy tree fruits. Taking a bite out of one would cause sweet and refreshing juice to splash everywhere.
Small and adorable wild Pokemon like the Hoarder and Greedy Rapooh would be attracted by the scent and come scurrying over.
He pictured himself standing under the trees, feeding these Pokemon with the fruits and then hugging and cuddling them, enjoying their soft, fluffy fur.
It would be so wonderful!
A smile appeared on Naoki's face as he turned and walked back to the front of the ranch, returning the farming tools to the storage room. Just as he finished washing his hands, a lively voice called out to him.
"Mr. Naoki!"
Naoki turned to see a familiar figure running towards him from outside the ranch.
It was a young man with golden curly hair, fair skin, and an appearance that screamed 'city boy'.
Naoki was surprised to see him.
The young man, excited, asked, "Mr. Naoki, do you remember me?"
"Of course, you're Carter, right?" Naoki asked.
Carter—a few months ago, he had passed by the ranch and mistaken Wurmple for a wild Pokemon. He had sent out his Messenger Bird to battle Wurmple, only to be unexpectedly taken down by Wurmple's Electric Net.
Carter was delighted that Naoki remembered him and nodded vigorously. "Yes!"
"How did you find the time to come by? Aren't you busy with your classes?" Naoki asked.
"The courses at the Academy are quite relaxed, and most of the time, students are traveling and treasure hunting in the Pasio region. I came here today because I wanted to challenge Wurmple again!"
Carter's eyes sparkled with determination.
"My Messenger Bird and I have been through three months of rigorous training, and we're no longer the same as before. This time, we will definitely win!" he declared.
"...Naoki looked at Butterfree in the distance and said, "It's possible, but Wurmple has already evolved into a Butterfree, and I don't know if it will be willing to battle you. You know, a Pokemon's personality can change after evolution."
"What?!" Carter was taken aback. "What should we do then?"
Hehe, he took the bait.
Naoki wore a "pure and innocent" smile as he said to Carter, "Well, there are other Pokemon on the ranch who are willing to battle, oh, and you've come at just the right time."
"My ranch is currently hosting an event called the 'Grass Trial.' It's a way to help Pokemon train through battles. Would you like to give it a try?"
(End of Chapter)
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