Chapter 7: What's it Like to Find a Legendary Pokemon at the Start?
Chapter 7: What's it Like to Find a Legendary Pokemon at the Start?
Located in the northwestern region of the Paldea area, Zhi Qin Town is a bustling seaside town.
From the original owner's memories, Naoki learned that the town hosts various local festivals.
Events such as the Spring Festival, the Water Pokemon Rally, and the summer-exclusive Fireworks Display attract many visitors. With the town's proximity to well-developed livestock farming, Zhi Qin Town has flourished.
The place known as the "Zhi Qin Market" is especially renowned.
Naoki strolled down the streets with his Motostoke, accompanied by various Pokemon by the townspeople's sides. The relaxed atmosphere, with the gentle sea breeze, created a pleasant ambiance.
Besides buying food, Naoki had another important task for this trip.
He intended to visit the town's carpentry store, grocery store, seed shop, and shops selling ranch Pokemon and regular animals.
"It's almost six o'clock now," Naoki said, a bit concerned that the stores might close soon. After a moment's thought, he asked his Motostoke, "Are you hungry?"
"Ga'ao!"
Motostoke nodded and then shook its head. The intelligent Pokemon understood that Naoki had something to do, so it indicated that it could wait a little longer.
Seeing its considerate response, Naoki smiled and patted its head affectionately. "Good boy," he said. "Then let's go to the grocery store first."
"Ga'ao~"
The town wasn't large, and perhaps to ensure that visitors didn't get lost, the street signs and billboards clearly marked the locations of various shops.
Naoki easily located the grocery store and headed there.
After crossing a crossroads, a red brick building came into view.
It was early evening, and the store was empty except for a balding uncle with glasses behind the counter, playing with a Growlithe.
Hearing the wind chimes above the door, the uncle looked up. "Oh? A customer! Welcome!"
Naoki politely greeted him and asked, "Do you sell seasonings here?"
Uncle: "Yes! They're on the back shelves!"
Naoki walked to the back and indeed found a variety of seasonings on the shelves.
Oil, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, flour, spices, red bean paste, butter, sugar, pepper powder...
The prices were clearly marked below the shelves.
For example, a bag of flour cost 200 Pokedollars, a bottle of oil was 100 Pokedollars, and red bean paste was 150 Pokedollars.
Looking at these prices, Naoki couldn't quite understand the value system in the Pokemon world.
A small bag of flour cost the same as a Poke Ball. Suddenly, the price of Poke Balls didn't seem so expensive.
After a brief contemplation, Naoki decided to buy one of each type of seasoning.
When he brought the items to the counter, the owner's face showed surprise. As he started packing the items, he asked, "Did you just move to Zhi Qin Town?"
"Yes," Naoki nodded.
The owner smiled and said, "Well, enjoy your time in Zhi Qin Town! That'll be 2,820 Pokedollars, please."
Instead of paying immediately, Naoki asked, "Do you sell fishing rods here?"
"Fishing rods? Yes, we do!"
The owner turned and took out several fishing rods from the back shelves, placing them on the counter. He introduced them one by one:
"Each fishing rod has a different price. This one is 2,000 Pokedollars. With some bait, you can catch Pokemon and fish wherever there's water."
"This rod here is 5,000 Pokedollars. It's made of higher-quality materials, so it performs better and is less likely to break than the 2,000 one."
"As for this one, it's 15,000 Pokedollars. It's the latest and greatest fishing rod, made with the finest materials for both durability and performance."
Naoki: "..."
His gaze shifted between the three rods, and finally, he chose the ordinary 2,000 Pokedollar rod as a temporary measure.
"That'll be 4,820 Pokedollars in total," the owner said. "Since you're a new customer, I'll throw in a free box of bait. Hope to see you again!" He handed Naoki a tin can with a smile.
"Thank you," Naoki said, taking the items and leaving the store.
His next stop was the carpentry shop, located on the outskirts of town, right next to a forest.
There was a wooden post with an embedded saw at the shop's entrance.
As Naoki was about to knock, the door opened automatically.
A woman with pink hair tied in a high ponytail and a matching headband stepped out. Her physique was robust.
After Naoki explained his purpose, the woman led him to the workshop in the back.
"Are you the new ranch owner?" she asked curiously.
Naoki was slightly taken aback, then realized that Mayor Thomas had probably informed her as well.
He nodded. "My name is Naoki."
Woman: "Just call me Cri."
"Alright, Miss Cri," Naoki replied.
As they walked, Cri explained the process of expanding the ranch houses. "You haven't named your ranch yet, have you?"
Naoki shook his head. "Not yet. I only arrived yesterday."
"Don't worry, I was just asking casually," Cri said. "Thomas filled me in on the details. You're here to learn about repairing Pokemon houses and expanding residential areas, right?"
"Yes," Naoki confirmed.
"In that case, let me go over everything," Cri said. "Repairing Pokemon houses costs 50,000 Pokedollars and 300 pieces of wood. After the repair, you'll be able to raise Miltank and Wooloo there. However, that price might be a bit steep for you right now."
"So, I recommend starting with building a chicken coop. You can raise regular chickens there, and the eggs they lay can be sold for profit. The chicken coop only costs 20,000 Pokedollars and 150 pieces of wood."
