Chapter 217: Pumpkin Cookies
Chapter 217: Pumpkin Cookies
If only he knew how to sew and weave, he could make clothes for Motostoke himself.
Unfortunately, those skills eluded him.
With Motostoke's birthday still several days away, Naoki looked at the wool in his arms, a bundle almost bigger than himself, and felt a sense of dismay.
After a moment of contemplation, he decided to first return the wool to the ranch and then slowly look for someone in town who could help him make clothes.
While the Riding Goat wasn't as fast as Gouleston, its ride was much smoother.
At three in the afternoon, Naoki returned to the ranch. He hopped off the Riding Goat, which then made its way back to the goat pen on its own.
The ranch was still as bustling as when he had left.
The Hakuron played on the grass, the Three Bees and Butterfree fluttered among the flowers, and the Barbuchi slept on the roof of the chicken coop, taking an afternoon nap...
Seeing this heartwarming scene, Naoki smiled gently. He patted Gouleston's head as it ran up to him and then looked up at Motostoke, who was still asleep in the distance.
This was a unique behavior of Pokemon.
Whenever they were injured, they would curl up and stop moving, choosing to sleep or hibernate to recover.
Gouleston opened its mouth to say something, but Naoki quickly shushed it.
Gouleston immediately closed its mouth, its eyes showing a hint of hurt.
"Let's go back inside," Naoki said helplessly, leading Gouleston back into the room. He placed the wool on the sofa and asked Gouleston, who had followed him in, "Are you feeling cold?"
Gouleston nodded vigorously, letting out an eager, "Agasi!"
"Hmm?" Naoki was surprised.
In their daily interactions, he hadn't noticed that Gouleston was particularly sensitive to the cold, and according to the information he had, the Wing King, capable of cracking the earth with its fists, wasn't usually bothered by low temperatures.
The scales and dragon hide of Gouleston were much thicker than those of Motostoke.
Perhaps it was in the nature of Dragon-type Pokemon? Naoki wondered.
After all, their double weakness to Ice-type moves made them extremely vulnerable to that attribute.
"Alright then, I'll also find someone to make a warm winter outfit for you using this wool," Naoki said.
He didn't want the other Pokemon to feel left out, just as it wouldn't be right to play favorites when raising children.
"Agasi~" Gouleston's cheerful cry echoed in the room.
Naoki smiled at the sight and couldn't help but reach out to pat the head of this Pokemon, who had the personality of a big, friendly dog.
The trip to town had taken almost two hours, and feeling a bit parched, Naoki decided to get himself a drink first.
Just as he picked up the cup, he heard a knock on the door.
"Anyone home?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Naoki was taken aback.
He went to open the door and, as expected, saw Mrs. Tangtis, who lived in town, standing there with a parcel in her hand.
In the warm autumn sun, the elderly woman with silver hair had a kindly smile on her face.
Seeing Naoki, she lifted the bag in her hand and said gently, "Good afternoon, Naoki. I've made some pumpkin cookies, but I accidentally made too many, and Mr. Wright and I can't finish them all, so I thought I'd bring some over to you."
Naoki glanced at the bag of cookies and, instead of refusing, smiled and reached out to take them. "Come in and have a seat!"
He welcomed the elderly woman into the living room.
Without needing to be prompted, Aiguanshi brought a cup of warm, aromatic black tea for the guest.
Mrs. Tangtis surveyed the room, taking in the simple yet homely decor, with traces of the Pokemon everywhere.
From the bottom of her heart, she felt happy for Naoki. "It's so wonderful here! The ranch is even more prosperous than when your grandfather was running it!"
"Hmm? Was the ranch very backward back then?" Naoki had only vague, fragmented memories of that time.
Mrs. Tangtis nodded, her eyes filled with reminiscence. "There weren't any big houses like this back then, only a few dilapidated wooden huts. Your grandfather was a determined man; he worked tirelessly to manage the ranch."
"There used to be many ranches here, and your grandfather's ranch would win first place in the crop competition every year!"
"It must have been lively back then," Naoki said, his imagination sparked.
"Yes!" Mrs. Tangtis' eyes shone with nostalgia. "Back then, Shichen Town was famous throughout the Padia region for its agriculture!"
