Chapter 335: A Bigger Ranch, A Bigger Family
Chapter 335: A Bigger Ranch, A Bigger Family
At noon, after an intense morning of practicing Onion techniques, Onion Duck came to Naoki, sweat dripping from its feathers, eager to discover what new move it would comprehend today.
Onion Duck had a vague premonition that it was going to be extraordinarily lucky; perhaps it would instantly grasp the move it had been longing for.
"What a gambling duck," Naoki couldn't help but think to himself.
The tree fruit in the house had been devoured by Onion Duck the day before, so Naoki hadn't made a tree fruit salad for it that morning.
He had just sent Moto Lizard to the orchard to pick a basket of tree fruit.
Naoki placed the basket of tree fruit on the dining table and took out a few pieces, skillfully chopping them into small pieces with a kitchen knife to make three portions of tree fruit salad.
"How was your practice this morning? Have you managed to recall all the moves you forgot?" Naoki asked.
Onion Duck nodded, "Ga!"
It had practiced the One-Edge Cut countless times before, and the usage and techniques of this move were already deeply ingrained in its memory, allowing it to perform the move with ease.
As a result, it had re-mastered the move in just one morning and even gained new insights into its application.
Naoki was somewhat surprised. Onion Duck's proficiency in One-Edge Cut was evidently very high! At the same time, he was curious: if Onion Duck could train the move to a sublime level and imprint it firmly in its heart and mind, would the tree fruit salad still make it forget the move?
With this thought in mind, Naoki carried the plates of tree fruit salad outside to the grassy area.
Just as Onion Duck was about to start feasting, Naoki suddenly paused and called out to it.
Onion Duck turned its head, puzzled, "Ga?"
"Wait a moment!" Naoki turned back and went to the kitchen, retrieving the Lucky Pudding he had made for Teddiursa from the refrigerator.
He glanced down, and the information about the Lucky Pudding immediately appeared in his mind.
[Lucky Pudding (A)
: A dessert made with heartfelt happiness, using mild cream, MooMoo Milk, and Sweet Honey.
Cooking Effect: Good Luck. After eating, luck slightly increases for a short time. When fed to a Pokemon, it increases the chance of finding rare items during their travels.
Evaluation: A delicious dessert that makes one feel happy and can bring good luck.]
"If you eat the Lucky Pudding first and then start on the tree fruit salad, it might increase the probability of comprehending moves," Naoki mused, considering the interplay between the two dishes.
He handed the Lucky Pudding to Onion Duck, saying, "Eat this first. It will boost your luck and make you even luckier."
Luck was a mysterious thing.
Aside from experiencing good things in daily life, it could also play a role in battles.
For example, one might luckily dodge an opponent's move or land a critical hit with their own.
Onion Duck devoured the Lucky Pudding and then focused its attention on the three servings of tree fruit salad before it.
With the first portion, Onion Duck comprehended the move Shadow Clone.
With the second portion, Onion Duck forgot the One-Edge Cut.
And with the third portion…
Just as Onion Duck finished consuming the last serving of tree fruit salad, a painful expression suddenly appeared on its face.
Its body began to glow with a blinding white light, and a terrifying power started to converge within it.
Naoki's heart skipped a beat as a sense of foreboding washed over him.
Instinctively, he took a step back.
And in the next second, a violent explosion erupted from Onion Duck, and the tremendous force blew away the grass and soil around it.
Naoki was knocked to the ground by the force of the blast, and he covered his head with his arms. When the sound faded, he stood up, stunned, to assess the situation.
Seeing Onion Duck lying in the center of the explosion, its eyes spinning, Naoki immediately understood what had happened.
The move was Self-Destruct!
Self-Destruct: A Normal-type move that causes a devastating explosion, attacking all Pokemon around the user. It has a power of 250 but leaves the user fainting.
"What terrifying power…"
This was the first time Naoki had witnessed a Pokemon use Self-Destruct in reality, and from Onion Duck's reaction, it was clear that the move inflicted immense pain on the user.
He wondered if Cheeks' Playful Spark Pikachu knew Self-Destruct, but he doubted Cheeks would ever let it use such a move, as it was extremely harmful to the Pokemon's body.
