Chapter 75: Special Soil
Chapter 75: Special Soil
To Naoki's questions, Teddiursa responded with a clueless act, as if it didn't understand a word he was saying.
"Huh?" it asked, feigning confusion with wide, innocent eyes.
Naoki saw right through its act but decided not to press the issue. Instead, he turned to prepare breakfast.
Today's breakfast was the usual – MooMoo Milk, tree fruit juice, sandwiches, golden-fried eggs oozing with grease, and a few sugar-coated cookies.
While the others devoured the food, Teddiursa seemed less than enthusiastic, picking at a couple of Pecha Berries absentmindedly.
"Full?" Naoki asked. "Don't you want to try something else?"
"Huh?" Teddiursa shook its head, its eyes glancing at the spread of food with disinterest. It much preferred the honey-glazed tree fruit it had come to love.
Coating the fruit in a thick layer of golden honey, it would first lick off the sweet honey before biting into the fruit underneath. The taste of honey lingered on the fruit, making it irresistible.
"Alright then," Naoki said, not wanting to force it.
After breakfast, he set about his ranch work, taking the time to observe the mighty Pidgeot using Rain Dance.
Teddiursa, meanwhile, was left in the care of Bulbasaur, who had arrived a few days before the little bear.
Well-acquainted with the ranch, Bulbasaur eagerly took on the task of showing Teddiursa around, its eyes shining with excitement.
"Ba mo ba mo!" it said, which roughly translated to, "Come on! Naoki really likes you, and you'll be staying here from now on. Let me introduce you to everyone!"
Teddiursa, however, had no intention of staying. It was only here for the delicious honey, and once it got its fill, it planned to disappear without a trace.
But that would have to wait.
Teddiursa glanced in the direction of the beehives. The Combee were out collecting nectar, and it would be a while before the honey was ready.
Patience, it told itself. A qualified hunter must have patience.
So, it followed Bulbasaur as it toured the ranch, their first stop being the chicken coop where Bulbasaur usually worked.
Bulbasaur proudly showed off the chickens and fluffy chicks wandering in the grass, but Teddiursa barely showed any interest, leaving Bulbasaur feeling a little dejected.
Its head hung low, but it quickly shook off its disappointment and led Teddiursa to the Salt House, where the Rockruffs lived.
The five Rockruffs were still asleep, snuggled up together in a pile of cuteness. Bulbasaur didn't want to disturb them, so it whispered from a distance, explaining to Teddiursa that these Rockruffs produced delicious salty rock salt.
Rock salt? That was nothing compared to sweet honey!
Teddiursa's mind wandered to thoughts of honey, its mouth watering. "Huh? Do you know about honey? It's so much better than rock salt!" it asked, its eyes full of envy as it imagined the sweet treat.
"Ba mo?" Bulbasaur asked, perking up at the mention of honey. It knew about honey! Just the other day, Naoki had prepared honey lemonade for them, and it was delicious!
This only reinforced Teddiursa's determination to steal that honey.
Their third stop was the pasture where the Ride Sheep lounged.
At first, Teddiursa didn't think much of the three lazy Ride Sheep. But suddenly, an incredible energy erupted from them.
The surrounding area was enveloped in a vibrant green aura, sharp leaves whirled through the air, and the Ride Sheep reared their heads back, releasing powerful beams of light that grazed past Teddiursa and shot straight up into the sky.
Teddiursa stood rooted to the spot, its mouth dry as it processed what had just happened.
Terrifying! The power of that move was frightening! If it had been hit just now...
What were those Ride Sheep about? Suddenly, Teddiursa realized something – there were so many powerful Pokemon on this ranch. How could it possibly steal all the honey right under their noses?
Not just the Ride Sheep, but also that fierce-looking red Pokemon.
The honey-induced haze cleared from Teddiursa's mind, and it began to worry.
If its theft was discovered...
Teddiursa didn't even want to think about the consequences. At that moment, it considered backing out, genuinely scared of what might happen.
