At 4:30 p.m., the chicken soup was finally ready.
Naoki lifted the lid of the casserole, and the rich aroma of chicken mixed with the fragrant scent of wild mushrooms filled the air.
The soup in the casserole was bubbling gently, with a thin layer of shiny oil floating on top. The chicken and mushrooms looked plump and translucent, fully infused with the flavorful broth.
[Chicken Stewed with Mushrooms (A): A dish made by stewing freshly picked wild mushrooms with three-yellow chicken. The soup is delicious and is quite popular among some Pokémon.
Effect: Glossy Level 3 – After eating, the fur of furry Pokémon will become shiny and smooth, reducing shedding, and increasing health to its maximum.
Comments: The perfect dish for autumn!
Naoki smiled to himself, thinking, Glossy and smooth fur, huh? This is especially effective for furry Pokémon. Not bad—this will be great for Pawmo and Glaceon.
Other breeders might spend a lot of effort and time feeding their Pokémon the right combination of energy cubes to achieve the same effect, but with this dish, it seemed all Naoki needed was a pot of chicken stewed with mushrooms.
He picked up a piece of chicken and tasted it carefully.
The chicken was tender and flavorful, with the firm texture of well-cooked meat, while the wild mushrooms added a rich, earthy aroma. It was perfect.
Meanwhile, outside on the grass, Koraidon, who had been dozing in the sun, twitched its nose as it caught a whiff of the tempting aroma.
"Raao!" Koraidon stood up immediately, and Dragonite, along with Cyclizar, also caught the delicious scent. Before long, several Pokémon were floating into the house, drawn by the smell.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Naoki turned off the heat and carefully placed the hot casserole on the small dining table.
"Be careful, it's really hot!" he warned.
The casserole was indeed too hot for the Pokémon to handle directly, and since they weren't very skilled at using utensils, they could only sit by the table, staring longingly at the food.
Naoki chuckled, then went to the kitchen and grabbed a few small bowls. He dished out portions of the chicken and mushrooms for them.
While some Pokémon like Alcremie, and Nacli weren't very interested in the smell, Glaceon and Pawmo seemed to like it quite a bit, with both of them eyeing the food eagerly.
Glaceon, for example, was gazing at the steaming chicken, trying to grab it with its paws but quickly withdrawing after getting slightly burned.
After a moment of thought, Glaceon blew a breath of cool air on the hot meat, then eagerly gobbled it up.
Noticing this, Cyclizar and the other Pokémon looked over curiously.
"Raao?" Cyclizar glanced down at its own portion of meat, then at Glaceon's now-empty plate.
"Bu-yi!" Glaceon blinked, realizing it had attracted the attention of everyone. Feeling the pressure, it quickly blew another cool breath on a piece of meat in front of Cyclizar
Cyclizar happily began to eat, and the other Pokémon followed suit. Glaceon, seeing this, resigned itself to blowing cool air on the hot meat for everyone, making its signature "Bui Bui" sound, while sneaking bites of its own.
Watching the Pokémon enjoy their meal and get along so well, Naoki smiled.
He glanced at Pawmo, who was eating happily, and teasingly asked, "How's the taste?"
"Pawmo~" Pawmo nodded enthusiastically, clearly enjoying the meal.
Naoki then asked with a grin, "What if I decide to use those hens to cook in the future?"
"Pawmo?!" Pawmo stopped mid-bite, blinking in surprise. It seemed to be seriously contemplating Naoki's words, looking conflicted.
Recently, Pawmo had grown quite attached to the group of hens it was taking care of. Even though they couldn't speak or understand its care, it felt a sense of fulfillment watching the fluffy chicks grow into full-sized chickens.
But, the chicken was really delicious.
On one side, there was the tasty chicken stew, and on the other, there were the hens it had raised. Pawmo was torn, unsure what to choose.
It even worried that the next time it saw the chickens, it might remember the taste of the delicious meal it had just eaten.
"Pawmo." Pawmo looked very troubled.
At that moment, Cyclizar chimed in, "Gaao." (Hens are food.) It had understood this even before arriving at the ranch.
Hearing this, Pawmo's internal struggle seemed to shift. The balance in its heart tilted.
"Pawmo." Pawmo sighed, still conflicted.
Seeing its dilemma, Naoki couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry," he said gently, "I won't use the hens for cooking."
They were just a few ordinary chickens, after all. If Pawmo enjoyed raising them, Naoki was happy to let him continue. Money wasn't an issue when it came to letting Pawmo enjoy its duties.
Naoki sat down at the table, eating and refilling the bowls of the Pokémon with more chicken and mushrooms.
Even though he had cooked several chickens, they were all finished quickly, as the Pokémon eagerly devoured the meal.
After dinner, Koraidon led Cyclizar and the other Pokémon outside, lying down on the grass with a satisfied look on its face.
Seeing this, Naoki smiled to himself, thinking he probably wouldn't need to cook dinner tonight. It seemed the Pokémon were full enough from their hearty meal.
Perfect—he could finally take a break.
By the time Naoki finished washing the dishes, the sun had already set, and evening had arrived.
Just then, Zack drove up in a large truck to pick up the ranch's goods. While chatting with him, Naoki helped load buckets of Moo Moo milk, goat milk, and a large bag of rock salt into the truck.
"Hey, did you hear? There was a mine collapse in Kitakami Town!" Zack said suddenly.
Naoki looked surprised. "A mine collapse? What happened?"
Zack explained, "Apparently, a construction team accidentally disturbed a wild Tyranitar while digging a tunnel. It got angry and caused a lot of the mines to collapse! Thankfully, it happened at night, so aside from a dozen miners getting injured, no one died."
Tyranitar, nicknamed the Sandstorm Lord, was incredibly powerful and was a pseudo-legendary Pokémon from the Johto region.
Naoki's curiosity was piqued. "Is it still there?"
Zack shrugged. "No idea. It might have left. But after the earthquake caused the mine to collapse, a bunch of ancient ruins were uncovered underground! Now, a lot of adventurers are heading there, hoping to find the legendary ancient treasures."
'Ancient treasures,' Naoki thought.
"Well, I've got to run. Still have more ranches to visit for collections. See you later!" Zack waved goodbye, climbing back into his truck and driving off with the loaded goods.
After wrapping up all the day's work, Naoki took a deep breath, feeling a wave of relaxation wash over him. He decided to take a shower, then settle in for the evening with some TV before heading to bed.
Just as he was about to relax, another visitor arrived at the ranch.
Hearing footsteps, Naoki turned around to see the seed shop owner, Hugh, approaching. He was a bit surprised. "Mr. Hugh? What brings you here?"
Hugh explained, "Well, I've heard that the goat milk here in town is from your ranch, and it's become so popular that it's hard to get a hold of. I was wondering if I could order some directly from you."
"Of course!" Naoki replied. He then called over Dragonite and explained the situation.
After listening attentively, Dragonite puffed up its chest and confidently reassured them, "Awoo!" 'Leave it to me!'
Naoki patted Dragonite's head. "Thanks, Dragonite."
Hugh smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much."
Naoki waved his hand casually. "No problem at all! We're neighbors, after all. Besides, you gave me that bag of fertilizer, remember?"
Hugh chuckled, touched by Naoki's generosity. Remembering their earlier conversation, he sincerely added, "Thanks to you, Abby and I finally stopped pushing Bell to do something she didn't want to do. I can't thank you enough."
...
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