At five in the evening, Naoki returned to the ranch with Nacli and Skiddo.
Keri's construction team, which was building the Salt House, hadn't left yet. Zack's large truck was parked in front of the ranch, and he stood in front of the Salt House watching Keri's construction.
Keri was the first to notice Naoki's return. She pointed and said to Zack, "He's back."
Zack turned to look and then laughed heartily, "Finally back! Do you have anything to sell today?"
"Yes, I do!"
Naoki and Koraidon walked to the lake, and together they pulled up the fishing net.
Suddenly, the fish from the entire lake were scooped into the air.
"Wow! There are still so many!" Zack was somewhat surprised. He went forward to start weighing the fish and calculating the account.
As he jotted down notes in his ledger, he said to Naoki, who was waiting beside him:
"By the way, Naoki, the news of the many fish you've caught has spread throughout the Porto Marinada Market. A seafood restaurant in town heard about it and wants to partner with you, to specially purchase fish from you. Are you interested in collaborating?"
"Seafood restaurant?" Naoki was a bit surprised.
Zack nodded, revealing a smile on his dark face, his white teeth standing out: "A very famous seafood restaurant, quite a few out-of-towners come specifically to taste the delicacies!"
Naoki pondered for a moment, ultimately refusing the partnership: "Let's pass on that."
The ranch is too far from Casseroya Lake and the western Paldea Sea, plus his and Koraidon's method of fishing is quite primitive.
This method is only suitable for the initial phase of transition; if he were to fish day and night like that all the time, he might as well work the dreaded 996 schedule!
Besides, raising Nacli is much more profitable than fishing.
"I understand." Zack nodded: "I'll let them know. Okay, it comes to a total of three thousand three hundred and sixty League coins!"
Saying this, he pulled out sufficient money from his bag and handed it over.
Naoki reached out to accept it.
Zack turned back to his truck: "See you tomorrow!"
Naoki gave a slight nod: "See you tomorrow!"
Zack drove away in his truck.
Keri and her construction team also stopped work: "It's getting late today. We'll come back tomorrow to continue working."
"Alright."
Seeing Keri off, Naoki took out eight Poke Balls from his backpack, releasing Nacli and Skiddo one by one.
The eight Pokemon curiously surveyed their surroundings.
Naoki said to them, "This will be our home from now on!"
"Nacli~"
"Bleat!"
The Naclis showed happy expressions while the Skiddos were drawn to a lush patch of grass.
They wandered leisurely on the expansive safe pasture, occasionally bowing their heads to take a bite of the tender, lush grass.
Since the Salt House wasn't finished, Naoki brought the Naclis inside, choosing to let them stay there overnight.
The Skiddos stayed outside, enjoying the grass.
After briefly introducing the Pokemon to each other, Naoki hurried to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
The new arrivals didn't elicit much reaction from Cyclizar and the potted Smoliv.
Cyclizar went outside to watch the Skiddos graze while Smoliv lay drowsily in its pot, and Koraidon stuck to Naoki going to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Alcremie gave the group of Naclis a curious look.
"Ma?"
The Naclis timidly glanced at this Pokemon exuding a sweet aroma.
Compared to them, Alcremie was slightly larger, and since they were new, the five Naclis huddled together a bit fearfully.
"Mama…" Alcremie was somewhat perplexed; was it really that scary?
To soothe their emotions, Alcremie decided to share its delicious fresh cream with them!
So, as Naoki brought dinner to the table, he saw the Naclis covered in cream.
The Naclis nibbled at the cream, looking very happy.
Alcremie stood before them, happily sharing its tasty cream with these rock-like Pokemon.
"Mama!" Eat up, eat up! Don't be afraid of me! Once you've had the cream, we'll be good friends!
Naoki: "…"
Although he didn't know what had happened, it seemed like they had already become good friends!
Naoki placed the dishes on the table. As he looked at the Naclis, something unexpected happened.
Alcremie's cream and Nacli's rock salt merged, resulting in a magical chemical reaction.
Naoki's mind was filled with related information.
[Caramel Rock Salt Cream: A new cream blending milky, caramel, sweet, and salty rock salt flavors, perfectly combined, a wonderful choice for making desserts, greatly appealing to Pokemon that love sweetness and saltiness.]
"Mama!"
Seeing Naoki come out, Alcremie happily called back to him.
Noticing how well they were getting along, Naoki casually said, "Remember to take good care of these Naclis for me!"
"Mama!" Alcremie promised that it would take good care of these uniquely flavored Pokemon!
Naoki smiled, thinking it was not a bad arrangement, and imagined Alcremie sitting on the shoulders of their future evolved forms, Garganacl.
The combination of caramel cream and rock salt sounds pretty good!
With dinner pleasantly concluded, darkness fell outside.
Naoki settled the Naclis on the room's floor and then grabbed a bundle of grass to head outside.
Upon smelling the familiar fragrance, the three Skiddos immediately gathered to eat the grass bundle Naoki prepared for them.
Naoki circled around them, then crouched down, carefully observing the Skiddos' bodies, and discovered the presence of milk-producing organs in their wool.
"As I thought, Skiddos can produce milk too," Naoki murmured to himself.
Like Miltank, they can use the Milk Drink move.
This move is originally Miltank's exclusive move, drinking its own milk during battle to restore a significant amount of stamina.
Later, Skiddos can also comprehend this move.
But why is it called Milk Drink instead of Goat Milk Drink?
These wild Skiddos haven't undergone systematic training, so Naoki wasn't sure about their attitude towards milk production.
After pondering for a moment, Naoki pointed at a Skiddo's milk organ and asked, "Can I touch it? Can I milk goat milk from here?"
After saying this, Naoki felt the question was a bit abrupt.
However, the Skiddo didn't seem uncomfortable, it looked down, its expression appearing slightly puzzled and contemplative.
In its understanding, only baby Skiddos would drink milk.
The Trainer wanting its milk, but the Trainer doesn't seem like a baby anymore, right?