But then her face fell as she continued, "It's a shame that nowadays, fewer and fewer people are farming. The young folks either go to the big cities or become Pokemon trainers."
"Times are changing," Naoki remarked.
In another decade, this world would probably look entirely different again.
Naoki remained silent, thinking that if his original body's grandfather could see all this, he would probably be furious with the original soul.
"It's getting late, I should be heading back," Mrs. Tangtis said kindly.
As she stood up, her eyes fell on the large pile of wool that Naoki had left in the corner of the living room.
"My, what's all this wool for?" she asked, clearly surprised. "Have you started raising Wooloo on your ranch?"
Naoki had completely forgotten about finding a tailor to make clothes, but Mrs. Tangtis' question reminded him of it.
"No, Motostoke's birthday is coming up soon, and I plan to use this wool to make it a warm coat," Naoki explained. "There aren't any clothes for sale for Motostoke in town, only its bike seat."
"A birthday present? Motostoke will be so happy." Mrs. Tangtis was genuinely surprised. "I never knew you had such skills."
Naoki was taken aback for a moment before realizing what she meant. He shook his head helplessly. "...No, I don't know how to sew. I was planning to ask someone in town to help me."
Understanding dawned on Mrs. Tangtis' face, and she offered enthusiastically, "In that case, leave it to me! I have a loom at home, and I often use it to make clothes!"
"Hmm?" Naoki was slightly taken aback.
Mrs. Tangtis beamed with pride. "When I was younger, I was quite a popular tailor in town! But then factories started making clothes, and our handmade tailor shop slowly became obsolete."
Hearing this, Naoki thoughtfully considered her offer before sincerely thanking her. "Then I'll trouble you for this. Thank you."
"Don't worry, this is my specialty," Mrs. Tangtis assured him warmly.
The amount of wool was too much for her to carry, so Naoki asked Golisopod to help deliver both Mrs. Tangtis and the wool to her home.
Golisopod was delighted to see the kind woman who had treated it so well and readily agreed, happily carrying the wool and following Mrs. Tangtis back to town.
At 5 p.m. sharp, Zack arrived at the ranch to collect the goods.
After loading the buckets of Moo-Moo Milk into his car, he wiped the sweat from his face and commented, "Next month is Thanksgiving. Have you prepared any pumpkin cookies?"
"Pumpkin cookies?" Naoki was puzzled.
He knew about Thanksgiving, as Zack had mentioned it before.
It was the last day of autumn, when people gathered to celebrate and give thanks to the Crown Tundra.
But what did pumpkin cookies have to do with it?
Noticing Naoki's confusion, Zack was taken aback. "You don't know?"
Naoki was even more perplexed. "What do you mean?"
Zack thought for a moment, mumbling to himself, "Now that I think about it, it makes sense that you wouldn't know since you left Shichen Town when you were very young."
"In that case, let me explain it to you!" Zack offered. "This is a tradition that has been passed down in Shichen Town for a long time. On the last day of autumn, to celebrate the harvest, people living near the town would exchange small cookies made from crops."
"In the evening, children and Pokemon would go from house to house, exchanging their cookies with the owners."
Hearing this, Naoki understood why Mayor Thomas and the others celebrated the Crown Tundra on this day.
"I see, I'll make some more then," he nodded. Just then, he remembered that the pumpkin cookies Mrs. Tangtis had brought in the afternoon had already been devoured by Golisopod and the others.
"Alright then!" Zack laughed heartily. "I just wanted to give you a heads-up so you wouldn't be caught unprepared if the town's children came by asking for cookies."
Naoki thought about it seriously and asked, "In that case, can I exchange a child's cookie for the next one that comes along?"
He was thinking about recycling.
Zack choked for a moment. "That's never happened before."
Naoki smiled. "I'm just curious. I don't actually plan to do that."
Zack breathed a silent sigh of relief. In his opinion, Naoki wasn't the type to do such a thing.
After loading the goods, Zack drove off the ranch.
Meanwhile, Naoki picked a large, golden yellow pumpkin from the field and carried it back to the house.
As dusk fell, his little sister, Ai Guanshi, had already started preparing dinner.
Naoki cleaned the pumpkin and then carried it to the creamery he had prepared for Cream Fairy.
This 'creamery' was actually a room dedicated to making cakes, pastries, and desserts.
