Chapter 5: The Back Mountain
Chapter 5: The Back Mountain
As noon approached, Naoki and his Motostoke Moto-Moto had cleared a small patch of land for planting and stored the cut wood and stones in the shed.
"Guuuuuuu..."
After a busy morning, Moto-Moto's stomach let out a loud growl.
It lowered its head and spoke, "Gaoh..."
"Are you hungry?" Naoki heard and laughed, "Just a moment, I'll make lunch."
Moto-Moto immediately cheered up, "Gaoh~"
They washed their hands in the outdoor sink and returned to the wooden house.
Moto-Moto sat in the shade of the eaves while Naoki took out the ingredients and started preparing lunch.
Today's lunch was again hot soup noodles, but this time, Naoki added some wild leeks he had found on the ranch to give it a unique flavor.
With practice, he completed the task in just a few minutes.
Naoki poured the noodles into a bowl and looked down, noticing that the grade of the hot soup noodles had improved from a C- to a C, and the cold resistance duration had increased by five minutes.
"As expected, the ingredients do affect the evaluation of the dish."
Naoki picked up the bowl and placed it in front of Moto-Moto, who had been eagerly waiting at the table.
Moto-Moto lowered its head and saw the strange-looking noodles in the bowl. Its face immediately fell, and it looked pitiful.
"Gaoh..."
Naoki, in his impoverished state, sighed, "Hang in there. This afternoon, I'll take you to town to buy some tasty treats."
"Gaoh~"
Fortunately, Moto-Moto didn't mind Naoki's poverty. It was a simple and optimistic creature. Hearing Naoki's words, it immediately brightened up and looked forward to the delicious treats they would get in the evening.
Seeing Moto-Moto slurp up the noodles, Naoki reluctantly began to eat his own bowl of noodles, a worried expression on his face.
"The remaining money will be spent on food, and it won't last long. I just turned over the field, so I can't plant the seeds until tomorrow, and it will take a month for them to mature..."
The farmland, overgrown with weeds, was hard and not suitable for crop growth. That morning, Naoki had turned the soil and watered it, making it softer.
Although he had no fertilizer, fortunately, turnips weren't too demanding when it came to soil quality.
"Aside from that, I must find other ways to earn money to tide me over until the turnips are harvested."
With that in mind, Naoki fell into deep thought.
Ways to make money...
He recalled what he used to do when playing the ranch-opening game.
One was fishing, and the other was going to the back mountain to collect mushrooms and fruits to get through the early stages of the game.
But now, he didn't have a fishing rod, so the only option was to try his luck in the back mountain and see if he could find any mountain products.
Without further ado, after finishing lunch, Naoki prepared to head to the back mountain.
Upon learning of his intention, Moto-Moto, who had been walking upright, suddenly lowered its body and shifted to all fours. It turned and shouted at Naoki, "Gaoh!"
Naoki was taken aback for a moment. Seeing Moto-Moto in riding mode, he asked, "Are you asking me to ride on your back?"
Moto-Moto nodded, "Gaoh!"
Intrigued, Naoki climbed onto its back.
Once he was settled, Moto-Moto started running.
Its pace was neither fast nor slow, maintaining a steady speed as it carried Naoki toward the back mountain.
Feeling the breeze in his hair, Naoki thought, "No wonder Moto-Moto is used as a means of transportation in the Padia region. This feeling is not much different from riding a regular motorcycle."
After passing through a country road, a lush mountain forest came into view.
Sunlight poured down from above, creating a dappled pattern on the ground through the gaps in the leaves.
A green caterpie nestled in the bushes, a fletchling perched on a branch, and the rustling sounds of unseen creatures in the dense shrubs—all signs of a vibrant ecosystem. Strange, juicy fruits hung heavily from the branches, unknown to Naoki.
The whole place exuded a lively atmosphere.
Naoki dismounted from Moto-Moto and raised an eyebrow at the small Pokemon before him.
Those Pokemon, in turn, curiously watched this stranger who had ventured into their forest.
