mutated crops.
They were special plants that had an extremely small chance of appearing after the Mudbray used the move Rototiller.
Each mutated crop possessed a unique effect. Their flavors were also exceptionally rich and distinctive, making them rare top-tier ingredients that could only be encountered by chance.
While harvesting tomatoes earlier, Hayato had been keeping an eye out for them.
But reality proved disappointing.
The mutation rate was so low that he hadn't seen even a single one.
Yet the moment he stepped away, Kangaskhan and the others had discovered one.
"Who found this?"
"Rooong~"
Kangaskhan pointed at Cinccino.
Cinccino had simply dug into the soil casually—and it appeared.
"Well done, Cinccino. You get to choose tonight's meal."
Hayato vigorously rubbed Cinccino's head in praise.
Cinccino: (✿ꈍ.ꈍ✿)
Being singled out for praise made Cinccino beam with a sweet smile. A faint blush appeared on its cheeks, and its fluffy tail swayed happily.
Carefully, Hayato dug out the golden potato and wiped the soil from its surface.
A line of information immediately appeared before his eyes.
[Golden Potato]
A special ingredient produced by a mutation triggered by Mudbray 's Rototiller.
Dishes made from it gain the effect: "Golden."
"Hm? It comes with its own cooking effect."
Hayato immediately wanted to try cooking it.
But after thinking for a moment, he hesitated.
If a Golden Potato could appear, then perhaps there were other mutated crops hidden in the field as well.
The thrill felt like opening mystery boxes.
Especially with potatoes—until you dug them up, you had no way of knowing whether they were special ingredients or not.
Unfortunately, Hayato had something more important to do today.
So he instructed the Pokémon to pay close attention while digging potatoes and not miss anything unusual.
Kangaskhan , Chatot, and the others all agreed enthusiastically.
Everyone hoped to earn individual praise and the chance to choose a dish.
They started digging potatoes with even greater focus, practically wanting to flip the entire field upside down.
Sadly…
They didn't find another mutated crop.
The probability was astonishingly low.
Meanwhile, the three Mudbray continued transporting harvested crops out of the ranch.
Trip after trip.
From morning until afternoon—aside from a short break at noon—no one stopped working.
Only through such effort were they able to harvest the entire first batch of crops.
After setting aside some for personal consumption, everything else was sold to Gario.
In the evening, Gario arrived with another truck.
When he saw the neatly sorted piles of vegetables filling the cargo compartment, he was stunned.
"That much ?! Hayato , do you have some kind of secret farming formula?"
As far as he remembered, Hayato was a new rancher. This was his first time growing crops, and the cultivated land wasn't even very large.
Yet the final yield was twice that of other ranches.
Gario felt like his worldview had been shaken.
Hayato patted the Mudbray beside him.
"It's all thanks to them. The Mudbray use Rototiller on the fields every day without fail."
"The power of Pokémon really is amazing!"
Gario handed over the recorded data.
Potatoes: 5,000 poundsTomatoes: 3,000 poundsCabbage: 3,000 poundsmung Beans (with pods): 200 pounds
"Total payment: 11,300 Poké Dollars."
"Hayato , this is a huge harvest!"
Hayato reviewed the numbers and made a quick estimate.
Everything checked out.
He signed his name.
The deal was done.
Another ten thousand Poké Dollars had been added to his account.
Hayato 's smile grew even brighter.
Compared to previous earnings, this harvest felt far more reassuring.
Potatoes and cabbage could both be replanted repeatedly, ensuring stable income.
Tomatoes could even be harvested multi ple times.
With this success, Hayato confirmed something important.
Every two weeks or so, he could expect over ten thousand Poké Dollars in income.
He no longer had to worry about slowly running out of money.
In other words—
Life suddenly felt full of hope.
Gario called for Diggersby and opened the passenger door.
Watching Diggersby drive using its massive ears would look strange in another world.
But in the Pokémon world, it was completely normal.
Many jobs were handled by Pokémon themselves.
Just before leaving, Gario suddenly leaned out of the window.
"Oh right, Hayato . I heard that Coumarine City recently imported a batch of ranch Pokémon from the Paldea region. If you have time, you should go take a look."
"A ranch without ranch Pokémon isn't really a ranch."
Watching the truck disappear down Route 12, Hayato murmured thoughtfully.
"Ranch Pokémon… I really should check them out."
A ranch truly felt incomplete without them.
More importantly, ranch Pokémon had extremely high economic value.
They could produce many kinds of high-value products that sold for excellent prices.
If he planted another batch of seeds the day after tomorrow, he'd have about a week of free time.
That would be the perfect chance to visit Coumarine City.
"Alright, let's head back. I'll cook something delicious to reward all of you."
Hayato patted one of the Mudbray and climbed onto its back.
"mud!"
Just hearing about food made Mudbray practically float with excitement as it walked.
Today they had helped Hayato tremendously.
Of course they were happy.
When they returned to the ranch, Chatot had already left with its flock of "female friends."
No one knew where it had gone.
These days Chatot was like a mysterious dragon—you could see its tail but never its head.
Unless it was meal time, don't expect to see it.
Meanwhile, Kangaskhan and Cinccino were playing by the lake.
Cinccino was helping Kangaskhan wash its body, making sure it was perfectly clean.
Their laughter echoed across the ranch.
Looking down at the three Mudbray by his feet, Hayato noticed they were filthy as well.
Their hooves were covered with thick layers of mud from walking all day.
"Do you want to wash now, or after dinner?"
"mud~!"
Baths were terrifying.
The Mudbray unanimously voted to delay it.
The three little troublemakers cheered and jumped straight into the mud pool, splashing and covering each other in mud.
After work, a mud bath was Mudbray 's favorite way to relax.
"You little rascals…"
Hayato laughed and let them be.
Actually, washing later wasn't a bad idea.
If they bathed right before sleeping, they wouldn't get dirty again.
While the Pokémon relaxed, Hayato still had work to do.
He had promised them a reward meal.
There were still plenty of vegetables at home.
Tonight's menu:
Sugared TomatoesStir-Fried Cabbage with PorkBeef and Potato Stew
The beef was cut into chunks and the potatoes peeled.
He added onions, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and other seasonings before letting everything stew for more than an hour.
The beef and potatoes needed to become perfectly tender.
Paired with a bowl of steamed rice, it would be pure comfort food.
And of course—
There was also Cinccino's special request:
mung Bean Cakes.
Fresh mung beans were steamed and mashed into a paste. Butter, sugar, and honey were added for sweetness.
The paste had to be stir-fried until it became dry, fluffy, and non-sticky.
The final step was shaping.
Using all his cooking skills, Hayato managed to shape the cake into a rough Cinccino silhouette.
The moment the dishes were completed, the information for all four meals appeared before his eyes.
Hayato scanned them one by one.
He couldn't help swallowing.
He was starving.
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