At the ranch gate stood a girl of about sixteen or seventeen.
She wore twin ponytails, and a few freckles dotted her small face.
Beside her stood a Gogoat, which was pulling a small cargo cart filled with supplies.
When she saw Hayato Sora approaching, the girl hurried forward and said shyly,
"You're the ranch owner who purchased the Noibat, Smoliv, and Cyclizar, right? Please sign here."
"That's me."
Hayato Sora nodded slightly and signed his name on the delivery form.
The girl carefully stored the form in the satchel at her waist and let out a sigh of relief.
Walking to the cart behind the Gogoat, she clapped her hands.
"Alright everyone, come out. Mr. Hayato Sora is a very kind person. He'll take good care of you in the future."
Hayato Sora looked toward the small cargo box.
Five curious little Pokémon slowly peeked their heads over the edge.
On the left were three small purple bat-like Pokémon with huge ears.
Their bright yellow eyes examined Hayato Sora cautiously before they shrank back slightly.
In the middle was a green lizard Pokémon with chubby little hands gripping the edge of the box, revealing the tire-like structure around its neck.
On the far right was a small olive-shaped Pokémon, light green in color, with several leaves sprouting from its head and a yellow fruit in the center.
At this moment, it looked at him timidly.
All five Pokémon wore exactly the same expression.
Most of their bodies were still hidden in the cart, clearly nervous.
Smoliv: "Smoliv…"
Noibat ×3: "Noi…bat~" (º□º l|l)/
Cyclizar: "Graa?" (´｀;)?
"Hello there, little ones!"
Hayato Sora crouched down and greeted them warmly.
"Bat~!"
The three Noibat immediately retreated deeper into the box.
Even Cyclizar shut its eyes nervously.
They were still scared.
"Graao?"
Behind Hayato Sora, Kangaskhan leaned forward curiously and peeked at them.
At that moment, Hayato Sora understood.
The little Pokémon weren't afraid of him.
They were afraid of Kangaskhan.
To them, Kangaskhan looked like a huge armored monster capable of swallowing them in one bite.
"…I see."
After realizing the reason, Hayato Sora patted Kangaskhan and cleared his throat.
"Boss, could you go call Chatot, the Mudbray, and the others? We're welcoming new companions today."
"We're going to hold a big celebration feast."
"Kanga~!"
Hearing the word feast, Kangaskhan's eyes instantly lit up.
She swallowed her drool and quickly walked off toward the ranch to spread the news.
Once Kangaskhan left, the five little Pokémon visibly relaxed.
So that big scary creature was also going to be their companion?
How frightening…
Seeing through their thoughts, Hayato Sora smiled and explained:
"Kangaskhan is actually a very gentle Pokémon. You don't have to worry about her eating you."
"Graao!"
Naturally cheerful and innocent, Cyclizar was the first to jump out of the cart once the danger seemed gone.
Looking like a large lizard, Cyclizar circled around Hayato Sora like a puppy.
It sniffed him curiously before rubbing its body against his leg.
"You're a good one, Cyclizar."
Hayato Sora crouched down and gently patted the smooth top of its head.
Then he took out a small cake.
"Here. This is a gift for all of you—honey buns."
Cyclizar, already accepting Hayato Sora, didn't hesitate for a second.
It bit into the honey bun, chewed a few times, and swallowed.
Suddenly—
Its eyes widened.
Delicious!!!
Cyclizar immediately entered "battle mode."
It stood upright, placed its chubby claws on Hayato Sora's shoulders, and enthusiastically licked his face with its pink tongue—clearly begging for more honey buns.
The delivery girl then picked up Smoliv and the three Noibat, gently pushing them forward.
"Go on. Don't let Cyclizar eat all the tasty food."
"Smoliv~"
"Noi!" ×3
At that moment, Hayato Sora had finally managed to calm Cyclizar down.
Although it looked like a lizard, its personality was practically that of a big dog.
After making Cyclizar sit obediently beside him, Hayato Sora waved another honey bun toward the four little Pokémon.
"Want some? They're really tasty."
Beside him, Cyclizar stared intensely at the bun.
Drool slowly formed at the corner of its mouth.
"Graa…"
Seeing Hayato Sora's gentle attitude—and Cyclizar's enthusiastic reaction—Smoliv and the Noibat gradually lowered their guard.
They cautiously ran toward Hayato Sora.
Pokémon were truly incredible creatures.
They were naturally simple and pure-hearted.
They could clearly feel the kindness Hayato Sora was showing them.
With a bit of interaction—and plenty of food—the small sense of unfamiliarity quickly disappeared.
Soon the five little Pokémon gathered around Hayato Sora, each holding a soft, milky-scented bun.
Seeing this harmonious scene, the girl stepped forward.
"Mr. Hayato Sora, I'll leave them in your care from now on."
"I will take good care of them."
Placing his hand on Cyclizar's big head, Hayato Sora answered seriously.
"Oh, and this as well."
The girl took out three thin booklets from her bag.
"They contain basic information and abilities for Cyclizar, Smoliv, and Noibat. I think you'll find them useful."
"Thank you. I really do need this."
After giving a few more instructions, they carried the Pokémon feed into the ranch house together.
There were several large bags of sweet-flavored Pokémon feed.
Each 10-kilogram bag normally cost 100 PokéDollars.
One bag was enough to feed a juvenile Pokémon for about half a month.
"Mr. Hayato Sora, if you ever need to purchase ranch Pokémon again, please consider our shop."
The girl waved goodbye, mounted the calm Gogoat, and quickly disappeared into the distance.
After watching her leave, Hayato Sora brought the five little Pokémon to the front of the ranch house.
By now, Kangaskhan had already gathered Cinccino, the Mudbray brothers, and Chatot.
Hayato Sora decided to introduce everyone properly—especially Chatot, who was rarely seen during the day.
A few days ago it still returned punctually for meals.
But recently it had been coming back later and later each day.
If Hayato Sora didn't see it sleeping in its nest at night, he would have thought it had been captured by some wild bird Pokémon and taken away as a "bride."
"These three are the Mudbray brothers."
"Mud~!"
The Mudbray happily greeted the newcomers, quickly locking eyes with Cyclizar.
"And this is Chatot."
Chatot flicked its head feathers and said flamboyantly,
"Caw!"
At the same time, five Berries fell out from under its wings and floated toward the five newcomers.
The Noibat's eyes lit up instantly.
Flapping its wings, it caught the Berry and looked at Chatot with admiration.
"And this is the ranch's chief manager—Cinccino."
"Chii~!"
Cinccino tried its best to act mature and waved politely.
Smoliv bounced over toward it.
Sniff sniff.
It smelled wonderful.
Like sunshine.
Smoliv immediately leaned against Cinccino, instantly breaking Cinccino's "serious manager" act.
The two Pokémon soon began playing together.
"And this—"
Hayato Sora gestured proudly.
"—is Kangaskhan."
All five little Pokémon looked up at the towering Kangaskhan with awe.
The big monster.
Their companion.
With Kangaskhan around, they wouldn't be bullied by other Pokémon anymore.
The five newcomers clearly understood who the boss was.
They immediately surrounded Kangaskhan enthusiastically—
One massaged her legs.
Another stepped on her back.
Another polished her armor-like plates.
The Pokémon interacted with one another surprisingly harmoniously.
The ranch was becoming more lively with each passing day.
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