"Come inside first!" Naoki gestured to the other Pokémon to continue playing as he led the two Indeedees inside to familiarize them with their new environment.
The three of them crossed the lawn and arrived at the newly built house. The two Indeedees looked up at it, recognizing immediately that this would be their new home.
Compared to the villa they were used to, this house was smaller. It had two floors and a veranda at the entrance, designed like a corridor with extended eaves above, perfect for keeping rain off the walkway. A string of wind chimes hung nearby, creating a gentle, pleasant sound as the wind passed through.
On the other side of the door was a small wooden box that caught the Indeedees' attention. Despite their cognitive training, they couldn't figure out what it was.
"Ai Ai?" (What's that?) the younger Indeede asked curiously.
Naoki followed her gaze and smiled. "That's Butterfree's nest. I made it myself with wood and nails, filling it with leaves, grass, and flower petals. Every evening, Butterfree flies into it and sleeps there."
The two Indeedees nodded in understanding.
Naoki opened the door and welcomed them inside. "This is our home."
Immediately, the brother and sister looked around, taking in the neat and bright living room. It was simple but warm, with a soft sofa, a round wooden coffee table, and a TV placed opposite. There was also a green potted plant adding a touch of life to the room. However, what caught their attention most was the display stand in the living room.
"These are things that Baby Bear sent back," Naoki explained. "It has a characteristic ability called Pickup. Pokémon with that ability like to collect all kinds of things and bring them home."
"Ai'e?" (Teddiursa?) They hadn't seen it earlier.
Naoki smiled. "Baby Bear is traveling right now. You won't see it for a while."
This surprised the two Indeedees. The older brother, who had been quiet until now, asked uncertainly, "Ai-e?" (No trainer with it?)
"No," Naoki replied. "It's traveling with Mew. Mew is a legendary Pokémon—very powerful."
"Ai Ai?!" The younger Indeede's eyes lit up at the idea of meeting such legendary Pokémon.
"Maybe you'll see them when they decide to come back," Naoki said with a chuckle.
The older brother, still surprised, asked, "Ai...?" (But aren't you its trainer?)
Naoki shook his head. "Not really. Baby Bear is special. It doesn't need a trainer to live its life."
The two Indeedees exchanged looks, communicating silently.
"Ai'e..." (Brother, isn't this ranch kind of... strange?) the sister thought.
The older brother, still silent, shared her confusion. Naoki seemed different from any human they had ever known, and so did the Pokémon on the ranch.
Pretending not to notice their thoughts, Naoki continued the tour. "This is where I usually read and rest, and where the Pokémon like to play."
They glanced around and saw a brand-new fireplace against the wall. It was spotless as if it hadn't been used yet. In front of it was a rocking chair, sitting atop a round rug scattered with toys—leather balls, fuzzy toys, and some Poké Balls.
The two Indeedees knew what a fireplace was and could imagine Naoki sitting in the rocking chair during winter, reading by the firelight.
Naoki added, "The carpet in front of the fireplace is where Cyclizar sleeps. It doesn't like the cold."
The two Indeedees nodded. They could see how warm and cozy it would be there.
"This is the kitchen," Naoki said, gesturing as they passed by. "I prepare food for all the Pokémon here."
Without much to show in the kitchen, he led them to the basement. "This is the cellar, where we make wine for the ranch."
The younger Indeede peeked into the cellar, and Naoki turned on the light to let them see more clearly. After a moment of inspection, they both nodded, indicating they understood.
Naoki smiled. "The master bedroom is over there. The small room off the kitchen is a workshop where I and Alcremie develop new desserts. Do you two like sweets?"
"Ai Ai~" (Yes!) The younger Indeede nodded happily, while the older one hesitated for a second before nodding ever so slightly, not wanting to seem overly excited.
Seeing this, Naoki took out two packs of honey candies from the refrigerator and handed them to the Indeedees, then began to head upstairs.
"Next is the second floor. Your room is also on the second floor," he said as they reached the small living room at the top of the stairs.
Naoki opened a door to reveal a room decorated in bright, playful colors.
"Since I didn't know your preferences, I decorated your room according to a more human style," he explained.
The two Indeedees, having no specific expectations for their living arrangements, were pleasantly surprised. They had thought they might live in a Poké Ball but never expected to have their own room, which delighted them.
Naoki continued, "The other rooms upstairs are the study and storage room. Oh, and there's a videophone in the living room downstairs. If you ever miss your parents, you can use that to call them."
The brother and sister were naturally very pleased to hear this.
After the introductions, Naoki glanced at the clock and realized it was already half past ten in the morning.
Thinking it over, he decided to prepare a special lunch to welcome the two new residents. But as he checked the refrigerator, he saw that the food supplies were running low. So, he decided to ride Koraidon to town and restock.
Leaving the two Indeedees under the care of the Cyclizar, Naoki made a quick trip to the market to purchase the necessary ingredients. On his way back, he couldn't stop thinking about the two young Indeedees, who were just over three months old—making them the youngest Pokémon on the ranch.
He imagined that he would need to help them adjust and care for them for a while. But to his astonishment, when he returned to the ranch, he found the house in immaculate order.
The wooden floors were spotless, the dust had been swept away, and the entire place looked freshly cleaned. Outside, the older brother Indeedee was quietly hanging freshly washed clothes on the line. Even the trash had been taken out.
His sister, the younger Indeedee, approached him with a cup of freshly brewed tea.
"Thank you," Naoki said, a bit stunned, as he accepted the tea. Feeling parched, he drank it in one gulp.
'It was delicious!' The younger Indeedee's tea-making skills were impressive.
Naoki, wide-eyed, looked at the two Indeedees—the brother still finishing up with the laundry and the sister who had made the tea.
"You can do housework?" he asked in surprise.