"Additionally, you'll need to build a silo on the ranch to store feed. We'll give you one for free the first time you build one."
"That's much simpler." Cri replied, "Building a fully functional residence costs around two million Pokedollars. We can help you expand the second floor, add a separate kitchen and bathroom, and remodel the basement, which is usually used by ranch owners for brewing."
"In addition, our shop also provides custom furniture services. Aside from the basic tables and chairs, you can also purchase wallpaper, carpets, refrigerators, storage cabinets, various lighting fixtures, and so on."
Five minutes later, Naoki walked out of the carpentry shop.
He calculated the remaining money he had and suddenly felt that he had a lot to do.
"Why does it feel busier than a 9-9-6 job..."
Naoki sighed. Imagining the day when the ranch would regain its former prosperity, his face lit up with anticipation—by then, he could finally relax and enjoy the leisurely life of a ranch owner.
Since he couldn't build a Pokemon cottage yet, there was no need to visit the store selling ranch animals for now.
Mounting his Motostoke, Naoki headed towards his final destination—the seed shop.
The owner of the seed shop was a middle-aged man with brown hair, wearing a brown coat, and slightly chubby.
When Naoki arrived, the owner was having dinner with his wife and daughter.
Seeing the customer, the owner immediately stood up and welcomed him warmly, "Welcome! What kind of seeds are you looking for?"
Naoki didn't know much about seeds, as he only had the turnip seeds given by Mayor Thomas.
With the owner's guidance, he saw a wide variety of seeds displayed on the shelves.
There were seeds for potatoes, turnips, garlic, strawberries, cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, fodder, and even some tree fruit seeds like Pecha and Cheri.
Naoki was dazzled by the assortment. The seed shop owner introduced them enthusiastically, "These are all crops and fruit trees suitable for spring planting. They have been artificially cultivated to be easy to grow. Just water and fertilize them regularly, and they will thrive."
Naoki nodded silently.
The seeds in this world were quite different from those in the Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley games he had played.
Here, a packet of seeds contained many seeds, enough to plant a large area, unlike in the games where a packet of seeds could only be planted in a single tile.
After some contemplation, Naoki decided to buy one packet of each type of seed, including the tree fruit seeds.
The prices of the seeds varied as well. The most basic turnip seeds cost 60 Pokedollars per packet, while strawberries and cucumbers were 120 and 150 Pokedollars per packet, respectively.
In total, he spent 1,370 Pokedollars on all the seeds.
Now, he had 27,000 Pokedollars left from the black truffle sale.
With the seeds packed up, Naoki left the store with Motostoke.
Outside, the sky had darkened.
Naoki looked up at the stars and took a deep breath. "Alright, let's go get some dinner!"
"Ga'ao..." Motostoke looked a bit pathetic.
Naoki smiled and patted its head affectionately before heading into a restaurant with his Pokemon companion.
After a tiring day, he decided to treat himself to a meal out.
The waiter brought the menus, which offered dishes for both humans and Pokemon.
Motostoke, being the Pokemon it was... probably preferred meat?
So, Naoki ordered a meat dish and a tree fruit set for Motostoke as a reward for its hard work today.
Soon, the food was served.
Seeing Motostoke devour its meal with gusto, Naoki felt delighted from the bottom of his heart.
Pokemon were so pure and adorable~
He lowered his head to look at the fragrant vegetable stew and corn soup in front of him, and their information appeared in his mind.
As expected, these dishes didn't possess the special ability to empower Pokemon.
Naoki confirmed his suspicion, "It seems only the dishes I cook have that effect."
After dinner, Naoki went back to the grocery store to buy ingredients for the next few days.
Since he didn't have a refrigerator yet, he only bought enough for three days.
The weather wasn't too hot yet, so the food wouldn't spoil quickly.
Naoki carried his bags and rode Motostoke back towards the ranch in the darkness.
The night air was chilly, and the wind felt cold on their bodies.
Motostoke was afraid of the cold, but riding on its back, Naoki felt warm, helping dispel the Pokemon's chill.
At that moment, Motostoke longed for another bowl of the warm noodle soup Naoki had made.
Motostoke was fast, and they returned to the ranch in less than thirty minutes.
The ranch was pitch-black at night. Anticipating this, Naoki had brought a flashlight with him.
He fumbled for the flashlight in the dark and suddenly heard a loud "bang!"
The sound was accompanied by the cracking of trees, as if something had fallen from the sky and crashed into the ranch, toppling over a patch of trees.
Startled, Naoki finally found the flashlight and turned it on, illuminating the ranch ahead.
Soon, he spotted an unfamiliar dark figure in his farm field.
Naoki was taken aback, and Motostoke, sensing something unusual, stood up from its riding position and stared alertly at the figure.
It sensed an extraordinary aura.
The flashlight beam landed on the motionless figure, which lay on the ground as if it had fainted.
With the light, Naoki finally saw the figure's true form.
Its body was a vibrant crimson, with a sturdy tail, extravagant whiskers, and a chest adorned with what looked like a motorcycle tire.
It was...
Naoki froze in place.
(End of Chapter)
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