Naoki let out a breath and called for Golurk to bring some Life Milk to help Onion Duck recover.
Soon, Onion Duck was back on its feet.
However, it didn't look happy, as neither of the two new moves it had comprehended were the ones it desired.
Onion Duck stubbornly gripped the onion in its hand and stood up again, determined to try once more.
But its belly was already rounded from consuming three servings of tree fruit salad and a Lucky Pudding.
Onion Duck felt its stuffed belly and figured it had no choice but to rest.
However, instead of resting, it turned and headed to the dummy area, grabbing an onion and vigorously chopping at the wooden dummy poles.
Having mastered the technique of One-Edge Cut, Onion Duck's posture was agile, and the onion in its hand swept, chopped, and weaved through the dummies with ease.
After an unknown amount of time, a milky-white glow began to envelop the onion, which was now covered in battle scars.
A flash of white light formed a dazzling "one" character light blade, which struck the dummy.
Onion Duck looked at the onion in its hand with a hint of confusion.
It felt like its mastery of the One-Edge Cut had somehow improved even further.
In the afternoon, Naoki's thoughts turned to expanding the ranch. After lunch, he set out with Moto Lizard to visit Mayor Thomas in town.
Naoki asked Moto Lizard to chat with its parents, and it happily nodded, walking up to its father and mother and rubbing its neck affectionately against them to share its recent experiences, expressing how much it loved its new life.
Naoki and Mayor Thomas sat down on the sofa, and the mayor's wife served them both tea.
"Thank you," Naoki said politely before inquiring about purchasing land.
Hearing his intention, Mayor Thomas looked pleasantly surprised. "You want to expand the ranch?"
Naoki nodded. "Yes, more and more Pokemon are choosing to live on the ranch, and our current space is becoming a bit cramped."
"I see!" Mayor Thomas looked delighted and sighed contentedly. "You're far more impressive than your grandfather. He would be so happy if he could see this day."
After all, that ranch was the old man's life's work, and Mayor Thomas believed he wouldn't want to see it fall into disrepair.
Naoki smiled gently without saying a word.
"Of course, purchasing land is no problem at all!" Mayor Thomas chuckled. "Which area are you planning to buy?"
"The land across the river," Naoki replied. "It's a spacious, flat piece of wasteland, close to the ranch. We just need to build a bridge over the river to connect the two places."
Hearing this, Mayor Thomas immediately knew which plot of land he was referring to.
He nodded and proceeded to explain the details of land acquisition.
"The usual price for undeveloped land like that is 400,000 Pokedollars per acre. However, the Paldian League offers incentives for agriculture and animal husbandry, encouraging regular people to develop wastelands. As a ranch owner, you're eligible for agricultural subsidies, which would bring the price down significantly, probably to around 300,000 Pokedollars."
Naoki nodded; 300,000 Pokedollars per acre was a reasonable price.
In the past year or so, he had also accumulated a substantial amount of wealth, enough to purchase several acres of land.
"Are there any taxes or other fees I need to pay afterward?" Naoki asked.
Mayor Thomas shook his head. "Not for non-urban land. The land outside the city is considered undeveloped, so the Paldian League won't help with development or send people for maintenance."
"Once you purchase the land, it's yours to maintain and manage. Any issues with wild Pokemon, such as them disturbing the land, knocking down fruit trees, or stealing crops, are your responsibility."
Speaking of which, Mayor Thomas added with a smile, "But with the strength of your Pokemon, I'm sure none of those things will be a problem."
Naoki smiled and nodded, thinking that indeed, any Pokemon that came to the ranch would find it difficult to leave!
There was an old saying that went, "A beast tamer never falls into slavery, unless they are well-fed and housed!"
"If you want to buy it, I can accompany you to the Land Management Office in town right now to submit an application. Then someone will go there to measure the land and give you a quote," Mayor Thomas offered.
"No need," Naoki declined, not wanting to trouble the elderly man further. "I can go there myself. And here, please accept this fresh milk produced by the Miltank on the ranch. I hope you'll enjoy it."
As he spoke, Naoki placed a bag of MooMoo Milk on the table.
Although the quality of their milk couldn't compare to that of the sheep's milk, it was still top-notch.
