Information about the four dishes appeared before Hayato .
[Sugared Tomatoes (D)]
A simple homemade dish with a sweet-and-sour taste—perfect as an appetizer.
Cooking Effect: Appetizer
[Stir-Fried Cabbage with Pork (C)]
A perfect balance of meat and vegetables. Savory and fragrant.
Cooking Effect: Stamina Recovery (Medium)
[Baked Beef with Potatoes (B)]
A comforting family dish. The soft potatoes absorb the rich meat flavor, while the beef becomes tender and juicy. Every bite brings deep satisfaction.
Cooking Effect: Power Surge
[mung Bean Cake (Cinccino Exclusive)]
A dish infused with the creator's special feelings. It produces a unique effect for Cinccino.
Cooking Effect: Sweetheart
Hayato 's gaze swept past the first three dishes and stopped on the last one.
The exclusive dish for Cinccino.
Even he was curious what kind of effect it would have.
[Sweetheart]
After consumption, Cinccino permanently gains a small increase to its Luck stat (effective only on the first consumption).
Every future consumption grants a "Super Luck" buff lasting 60 minutes.
"A permanent boost?"
This was the first dish he had seen that permanently improved a Pokémon's attribute.
And the attribute itself—Luck—was something almost intangible.
Thinking about it carefully, Cinccino had always been lucky.
As a small Pokémon living in the wild, it had somehow never been bullied by stronger wild Pokémon.
Then, less than a week after leaving its parents, Hayato and Kangaskhan arrived at the ranch.
They met for the first time by the lake.
Cinccino joined them and became the first Pokémon of the ranch.
This little one had practically been accompanied by good luck the entire time.
So this dish didn't create luck out of nowhere.
It simply made that luck visible—and enhanced it slightly.
No matter how he looked at it, this was only beneficial for Cinccino.
From now on, whenever something relied on luck—
lottery draws, searching for rare crops, discovering special ingredients—
Cinccino would be the best candidate.
"So? How does it taste?"
Kangaskhan spread its hands and handed over an empty plate.
A few grains of rice were still stuck at the corner of its mouth.
The food had been so delicious that it simply couldn't stop eating.
Cinccino used its tail to brush the rice grains from Kangaskhan's mouth while nibbling on the sweet mung bean cake, letting out happy little sounds.
The three Mudbray had practically buried half their faces into their bowls.
The large bowl of vegetable salad made from tomatoes, potatoes, and cabbage was now empty except for a bit of dressing.
Determined not to waste anything, the Mudbray stretched out their tongues and licked the sweet-and-sour liquid clean.
Compared to their side, the other side of the yard was much noisier.
The cries of various bird Pokémon filled the air.
Chatot and its "female companions" were eating as well.
Their meal was a large Berry Fruit Salad Hayato had prepared last, enough to satisfy the entire flock.
Every so often, a small scuffle broke out among the birds.
All just to determine who could stand closer to Chatot.
Hayato seriously suspected that Chatot's transformation wasn't entirely caused by Ancient Soup • Umami.
He had even asked some Pokémon living on Back Mountain.
Apparently, even before this, Chatot had already been a famous social butterfly among Pokémon.
The Ancient Soup effect had simply acted like a magnifier.
Dinner lasted more than an hour.
Chatot eventually led the flock back to Back Mountain.
After Hayato and Cinccino finished cleaning up, it was time to sleep.
Everyone had worked hard all day.
Sleeping early meant having energy tomorrow.
Before bed, Hayato didn't forget to wash the Mudbray .
Once they were clean, he allowed them to sleep inside the Ranch Cabin.
After all, the cabin still had its special effect.
Hayato hadn't forgotten.
Holding the soft, fragrant Cinccino in his arms, the faint scent of vanilla drifted into his nose.
Before long, Hayato fell asleep.
The tall Kangaskhan stood by the bedside and watched him quietly.
It also wanted to sleep together with Hayato .
But its newly grown body would probably collapse the bed again.
So Kangaskhan gently pulled a blanket over Hayato .
Then it leaned against the side of the bed, guarding him as it slowly drifted into sleep.
In its dream, Hayato and a small baby slept together inside Kangaskhan's pouch.
A happy smile curved across its face.
The Next Day
The next morning, Hayato quickly finished breakfast—a Deluxe Burger and a glass of milk.
Then he took the Pokémon to the field harvested yesterday.
Before planting the next batch of seeds, the soil had to be prepared again.
Today would be busy.
First, they needed to clear away leftover plant stems and weeds.
Otherwise pests and diseases might affect the next crop.
Next came deep tilling.
Using a hoe, the soil had to be turned to a depth of about 15–25 cm to break up compacted layers and expose the lower soil.
This was the most labor-intensive step.
If Hayato had to do it alone, it would take several days.
But with Kangaskhan and the Mudbray , things became much easier.
Hayato attached a plow he had purchased earlier to Mudbray .
He walked behind it to guide the direction while the Mudbray pulled the plow through the field.
After rotating between the Mudbray twice, the entire field was deeply tilled in just two hours.
Kangaskhan followed behind them, smashing large clumps of soil with its incredible strength to make the earth loose and soft.
Cinccino came last, smoothing the ground where Kangaskhan had broken the soil.
This ensured the field remained flat rather than uneven.
A level field prevented water accumulation and ensured seeds were planted at a consistent depth.
But to grow strong crops, fertilizer was also necessary.
Fortunately, Hayato had prepared in advance.
He chose Bountiful Fertilizer, a fertilizer that increased crop yields.
It was widely used across Pokémon League regions—
except for the Hoenn region.
After mixing the fertilizer evenly into the soil, Hayato would be able to plant seeds tomorrow.
Thanks to the Pokémon's teamwork, the entire tilling process was completed within a single morning.
If the ranch had a tractor, the work would have been even faster.
One person alone could handle deep tilling, soil crushing, and leveling all at once.
If Hayato remembered correctly, the newest Devon Corporation multi function tractor cost about 100,000 Poké Dollars.
…Yeah.
Working together with Pokémon also strengthened their bond.
Machines and such—
not good, not good.
At least for now, the ranch didn't need large machinery like that.
But if the ranch grew bigger in the future and Pokémon alone couldn't finish the work quickly enough, Hayato would definitely consider buying one.
For now—
it was rest time.
Lunch could wait.
Two days of continuous work had tired him more than a week of wilderness survival.
He didn't even want to move a finger.
All he wanted was to lie on Kangaskhan's belly.
Its softly rising and falling stomach was better than any luxury mattress.
The only thing comparable might be Snorlax's belly.
After all, nobody could resist using Snorlax's belly as a bed.
The only problem was its terrifying appetite—few people could afford to raise one.
Hayato hugged Cinccino and occasionally pinched its ears or buried his face in its fur.
"Nice… today you smell like strawberry pudding."
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