In the evening, Zack drove his truck over to collect the goods. As he stepped out, he observed the many Pokémon running around in the pasture and grinned widely, "It's getting more and more lively here!"
Naoki stood beside him, also watching the bustling Pokémon, and a bittersweet feeling emerged in his heart. "I'm getting more and more tired. I have to spend a long time every day making Pokémon food and taking care of them."
Zack chuckled and replied, "Of course, that's a common concern for someone like you, who enjoys cooking for your Pokémon yourself. If you want to ease the burden a bit, you might consider capturing a butler-type Pokémon or hiring a butler."
'A butler-type Pokémon.' Naoki had thought about this before, but such Pokémon were rare in the wild. As for hiring a housekeeper, that wasn't an option just yet. He was still living in a small cabin with a group of Pokémon, and there was simply no space for a housekeeper.
Zack seemed to realize this and leaned in with a mysterious smile. "Of course, there's a third option."
Naoki, curious, asked, "What is it?"
Zack burst out laughing and said, "Find a girlfriend, marry her, have a child, and run the ranch together as a family of three! What a happy life that would be! Then, when you're older, your child can inherit the ranch and help you take care of all these Pokémon."
Naoki was momentarily speechless. "Forget it," he finally said. "I'm not considering that right now. I'm more interested in enjoying this peaceful and comfortable life."
Zack shrugged playfully. "Well, if that's your choice, there's nothing more to say!"
After weighing the milk and loading it onto the truck, Zack said, "The total is 58,600 Poke Dollars. Here you go!"
Naoki took the payment from Zack, who then hopped back into his truck and waved through the window. "See you tomorrow!"
"Bye-Bye!" Naoki waved back.
As Zack's truck disappeared down the road, Naoki turned back to the ranch, preparing dinner for the Pokémon. It had been a long, tiring day, so he kept the meal simple. He heated some oil in a pan, took out some steaks, and fried them to perfection. Then, he wrapped the fried steak in two slices of toast, added crispy lettuce, and spread a layer of salad dressing. With that, Naoki's secret sandwich was ready.
He let Koraidon and the others eat first and took some snacks to the cave at the back of the ranch.
When he entered the cave, he noticed a few changes since the morning. There were several frozen flowers placed next to the Ice Stone, clearly the flowers that Glaceon had brought back from Alcremie and the Nacli.
Naoki placed the food in front of Glaceon and asked, "Do you like flowers?"
"Bu-yi," Glaceon nodded slightly.
"That's great!" Naoki said with a smile. "I'll be planting some other kinds of flowers around the ranch soon. They're all very beautiful, and you'll get to see them before long."
A hint of anticipation sparkled in Glaceon's blue eyes. "Bu-yi."
Naoki smiled softly, deciding not to say more. He turned and left the cave.
As he passed by the utility room, something caught his eye—the generator's energy bar was full.
"Um?"
Seeing the 100% charge, Naoki was pleasantly surprised.
But soon, Naoki seemed to realize something and shouted toward the front of the house, "Dragonite!"
There was a cry of "Awooo," and then Dragonite appeared in the utility room, looking eager.
Naoki pointed at the generator and asked, "Did you do this?"
"Ouch~" Dragonite nodded happily.
At that moment, Naoki finally understood the look Dragonite had given the generator earlier that morning. Because he had previously mentioned that watering the land could help train Rain Dance and delivering milk could strengthen willpower, Dragonite naturally assumed that providing electricity to the generator was another form of special training!
"..."
For a moment, Naoki didn't know what to say. He thought for a bit and then slowly explained the function of the generator to Dragonite—how it could provide electricity for the ranch, keep the refrigerator running, power the lights, and more.
Naoki then paused and asked, "Did it help you practice your moves?"
"Ouch~" Dragonite nodded eagerly.
Dragonite found the sensation of channeling its internal electricity and releasing it in a controlled surge to be quite unique. It even had a creative idea: if it could use a move with such focused energy in the future, the power of that move would be immense. Dragonite had tried this when Naoki wasn't watching but had yet to succeed. It felt that more practice was needed.
Naoki was even more puzzled. 'Can this really help practice moves?' he wondered. While he was glad to be helping Dragonite and happy that Dragonite could supply electricity to the ranch, he realized the importance of ensuring safety.
"One thing to note," Naoki said seriously, "is that you can't overload the generator, or it could explode!"
He explained the potential consequences to Dragonite, pointing to the energy bar and emphasizing that it could be charged later but should never be overcharged. An explosion could be catastrophic, ranging from a burned-down house to worse outcomes.
Dragonite's eyes widened with fear as it stared at the generator. 'Thank goodness I stopped in time.'
"But don't worry too much," Naoki added, seeing Dragonite's frightened expression. "As long as you're careful, everything will be fine. You can always ask me to come with you when it's time to recharge."
"Ouch," Dragonite agreed, nodding to show it understood and would remember.
"Alright then, go ahead and play!" Naoki said with a smile.
After Dragonite left, Naoki switched the ranch's power source from the external power plant to the newly charged generator. This would save a significant amount on electricity bills each year.
With that task done, Naoki returned to the house and sat down for dinner. As usual, he turned on the TV and tuned in to the Weather Channel.
The female anchor on TV was reporting the forecast.
"Rain is expected in the southwestern part of the Paldea region early tomorrow morning, but don't worry, the rain won't be heavy. This is Paldea Meteorological TV reporting for you!"
"Huh? It's going to rain?"
Naoki quickly got up and brought the clothes and bedding hanging outside back into the room. He also made sure to close the door of the chicken coop.
Late at night, Naoki was sleeping in bed with Pawmi in his arms when he was suddenly awakened by the sound of continuous rain outside. The raindrops fell on the eaves, making a soothing, crackling sound.
"It's raining."
Naoki looked out the window and saw the darkness outside, with rain sliding down the glass and leaving streaks. He didn't dislike rainy days; in fact, he found them perfect for sleeping, especially with his beloved Pokémon by his side.
He turned back around, stopped watching the rain, and snuggled closer to Pawmi, falling asleep to the rhythmic sounds of the rain.
Meanwhile, over in the salt house, a dazzling light suddenly burst forth from one of the Nacli.