Ranch facility upgrade: Fish Pond +1!
Watching the Magikarp swimming in the lake, Leo felt a surge of satisfaction, like seeing a good harvest.
Now that his fishing plans had been "disrupted" by Koraidon, Leo looked up at the sky, estimated the time, and decided to head back to the cabin to check on the steaming Mochi.
Just as he picked up the bucket full of fish and turned around, he saw Cyclizar running over, clutching a small yellow wildflower in its claws.
"For me?" Leo asked, surprised.
"Gaa-ow~" Cyclizar nodded, an adorably goofy smile on its face.
This guy is just too cute, isn't he? Leo reached out to take the wildflower. Looking at its delicate petals, he thought, This must be why so many people love Pokémon.
They were simple, innocent, and kind. Most Pokémon, if you treated them just a little bit well, would stay by your side for a lifetime, even willing to lay down their lives to protect you.
Leo felt a wave of emotion. He reached out to rub Cyclizar's head, then turned to call Koraidon back.
But Koraidon, who had been watching the fish just a second ago, was gone.
Looking up, Leo saw Koraidon dashing rapidly through the lush grass, startling a flock of butterflies into fleeing toward the horizon.
It took a few minutes for Koraidon to return.
In its claws, it clutched a handful of colorful flowers—Blue Jazz, Tulips, Blue Hyacinths.
"..."
Leo immediately guessed what Koraidon was thinking. But seriously, Koraidon had to be the least dignified Legendary Pokémon ever, right?
Over the past two days, every action it took showed zero "Legendary" presence. instead, it acted like a childish, simple-minded elementary schooler.
Koraidon held the flowers out. "Agias!"
Leo sighed internally but reached out helplessly to accept them.
He was about to pick up the bucket again when Koraidon leaned its head in.
Leo: "..."
Yup, just like a needy kid.
He laughed and rubbed Koraidon's head.
Only then was Koraidon satisfied.
"Let's go!" Leo picked up the bucket. Flanked by Cyclizar and Koraidon, he returned to the wooden cabin.
He placed the bucket in the shade to keep the fish alive until Zac arrived for collection at 5:00 PM.
Inside, he checked the Mochi—not done yet. Leo sat at his desk and pulled out the ledger and pen he had bought at the general store.
Recording daily income and expenses was a must for any qualified rancher.
It ensured that when the ranch grew larger, he wouldn't be flying blind.
Picking up the pen, Leo calculated as he wrote.
Spring, Year 198, Jan 5th.
Income: Black Truffle (+33,000)Expenses: Seeds, Fishing Rod, Seasonings, Ingredients (-4,190)Balance: 28,810
Spring, Year 198, Jan 6th.
Income: Fish (+)Expenses: 0
Since the fish hadn't been sold yet, he left the amount blank to be filled in tonight.
Besides this, Leo also noted down the costs for the House Expansion, Pokémon Barn Repair, and Coop Construction.
Having these figures visible made them easier to track and provided motivation to work toward these goals.
After finishing the accounts, Leo got up to check the steamer.
This time, the Mochi were finally ready.
Amidst the rising steam, they looked like soft, white, chubby little dolls.
As Leo looked down, their information appeared.
`
Cooking Effect: Bug Pokémon Exclusive. Silk Shot Enhancement Lv.2. Moderately increases the toughness and strength of silk. If ingredients with elemental properties are added, the consuming Pokémon might undergo even more changes...
Evaluation: Snow-white appearance, soft and chewy texture, sweet and delicate flavor with a refreshing aroma and a hint of red bean sweetness. A very fine snack.]
Hmm?
Bug Pokémon Exclusive Enhancement?
Seeing these words, Leo was instantly intrigued.
The soft white Mochi lay in the steamer. Each had the same enhancement effect, but there were differences in tier.
Some were Level 1, some Level 2, and the highest was Level 3.
However, what piqued Leo's interest wasn't the "Bug Pokémon Exclusive" tag, but the last part: [If ingredients with elemental properties are added].
If he remembered correctly, the Pokémon world didn't exactly have "elemental ingredients."
But that trashy game he used to work on did.
For example, Ice Berries containing ice power, or Current Lemons with electric properties.
But could he grow those in this world?
Leo instinctively thought it impossible, but then he recalled the effect of a specific dish in the game.
It was called "Grass Cake." After feeding it to the little helper characters, you could place them in your farm to tend crops.
Crops tended by these helpers would undergo slight mutations.
Ordinary mushrooms became Armor Mushrooms; lemons became Current Lemons; apples became Glowing Apples.
(Feeding a Glowing Apple to a helper turned them into a walking lightbulb—basically a free cosmetic skin.)
So here's the question: If he successfully made "Grass Cake" and fed it to a Pokémon, could he grant that Pokémon the magical ability to mutate crops?
After some thought, Leo felt it was feasible.
The problem was, as a tech guy, he didn't know the recipe or ingredients for "Grass Cake."
How do you make a cake out of grass?
Only the sheep in Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf would know that...
But if he could figure it out, he could put Current Lemons into Mochi and potentially create Electric Silk.
Electroweb from a Caterpie would no longer be just a dream.
Thinking of this, Leo felt a rush of excitement.
"Looks like I'll need to experiment with the Grass Cake recipe."
But not now. The ranch was in its early stages, and he couldn't waste a single coin.
Filing this idea away, Leo placed the Mochi onto a clean plate to cool.
Cyclizar stared curiously at the Mochi. Compared to it, Koraidon seemed less interested.
Noticing Cyclizar's eagerness, Leo warned, "It's hot right now. Wait for it to cool down."
Cyclizar was obedient. If Leo said wait, it sat乖乖 (obediently) without moving a muscle.
Leaving most of them for Koraidon and Cyclizar, Leo picked out one Mochi with the Lv.3 Silk Shot Enhancement.
He remembered there were Caterpie in the back mountain.
He really wanted to know what kind of changes a tiny Mochi could bring to a Caterpie and how strong it could make its silk.