Although he had a rough idea about the effect of the golden finger, Naoki had no way to test it out just yet. For one, he didn't have any Pokémon around, and secondly, the original owner was broke!
At three in the morning, Naoki, having barely managed to fill his stomach, started to ponder his situation.
Sure, traveling to this world was exciting, but survival came first – no matter where you were. After washing the dishes, he sat at the desk to go through the original owner's belongings.
Being a wandering spirit, the backpack was pretty bare. A few sets of clothes, three packs of instant ramen, and a handful of loose change and bills were all that remained. Naoki counted the money, about 2,300 in total. This wouldn't last him a month, let alone fund a Pokémon journey. He sighed, calculating the currency conversion in his head.
"Man, this is rough." But then, thoughts of those adorable and powerful Pokémon from the anime popped into his head, and Naoki perked up.
"One step at a time!" he told himself.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep from his old life, or maybe his body was just exhausted, but as soon as he had a full belly, sleepiness washed over Naoki. He didn't fight it, relishing the thought of a good night's rest without worrying about being late for work or struggling to pay the bills. Tomorrow was a new day. He switched off the lights, lay down on the rickety wooden bed, and was soon fast asleep.
The next morning, a knock on the door startled him awake. Naoki's eyes flew open, and he sat up, disoriented for a moment. Then it hit him – he was in another world!
He let out a relieved sigh, but the knocking continued. Confused, Naoki ran a hand through his messy hair and opened the door to find an older gentleman wearing a brown vest and a black fedora. The man, who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, had a warm, friendly smile on his face.
Beside him stood a creature that looked like a lizard, standing upright on two legs. Its body was a vibrant green, shimmering in the morning light. A tire-like structure adorned its neck, and its sturdy, thick tail swayed gently behind it.
Naoki's eyes lit up. He instantly recognized the Pokémon – it was a Cyclizar!
The older man spoke, "I heard you say yesterday that you'd be staying to take care of the ranch. I figured you might not be familiar with the work, and cleaning it up alone would be a lot, so I brought this little one along to help."
Naoki blinked, a memory surfacing in his mind: The original owner of this body had indeed agreed to look after a ranch. Yesterday morning, when the original owner returned to the ranch, he bumped into the kind old mayor. Recognizing him, the mayor greeted him warmly and said, "This is the legacy your grandfather left for you. I knew you'd come back someday, so I've been stopping by to tidy up every now and then. Even though it's been empty for years, the house is still livable. You can stay here without a worry!"
The original owner thanked him politely. The old mayor smiled and said, "Your grandfather and I were friends in our youth, and I even held you in my arms when you were a baby! This is what your grandfather asked of me before he passed away – to make sure you inherited the ranch."
Naoki thought to himself, 'The mayor must think I came back to run the ranch'.
With this realization, the current situation made sense, but he was still puzzled about the Cyclizar standing beside the mayor. Looking at the tall, thin young man before him, the mayor couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow and regret.
"What a poor child. All his relatives are gone, and he's all alone in this world."
After seeing his condition yesterday, the mayor had returned home and brought his Cyclizar companion along. One reason was to provide company for the lonely young man, and the other was to have Cyclizar help him manage the ranch.
The mayor sighed inwardly and asked gently, "Would you be willing to take care of him?"
Naoki was taken aback for a moment before understanding the mayor's intention. He looked at the Cyclizar, who stared back with innocent curiosity. Cyclizar, a dual-type Normal and Dragon Pokémon, had lived alongside the people of the Paldea region since ancient times.
With their gentle nature and sensitivity to cold, they often sought warmth from human body heat by letting people ride on their backs. In this way, Cyclizar also served as a mode of transportation in this particular region.
Naoki couldn't find a reason to refuse. After all, he wanted a Pokémon of his own, too. It seemed unlikely that he'd get a starter Pokémon from a local professor and embark on a journey like Ash did in the anime.
He didn't have any Poké Balls and couldn't exactly catch wild Pokémon with his bare hands.
"Thank you," Naoki said. "I'll take good care of him."
Relieved, the mayor beamed. "In that case, I'll leave him in your care. Oh, by the way, it's your first day at the ranch, so you might not be familiar with the work here, right?"
Having been accustomed to the 996 work culture in his previous life, Naoki felt a bit out of his depth.
"Yeah," he admitted. At that moment, the question that had been on his mind the night before was answered. He had nowhere else to go, and his only knowledge of this world came from the anime he watched and the games he played. Given his current circumstances, staying put seemed like the best course of action.
At least he had shelter from the wind and rain. The old mayor smiled and said, "Well then, allow me to show you around the ranch! But if I remember correctly, you left Paldea when you were ten and moved to Hoenn, right?"
"Yes," Naoki replied.
The mayor sighed. "Ten years have flown by. How time flies!"The once prosperous and bustling scenes of the past were still fresh in his mind, but now, all that remained was a deserted and dilapidated ranch. The farmland was overrun with weeds and rocks, and the Pokémon House had been ravaged by time, leaving only a skeletal frame.
As they walked through the ranch, the Cyclizar followed obediently, observing the young man with curiosity. Naoki focused on absorbing the mayor's words and didn't notice Cyclizar's attention. Since he had decided to stay and take care of the ranch, he was eager to learn.
The mayor's eyes were filled with nostalgia. Everywhere he looked, memories of the past flooded back.
