Fish food? I'll just make it myself."
Jack spread the dough mixed with crushed Oran Berries and Pecha Berries evenly onto a steamer rack.
He added half a pot of water to the steamer, placed the rack inside, and soon after turning on the heat, white steam began rising from the gaps in the lid. The sweet and sour scent of berries mixed with the wheaty aroma of flour filled the air.
After steaming for fifteen minutes, he turned off the heat and lifted the lid. Hot steam billowed up, revealing the feed pellets that had puffed up nicely from the steaming. Their color was exceptionally bright due to the berry ingredients.
Jack carefully carried the steamer rack to the cutting board to let it cool.
[Berry Fish Food (C-Grade): Hastily prepared fish food with a fresh and diverse flavor. However, due to the large batch made at once, the aroma hasn't fully permeated the pellets, and it has a shorter shelf life.
Cooking Effect: Favor of the Sea Lv1—slightly increases attraction to Water-type Pokémon]
"This should be enough, right?"
Jack had added a good ten pounds of flour to the mixture.
The quantity was considerable.
Jack placed a large wooden basin in the center of the ranch, then dumped all twenty pounds of Berry Fish Food into it.
"Slowpoke, you can come and eat after you've handed in your tails," he called out.
Steaming twenty pounds of feed consecutively had left Jack winded and exhausted.
There was no way he'd let them eat for free!
"Melo." (Everyone, line up and hand them over.)
"Bulba~"
Meltan and Bulbasaur stood guard in front of the Berry Fish Food, holding a large burlap sack between them.
The Slowpoke ambled forward slowly, one by one.
Their tails dropped into the bag one after another with soft thuds.
The fish food piled in the large basin resembled a small mountain, dotted with orange-red and pinkish-white berry pieces.
The Slowpoke crowded together, their pink noses almost touching as they pecked at the food. The rustling sounds of their munching filled the air.
The plumpest Slowpoke buried half its face into the pile, its ears dusted white with flour. A satisfied rumble emanated from its throat.
The one beside it scraped the bottom of the basin with its front paws, gathering the wheat-scented crumbs toward its mouth. It even tried tapping the ground behind itself with its tail, though no new tail had grown yet.
The fresh scent of berries mingled with the sounds of contented munching until the wood grain at the bottom of the basin became visible.
Even after the food was gone, the Slowpoke kept their heads down, rooting around as if searching for one last crumb.
"This is exhausting. Sixteen Slowpoke really are big eaters."
Jack cleaned up the feeding area.
Although it had cost him more than ten pounds of flour and several pounds of berries, he'd gained sixteen Slowpoke tails in return.
These were far more valuable than the fish food they had consumed.
"Alright, Slowpoke, you've finished eating. Time to head home now."
But the Slowpoke didn't seem to hear him. They lay where they were, yawning lazily, their paws splayed out on the ground, utterly motionless.
They clearly intended to take a nap right there.
"Hey, Slowpoke, wake up!" Jack went over and nudged the nearest one.
It only grunted twice, rolled onto its side, and continued sleeping, its stubby tail even curling around Jack's pant leg.
Jack put his hands on his hips and sighed. When he glanced around, he spotted Meltan squatting by a haystack, poking at a Slowpoke's ear playfully.
Bulbasaur, meanwhile, had found a comfortable spot lying on a Slowpoke's plump belly.
It seemed his Pokémon had already accepted these uninvited guests.
"Since you're not planning to leave, then from now on, you're all part of this Ranch."
Jack shook his head helplessly and turned toward the warehouse to find some old blankets, spreading them out where the Slowpoke were sleeping.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling their round backs, and their gentle snores mixed with the rustling wind through the grass, creating a peaceful scene.
"Well, I guess I'm raising a bunch of sleepyheads now," Jack muttered to the deeply sleeping Slowpoke.
It would mean more work in the future, but the Ranch would also gain an additional source of income—Slowpoke Tails.
"Time to clean up the Ranch. The Miltank and Wooloo need pasture grass, which I should plant."
Jack retrieved the axe he'd purchased earlier from the warehouse, tested its weight in his hands a couple of times, and headed toward the overgrown thicket on the east side of the Ranch.
Man-high branches tangled together, with a few crooked small trees scattered throughout.
Jack swung the axe at the thickest trunk. The blade struck with a dull thud, leaving only a shallow white mark on the bark.
"Is it really this hard to chop?"
Jack frowned, rubbing his aching arm before trying a few more times. The axe either slid to the side or got stuck in the branches. After considerable effort, a thin layer of sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Zhi Zhi!"
Just then, Sandshrew ran over, circling the thicket twice.
"I remember you don't know Cut, do you?"
In the games, bushes would sometimes block the player's path on the road.
These needed to be cleared using a Pokémon that knew Cut.
But Sandshrew's learned moves didn't include Cut.
Sandshrew straightened its body, its front claws glowing silver as it swung them sharply at the intertwined branches.
With a crisp "swish" and the sound of rustling leaves, half of the thicket was neatly severed, the cross-section as smooth as if sliced by a knife.
Metal Claw!
"Melo!" (Jack, this isn't a game. Clearing branches doesn't necessarily require Cut.)
Meltan heard the commotion and followed.
The few things Jack remembered were completely useless in the real world!
"Cough, cough, cough, go, Sandshrew!"
Jack tried to cover up the fact that he hadn't yet separated the game from reality with a cough.
Sandshrew proudly shook its head and then swung its claws several times at the remaining thicket.
Before long, the trees and bushes that had been blocking the way were chopped into pieces, revealing the flat grassland beneath.
"Much more effective than my axe."
Jack smiled and patted Sandshrew's back; it immediately rubbed against his palm, its small tail wagging high.
The cleared ground, once a thicket, now exposed brown soil.
Jack clapped the dust from his hands: "This area will be used to plant pasture grass, and the Wooloo and Miltank will have a new grazing field."
Currently, the Miltank was eating the feed gifted by Exxon.
But it couldn't eat only feed; it still needed some fresh pasture grass.
Moreover, if he raised many pokémon in the future, such as Mareep,
the demand for pasture grass would only increase.
Sandshrew immediately responded, digging at the ground with its front claws twice.
"Zhi Zhi!"
Its sharp claws plunged into the soil, moving back and forth like a small tilling machine, quickly carving out neat furrows on the east side.
When it encountered stubborn clods of earth, it would push them aside with its head, its small body nimbly leaping between the furrows. Before long, the entire plot of land was turned soft and flat.
"Melo." (It's time to work again.)
"No choice, Meltan, the Ranch still has many areas that need improvement. We can't stop now."
Meltan, holding a cloth bag full of pasture grass seeds, squatted by the furrow, grabbing a handful of seeds with its claws.
They had two experiences now, and their planting speed was much faster.
"Water's here!"
Jack carried buckets back and forth, watering. The water slowly permeated the soil along the furrows, gently enveloping the seeds.
Jack deliberately poured the water slowly, giving Meltan time to adjust its seeding rhythm.
"Bulbasaur~"
Bulbasaur followed behind Meltan, making sure the seeds were covered by soil and watered.
Then it released a little Grass-type energy to nourish the seeds.
By the time the last bucket of water was poured, the entire field had absorbed enough moisture, and the soil glistened with an oily sheen.
Jack sat on the field ridge, looking at this hopeful land.
He suddenly felt that with these little helpers, life on the Ranch would surely become more promising.
Summer of League Year 198, May 13th, clear.
The Ranch was already on track.
Looking forward to an even better tomorrow!