At 5:00 PM sharp, Zac arrived at the ranch in his truck.
Leo was just helping Koraidon and Cyclizar plant the last fruit tree sapling. He had barely finished watering it when Zac's booming voice came from behind.
"Did you do all this? That was fast! It hasn't even been a full day!" Zac stared, dumbfounded, at the completely transformed ranch.
The fields, once overrun by weeds and trees, were now neat and tidy. Square plots of land were arranged in orderly rows, the soil slightly dark and damp from recent watering.
Leo turned around and smiled. "I have them to thank for it."
He stepped aside to reveal Koraidon and Cyclizar standing behind him.
Zac paused, then looked up. Beside the Cyclizar he had seen yesterday, there was now another Pokémon standing next to Leo.
A Pokémon he had never seen before.
Tall stature, powerful physique, muscles rippling across its limbs and body, a thick, powerful tail...
"What is that big guy?!" Zac's eyes widened again.
He swore he had never seen a Pokémon like this in the Paldea region!
As a truck driver who traveled north and south delivering goods, Zac had been to all sorts of places and seen countless Pokémon in his early years.
He knew the Pokémon of Paldea like the back of his hand.
Though not a trainer himself, he couldn't resist a tense and exciting battle whenever he met trainers from Naranja Academy on his routes.
But... he had never heard of a Pokémon like this.
Leo wasn't surprised by Zac's reaction. At this point in time, apart from Professor Sada, no one had seen a Koraidon.
After a moment's thought, Leo didn't reveal Koraidon's name. Instead, he told the truth: "I don't know where it came from either. It appeared on the ranch last night, injured. Cyclizar and I saved it, and to thank us, it stayed to help out."
"I see..." Zac nodded, murmuring to himself. Looking at the strange Pokémon again, he added, "It seems to really like you! Since you met it, it means you two share a destiny."
With his curiosity satisfied, Zac didn't press further. He turned to the shipping bin. "Did you find any mountain goods like Black Truffles today?"
"No, but I did catch some fish."
Leo walked to the eaves of the house, picked up the bucket full of fish, and placed it in front of Zac.
Zac crouched down to look inside. Seeing the contents, he exclaimed, "Whoa? That many?!"
For a rookie rancher, this kid's fishing skills were way too good, right?
"Let me see..." Zac released his own Pokémon, a Conkeldurr, and directed it to bring down a glass tank specifically for transporting fish from the truck.
"Bass, Carp, Catfish, Herring... Wow! And two Rainbow Trout! These are rare fish that are hard to catch! Your fishing skills are amazing!"
Zac looked impressed. He stood up and gave a thumbs-up. "Awesome!"
Leo responded with an awkward but polite smile.
Zac took out his ledger and began to calculate.
"Bass is 300 League Dollars each, Carp is 120... Rainbow Trout is 1,200. Hmm, that brings the total to 3,680 League Dollars."
Calculation complete, Zac put away the ledger and took out his wallet to pay. "Not bad at all. Hope you have a haul like this tomorrow too!"
As expected, fishing is the main source of income in the early game in any world... Leo thought as he took the money.
Collection complete, Zac turned to leave. He had other ranches and farms to visit before driving through the night to deliver these goods to the Porto Marinada Market and surrounding cities.
But suddenly, Zac remembered something.
He stopped and looked back. "By the way, have you thought of a name for this ranch yet?"
A name?
Leo paused.
Zac grinned. "A good name acts as a signboard for the ranch, letting more people know about it! When the town holds the Harvest Festival, all the nearby ranches participate to see who grew the best crops. The winning ranch even gets a mysterious grand prize from the town!"
Leo understood.
To be honest, he hadn't thought about what to call the ranch.
But he had always been decisive about these things.
So, after just a few seconds of thought, Leo decided. "Leo's Ranch."
Simple, easy to remember, no bells and whistles.
"Naming it after yourself? Nice! Leo's Ranch it is!" Zac laughed. "I look forward to the day this name spreads across all of Paldea!"
Leo: "..."
Zac left.
Leo watched him drive away, then turned to look at the revitalized grid of farmland.
After returning from the back mountain, seeing the soil had mostly settled, he, Koraidon, and Cyclizar had planted all the purchased seeds.
There were many types of seeds. Leo didn't like things being messy, so he had specifically zoned the field before planting.
Potatoes, Turnips, Garlic, Spring Wheat, Strawberries, Cabbage, Cucumbers, Radishes, Tomatoes.
In addition, he had planted the Berry saplings he bought.
Oran, Pecha, Cheri, and Sitrus.
These saplings occupied a separate plot of land Leo planned to turn into a dedicated orchard.
Ordinary Berries were very cheap in this world—an Oran Berry sold for only 20 League Dollars.
So Leo didn't plan to sell them. Instead, he would use them to make fruit cakes, fruit yogurt, fruit pies, and other treats for Cyclizar and Koraidon.
After hours of work, Leo felt exhausted.
But looking at the neat fields in front of him, a strange sense of satisfaction filled his heart.
"Hmm, I planted a lot of seeds for the first batch."
Worried he might mix them up, Leo decided to make some wooden signs to stick in the soil, labeling the crop types to distinguish the different plots.
He had seen a saw for cutting wood in the tool shed earlier.
But it was getting late, so Leo decided to leave that for tomorrow.
Stretching his back, Leo relaxed completely. He kicked off his mud-caked rubber boots, washed his face at the tap, and changed into light sandals.
Turning around, he saw Koraidon and Cyclizar, both covered in dirt from head to tail.
"..."
Leo sighed helplessly. "Stand still. I'll hose you down!"
The two Pokémon stood obediently at attention.
Leo picked up the hose and washed them down. Once the mud was gone, the two big guys shook the water off their bodies in perfect sync.
Splash!
Leo got soaked. He suddenly felt like they were just two big dogs.
With this weird thought in mind, he went back inside to get towels, dried Koraidon and Cyclizar off, and shooed them into the house.
Leo kept the cabin floor spotless. To avoid tracking in dirt, he always changed his shoes when entering or leaving.
Night had fallen.
Koraidon and Cyclizar lay lazily on the floor.
Cyclizar couldn't stop yawning.
Koraidon looked at its past self with a hint of disdain.
Under the warm indoor lights, Leo, wearing house slippers, stood at the stove preparing their dinner.
Hmm, what to eat tonight?
Leo wanted to cook something new, but after a tiring day, he decided to be lazy.
He simply pan-fried some pork chops, took out sliced bread, lettuce, and ham, and assembled them into nutritionally balanced sandwiches.
"Eat up!"
Leo placed the sandwiches in front of the two Pokémon, then took his own portion to the desk. He picked up his pen to complete the day's ledger.
Spring, Year 198, Jan 6th.
Income: Fish (+3,680)Expenses: 0Balance: 32,490
Recording complete. Dinner finished. Leo flopped onto his bed with satisfaction.
Sleep!