Chapter 9: Goldeen Uprooting Willows
Chapter 9: Goldeen Uprooting Willows
Improving the quality of milk?
A bonus for dairy Pokemon only?
Naoki raised his eyebrows, a hint of surprise on his face.
He had only known that his cooking could directly enhance a Pokemon's strength, speed, and provide other benefits like protection from the cold.
He was unaware that his culinary skills could also bring about auxiliary enhancements.
This would be a great help with the ranch work!
He wondered, would creating other dishes yield similar results?
There were countless cuisines to explore, and it would likely take decades to even scratch the surface of the culinary world.
Nonetheless, at that moment, Naoki found himself deeply intrigued by the unknown possibilities of his cooking and its effects.
"I have plenty of time to experiment," he thought to himself.
With that, Naoki turned and placed two cups of fruit juice milk in front of Goldeen and Machoke.
Although neither Goldeen nor Machoke were dairy Pokemon, they could still enjoy the beverage as a regular drink.
Before being summoned by the time machine, Goldeen had just finished battling another pesky Goldeen.
It had sustained some injuries in the fight, and upon being summoned, it confirmed that it had returned to this time and space. Without resting, it immediately rushed back towards home.
Now, after consuming Naoki's meal and relishing the familiar taste, as well as feeling its wounds slowly heal, Goldeen felt completely relaxed.
It couldn't help but walk up to Naoki, its expression joyful as it licked his face affectionately, expressing its affection and longing.
However, Naoki was unaware of Goldeen's thoughts at that moment.
He was startled at first, but then recalled that in the game, Goldeen would also nuzzle up to the player and Peony like this, so he relaxed.
Feeling his face covered in slime, Naoki pushed Goldeen away, speechless.
Goldeen didn't mind; it happily squatted to the side, its thick tail swaying back and forth as it watched Naoki wash his face.
After Machoke finished eating as well, Naoki cleared the table and washed the dishes before letting out a big yawn and stretching lazily.
Having worked tirelessly all day, it was time for a good night's sleep!
There was no bathroom in the ranch, so Naoki went outside and rinsed off with a hose before lazily flopping onto the bed. He browsed through the spring crop information in the "Ranching Compendium," yawning as he planned for the next day.
There was still so much to do.
He needed to cut down unnecessary trees, break up the rocks in the fields, till the soil, and plant the seeds and fruit trees.
He also wanted to try fishing again to see if he could catch any bigger fish to sell to Zack for some extra income in the evening.
With the crops not yet mature and the Pokemon house still in need of repair, this was his only source of income for now.
As Naoki made his mental to-do list for the following day, he looked up from the book and towards the bedside.
Machoke yawned and lay down on the wooden floor, looking ready to doze off.
Goldeen, too, had found a comfortable spot and closed its eyes to rest.
Naoki's presence, the familiar surroundings, and the lingering aroma of the meal in the air—all of this put Goldeen at ease.
Although the ranch was far from any town, out in the wilderness, Machoke's presence kept Naoki from feeling afraid.
And with the unexpected addition of Goldeen, he felt even safer.
A smile spread across Naoki's face, and he lay down.
Time to turn off the lights and sleep!
The next morning, as if by instinct honed from his corporate days, Naoki woke up at the crack of dawn.
He glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was only 6:15.
Naoki considered dozing off again but quickly dismissed the idea, remembering the long list of tasks awaiting him that day.
He rubbed his eyes and got up to start preparing breakfast.
Hearing the rustling from the bed, Goldeen opened one eye and, seeing that it was Naoki getting up, closed it again to continue sleeping.
Machoke, on the other hand, rose to its feet.
Noticing its movement, Naoki walked by and patted its head gently, whispering, "Go back to sleep. I'll call you when breakfast is ready."
He bought toast from Pickle Market, fried his own meat patties, and combined them with freshly sliced tomatoes and lettuce, finishing it off with a thick layer of cheese sauce to make a fresh sandwich.
Naoki looked down, and information about the sandwich immediately appeared.
[Sandwich (D)
: A sandwich blended with various fresh ingredients, a mix of meat and vegetables, nutritious and ideal for breakfast.
Cooking Effect: Energy Boost (Small)
, makes Pokemon more energetic and less prone to drowsiness.
Rating: Basic fast-food sandwich, a great breakfast choice.]
"Just an energy boost?" Naoki was slightly disappointed, but then he thought that out of all the ingredients, only the meat patty was cooked by him, and he felt that this was already pretty good.
After preparing breakfast, Naoki woke up the two Pokemon. He originally wanted to make a sandwich for himself as well, but seeing the remaining packet of instant ramen in the cabinet, he thought it would be a waste not to use it, so he cooked it for himself.
However, when he served the noodles, his sharp-eyed Goldeen spotted it.
Goldeen looked down at the sandwich in front of it, then at the bowl of hot ramen, and suddenly transformed into its upright form. It swapped the dishes and started gulping down the hot ramen.
Naoki: "..."
He was surprised and looked down at the empty ceramic bowl, asking, "Do you really like this?"
For Goldeen, this was the first meal it had ever tasted that Naoki cooked, so it held a special meaning.
In the near future, as the ranch prospered, Naoki would rarely make instant ramen again.
Seeing it again now, Goldeen felt a surge of nostalgia.
Goldeen: "Gao'ao'aoshi~"
Naoki couldn't understand, but judging from Goldeen's expression, it seemed to really enjoy the meal. This was quite the opposite of Moto Lizard's reaction.
Naoki didn't think much of it and just washed the dishes before heading out with a hoe on his shoulder.
A new day of work was about to begin!
After the morning's practice, Naoki and Moto Lizard had developed great teamwork.
Moto Lizard used its tail to smash and shatter rocks, then cleared away the debris, while Naoki followed behind, turning the soil with his hoe.
They also encountered some large trees along the way. Since Naoki didn't have enough strength to chop them down, he handed the axe to Moto Lizard, who helped cut them down.
Goldeen stood at a distance, watching this scene.
Suddenly, it let out a string of roars, then turned and ran to a big tree. It wrapped its arms around the tree, exerted its strength, and pulled the tree out by its roots, tossing it aside.
Hearing the commotion, Naoki and Moto Lizard turned their heads, their faces filled with confusion.
???
Goldeen didn't stop there. It continued to help with logging and stone removal in the field.
Naoki's eyes widened in amazement. "What powerful strength! Is it returning a favor?"
It had to be said that having a Pokemon like Goldeen, with its formidable strength, helped reduce his workload significantly.
Seeing that Goldeen showed no signs of stopping, Naoki and Moto Lizard resumed their work as well.
With Goldeen's help, their work efficiency increased tremendously.
In just the morning, they had cleared out most of the farm area.
Naoki, drenched in sweat, carried a spray bottle and watered the soil, making it soft and more suitable for planting.
"It would be great to have a Water-type Pokemon at times like this," Naoki couldn't help but think.
The watered soil needed some time to cool down before planting could resume.
Naoki wasn't in a rush to prepare the entire farm area at once.
First, he didn't have enough seeds, and second, they lacked manpower, so it was a lot for just the two of them to handle.
This large portion of the field would keep them busy for a long time.
(End of Chapter)
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