Mesagoza was located in the southern region of the Paldea, a bustling coastal town.
From the original owner's memories, Naoki knew the City was known for its various local festivals.
For example, the Spring Festival, the Water Pokémon Rally, and the summer-only fireworks display.
These unique events attracted many visitors and combined with the flourishing agriculture and animal husbandry around the town, Mesagoza had developed steadily over time.
The "Mesagoza Market" within the town was even more famous.
Naoki walked down the street with Cyclizar, observing pedestrians with various Pokémon strolling leisurely in the sea breeze. The atmosphere was cozy and relaxed.
This time, besides buying food, Naoki had other important tasks.
He needed to visit the town's carpentry shop, general store, seed shop, and the store that sold ranch Pokémon and ordinary animals.
"It's almost six o'clock," Naoki thought, a little worried the shops might close soon. He paused and asked the Cyclizar, "Are you hungry?"
"Groo!"
The Cyclizar nodded, then shook its head. It was intelligent enough to understand that Naoki had things to do, so it could wait a little longer.
Seeing its response, Naoki smiled, patted its head, and said, "Good boy, then let's go to the general store first."
"Groo~"
The town wasn't big. Perhaps to prevent visitors from getting lost, the locations of various shops were clearly marked on both street signs and billboards.
Locating the general store on the map, Naoki headed straight for it.
After crossing an intersection, a red brick building appeared before Naoki.
It was evening, and the store was empty except for a bald man wearing glasses sitting behind the counter, fiddling with a Foongus bag.
Hearing the wind chimes jingle as the door opened, the man looked up. "Ah? A customer! Welcome!"
Naoki greeted him politely, then asked, "Do you have any seasonings here?"
"Yes! On the innermost shelf!"
Naoki walked over and found a wide variety of seasonings on the shelves, just as the man had said.
Oil, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, flour, spices, red bean paste, butter, sugar, pepper.
Their prices were clearly marked on the shelves.
For example, a bag of flour cost 200 Pokédollars, a bottle of oil cost 100 Pokédollars, and red bean paste cost 150 Pokédollars.
Looking at these prices, Naoki was a bit puzzled about the cost of things in the Pokémon world.
A small bag of flour was the same price as a Poké Ball. From that perspective, Poké Balls didn't seem that expensive.
After a moment's consideration, Naoki bought one of each seasoning.
When he brought his items to the counter, the shopkeeper looked surprised. He took out a bag and asked, "Did you just move to Mesagoza?"
"Yes," Naoki nodded.
The shopkeeper smiled. "Then enjoy your life in Mesagoza! Alright, the total comes to 2,820 Pokédollars."
Naoki didn't pay immediately. Instead, he asked, "Do you have fishing rods here?"
"Fishing rods? Yes!"
The shopkeeper turned around and retrieved a few fishing rods from a shelf, placing them on the counter. "Each fishing rod has a different price," he explained. "This one is 2,000 Pokédollars. If you pair it with bait, you can catch Pokémon and fish anywhere there's water."
"This fishing rod costs 5,000 Pokédollars. It's made of higher quality materials, so it performs better than the 2,000-Pokédollar rod and is more durable."
"And this one here is 15,000 Pokédollars. It's the newest and most powerful fishing rod, made with the most advanced materials and boasting top-notch performance."
Naoki's eyes scanned the three fishing rods. He ultimately chose the standard 2,000-Pokédollar rod, planning to use it for the time being.
"The total comes to 4,820 Pokédollars. Since this is your first time shopping here, I'll give you a box of bait for free. Please come again!" The shopkeeper smiled and handed him a tin can.
"Thank you," Naoki said, taking his purchases and leaving the store.
His next stop was the carpentry shop, located on the edge of town with a forest behind it.
A wooden stake stood outside the shop, a saw stuck in it.
Just as Naoki was about to knock, the door opened.
A sturdy woman with a high pink ponytail and a headband emerged.
After Naoki explained his purpose, she led him into the workshop at the back.
"Are you the new ranch owner who just moved here?" she asked curiously.
Naoki was slightly taken aback, then realized that Mayor Clavell had probably informed her of his arrival.
He nodded. "My name is Naoki."
"Just call me Kora," the woman replied.
"Yes, Miss Kora."
As they walked, Kora explained the process of expanding the ranch house. "You haven't named the ranch yet, have you?"
Naoki shook his head. "Not yet. I only arrived yesterday."
"No worries, just making conversation," Kora said with a smile. "Well, Mayor Clavell filled me in. You're here to learn about restoring the Pokémon shed and expanding the house, right?"
"That's right."
"Then let me explain. Repairing the Pokémon shed requires 50,000 Pokédollars and 300 pieces of lumber. Once repaired, you can raise Miltank and Mareep there. Of course, that's a bit pricey for you right now."
"So I recommend starting with building a chicken coop and raising regular chickens. The eggs they lay can be sold for profit. A chicken coop only needs 20,000 Pokédollars and 150 pieces of lumber."