"Ai Ai~" the younger Indeedee nodded with a gentle smile.
Naoki instinctively reached into his pocket for some seed crisps but realized he'd already eaten them all earlier.
Seeing his actions, Koraidon seemed to understand Naoki's thoughts.
It swooped into the room, grabbed a piece of seed crisp from Naoki's snack cabinet, and handed it to him.
Naoki was momentarily stunned, but when he saw the proud look on Koraidon's face, he couldn't help but laugh.
He patted its head before happily eating the seed crisp.
The younger sister Indeedee chimed in with a cheerful voice, "Ai Ya~" (Before we came here, Mom and Dad specially taught us how to do housework!)
She proudly explained that they were well-versed in sweeping, mopping, doing laundry, taking out the trash, hanging clothes, washing dishes, and even making tea.
They were truly well-trained butlers from a grand estate!
Naoki nodded in appreciation. From this, it seemed the two Indeedees didn't need much care themselves.
As he put the groceries in the kitchen, Naoki caught sight of the trash can in the corner of the room.
"Where did you dump the garbage?" he asked suddenly, concerned.
Brother Indeedee pointed outside the ranch, toward the trash bin on the roadside. "Ai yi."
Relieved, Naoki sighed. At least they didn't accidentally throw it in the grass!
Curiosity flashed in his eyes again. "By the way, how did you know I like this kind of tea?"
Sister Indeedee turned to look at the Cyclizar, and her brother did the same.
Apparently, Cyclizar had informed them about Naoki's favorite tea and where to take out the trash.
"Ah, that explains it!" Naoki chuckled. "Alright, you two take a rest now. I'll cook for you."
Sister Indeedee stepped forward, asking, "Ai Ai?" (Can we help with cooking?)
Naoki raised his eyebrows. "You can cook too?"
She nodded eagerly. "Ai yi!" (Yes! My brother and I both learned how, but... my brother was a bit clumsy and almost blew up the kitchen several times.)
Brother Indeedee's eyes widened in shock, casting a disapproving look at his sister.
'You're not supposed to say that out loud!'
Seeing her brother's embarrassed expression, Naoki burst into laughter.
Brother Indeedee turned his head away, clearly flustered.
Realizing she had embarrassed him, Sister Indeedee quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late. She then tried to make up for it, saying:
"Aiya, aiya!" (My brother and I are skilled in different areas. I'm good at cooking, making tea, and taking care of the owner and the Pokémon. My brother excels at housework, being a proper housekeeper, mowing the lawn, and organizing everything. He can manage the house perfectly!)
"Oh, I see." Naoki nodded with a smile and praised, "You two are amazing!"
He had to admit, that with the two Indeedees working together, they'd help him reduce a lot of work around the ranch.
They could handle the housework and care for the Pokémon, leaving Naoki free to focus on creating magical dishes for everyone. This setup would be especially helpful during the winter when the fields would be idle and no crops could be grown.
With the ranch in good hands, Naoki could head off to the Galar region with peace of mind to search for the King of Bountiful Harvests and his two steeds.
There was also a mine near Stow-on-Side that was worth visiting, full of rare stones.
Even though he wasn't like Steven Stone, as a former Pokémon player, Naoki had a soft spot for collecting evolution stones and rare minerals.
After all, with an evolution stone, he'd be one step closer to achieving his dream of having all the Eevee evolutions.
And then, there was the village of Kitakami.
However, Naoki had only heard of it and didn't know much more because the DLC hadn't been released by the time he ended up in this world.
"I'll visit it when I have the chance," Naoki thought.
He had heard the rural scenery there was stunning, with apple orchards and lively celebrations held year-round.
As he prepared lunch, Naoki happily fantasized about the future.
Today's lunch was made by both him and Sister Indeedee.
Sister Indeedee was an excellent cook. Half the dishes were made by her, and her cooking skills were top-notch.
A group of Pokémon gathered around the dining table, seated near a large floor-to-ceiling window that offered a beautiful view of the countryside.
On the table were all sorts of delicious foods.
Fried steaks, sandwiches, corn stew with ribs, omelets, vegetable stew, crispy sea bass, pumpkin cream soup, and a tree fruit platter.
For drinks and desserts, they had lucky pudding, strawberry juice, Moo Moo Milk, honey fudge, and freshly baked cookies.
Naoki's eyes scanned the spread, noticing that many of the new dishes were prepared by Sister Indeedee.
Dishes like vegetable stew, crispy sea bass, omelets, and pumpkin cream soup.
These dishes gave Naoki a burst of inspiration. He had felt stuck recently and hadn't made anything new in a while.
He decided that he'd ask Sister Indeedee to teach him her recipes later.
It was worth noting that the fruit platter on the table had been prepared by Sister Indeedee as well, but it didn't possess any skill-refining properties.
Even so, the Pokémon who had previously experienced the effects of the special fruit platter were hesitant to eat it.
They didn't want to forget the moves they'd worked so hard to master. While they could relearn them, the repetition was exhausting.
Seeing this, Naoki stifled a laugh.
Sister Indeedee looked puzzled.
She turned to the group of Pokémon in confusion, "Ai-e?" (Why aren't you eating?)
"Gah…" Cyclizar muttered.
"Ouch…" Dragonite added.
They quickly explained the situation to Sister Indeedee.
Sister Indeedee was surprised, "Ai eh?!" (Really?!)
'How could such a thing exist in this world?'
Both Indeedees turned to Naoki for clarification.
"You can think of it as a type of superpower," Naoki explained casually. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it in time."
Thinking about the fruit platter's unique effect, Naoki felt a little regretful.
Why didn't he have a Pokémon with a gambling streak on the ranch? One that wouldn't stop until it learned a magical move?
"What a pity," he sighed with a chuckle.
...
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