"Come on in. This will be your home from now on. Do you like it?"
Smiling warmly, Hayato pushed open the door to the Mudbray stable and stepped aside, letting the Mudbray enter to take a look.
The floor inside was clean and tidy.
There were three separate stalls, all the same size and equipped with similar facilities.
A resting bed, a water trough, a feed trough, and even a sloped drainage channel for waste.
Everything needed for the Mudbray 's daily life had been carefully prepared.
"mud-mud~! It's so nice! I love it here!"
One Mudbray happily dashed inside a stall, stepping on the soft bedding and poking its head around curiously.
Such a comfortable environment was something they had never even dared to imagine before.
"So? Do you like it?" Hayato asked.
"mud~! (✧∇✧)"
All three Mudbray answered in unison.
Their muddy little faces were filled with pure happiness.
Hayato stepped forward and gently stroked one of them.
Accepting his touch meant accepting him.
The Mudbray immediately lay down and squinted its eyes in enjoyment.
To be honest, Mudbray weren't particularly pleasant to pet.
Their fur felt extremely rough—almost like rubbing against sand.
Bits of dried mud could still be seen between the strands of hair.
Comfortable? Not exactly.
Still, as Hayato rhythmically stroked its back, the Mudbray beneath his hand let out a sleepy yawn.
At the same time, information about Mudbray surfaced in Hayato 's mind.
Mudbray were Pokémon that ate soil.
Yes—literally.
In addition to various kinds of green fodder, soil was an essential part of their diet, and they consumed it in large quantities every day.
This habit was closely tied to their natural characteristics.
Despite their small bodies, Mudbray possessed astonishing strength.
They could carry loads fifty times their own body weight.
Besides their incredible physical power, another key factor was the thick clay coating on their legs.
No matter the terrain, Mudbray would never slip.
They could run swiftly across almost any surface.
Aside from eating soil, Mudbray also loved playing in mud.
That was part of their daily routine.
Playing in mud wasn't just entertainment—it was also their way of relieving stress.
" Mudbray , I'm planning to build a mud pool outside for you. What do you think?"
"mud-mud!"
The Mudbray surrounding Hayato widened their eyes in excitement.
They rubbed against him happily, almost unable to believe what they were hearing.
Was this heaven?
A safe and warm home.
Unlimited food.
And the chance to play in mud every day.
The Mudbray were so excited they almost fainted from happiness.
"Looks like you agree."
Taking in their expressions, Hayato chuckled and patted them affectionately.
"But there's one condition," he added.
"You have to wash yourselves every day. You can't stay this dirty all the time."
The Mudbray looked at each other.
After all, living in the wild meant they spent their days rolling around in mud.
Naturally, they were filthy.
" Mudbray ! Mudbray !"
The three Mudbray nodded together, agreeing to Hayato 's request.
"Alright then. Settle in for now. I'll come back later and help give you a proper wash."
Hayato left the stable temporarily so the Mudbray could adapt to their new environment.
Fortunately, he had recruited three of them at once.
If it had been only one Mudbray , it might have struggled to adjust.
But with companions around, they would adapt much more quickly.
When Hayato stepped outside, Pyroar was standing near the stable entrance, peering inside.
Seeing that the Mudbray had settled down well, the responsible Guardian The messenger of the seaseemed a little more relaxed.
After letting out a low growl toward Hayato , Pyroar turned and began running.
In the blink of an eye, its figure disappeared into the forest.
For a Pokémon like Pyroar—
The wilderness and grasslands were its true home.
Night had fallen.
Inside the ranch cabin, the fireplace cast a warm glow that illuminated the entire room.
Hayato sat cross-legged on the floor, writing in a notebook.
In his arms, Cinccino poked its head forward curiously.
But the moment it saw the dense rows of text, it immediately felt a headache coming on.
With a small wiggle, it slipped under Hayato 's arm and climbed into Kangaskhan's pouch.
Kangaskhan stayed quietly beside Hayato , neither complaining nor making noise.
Just being there seemed enough.
"Are you two sleepy?" Hayato asked, glancing over.
"Roo~"
Kangaskhan shook its head.
Cinccino, however, let out a huge yawn.
"Then wait for me just a little longer."
Hayato gently pinched Cinccino's cheek before looking back at his notebook.
League Calendar: Year 198 – Spring – January 13
Income: 0
Expenses: 6,000 Poké Dollars
Remaining Funds: 12,467 Poké Dollars
Most of the large expenses had gone into building the ranch cabin and the Mudbray stable.
The remaining smaller costs were for daily necessities.
His ranch was still in its early development stage, lacking many supplies.
Almost everything had to be purchased.
For the past few days, Hayato had been in a constant spending-without-income situation.
And now he had four Pokémon to support, which only increased his expenses.
Tomorrow would be another shopping day.
After calculating the numbers in his head, Hayato could only hope the first batch of crops would mature soon.
While thinking about finances, a strange idea suddenly popped into his mind.
His eyes lit up.
It might actually work.
Since Mudbray ate soil, what if he created a special dish made primarily from soil?
It was worth trying.
He would experiment after buying ingredients tomorrow.
Closing his notebook, Hayato glanced at Kangaskhan and Cinccino, who were both getting sleepy.
Putting on a coat, he stepped outside.
First, he checked on the Mudbray stable.
The three Mudbray were huddled together, snoring loudly.
Seeing that they had adapted well, Hayato felt reassured.
Next, he walked beneath the eaves and checked on Chatot.
Everyone was sleeping soundly.
Only then did Hayato return inside.
He gently lifted the half-asleep Cinccino from Kangaskhan's pouch and lay down on the bed.
Before long, the room filled with the sound of steady breathing.
At that very moment—
While the Kalos continent slept under the deep night sky…
Far away, in the deep ocean of the Hoenn region, a small and adorable blue Pokémon opened its eyes from slumber.
It had sensed a special scent.
Manaphy blinked its long eyelashes and looked toward a nearby Pokémon.
With a gentle wave of its tiny hand—
An egg floated down into the other Pokémon's arms.
"Mana~ mana~"
Manaphy whispered instructions beside the Pokémon's ear and patted its rough fish-like head encouragingly.
Then it watched as the Pokémon departed from the deep sea.
Following a mysterious guiding force, the messenger crossed the Hoenn seas, passed through countless islands, and continued onward—
Toward Kalos.
After sending off the messenger carrying the Gift of the Sea, Manaphy waited patiently in the depths.
One day passed.
Then two.
The messenger still hadn't returned.
Manaphy let out a long yawn.
Slowly, it sank back into the deep ocean.
Before long, it fell asleep again.
If I take a nap… the gift should arrive by the time I wake up, Manaphy thought.
Meanwhile, Hayato in Kalos had absolutely no idea—
The "Gift of the Sea" mentioned by his system was actually Manaphy's egg.
If Hayato saw it, he would surely be shocked.
After all, for Manaphy, the only thing worthy of being called the Gift of the Sea was its offspring—
Phione.
Of course, Manaphy had a small selfish motive as well.
It simply didn't want to raise the child itself.
Phione, known as the Prince of the Sea, was the only Mythical Pokémon capable of mass reproduction.
Its strength wasn't particularly great.
But that didn't change the fact that it was still a Mythical Pokémon.
And even the weakest Mythical Pokémon was fundamentally different from ordinary Pokémon.
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