However, Teddiursa had a guilty conscience. It turned and glanced around, seeing that the human hadn't noticed its antics, so it quickly made an excuse and walked away from Bulbasaur.
Once out of sight, Teddiursa quickened its pace and broke into a run.
Oh my goodness! This place is too scary! It didn't want the honey anymore and decided never to come back here!
And so, Teddiursa was scared away by the Ride Sheep.
When Naoki finished his ranch work and turned to look for Teddiursa, he couldn't find it anywhere on the ranch.
Naoki was perplexed and asked Bulbasaur, "Where's Teddiursa?"
Bulbasaur looked clueless. "Ba mo..." It didn't know what had happened. The little bear had just suddenly disappeared.
Seeing this, Naoki raised an eyebrow.
He asked Bulbasaur what had transpired, and Bulbasaur reenacted the events that had taken place.
After watching, Naoki was surprised.
Huh? It got scared off by the Ride Sheep?
He couldn't help but feel a bit speechless and looked up towards the direction of the mountain, searching everywhere but to no avail. He couldn't find Teddiursa anywhere.
Naoki felt a twinge of regret.
He hadn't gotten enough cuddles yet!
He had planned to draw a hot bath for Teddiursa after finishing his work, wash it until it smelled nice and fresh, and then give it a good grooming.
But before he could even start, the little bear had run off, scared.
Naoki wondered if he had gone too far.
After all, Teddiursa was just a bear cub that wanted some honey.
And it was even willing to sell its cute looks for honey.
He pondered, gazing into the distance, then turned and went back into the house. He took out the jar of honey from the cabinet, took a small portion and put it in a slightly smaller jar.
Then he gave it to Butterfree and said, "Butterfree, take this jar of honey and go into the forest to see if you can find Teddiursa."
"If you find it, remember to tell it that stealing is wrong. If it wants honey, it can bring something to exchange for it here."
If he guessed correctly, the little bear's ability should be related to perseverance.
But before it evolves into a Circle Bear, its current ability is probably Pick-Up.
Pokemon with this ability have a penchant for collecting items from the wild, and it should be easy for it to pick up some berries or other treats.
"Hmm," Butterfree gently reached out and took the jar, then flew towards the mountain with the honey.
As Butterfree left, Naoki took a deep breath and turned his full attention back to the ranch.
The crops in the fields were already in their second round, and it would be about half a month before they were ready for harvest.
Unknowingly, half of spring had passed, and summer was fast approaching.
Naoki mused, "Should I buy some seeds for summer crops in advance?"
"Yes, it's better to be prepared. Otherwise, there will be too much to do when the seasons change, and things might get chaotic."
In addition, he needed to plan for each Pokemon living on the ranch.
The Ride Sheep didn't need much attention for the time being; they could grow and develop stress-free with the Green Dumpling treats.
Currently, his focus was on the Rockruff, Salamence, and Budew.
1. Evolve Rockruff into Lycanroc and then work towards its final evolution, the formidable Gigalith.
2. Help Salamence learn more moves.
3. Help Budew evolve into Olivoil so that he can obtain fresh, delicious, and fragrant olive oil.
"So, next, I can try making more dishes with rock salt to see if I can create something like the Green Dumplings that will aid the Rockruff's growth. However, since Rockruff is a Rock-type Pokemon, perhaps I should use mineral-rich rocks and soil in my cooking."
Salamence currently knew a diverse range of moves, including Wing Attack, Leer, Whirlwind, Dragon Rage, Extreme Speed, Dragon Tail, Rain Dance, Thunderpunch, and the move it was currently mastering, Thunder Bolt.
Overall, this Salamence could use a varied set of offensive moves, including Flying, Dragon, Electric, and Normal-type attacks, making it increasingly versatile.
"It's a shame I couldn't make any Dragon-type dishes," Naoki muttered. However, since Salamence was currently training to master Thunder Bolt, he planned to have it practice other moves after it became proficient with this one.
