"Chatot, this is your payment. I'll be counting on you next."
"Gah-gah!"
The Chatot— bruised, swollen, and with its feathers in a mess— flapped its wings haphazardly.
Its eyes were exceptionally clear now, signaling that he should leave it to him, and that there wasn't a spot nearby he wasn't familiar with.
One could only say it lived up to its reputation as the gossip of the Pokémon world, its social network was firmly established.
Chatot couldn't wait to peck at the delicious muffin, savoring it slowly before swallowing in large gulps.
Crystal tears welled up in its eyes.
A Chatot that usually pecked at berries and seeds was now personally experiencing what it meant for food to be "so good it brings tears to your eyes."
'Sniff! Is this what Pokémon caught by humans get to eat? It's too delicious! I'm going to die of envy!'
Route 12 near Shalour City didn't just have the ranch Natsuki bought, there were many ranches scattered along both sides of the road.
Most of them raised Skiddo and Gogoat, supplying goat milk to Shalour City daily.
It could be said that Shalour City, a major city with a permanent population of a million and a floating population of hundreds of thousands, depended entirely on the ranches of Route 12 for sustenance.
The area wasn't empty. In fact, it was quite bustling.
Natsuki hadn't had the chance before, but he used this opportunity of returning the Miltank to visit the other ranchers.
After traversing a rugged mountain path, Natsuki's group reached the main road. Now it was clear why Natsuki had been able to buy such a large ranch for only 100,000 Poké Dollars.
The location was too remote. Vehicles couldn't get in. Transportation was the primary bottleneck restricting the ranch's development.
Chatot circled at a low altitude in the lead, chattering incessantly. The three Miltank followed behind, their faces contorted in pain as they tried to cover their ears.
Natsuki sat on Kangaskhan's shoulder, looking out from his high vantage point. Not far ahead, he could vaguely see signs of buildings.
"Chatot, how much further?" Natsuki asked.
"Gah-gah~ (Just ahead!)"
After walking along the main road for at least another ten minutes, the occasional truck sped past them.
The cargo beds were either empty or filled with various crops. Natsuki looked on with envy, wondering when his ranch's produce would be enough to fill a whole truck?
He believed that time wasn't far off.
"Chat-tot! (It's right up ahead! I heard from some Dwebble that this is where they ran out from.)"
Following Chatot's guidance, Natsuki saw a section of the perimeter fence that had been repaired.
Looking at the three Miltank, they were clearly excited to be back in familiar territory, "Moo-moo"-ing nonstop.
'We won't go hungry anymore!'
"Kangas~"
Kangaskhan let out a low growl toward the ranch, alerting Natsuki to a group of Pokémon approaching.
It was a flock of Skiddo. A large green wave of them raced through the fields of grazing grass, frolicking freely and happily.
Beside the Skiddo was a larger goat of similar appearance with impressive, curved horns. It was the evolved form of Skiddo: Gogoat.
"Meeeh~"
Sensing the scent of unfamiliar Pokémon, the Gogoat barked at the flock.
The Skiddo gathered in small groups around the Gogoat, their eyes darting around curiously.
"Moo moo moo!"
Leaning against the fence, the three Miltank waved their hooves vigorously at the flock. It was as if they were saying, 'It's us, we're back!'
Seeing familiar Pokémon, the wary flock gradually relaxed.
The Skiddo returned to their carefree state, frolicking in groups.
"Woof woof woof~"
Just as the Miltank were sharing their tales of adventure outside the ranch with the Skiddo across the fence, a figure came sprinting down from a distant hill.
A Pokémon covered in long fur with a beard as long as its body appeared: Stoutland, a common herding dog.
They were widely distributed in ranches across the League. Together with the Growlithe line, the Yamper line, and the Rockruff line, they were known as the "Big Three" of herding dogs.
Hmm? There's four different species there?
Isn't it common knowledge that there are four members of the "Big Three"?
Natsuki's gaze wasn't on the Stoutland, but on the person on its back. With tanned skin and a sturdy build, he looked like a seasoned hand at farm work.
Meeting the other's wary gaze, Natsuki took the lead to introduce himself and dispel any suspicion.
"Hello, my name is Natsuki. I'm the owner of the ranch down by the coast," Natsuki pointed to the three Miltank.
"I happened to find them on the back mountain. I saw their ID tags and brought them back with the help of Chatot."
When the man heard Natsuki introduce himself as a fellow rancher, his wariness turned into a smile.
"So, the person who bought that abandoned ranch was you!"
"I was planning to pay you a visit, but I didn't expect these three to keep me preoccupied until now."
The man looked apologetic.
"I'm truly sorry about that."
"My name is Ding Zhi, and I'm the owner of this ranch."
After exchanging names, Natsuki entered the ranch at Ding Zhi's warm invitation. Unlike Natsuki's ranch, which was still mostly abandoned, this ranch was thriving.
Large fields were divided into sections, filled with various crops. However, strawberries took up more than half the space.
Rows of green, unripened fruit weighed down the branches. A bumper harvest was clearly on the horizon.
"Mr. Zhi, you grew all these strawberries? They look fantastic."
Natsuki's praise was sincere, he had much to learn in the field of cultivation.
"Hahaha!"
A smile broke across Ding Zhi's tanned face, being praised by a peer was undoubtedly the best recognition of his hard work.
"Growing strawberries isn't hard. I'll give you a detailed breakdown later, and I have some leftover strawberry seeds I can give you as well."
"That's too valuable," Natsuki waved his hands repeatedly.
He had looked into strawberry seeds when he first started buying supplies, a small bag cost 100 Poké Dollars. It wasn't something he could have easily afforded before.
"Don't be polite! I didn't even know how to thank you for bringing back the Miltank. These seeds are just what I have left over, they don't cost much."
"Alright then! I'll be thick-skinned and accept them."
It wouldn't be right to refuse again. Natsuki figured he could just catch some fish in a few days to return the favor.
The two walked together toward the ranch house, where a middle-aged woman with brown hair approached them.
"Natsuki, this is my partner. We run the ranch together."
"Hello, Natsuki. You can call me Penny. Thank you for bringing the Miltank back! Ding Zhi and I were so worried about them."
"If you have any questions about raising Pokémon in the future, feel free to ask me."
"Hahaha! Penny is actually a Junior Pokémon Breeder! You can come to her for anything related to Pokémon care."
'A Junior Breeder!'
Natsuki's eyes lit up. No wonder this ranch raised so many livestock Pokémon.
Rapidash, Rhyhorn, Tauros, and Dodrio— they were everywhere across the ranch in large numbers.
The difficulty of becoming a League-certified Junior Breeder was equivalent to that of a Senior Trainer.
Every year, over ten million people apply, but the passing rate was only about 1%. It was comparable to the civil service exams in Natsuki's previous life.
In contrast, the passing rate for the Elite Trainer exam barely reached one in a thousand. The difficulty was so high it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it walking a tightrope.