"The land in front of us is the ranch's farmland. A long time ago, all sorts of crops grew here. In the autumn, the fields would be overflowing with fruit."
"That house is where the rancher lives. The big box next to it is a shipping container. The daily harvest of crops and Moomoo Milk can be stored in it. There's a valley east of the ranch where mostly small, docile Pokémon live. You can go there to gather mountain goods and berries, and then put the things you don't need in the shipping container."
"Every afternoon at five o'clock, someone from town comes to collect the items in the containers and pay you for them. The collected goods are then sent to Mesagoza Market by a special courier for sale. When your business thrives in the future, there will be special vehicles coming to transport goods! They'll take the ranch's products to all corners of the Paldea region and sell them to various people."
Naoki thought to himself, 'This sounds like a Pokémon version of Harvest Moon!' Fortunately, he had played farming games before and was familiar with the concept, so he quickly grasped the idea. His eye caught an abandoned building surrounded by several large trees and overgrown weeds.
"What's that?" he asked curiously.
The mayor glanced over with a hint of regret in his eyes. "That's the Pokémon shed on the ranch. Your grandfather once imported over a dozen Miltank from the Johto region and kept them there."
He frowned and continued, "After he passed away, your parents sold those Miltank, and this Pokémon shed gradually fell into disrepair."
"But don't worry. Once you get settled, you can go to the carpentry shop and ask them to help you expand your house and repair the shed."
"Oh, and by the way, I've placed all the tools you might need for the ranch there for you." The old mayor pointed to the utility room behind the house and explained, "An axe for chopping wood, a hammer for breaking rocks, a hoe for tilling the land, a watering can, a sickle for cutting grass, and a few bags of crop seeds suitable for spring planting. In short, this ranch is all yours!"
"I hope you'll take good care of it and restore this place to its former glory. Your grandfather would be so happy if you could achieve that."
Naoki paused for a moment, then nodded. "I'll do my best."
Hearing his response, the mayor smiled. "In that case, I won't keep you any longer. I'll leave Cyclizar in your care. He's very strong and will definitely be a great help around the ranch."
The Cyclizar chirped happily, "Groo!"
The mayor smiled and turned to leave, but before he had taken more than a few steps, he turned back around. "Oh, one more thing!"
Naoki urged him, "Go ahead."
The mayor continued, "You can keep the wood and stones you gather with the axe. When you have enough money, you can take them to the carpentry shop and have them help you expand your house and the Pokémon shed. That way, you can save a lot of money on materials!"
Naoki made a mental note of this helpful tip. The mayor then waved from a distance, saying, "I live in Mesagoza. If you have any problems, feel free to come to me. Cyclizar knows the way, so you can ride him there directly."
"Okay," Naoki nodded. With that, the mayor departed.
In the 198th year of the Alliance Calendar, spring had just arrived in the Paldea region, and the temperature was still a bit chilly. Naoki and Cyclizar stood at the door of the cabin, watching the old mayor's figure gradually disappear into the distance. Only after he was out of sight did Naoki turn to look at the sleek Cyclizar beside him.
Even though he was new to this world, he could tell from the Cyclizar's appearance and demeanor that it was healthy and well-cared for. Thinking of the magical nature of Pokémon, Naoki's curiosity got the better of him.
"Cyclizar?" he asked.
"Groo?" The Cyclizar tilted its head and looked back. Clearly, it understood its name. Naoki continued, "Can you understand what I'm saying? If you can, just nod your head."
"Groo~"
As expected, the Cyclizar nodded obediently. Just like in the anime, Pokémon could understand human language! Naoki's heart swelled with excitement. According to the lore, Pokémon were extraordinary creatures whose intelligence and emotions far surpassed those of ordinary animals. Some Pokémon even rivaled humans in their intellect and emotional capacity.
Gazing at Cyclizar's shiny skin, Naoki couldn't resist reaching out to touch it. It felt different from what he had imagined, not like a real lizard but more like leather, much like a motorcycle's exterior. The Cyclizar didn't seem to mind his touch at all. In fact, it closed its eyes contentedly, looking quite pleased.
Naoki mimicked Ash from the anime and said to Cyclizar, "Cyclizar, please take care of me from now on!"
"Groo~"
After saying that, Naoki found himself at a loss for words. He withdrew his hand, and his stomach rumbled. The sound caught Cyclizar's attention, and its eyes drifted towards Naoki's belly.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Naoki asked, "Have you eaten? I'm about to make some food. Want to join me?"
"Groo~"
Even though Cyclizar had already eaten breakfast, it seemed delighted by the invitation from its new owner. It nodded and followed Naoki back into the cabin. Looking around at the wooden dwelling, Naoki felt a strange sense of belonging. This was his home now. He took a deep breath. After years of toiling away in the 996 grind, it would be nice to live a peaceful life as a farmer.
Ranch life might be tiring, but at least he'd be working for himself. A new chapter was beginning. Naoki glanced at the Cyclizar beside him. Speak of the devil, he thought. Last night, he was wondering if he had any Pokémon to test his cheat code on, and this morning, he had a Cyclizar!
"Alright then, it's you!" he declared.
Naoki put a pot of water on the stove to boil, preparing to cook some instant ramen. He was eager to see the effects of his cheat code and whether it could provide Pokémon with all sorts of magical benefits, just like in the games.