As for Budew...
Being a Grass-type Pokemon, Naoki had also tried feeding it the Green Dumplings before.
But Budew didn't seem to like the sticky texture of the glutinous rice, and its attitude towards training and getting stronger was very lackadaisical.
Last time he inquired, the elderly folk at Happy Ranch mentioned that the cargo ship carrying the Big Milk Can might have encountered a storm and lost contact.
With that in mind, Naoki set off for Drench Town on his Gorebyss.
Having ridden his Motostoke in the previous trip, it was now Gorebyss's turn, as per its self-imposed rule to ensure fairness.
Drench Town was as bustling as ever, and on his way to the seed shop, Naoki passed by the Drench Market.
His thoughts were on Salt Stone Treasure when he suddenly heard a shout from within the market.
"Come and have a look! A newly unearthed Sun Stone from Sunstone Town, starting bid: 2,000 Pokedollars!"
Sun Stone?
Intrigued, Naoki made his way over and saw a crowd gathered around a stall.
On display was a stone shaped like the sun, its color a fiery red.
The stall owner was all smiles as he shouted, "3,000 Pokedollars, 3,000 once! 5,000! 5,500! 7,000! 7,000 Pokedollars once! Anyone willing to offer a higher price?"
"The Sun Stone, the wondrous Sun Stone, able to evolve certain Pokemon! You won't regret this purchase!"
"Wow! A gentleman here bids 10,000 Pokedollars! Anyone willing to go higher?"
"...”
Naoki curiously joined the onlookers, and the Sun Stone eventually sold for 60,000 Pokedollars to a wealthy trainer.
Next, the stall owner brought out the second item for auction - a handmade Sweet Apple.
"Huh, I didn't expect there to be an actual auction here," Naoki remarked, as in the game, the Drench Market was quite something.
Here, people would auction off anything from Berries and Potions to Orbs and even Arceus plates.
However, in reality, the market wasn't quite as bizarre. The rarest items sold here were probably Evolution stones.
But those held no interest for Naoki, so after a quick glance, he turned away and strolled through the Drench Market.
Here, he saw people selling crops and milk from their ranches, fish and seafood caught from the waters, and some homemade cooked food.
Naoki wasn't particularly interested in these, so he made his way through the food section to the stalls on the right side.
Here, they sold Pokemon supplies, like food, toys, and climbing frames for small Pokemon.
Naoki picked up a Frisbee and weighed it in his hand, asking, "Gorebyss, what do you think of this?"
Gorebyss looked at the Frisbee, imagining Naoki throwing it with all his might and then retrieving it.
It quite liked the idea of this game and happily nodded its large head.
"Ah ga shi!"
Alright then, bought!
The ranch could use some more Pokemon toys anyway.
The Frisbee wasn't expensive, only 800 Pokedollars, so Naoki paid and continued on his way.
Just then, he noticed a small bag of special soil on a stall selling Pokemon food.
The soil was powdery and had a very unique, metallic color.
"What's this?" Naoki asked curiously.
The stall owner glanced at Gorebyss by Naoki's side and smiled, "This is a special type of soil that's perfect for Steel and Rock-type Pokemon. It's rich in minerals and trace elements, offering great support for their physical growth!"
"There's such a thing? I'm hearing about this for the first time," Naoki exclaimed in surprise.
The stall owner nodded with a smile, "Of course! This is special soil dug up from the mines in Sunstone Town. It's a specialty product there! And it's not expensive at all - this small bag is only 1,500 Pokedollars!"
"Many trainers specializing in Rock and Steel-type Pokemon buy this soil from me. I get it shipped directly from Sunstone Town!"
Hearing this, Naoki's first thought was that he'd found the key ingredient for Salt Stone Treasure's power-enhancing dish!
"1,500 Pokedollars isn't a lot, and even if it doesn't work, it's worth a try!" With that in mind, Naoki said, "I'll take one bag!"
"Coming right up!"
(End of Chapter)
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