Mayor Thomas had helped him a lot over the past two years and had even given him a Moto Lizard as an assistant, so it was only right to offer him a gift.
A kind smile appeared on Mayor Thomas's face. "You're such a thoughtful child, coming here and bringing gifts..."
Naoki stood up and called out, "Moto Lizard!"
"Gaoroar!"
Moto Lizard immediately responded and bid farewell to its parents before running back to Naoki's side.
"Will do!" Naoki replied, turning to leave with Moto Lizard.
As he watched their departing figures, Mayor Thomas couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
This young man had truly grown up!
If he recalled correctly, Naoki was in his early twenties now. With marriage and starting a family on the horizon, he believed that Naoki's parents and grandfather could rest easy wherever they were.
The Land Management Office was highly efficient. Upon hearing Naoki's intention, they immediately sent someone to accompany him to the ranch to measure the land.
After a thorough measurement, the staff informed Naoki of the area and price of the land: "This plot of wilderness covers a total of 35 acres, including 9 acres of mountainous land. With the farmer's subsidy, the total cost comes to 8.7 million Pokedollars."
35 acres... That was quite a bit more spacious than the previous ranch. Combined, the two plots of land totaled around 50 acres.
While the price was a bit steep, the ranch had been profitable over the past year, thanks to the increased price of sheep's milk, the sale of rock salt, and the large quantity of milk produced by the Mega Milktank.
Naoki had also saved up a substantial amount, which was just enough to purchase this land.
After a moment's thought, Naoki nodded. "Then I'll take it."
He couldn't pass up the opportunity to own this land permanently and tax-free, even if the price was a bit high. If he didn't seize this chance, he knew he'd regret it for the rest of his life!
"Great! Then please come with me back to the Land Management Office to complete the registration." The staff member smiled. "We will register your information and identity details on the network, and after that, this land will officially belong to you."
Without further ado, Naoki took his bank card and accompanied the staff member into town.
By the time he returned to the ranch, his bank account had been emptied.
Despite this, Naoki still felt excited.
The land across the river was now officially part of his ranch.
He summoned Golurk and rode it across the river to the side where the Farfetch'd lived.
Standing on this vast grassland, Naoki felt a thrill like never before.
This land was now his domain!
Dismounting from Golurk, Naoki ran freely across the grass, his bare feet pounding the earth.
Golurk, who didn't understand Naoki's enthusiasm for the land, sat on the ground, looking confused.
It decided not to think too much about it and let out a loud cry, happily running after Naoki across the grass.
What should he do with such a large piece of land? He could set up a Mareep sheep ranch, create a tropical dragon fruit garden, plant more apple trees, and cultivate more farmland!
But there was one problem...
Naoki gradually slowed down as he realized the increased size of the ranch would make it more challenging to get around on foot.
While he could ride Golurk, he wondered how they would transport the apples from this side to the shipping crate on the other side once the trees started bearing fruit.
It wouldn't be practical to use Golurk as a pack animal and have it pull a cart, would it?
Naoki fell into deep thought.
He thought about the tractors used by farmers.
However, he had never driven a tractor before...
Just then, an idea popped into Naoki's mind—a Pokemon that would be even more suitable for this task.
It was the Steel/Poison-type Pokemon, Escavalier!
If he recalled correctly, in the games, Escavalier had been modified by the Aspertia Pokemon Fan Club to serve as their dedicated vehicle.
But would it be possible to modify this Pokemon into a tractor to transport the Tree Fruit?
There was another issue as well.
The modification technique had been performed by a member of the Aspertia Pokemon Fan Club, and it had utilized the powers of Volcarona and Hydreigon as the energy source for the vehicle.
Using three Pokemon—Escavalier, Volcarona, and Hydreigon—seemed a bit too extravagant...
It felt like using the Earth God Pokemon, Groudon, for farming.
"Never mind, I'll worry about that later," Naoki shook his head, deciding to put those thoughts aside for now.
He had just purchased the land, and it would be premature to think about tractors when they hadn't even planted any apple trees yet.
There was no need to rush. As long as everyone was here, they would have bread, and they would have milk.
The most important task at hand was to contact Kris and order wooden fences to enclose this land, and also build a bridge over the river to connect the two plots of land.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
