Finally, Naoki returned to the ranch carrying a basket filled with wild ginger, apricots, and wild mushrooms.
The apricots had been found by Butterfree. There were plenty of them growing on a tree, but Naoki only picked a few to taste, leaving the rest for the wild Pokémon in the forest.
As for the wild mushrooms, they were everywhere in the back mountain, and it was easy to gather a large amount.
With so many things to carry, Naoki was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed.
Seeing this, Koraidon and the other Pokémon, who had been playing in the pasture, hurried over to help, eager to carry the basket of mountain goods for Naoki.
Naoki smiled and said, "I'll make something delicious for lunch today!"
Koraidon helped take the basket, and upon hearing this, its eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Raao?"
"Have you ever heard of chicken stewed with mushrooms?" Naoki asked.
Koraidon's eyes lit up, and it nodded enthusiastically, clearly excited. "Raao!"
"Huh? Where did you hear about that?" Naoki was surprised. Although there were many restaurants in the Paldea region, Koraidon had mostly stayed in the Paldea Crater.
Could it be that Dr. Sada or Professor Turo had made it for them?
Naoki couldn't figure it out and assumed Koraidon was just being playful, so he didn't think much more about it.
He asked Koraidon to carry the basket to the kitchen so he could wash the ingredients later.
Meanwhile, Pawmo overheard that Naoki was going to cook chicken, and its face took on a sorrowful expression.
"Pawmo."
Noticing Pawmo's reaction, Naoki paused, then quickly realized what it was worried about.
Naoki asked, "Pawmo, are you concerned that I'll cook one of the hens from the chicken coop?"
"Pawmo." Pawmo nodded, its ears drooping.
Cyclizar, standing nearby, seemed confused. "Gaa?"
From its perspective, hens were simply food.
Naoki smiled and explained to the Pokémon, "Pawmo lives with the hens every day, so it can't bear the thought of them being eaten. That's perfectly normal."
Cyclizar, still looking a bit confused, nodded with a goofy expression. "Gaao."
Not wanting to upset Pawmo further, Naoki thought for a moment and then reassured it:
"Don't worry, I'm keeping these hens for their eggs. You should know Dragonite can eat up to a hundred eggs a day."
"Awoo!" Dragonite quickly defended itself, insisting that it didn't eat that many eggs—its favorite was Cake!
Naoki chuckled and patiently explained, " Cakes are made from eggs, and you eat two baskets of those every day. Sandwiches have fried eggs, and I also use egg sauce in my cooking. All of those things require eggs."
Dragonite scratched its head in embarrassment as it thought about it. It realized Naoki was right—it could easily eat a hundred eggs.
Seeing that Pawmo was relieved, Naoki then asked, "What if I bought other chickens?"
Pawmo thought about it seriously for a moment, then nodded softly, "Pawmo!"
"Good boy," Naoki said, patting Pawmo on the head. He then went inside to grab his wallet, hopped on Cyclizar, and said to the Pokémon, "I'm heading to town to buy a hen. I'll be back soon."
Hearing this, the Pokémon waited patiently at home.
By the time Naoki arrived at the market in the town, it was nearly noon, and most of the vendors had packed up and gone home for lunch.
After circling the market a few times, Naoki finally found a butcher shop that was still open. He purchased a freshly slaughtered chicken.
This type of chicken has a firm texture and a rich flavor, making it perfect for soups. Combined with the wild mushrooms he'd collected, it would make a delicious meal.
After paying, Naoki realized that with so many Pokémon at the ranch, one chicken might not be enough, so he bought a few more.
After returning to the ranch, Naoki let Cyclizar go outside to play and began preparing lunch.
Although he had planned to make chicken stewed with wild mushrooms, he knew it would take a long time. The dish needed to simmer over low heat for four hours before it would be ready.
So, for lunch, Naoki prepared a simpler meal: rice with tomatoes and eggs, fried steak, sandwiches, tree sap juice, and Moo Moo Milk.
Once lunch was done, Naoki started processing the ingredients for the chicken stew, placing them into the casserole and setting it on a slow cook.
Several Pokémon watched the stove eagerly, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Seeing how eager they looked, Naoki couldn't help but laugh. "It's going to take a long time to stew," he said with a wave of his hand. "You can eat it at dinner time, so go outside and play for now."
The Pokémon, although disappointed, reluctantly agreed and left.
They had probably heard from Koraidon how delicious the stew would be. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been so fixated on it.
But since Naoki had told them it would take time, they headed out to play on the grass.
As Naoki was reading a book in his room, he glanced outside and noticed Koraidon running toward the river with Cyclizar and Dragonite in tow.
The soil near the riverbank had softened after being washed by the water, and thanks to Psyduck jumping around, several mud pits had formed.
Worried they'd get dirty, Naoki shouted from a distance, "No rolling in the mud! Koraidon, take Cyclizar to play on the grass instead!"
Koraidon heard Naoki's voice and glanced at the muddy area nearby with clear distaste.
It responded loudly, "Raao!" 'I didn't roll in the mud! I haven't even touched it!'
But just as it finished speaking, Koraidon saw Cyclizar running straight through the mud to the riverside, bending down to drink some water.
Koraidon: "..."
Disappointed, Koraidon immediately pulled Cyclizar to a clean grassy area nearby.
A moment later, it struck a deal with a Psyduck on the opposite side, offering some tree fruits it had found from who knows where.
Before long, a Psyduck ran up and used its Water Gun to wash the mud off Cyclizar.
Koraidon was satisfied. As long as Naoki didn't see it, it had no intention of rolling in the mud.
"Awoo." Dragonite, watching the scene, thought Koraidon was being really nice to Cyclizar—using tree fruits to get Psyduck to help wash it off.
Koraidon handed the fruit to Psyduck.
Psyduck happily cried out, grabbing the fruits and running off with them.
Koraidon glanced at Psyduck and suddenly recalled something that had happened not long ago.
When the crops in the field had ripened, a group of Psyducks had been attracted to the ranch and had tried to steal some of the crops. Naoki had caught them in the act and brought them to the pasture.
Since then, this group of Psyducks had taken on the role of harvesters on the ranch.
Whenever the crops ripened, the Psyducks would pick all the fruit and place them in the large baskets Naoki had prepared. Some of the harvest would be sold, while the rest was set aside for the Psyducks to enjoy.
Since they were now companions, Koraidon didn't mind helping them out!
Koraidon then led Cyclizar and Dragonite back to the grassy field in front of the house, guiding them like an elder showing younger siblings the way.
Naoki, who had been reading his book, glanced up and noticed the Pokémon getting along harmoniously. Satisfied, he went back to reading.
The book had been a gift from Mayor Thomas and was full of valuable knowledge about ranching. Naoki often took it out to read whenever he had some downtime.
...
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