"Mama!"
Naoki paused and looked down as the tiny Frost Creamie scurried past the sofa and jumped onto the large pumpkin in his arms.
"Mama!" She wanted to help make the sweets too.
Seeing Frost Creamie's eagerness, Naoki smiled and asked, "Haven't you had enough excitement for one day, playing with Saltrock and the others? Aren't you tired?"
"Mama~" Frost Creamie shook her head, happily swaying her body, a faint sweet fragrance wafting from her.
"But speaking of which, I've noticed that most Frost Creamies are quite timid, hiding from anyone who isn't their Trainer. Why are you so brave?" Naoki wondered aloud.
Not only did she hang out daily with Saltrock, whose size dwarfed hers by an unimaginable amount, but she also dared to snuggle up on the sofa with Gouleston.
"Mama!" Frost Creamie puffed out her chest proudly, for she was a courageous Frost Creamie!
"Do you know what usually happens to bold Pokemon like yourself?" Naoki asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Mama?" Frost Creamie's curiosity was piqued.
Naoki explained, "There are two types of outcomes. The first is that fearless Pokemon like yourself make friends with everyone due to your cheerful and outgoing personalities."
Frost Creamie listened intently, then joyfully exclaimed, "Mama~" believing that he was describing her.
"Hold on, there's a second type," Naoki said with a slight smile, seeing Frost Creamie's rapt attention. "But their bodies are so tiny, and they emit an irresistibly sweet cream aroma. This fragrance might attract certain Pokemon with a sweet tooth, who could then eat them in one bite."
At first, Frost Creamie listened intently, but as Naoki continued, she began to sense that something was amiss.
This made her feel a little scared.
Frost Creamie: (﹏)
"I'm going to start making the pumpkin cookies now, so you should wait over there for a bit," Naoki said, gently ushering Frost Creamie to the side.
He then made his way to the Creamery.
By now, Frost Creamie had realized that Naoki was trying to scare her.
"Mama!" she cried out indignantly. "You scoundrel, Naoki!"
Naoki prepared to cut the pumpkin into chunks, place them in the microwave to steam, and then mash them into a pulp.
Hearing Frost Creamie's voice, he didn't look up but continued his task as he replied seriously, "I'm not trying to scare you. It's true that your bodies are made of delicious sweet cream, and wild Pokemon without a Trainer's guidance might just eat you up."
Frost Creamie considered his words and felt that Naoki made sense, so she started feeling worried again.
"Don't worry," Naoki comforted her. "Saltrock and the others will protect you! Once they evolve, they'll become tall and mighty Saltrock Giants, and together, the five of them will be a force that most Pokemon won't be able to defeat."
Standing in the corridor outside the room, Naoki's older brother, Aiguanshi, watched with a complicated expression as he wondered if Naoki's attempt at reassurance would work.
As it turned out, Frost Creamie was indeed reassured by Naoki's words.
She visibly relaxed, sitting in the Creamery for a while before quietly leaving, realizing that Naoki didn't need her help.
She scurried downstairs, into the living room, and out the door, making her way to the underground cavern where the Saltrocks lived.
Seeing the five Saltrocks roaming around the cavern, still full of energy after a whole day of play, Frost Creamie breathed a sigh of relief.
The Saltrocks looked at her with confusion as she suddenly appeared in their underground home.
Frost Creamie asked solemnly, "Mama?" (Are we the best of friends?)
The Saltrocks nodded vigorously, for this was undoubtedly true—they were the best of friends on the ranch.
Frost Creamie continued, "Mama?" (What if I'm in danger someday? Will you protect me?)
"Rui!" they affirmed. Of course, they would!
Frost Creamie: "Mama!" (Then you must work hard and evolve into Saltrock Giants soon! Naoki said that Saltrock Giants are very powerful Pokemon!)
The Saltrocks shared her desire to evolve, but they knew it was beyond their control.
Even after leaving the underground cavern, Frost Creamie still felt a bit uneasy.
She thought carefully and decided that, in addition to relying on the Saltrocks, she needed to work hard herself.
"Mama!" she resolved.
A surge of determination filled Frost Creamie, and she decided to start training.
She wanted to be like Dragonite, the strongest Frost Creamie in the world!
(End of Chapter)
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