Beside Route 12 in Kalos, in front of a half-abandoned farm.
A young man with neat brown hair cut evenly to his eyebrows let out a sigh of emotion.
Standing beside him was a bipedal Pokémon with a brown body, armor-like protrusions covering its shoulders and leg joints. Towering at nearly three meters tall, it looked from afar like a colossal beast reminiscent of Godzilla.
"Kangaskhan, from now on, this will be our home."
The young man named Silas stepped forward and patted the giant creature's thigh, joy overflowing across his face.
"Kang~!"
Kangaskhan cried out excitedly. With a fixed place to live, she would finally be able to give birth to offspring.
She lowered her head and looked at her pouch—it was completely empty.
Especially recently, as she was nearing full maturity, her longing for a child had made her increasingly restless and irritable.
Having spent years together day and night, Silas understood Kangaskhan's condition better than anyone else.
He gently patted her in reassurance. "Don't rush it. Let's go inside first."
As his words fell, Kangaskhan reached out, scooped Silas up, and placed him on her shoulder. One human and one Pokémon entered the farm through the dilapidated side gate.
From his elevated vantage point, everything inside the ranch came fully into Silas's view.
"A ranch that only cost a hundred thousand League Coins… I really shouldn't have had any expectations."
What met his eyes was utter decay. Weeds left untended for years had filled the entire ranch, some of them even growing as tall as Kangaskhan's waist, spreading wildly.
"Kangaskhan, clear us a path," Silas said, pointing from afar toward the faintly visible ranch house hidden within the sea of weeds. "Use Crush Claw."
With a sharp clang, dazzling and dangerous white light flared up around Kangaskhan's claws.
As she stepped forward, streaks of white claw light slashed through the air. Vast swaths of weeds were severed cleanly at the roots.
In no time at all, a clear path leading straight from the gate to the ranch house was opened.
Standing before the house, a sharp glint burst forth in Silas's eyes.
The system notification that had been stuck in his mind for so long finally rang out again.
[Ding. Ranch core detected. Bind this ranch?]
"Yes."
Silas answered silently.
The next instant, a beam of white light swept out from his body, covering the house before spreading outward to envelop the entire ranch.
At the same time, a semi-transparent, blue-tinted interface unfolded before his eyes.
[Ranch Lv.1]
[Owner: Silas]
[Area: 500 hectares (mountains, plains, lakes, beaches)]
[Facilities: Ranch House (Lv.0)…]
"Hm?"
After waiting a moment, Silas glanced around.
"That's it? You couldn't at least give me a beginner gift pack?"
[Beginner Gift Pack has been issued]
"Well then! I say I don't want it and now you actually won't give it, huh—"
He quickly opened the gift pack, and two items appeared before him.
[Kangaskhanite Mega Stone: A mysterious Mega Evolution Stone that allows Kangaskhan to Mega Evolve when held.]
[Key Stone: A stone containing unknown power, enabling Pokémon holding Mega Stones to Mega Evolve.]
"System, I misjudged you."
Feeling the warm, smooth texture of the two stones in his palms, Silas grinned.
Mega Evolution was nothing rare in Kalos.
Professor Sycamore had recently been appointed as a League Professor precisely because of his research into Mega Evolution.
During his earlier adventures, Silas had already battled several trainers with Mega-Evolved Pokémon.
As for the results—about three to seven.
Three seconds and seven punches were enough to completely flatten his carefully trained Kangaskhan.
"Kangaskhan, this gem is for you."
"Kang?"
Kangaskhan's nose twitched as she clearly sensed the power sealed within the Mega Stone.
After taking the stone and examining it curiously for a moment, she solemnly placed it into her pouch.
A gift from Silas had to be kept safe.
Silas also stored the corresponding Key Stone in the inner compartment of his waist pouch. When he went shopping in Shalour City tomorrow, he would find a craftsman to make two wristbands.
After circling the ranch house once together, Silas had a rough assessment in mind.
The house was far too dilapidated—it would need to be torn down and rebuilt.
And as his gaze landed on the house, a small pop-up window appeared in the corner of his vision.
[Lv.0 Ranch House → Lv.1 Ranch House]
League Coins: 0 / 10,000
Wood: 0 / 450
Description: Rebuild your ranch house. Provides a single bed, a fireplace, and other optional furnishings.
Building Effect:
[Energy Recovery Lv.1. A warm, cozy little home that belongs solely to you. When you fall asleep in bed accompanied by Pokémon, you'll wake up refreshed to greet the next day.]
This was the ability of his cheat—Harvest Moon.
TN: For those unfamiliar, this is similar to Stardew Valley.
It was extremely similar—eight or nine parts out of ten—to a casual game he had played in his previous life.
Silas really wanted to repair the ranch house immediately, but he couldn't right now.
First, he didn't have enough League Coins. Raising Pokémon burned money at an alarming rate. Buying this ranch for a hundred thousand had already consumed most of his savings, and the remaining ten thousand or so still had to cover daily food expenses.
Second, he lacked wood. The forest to the east belonged to him and could be logged by Kangaskhan, but that would take time.
Repairing the house would have to wait.
"Grrr~"
Just as Silas was thinking, a thunderous rumble came from beside him.
Silas jumped down from Kangaskhan's shoulder. "After a busy morning, it's about time to eat. Kangaskhan, wait a bit."
Without hesitation, Silas got to work.
After all, people need food to survive—and Pokémon were no different.
His Kangaskhan was far larger than others of her kind and consumed enormous amounts of energy. Not a single meal could be skipped.
Silas unpacked his camping set, pitched the tent, and took out the ingredients he had prepared in advance to make lunch.
Kangaskhan watched for a while, then slowly walked into the sea of weeds.
If Silas was cooking, she couldn't slack off either.
White light flared up around her claws as she turned into a merciless harvester, charging through the weeds. Leaves and grass flew everywhere.
Eating in the wild didn't require much fuss. Toast bought from a department store in Shalour City, heated bacon, freshly sliced tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and pickles.
Layer by layer, they were stacked onto the toast, and a deluxe, feast-worthy hamburger was born in Silas's hands.
"Huh!" Silas exclaimed as he looked at the burger. "Even the food I make has a description?"
[Burger King (C): An ultra-luxury hamburger made by combining various ingredients. Balanced meat and vegetables, rich in nutrition. Recommended to be consumed with MooMoo Milk.
Cooking Effect: Energy Recovery (Small). Allows Pokémon to quickly restore consumed stamina and gain the 'Full Belly Frenzy' buff for thirty minutes.]
"Energy recovery?" Silas was pleasantly surprised. Glancing at Kangaskhan, he waved at her.
"Kangaskhan, time to eat."
A gust of wind swept up fallen grass as Kangaskhan sprinted over in just a few strides.
"Here, try it."
"Kang~!"
Her nose twitched, and she eagerly devoured the Burger King in a single bite.
So delicious…
It was the first sensation Kangaskhan felt—followed by an endless surge of power spreading through her limbs.
She threw her head back and let out an excited roar, eyes blazing as she stared at the sea of weeds within the ranch.
The Kangaskhan-brand weed-clearing machine has officially been activated!
(End of Chapter)