"The fridge has food I already prepared. If you get hungry, just heat it up and eat."
In front of the ranch house, Hayato Sora explained things to the Meowth.
"If you can't reach it, ask Kangaskhan for help."
"And I'll leave the weed-clearing in the orchard to you."
"Meow!"
"Rooon~"
"..."
The Pokémon all responded one after another, telling Hayato Sora not to worry—they could take care of themselves.
"Alright then. I'll be back by the afternoon at the latest."
This wasn't his first time heading out, so Hayato Sora wasn't particularly concerned.
After giving his instructions, Hayato Sora mounted Cyclizar, holding Cinccino and Morpeko in his arms.
The two little troublemakers insisted on coming along to welcome their new companions.
Before leaving, Hayato Sora checked his satchel again—money, empty Poké Balls, and some Pokémon snacks were all packed.
After confirming everything was ready, he patted Cyclizar, signaling that they could depart.
Along the way, his ears were filled with Cinccino's endless curiosity and the constant crunching sounds of Morpeko devouring snacks.
Maybe bringing the two of them wasn't such a great idea after all.
Shaking his head, Hayato Sora guided Cyclizar onto a side road.
This path led directly to Hain Ranch.
Hain Ranch was a grassland ranch located on the latter half of Route 12, situated on a wide prairie.
Their neighbors happened to be a family of Pyroar.
Once he purchased the Mareep, Hayato Sora planned to drop by and visit the Pyroar family as well—it had been quite some time since he last saw them.
Cyclizar moved quickly along the prairie road.
Before long, a ranch appeared ahead.
Looking into the distance, Hayato Sora could see groups of Pokémon running freely across the fields.
As they got closer, he could finally make them out clearly.
A herd of Ponyta.
At the front ran a blazing Rapidash, its entire body surrounded by brilliant flames.
It was clearly the leader of the Ponyta herd.
When it noticed them approaching, it ran over on its own.
"Neighhh~"
Rapidash wore an almost human-like expression as it teased Cyclizar, clearly challenging it to a race.
Well—
That was very much in line with Rapidash's personality.
Whenever it encountered something fast-moving, it liked to test its speed against it.
It had already decided Cyclizar was a worthy opponent.
"Gaooo!"
Cyclizar responded loudly as its speed began to increase.
Sparks of electricity flickered around the black wheel-like structures on its chest.
With the ranch ahead as their destination, Cyclizar shot forward like a bolt of lightning—instantly leaving Rapidash far behind.
Rapidash froze for a moment.
Then it broke away from the herd.
Separated only by a fence, it sprinted at full speed, chasing after Cyclizar.
The whole thing happened so suddenly that Hayato Sora didn't even get a chance to refuse.
He had no choice but to cling tightly to Cyclizar to avoid being thrown off.
Meanwhile, the two little spectators in his arms were loving the chaos.
Cinccino and Morpeko opened their mouths wide to enjoy the rushing wind.
At the same time, they cheered for Cyclizar while also loudly reminding it that Rapidash was catching up.
Cyclizar accelerated again.
Two Pokémon specialized in speed—one like lightning, the other like fire.
Both pushed themselves to their limits, racing side by side.
And in the air—
Hayato Sora's continuous screams echoed.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH—!"
He was practically airborne.
"Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!"
Hayato Sora knocked Cyclizar on the head several times.
His heart was still pounding violently.
That had been way too terrifying.
"Cyclizar, you now owe me a little red flower."
"Gaooo~"
(Nooo!)
Cyclizar lowered its head in frustration and glared resentfully at Rapidash nearby.
This was all its fault!
Rapidash stuck out its tongue at Cyclizar with a cheeky grin while enjoying the gentle pats from Hain, the ranch owner.
Hain's gaze shifted to Cyclizar, which was lying on the ground holding its head.
His eyes sparkled with interest.
"Hayato Sora, this Pokémon of yours—it's called Cyclizar, right?"
"That's right. A real troublemaker."
"Hahaha! Rapidash is the same."
"You might not know this, but Rapidash was the champion of last year's horse racing festival. For your Cyclizar to outrun it…"
Hain raised a thumbs-up, generously offering praise.
Based on Cyclizar's performance just now, if it participated in the racing festival, it could easily place within the top three.
Hearing the praise, Cyclizar perked up its tail and rubbed affectionately against Hayato Sora.
It clearly wanted forgiveness—and its little red flower.
Rolling his eyes at the shameless Cyclizar, Hayato Sora followed Hain into the ranch.
Cinccino and Morpeko looked around curiously, showing great enthusiasm toward this different ranch.
They even tugged at Hayato Sora's hair while asking endless questions.
"That's Doduo. Don't get too close—be careful, or it might peck your head."
"Chi~!"
Cinccino immediately stopped approaching and dashed back.
Scary!
Hain Ranch was enormous, with a vast prairie where many Pokémon lived.
There was a Ponyta herd, a Doduo flock, a few Blitzle, and the target of Hayato Sora's visit—
A Mareep flock.
Their leader appeared to be a yellow, bipedal Pokémon with a white belly.
"Baa-dian~"
"That's Ampharos," Hain explained. "My old partner."
Ampharos was the final evolution of Mareep, a pure Electric-type Pokémon.
"The Mareep you came to buy today is the grandchild of one of Ampharos's offspring."
Hayato Sora nodded in understanding.
He took out some Pokémon snacks from his satchel and offered them to Ampharos first.
Winning the approval of the herd's leader was always a good strategy.
Ampharos accepted the biscuit and took a bite.
It closed its eyes in enjoyment, letting out a satisfied cry.
Soon, a large group of Flaaffy and Mareep gathered nearby.
All Hayato Sora could hear was a chorus of "baa baa baa," as they eagerly begged for snacks.
Of course, he didn't refuse.
He even asked Cinccino and Morpeko to help distribute them.
No little sheep could resist delicious snacks.
If his system could display friendship levels, the Mareep flock's affection toward him would probably already be at the Friendly level.
A basic level of trust had already formed.
Watching how easily Hayato Sora gained Ampharos's approval, the last bit of worry in Hain's heart disappeared.
That way, the Mareep would be able to adapt to their new ranch much faster.
After waving goodbye to the snack-loving sheep, the two walked toward a nearby nursery house.
Newborn Pokémon were especially fragile.
They needed to be isolated and carefully raised to ensure their health.
Inside the nursery, there were no other Pokémon except for two Flaaffy and several egg-sized baby Mareep.
They curled up beside the Flaaffy, playing and tumbling with one another.
Except for one little sheep.
With a tuft of wool on its head that looked suspiciously like a poop swirl, it slept quietly alone in the corner.
"Mr. Hain, how many lambs are there in total?"
"Five. They're from the same litter."
Five lambs?
Perfect.
Hayato Sora withdrew his gaze from the Mareep.
"Mr. Hain, how about selling all five of them to me?"
"You want all of them?"
"Yes."
He nodded.
"They get along so well. I don't want to separate them."
Whether it was one sheep or two, he'd still have to raise them anyway.
Five would simply make things livelier—and it wouldn't cost much more.
For Hain, this was good news as well.
Since Hayato Sora was buying all of them at once, he wouldn't have to look for other buyers.
A win-win-win situation.
Naturally, Hain agreed immediately.
After paying, Hayato Sora stepped inside to spend some time with the five little Mareep and build a connection with them.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789