"A little to the left… now a bit to the right."
"Rooon?"
"Perfect—hold it right there!"
After reminding Kangaskhan, Hayato Sora hammered the wooden sheep-head emblem he had just assembled onto the gate.
With that, the construction of Sheep Village was finally complete.
"Baa~"
(We love it! Thank you, Hayato Sora. Thank you, Kangaskhan…)
The clever little lamb circled around Hayato Sora and stuck out its tongue to lick his face, expressing its affection.
Pinching the Mareep's chubby cheeks, Hayato Sora suggested:
"You five all look very distinctive. How about I give you names?"
The moment he said that, the four Mareep gathered around him eagerly.
They were clearly curious about what names he would give them.
First, he pointed at the clever lamb beside him.
"How about calling you Pleasant Goat? You're optimistic and smart."
"Baa!"
Pleasant Goat spun happily in circles, clearly loving the name.
Seeing that reaction, Hayato Sora pointed to the other Mareep one by one.
"You're dark and strong—so you'll be Boiling Goat."
"You're pretty and adorable—so you'll be Pretty Goat."
"And you're big but very warm-hearted—so you'll be Warm Goat."
With the names assigned, Hayato Sora couldn't help thinking—
If only a Big Big Wolf showed up, they could practically film Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf right here on the ranch.
While Hayato Sora was surrounded by the lambs, Pleasant Goat nudged him with its head and bleated.
Hayato Sora quickly understood what it meant.
"Don't worry," he said while patting it.
"I haven't forgotten the greedy little one. How about calling it Lazy Goat?"
"Baa!"
Pleasant Goat thought about it for a moment and nodded.
It suited the lamb perfectly.
The other lambs agreed as well.
Even Kangaskhan and the others nodded along.
After all, they had never seen such a lazy sheep before.
With five new Pokémon joining, the ranch suddenly felt much livelier.
Sitting beneath the shade of a tree and watching the Pokémon play together in the distance, Hayato Sora smiled happily.
This kind of peaceful life felt wonderful.
Full of warmth and everyday charm.
"Meow~"
At that moment, the three Meowth walked past him in a neat line.
Each wore a straw hat and carried a small hoe over its shoulder.
They even paused to greet him.
"Oh, Meowth!"
Hayato Sora smiled back.
"The weather's getting hot. Don't stay in the fields too long, or you might get heatstroke."
"Meow!"
The Meowth responded with cheerful smiles.
Life without wandering the streets was truly wonderful.
Calling Kangaskhan and the others, Hayato Sora headed back to the ranch house with the Meowth.
The weather today was extremely hot.
Staying indoors was definitely the better choice.
In an instant, the house filled with the sounds of Pokémon chatter.
The newly arrived lambs chased each other around excitedly.
Meanwhile, Lazy Goat found Morpeko, and the two began sharing tips about eating.
Cinccino held Smoliv in its paws while sitting on the sofa with the three Meowth, watching TV.
Kangaskhan leaned against the refrigerator, occasionally peeking into her pouch to check on the Pokémon Egg.
Cyclizar, as usual, followed closely behind Hayato Sora.
It constantly eyed Hayato Sora's pant leg like it wanted to bite it at any moment.
When Hayato Sora entered the kitchen, Cyclizar simply blocked the doorway.
Shaking his head, Hayato Sora began preparing lunch.
With five more Mareep added to the ranch, he needed to cook larger portions.
If he had the chance later, he wanted to try developing a dish specifically suitable for Electric-type Pokémon.
For now, though—
He would make do with Grass Dumplings and add a Fruit Platter.
After lunch, Hayato Sora lay on the sofa with Cinccino and the others while watching TV.
Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep for a short afternoon nap.
At 3 PM, he suddenly jumped up and called Cyclizar to head out.
Summer would arrive in less than half a month.
Hayato Sora needed to start preparing for summer planting.
Yesterday he had made plans with Gario, who would take him to order a batch of brewing barrels.
While they were in Coumarine City, he also planned to buy summer crop seeds.
Rushing to the Miltank Ranch, he found Gario chatting with Dingzhi.
Hayato Sora quickly walked over.
"Sorry for making you wait, Gario."
"I just arrived too," Gario replied.
"Dingzhi also needs to buy summer crop seeds, so we'll go together. Hop in."
Gario waved them over, and the three climbed into his small truck.
Hayato Sora glanced at the driver's seat.
Today Diggersby wasn't driving.
Gario himself was behind the wheel.
Good.
Their first stop was a century-old brewery in Coumarine City.
Only here could Hayato Sora find the wooden barrels needed for brewing.
After speaking with the brewery manager and learning that Hayato Sora was brewing alcohol for the first time, the man made a suggestion.
"You might want to start with thirty barrels as a trial."
After paying, the barrels were loaded onto Gario's truck with the help of two Machoke.
Before leaving, the manager also gave Hayato Sora a basic brewing recipe booklet.
By adding different ingredients, the final brew would produce different flavors.
With that task finished, the group hurried to the largest agricultural market in Coumarine City.
Under Gario's guidance, they entered a seed shop.
Summer crop seeds had just arrived.
"This shop has the largest selection and fair prices," Gario explained.
"Hayato Sora, the hops you need for brewing are over there."
[Hop Seeds – Price: 60 Poké Dollars]
Sixty Poké Dollars was very reasonable.
Some traveling vendors who drove small trucks around farms could sell the same seeds for anywhere from 100 to 1,000 credits.
After thinking it over, Hayato Sora bought fifty hop seeds.
These had all been cultivated by Grass-type Pokémon, guaranteeing they would sprout successfully.
While he was choosing hops, Gario and Dingzhi went to look at other seeds.
They agreed to meet back at the truck in one hour.
Hayato Sora wandered through the shop while browsing.
On a whim, he bought some lotus seeds.
The lake at his ranch looked too empty.
Planting lotus flowers would make it more beautiful—and also provide shade for Veluza and Relicanth from the harsh sun.
In addition, he picked up corn seeds and wheat seeds.
Then came melon seeds, watermelon seeds, green bean seeds, cucumber seeds, and various other vegetable seeds.
Before he realized it, both of Hayato Sora's hands were full.
Cyclizar had to help carry the rest.
An hour later, both Hayato Sora and Cyclizar were loaded with bags filled with all kinds of seeds.
Basically—
If something caught Hayato Sora's interest, he bought some.
There was plenty of uncultivated land at the ranch.
More than enough space to plant everything.
This summer—
He planned to go all out.
When Gario and Dingzhi saw him, they couldn't help but stare in shock.
"Hayato Sora, you bought this many seeds? Can you really manage them all?"
"Yeah, taking care of so many crops requires a lot of effort."
They couldn't help warning him.
"Don't worry," Hayato Sora replied.
"I only bought a little of each type. I'm planning to create an experimental field."
"I want to test which crops grow the fastest and healthiest on the ranch."
That was his real goal.
Hearing that, Gario and Dingzhi nodded in understanding and stopped trying to persuade him.
They started the truck and headed back.
With help from the Mudsdale and Meowth, the brewing barrels were quickly transported to the cellar beneath the ranch house.
Hayato Sora only needed to give instructions.
Mudsdale and the Meowth handled the work perfectly.
By the time everything was finished, the sky outside had grown dark.
Evening had arrived.
Which meant—
It was time to cook dinner.
Perfect timing.
Hayato Sora planned to try making several new dishes, since he had also bought many ingredients during the trip.
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