"Caterpie... It evolves into a Metapod at level 7 and then into a Butterfree at level 10. For a novice trainer, this Pokemon could be a good choice."
"A Fletchling? If I remember correctly, this is the homeland bird of the Kalos region. The final evolution, a Talonflame, is a Fire-type and Flying-type Pokemon—it seems like a really cool Pokemon!"
"Hmm?
"A family of three..." Naoki scanned the area but didn't spot a fourth mouse.
As soon as the family of mice noticed his gaze, they scurried back into the grass, vanishing without a trace.
Naoki: "..."
However, he had to admit that the family of White Mice were quite adorable.
Prior to this, Naoki wouldn't have considered himself a fan of fluffy creatures, but seeing the cute appearance of the White Mice, along with their fine and pristine white fur, stirred something within him.
"I wonder how they feel to touch."
There were so many Pokemon in the forest, and as Naoki wandered with Moto-Moto, his heart began to race with excitement.
—If he were a trainer, he would definitely take out Poke Balls and engage them in battle, earning their recognition before capturing them.
Whether it was the rapidly growing Caterpie or the promising Fletchling, they were all perfect!
However, it was unfortunate that according to the original owner's memories, a regular Poke Ball cost 200 Pokedollars, which he couldn't afford at the moment.
Naoki sighed and shifted his attention away from the Pokemon, focusing instead on the mountain products growing in the forest.
He walked up to a lush fruit tree and reached out to pluck one of the fruits.
Looking down at it, information about the fruit appeared in his mind.
[Pecha Berry: A wondrous berry that cures poisoning. It has a sweet taste and can be used to make jam, Poke Puffs, fruit cakes, or mixed with yogurt to create fruit yogurt. Its unique flavor is loved by many Pokemon.]
A tree berry?
Naoki picked up the Pecha Berry and brought it close to his nose, inhaling a subtle, sweet fragrance.
He held it out to Moto-Moto and asked, "Want some?"
Moto-Moto glanced at it and then opened its mouth wide, devouring the berry in one bite.
"Gaoh~"
From its reaction, the taste seemed quite pleasant.
"Looks like it's just as it is in the anime; tree berries are indeed a primary food source for Pokemon."
Naoki nodded to himself, then plucked a few more Pecha Berries from the tree, intending to take them back to the ranch.
However, he only took a small portion.
If tree berries were a food source for Pokemon, then the other Pokemon in this forest would also need these berries.
If he took all the Pecha Berries, he imagined quite a few Pokemon would go hungry.
After packing the berries, Naoki continued deeper into the forest with Moto-Moto.
This mountain forest was vast, and perhaps due to their direction of travel, aside from the Pecha Berry tree they had encountered earlier, Naoki didn't come across any other fruit-bearing trees.
Before he realized it, evening had arrived, and Naoki, feeling tired from the walk, sat down under a large tree to rest. Glancing at the sky, he figured it was time to head back.
Just then, Moto-Moto's nose twitched.
"What is it?" Naoki turned to look.
"Gaoh..."
Moto-Moto turned its head, sniffing the air as if trying to discern something.
Soon enough, it seemed to have located what it was searching for and stood up, looking in a particular direction.
Naoki followed its gaze but saw nothing but empty land. At first, he was perplexed, but soon, he noticed something peculiar.
The grass in a circular area around the tree's roots was completely withered.
"Gaoh!"
Moto-Moto let out a call in the direction of the strange sight.
Intrigued, Naoki stood up and walked over with Moto-Moto to inspect the unusual patch of land. He brushed away the decaying leaves and yellowed grass, revealing a dark, unknown object beneath.
At that moment, Naoki also caught a whiff of a peculiar scent.
It was a very distinct aroma, one that he couldn't quite describe with words.
As he wondered what this object could be, the information suddenly appeared in his mind.
[Black Truffle: A top-quality, luxurious ingredient and a rare delicacy. It can be used to make black truffle steamed eggs with eggs or turned into a creamy soup with butter. While it doesn't provide any direct boosts, it significantly enhances the effects of dishes it is used in.]
(End of Chapter)
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