After the rain.
On the ridge between the fields.
Looking at the neat rows of lush green ahead, Hayato finally understood the saying: spring rain is as precious as gold.
Seeds that had been planted only two days ago were already pushing their way out of the soil after the rain.
In another plot of land, under the daily Rototiller boost from the Mudbray , the crops had already entered their second stage of growth.
Hayato estimated that harvest time would arrive in about one week.
This spring rain had played a crucial role.
"mud~!"
The three Mudbray worked together, channeling Ground-type energy and unleashing a wide-area Rototiller.
The greenery visibly deepened in color as the crops' growth accelerated once again.
" Mudbray , I'll leave this side to you as well."
"mud!"
No problem, Hayato . Leave it to us!
After scraping the mud off his shoes, Hayato walked over to the orchard area, where the fruit trees had been planted first.
Berry trees grew much more slowly.
For now, they were still thin little seedlings.
A strong gust of wind looked like it could bend them over at any moment.
This area was usually watched over by Chatot, which loved eating the insects that appeared on the trees.
According to Kangaskhan , those bugs even had a faint berry fragrance.
Because of that, Chatot normally arrived early every day to patrol.
But today something was different.
That bird had run off somewhere to play.
Just as Hayato was about to return to the cabin to grab some insect repellent—
A sharp cry sounded above him.
Chatot swooped down from the sky, holding something in its beak, and landed on Hayato 's shoulder.
"Caw! Caw!"
mushrooms ! Super delicious mushrooms for you, Hayato !
Since coming to the ranch, Chatot felt like it hadn't been able to help Hayato much .
The Mudbray could work the fields.
Cinccino handled cleaning.
But aside from catching bugs, Chatot couldn't do much .
That made the usually proud Chatot feel rather depressed.
Until yesterday's rain.
After rainstorms, the forest often produced all sorts of delicious foods.
Since Hayato was human, he probably hadn't eaten them before.
So Chatot wanted to gather them and bring them back for him.
"Caw! Caw!"
Chatot urged him again.
It had discovered a lot of them, and they couldn't let other Pokémon take them all first.
Hayato accepted the mushrooms still covered in morning dew.
Before he could say anything more—
Chatot had already flapped its wings and shot toward the back mountain.
"Wait… a moment…"
Hayato had to stop halfway through his sentence.
He had wanted to ask where Chatot found the morel mushrooms .
Morels got their name from their resemblance to miniature honeycomb-like stomach lining.
Their flavor was tender and rich.
Whether used in soup or stews, they enhanced the taste of dishes tremendously.
They were often called "the meat among vegetables."
And they weren't cheap.
The piece Hayato held was worth about 160 Poké Dollars per half-kilogram.
If dried into morel mushrooms , the price could increase several times over—
sometimes reaching 2,000 Poké Dollars per half-kilogram.
That was practically the price of a premium ingredient.
Fortunately, Hayato didn't have to wait long.
Just a few minutes later, Chatot returned again.
This time it carried a chanterelle mushrooms.
Its price was even slightly higher than morels.
Before Chatot could fly away again, Hayato quickly stopped it.
He asked Chatot about the mushrooms .
When Chatot learned they could be sold for money, it immediately became excited.
That meant it could finally help Hayato .
The place it discovered still had many, many more mushrooms .
They could definitely sell for lots of money.
"Hold on first. I'll bring Kangaskhan —and a basket."
Too many people would disturb mushrooms picking.
Someone also needed to guard the ranch.
So Cinccino and the Mudbray stayed behind, watching longingly as Hayato and the others disappeared into the back mountain.
The forest after rain was difficult to traverse.
The paths had become muddy and uneven.
Luckily, Kangaskhan was there, and Chatot could simply fly overhead.
They encountered no obstacles and soon arrived at the treasure spot Chatot had discovered.
mushrooms grew everywhere.
In Hayato 's eyes, each one instantly turned into little piles of money.
Rich… rich… getting rich!!!
Rare mushrooms like morels, chanterelles, and shaggy mane mushrooms grew in clusters throughout the area.
Hayato bent down and picked a morel.
In his mind, it felt no different from picking up coins from the ground.
"Kangaskhan , Chatot—only these three types are edible. The others are poisonous."
There were many types of mushrooms nearby.
Most brightly colored mushrooms were poisonous.
Oddly shaped ones were also unsafe to eat.
"Caw~!"
"Rooaar~!"
The human and two Pokémon split up, moving through the damp forest and picking mushrooms one after another.
Soon Hayato filled an entire basket.
Besides morels and chanterelles, he also discovered something unexpected—
A White Truffle.
[White Truffle]
Premium Ingredient
Found in mountain forests after rainfall. One of the finest mushrooms .
Thick, white flesh with an intense aroma.
When used with certain dishes, it can produce special cooking effects.
From the description, Hayato understood something important.
This premium ingredient could partially alter a dish's cooking effect.
In other words, it could add an additional buff to a recipe, making the effect even stronger.
Hayato carefully stored the White Truffle.
Later, when he created special dishes, he could try adding it.
For now, though, it was time to return.
"Chatot, you really did well. These mushrooms can sell for a lot of money."
Hayato smoothed the feathers Chatot had proudly puffed up, generously praising it.
Selling these mushrooms would bring him much closer to his goal of 100,000 Poké Dollars.
Now the question was—
How should he sell them?
Hayato immediately thought of the Denzel couple, whose ranch wasn't far away.
Their ranch had existed for many years and had stable sales channels.
He could ask them for advice.
Of course, he couldn't visit empty-handed.
Hayato set aside a portion of the mushrooms as a gift.
At noon, he prepared a special meal to reward Chatot.
After all, the hero of the day couldn't be forgotten.
After a short rest, Hayato mounted one of the Mudbray and brought Cinccino along.
They headed toward the Denzelcouple's ranch.
Their ranch sat beside Route 12.
When Hayato arrived, he saw Denzel talking with another man at the entrance.
"Hayato ! What brings you here? We were just talking about you."
Denzelwaved enthusiastically and introduced the man beside him.
"This is Gario, a purchasing agent for the Shalour City Agricultural Market. He's responsible for buying produce from ranches in this region. We were just discussing you!"
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Gario," Hayato greeted politely.
Gario stepped forward warmly.
His dark skin and straightforward manner made him seem very approachable.
"So you're Hayato , huh? That ranch by the seaside isn't in a great location. You'll need to be ready for some hardship."
The road leading there was too narrow.
A truck couldn't even drive through it.
Transporting agricultural goods would be difficult.
Gario mentioned this as a friendly warning.
After all, another ranch in his purchasing region only meant more business for him, so he hoped Hayato could succeed.
"Thank you for the concern. I already have a solution."
Hayato patted the Mudbray standing faithfully beside him.
With them around, transporting crops would no longer be a problem.
" Mudbray , huh?"
Gario's eyes lit up.
Using Pokémon power for transportation was actually a very clever solution.
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