"Also, 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 it."
Naoki nodded thoughtfully, taking mental note of the prices.
"What about expanding the house?" he asked.
"That's much simpler," Kora replied. "A fully functional house would cost around two million Pokédollars. We can help you add a second floor, a separate kitchen and bathroom, and renovate the basement. Usually, ranchers use the basement for making wine."
"We also offer custom furniture services. Besides basic tables, chairs, and benches, you can also buy wallpaper, carpets, refrigerators, storage cabinets, various light fixtures, and so on."
Five minutes later, Naoki walked out of the carpentry shop.
Calculating the remaining money, he realized he still had a long way to go.
"This feels even busier than my 996 job..." he sighed, then envisioned the day when the ranch would be restored to its former glory. A look of anticipation appeared on his face – by then, he could relax and enjoy the leisurely life of a rancher.
Since the Pokémon shed wasn't a priority at the moment, there was no need to visit the shop that sold ranch Pokémon just yet.
Riding Cyclizar, Naoki headed to his final destination – the seed shop.
The seed shop owner was a middle-aged man with brown hair and a slightly plump figure, wearing a brown coat.
When Naoki arrived, the man was having dinner with his wife and daughter.
Seeing a customer, the owner immediately stood up and greeted him. "Welcome! Take a look around and see what seeds you'd like to buy."
Naoki wasn't sure what to get since he only had a bag of turnip seeds given by the mayor.
Following the owner's lead, he saw a vast array of seeds in containers.
Potatoes, turnips, garlic, strawberries, cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, grass, and even seeds for fruit trees like peaches and oranges.
Naoki was dazzled by the variety. The seed shop owner explained, "These are crops and fruit trees suitable for spring planting. They're easy to grow after cultivation. As long as you water and fertilize them on time, they'll grow big and healthy."
Naoki nodded silently.
The seeds in this world were different from those in the Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley games he had played.
There were many seeds in each packet here, enough to plant a large area, unlike in the games where one packet only covered one tile of land.
After some thought, Naoki decided to buy a packet of each seed, including those for the fruit trees.
The seed prices varied. The basic turnips were only 60 Pokédollars per packet, while strawberries, cucumbers, and the like cost 120 or 150 per packet.
Altogether, the seeds came to 1,370 Pokédollars.
As a result, he only had 27,000 Pokédollars left from selling the black truffle.
After packing up the seeds, Naoki left the store with Cyclizar.
It was getting dark outside.
Naoki looked up at the starry sky, took a deep breath, and said, "Alright, let's go grab some dinner!"
"Groo..." The Cyclizar looked a little downcast.
Naoki smiled and patted its head, then led it into a restaurant.
After a long day, he planned to eat out tonight.
The waiter handed him the menu, which included both human food and dishes specifically for Pokémon.
A Pokémon like Cyclizar... probably preferred meat, right?
Thinking of this, Naoki ordered a meat dish for Cyclizar and a fruit platter as a reward for its hard work today.
Soon, the food arrived at their table.
Watching Cyclizar eat with gusto, Naoki felt a warm glow in his heart.
Pokémon were so innocent and adorable.
He looked down at the fragrant vegetable stew and corn soup in front of him, and their information popped up in his mind.
As expected, these dishes didn't have any special abilities that could enhance Pokémon.
Naoki was sure of it now: "It seems only the food I cook has that kind of power."
After dinner, Naoki went back to the general store to buy ingredients for the next few days.
Since he didn't have a refrigerator at home, he only bought enough for three days.
The temperature was still cool this time of year, so the food wouldn't spoil easily if left indoors.
Naoki carried his bags of groceries and climbed back onto Cyclizar. In the darkness, the man and Pokémon headed home.
The night air was chilly, and the wind felt cold against his skin.
Cyclizar was sensitive to the cold, but Naoki, riding on its back, felt warm, which helped to ward off the chill.
At that moment, Cyclizar suddenly craved another bowl of Naoki's hot noodle soup.
Cyclizar was fast, and they returned to the ranch in less than thirty minutes.
The ranch was pitch black at night. Naoki had anticipated this and brought a flashlight with him.
He fumbled for it in the dark, but before he could find it, he heard a loud "bang!"
The sound was deafening, accompanied by the cracking of trees.
It was as if something had fallen from the sky, crashing into the ranch and knocking down a group of trees.
Startled, Naoki finally located the flashlight and quickly shone it towards the sound.
Soon, he saw a strange, dark figure in his farmland.
Naoki froze, and Cyclizar beside him rose from its riding position, looking warily in the same direction.
It sensed an unusual presence.
The flashlight beam illuminated the dark figure, which lay motionless on the ground, seemingly unconscious.
With the help of the light, Naoki finally made out the figure's true form.
A scarlet body, a thick tail, flamboyant dragon whiskers, and an airbag on its chest that resembled a motorcycle tire.
It was...
Naoki was stunned.