Curry rice, crispy duck rolls, and egg yolk pies were all new dishes that Hayato Sora had never tried making before.
The curry rice, served as the main dish, was especially fragrant. Large chunks of meat and rich curry sauce were poured over steaming white rice.
The rice absorbed the aroma of the curry. Mixed together with potatoes and the generous chunks of meat, every bite was pure satisfaction.
Meowth and Kangaskhan loved it, devouring the food mouthful after mouthful.
There were also the deep-fried duck rolls.
The golden, crispy skin crackled when bitten into, while the duck meat wrapped inside was tender and flavorful.
Cyclizar nearly finished an entire plate by itself—it clearly loved the dish.
"Li-li(Cinccino cry)?"
While nibbling delicately on an egg yolk pie, Cinccino looked up at Hayato Sora and asked a question.
Even as it ate the pie in its paws, it kept thinking about the banana pudding waiting in the refrigerator.
Taking a bite of rice, Hayato Sora shook his head.
"Not yet. You'll have to wait at least four hours before taking it out."
"Li~"
Cinccino began counting on its fingers, calculating the time.
Then it lowered its head in disappointment. It still had to wait a long, long time.
Ignoring Cinccino for the moment, Hayato Sora looked toward the five Mareep nearby.
"Mareep, are you used to these dishes?"
Happy Mareep bleated, "Meeeh!"
(The food you made is delicious. We all like it.)
Lazy Mareep said, "I'm finished already. Is there more?"
The little Mareep with the messy wool trotted over while carrying its small bowl, rubbing affectionately against Hayato Sora's leg.
In an instant, countless sparks of static electricity burst out, crackling noisily.
Pinching Lazy Mareep's chubby little face, Hayato Sora smiled. This one clearly belonged to the type that slept after eating and ate after sleeping, and its personality was extremely lazy.
Lazy Mareep placed its forelegs on Hayato Sora's thigh, practically trying to climb onto him as it kept bleating non-stop.
"Meeeh~"
(Just one more bite. Just one! I'll do anything!)
Hayato Sora poked its belly and said,
"One last bowl. I don't want you turning into a big glutton."
"Meeeh!"
Lazy Mareep nodded vigorously and cuddled against him.
After dinner, Alolan Meowth and Cinccino cleaned the dishes together.
As usual, Hayato Sora picked up the Berry and milk platter he had prepared for the Noibat and walked toward the cave.
At this time of night, the Noibat had just woken up.
Compared to before, the interior of the cave had changed slightly.
Many claw marks had appeared on the cave walls—evidence of the Noibat practicing their moves. Every night, they trained diligently to improve their strength.
Correspondingly, the little Noibat's appetite had doubled. Through constant training, its body had grown sturdier and more muscular.
Unknowingly, a fierce aura had begun to emanate from it.
It felt somewhat similar to the Intimidate Ability, yet clearly different.
To describe it more precisely—it was like the natural suppression of a higher lifeform over a lower one.
When Hayato Sora arrived at the cave, the three Noibat excitedly flew over to greet him, circling around him.
"Did you guys get bigger again?"
After setting down their dinner, he picked one up and measured it with his hands.
They had indeed grown.
Their bodies were now twice the size of a standard Noibat.
All these changes had started after the Noibat ate Dragon Scale Jelly.
The dish's effect—Tempered Form—seemed to have broken through the limits of their species, allowing their strength to increase rapidly.
"Vee-vee (Noibat cry)!"
The three Noibat lined up neatly and happily reported good news to Hayato Sora.
They had mastered another new move.
"Oh? What move? Can you show me?" Hayato Sora asked curiously.
Just a few days ago, they had learned Wing Attack.
Hearing this, the Noibat nodded excitedly and flew to the open space outside the cave.
Facing a small tree ahead, the Noibat flapped its wings with all its might.
A violent whirlwind surged forth, whipping up dust and leaves as if it might uproot the tree entirely.
"That's Whirlwind!"
A move that could forcibly drive the opponent's Pokémon out of battle.
In the wild, it was extremely useful—it allowed a trainer to escape battles they didn't want to fight.
In simple terms…
You create a storm of wind and dust to blind your opponent, then quietly slip away while they can't see.
For a moment, Hayato Sora remembered the times he had been dominated by someone's Skarmory.
Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!
Whirlwind, Spikes, Iron Defense, Body Press, and Roost.
He silently cursed that guy—hoping that one day while mining, he'd be surrounded from all sides by Amoonguss.
Collecting himself, Hayato Sora smiled and praised them.
"That's a really impressive move!"
"Vee-vee!"
A single compliment from their trainer was enough to make the little Noibat happy for a long time.
The three big bats circled around Hayato Sora in excitement, their cheeks faintly flushed.
"Alright, come eat your dinner. I'm counting on you to watch over the ranch tonight."
The obedient Noibat flew down and crouched in front of him, chirping seriously.
"Vee-vee!"
(Leave it to us, Hayato Sora!)
After saying goodbye to the Noibat, Hayato Sora headed toward the stable.
Through the window he saw the Mudsdale sleeping soundly inside, so he didn't disturb them and instead walked toward the nearby Sheep Village.
The other Pokémon at the ranch treated the Mareep very well, and the ranch owner Hayato Sora was a very gentle human.
But for the Mareep who had just arrived at a new ranch and left their parents for the first time, tonight was difficult.
Well… not entirely.
Lazy Mareep was already snoring loudly.
It slept extremely soundly, making Hayato Sora almost reluctant to wake it.
Drool kept dripping from the corner of its mouth.
It was clearly dreaming about delicious food.
After checking on each of them, Hayato Sora brought the other four lambs to the grassy field by the river and lay down with them.
"Meeeh!"
Warm Mareep walked over and lay on the grass, signaling for Hayato Sora to lean against it.
Very comfortable!
"Thanks."
Grabbing a handful of wool, Hayato Sora quickly shaped it into a pillow and leaned back on it.
The other three lambs sat around him.
As expected, Brave Mareep insisted on sitting closest to Beautiful Mareep.
"Happy Mareep, you're the smartest. You're in charge of taking care of the others."
As he spoke, Hayato Sora took a small bell out of his pocket.
It was a Soothe Bell.
He gently shook it, producing a pleasant ringing sound.
Happy Mareep stood up and bleated seriously.
"Meeeh!"
"I heard you. Consider this bell a meeting gift from me. Whenever you can't sleep, you can ring it."
Hayato Sora hadn't forgotten the other lambs' gifts either.
He personally helped them put them on one by one.
Seeing Happy Mareep spinning around happily, Hayato Sora felt delighted too.
He had carefully chosen these gifts.
Brave Mareep received a blue armband, tied around its foreleg, making it look especially strong.
Warm Mareep received a silk scarf, while Beautiful Mareep got a pair of pink bows.
Even Lazy Mareep wasn't forgotten.
Hayato Sora asked Happy Mareep to give it the gift when it woke up—an orange drool bib.
After giving the gifts and spending some more time with the Mareep, Hayato Sora waved goodbye.
The little lambs returned to their cabin.
This time, they quickly fell asleep.
The Soothe Bell never had the chance to show its effect.
Or perhaps…
Hayato Sora's sincere comfort was more effective than any item.
He waited a while in Sheep Village before finally heading back.
Along the way, he yawned repeatedly.
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