In the 198th year of the League Era, spring arrived in the Kalos Region, and the weather gradually began to warm.
Wearing a straw hat and a T-shirt, Hayato stood before a vast stretch of freshly cultivated farmland.
Unlike the berry orchard nearby, the farmland covered a much larger area.
Hayato had divided it into neat square plots, each planted with a different crop.
This would become his main source of income in the future—far more stable than fishing.
Once the seeds were planted, all that was needed was daily watering, fertilizing, and weeding.
Even if droughts or floods occurred, some crops would still grow.
Besides, the crops Hayato had chosen were all spring crops, the kind that were extremely beginner-friendly.
To make them easier to identify, Hayato even placed small signboards beside each plot.
Green beans, potatoes, cabbage, and tomatoes.
Four simple crops that were easy to grow.
Looking up at the sky, Hayato saw the sun shining brightly.
The early spring sunshine felt warm on the skin.
It was a perfect day for crops to grow.
"Kangaskhan , do you still want to go check the fields?"
Hayato lowered the brim of his straw hat and called out.
A patch of grass nearby shook violently as Kangaskhan and Cinccino ran toward him.
Hayato clicked his tongue when he saw them.
"Look at you two—you're soaked. If you catch a cold now, it won't go away anytime soon."
"Achoo!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Kangaskhan sneezed.
"Ah, whatever. If you want to play, go ahead," Hayato said helplessly with a smile.
"But you still have to drink dandelion tea every day."
Dandelion Tea (C Rank)
A specialty tea made by cutting dried dandelion roots and leaves and brewing them in hot water. Adding a little brown sugar can make it slightly less bitter.
Cooking Effect: Helps prevent colds.
"Ugh…"
Kangaskhan immediately grimaced and shook its head vigorously.
It was bitter and astringent—hard to swallow.
Kangaskhan hated it.
Daily field inspections were simple but boring.
Watering, fertilizing, weeding—those kinds of tasks.
And they couldn't skip a single day, or the crops' growth would suffer.
Fortunately, with Cinccino and Kangaskhan accompanying him, the work felt far less dull.
Still, this was an essential part of running a ranch.
"So tiring! If only I had a reliable Pokémon to help share the workload."
Sitting on the steps in front of the Ranch Cabin, Hayato gulped down half a cup of dandelion tea.
Delegating tasks was exactly what a **capitalist—no, a ranch owner—**should be doing.
While Hayato was thinking about recruiting another Pokémon to help, Kangaskhan sat beside him with a bitter expression, still struggling with its tea.
Still can't get used to it, huh?
Dandelion tea… you menace.
Smack!
Hayato suddenly stood up and slapped his thigh.
"I've decided! This afternoon I'll go check out the back mountain and see if I can recruit—ahem—invite a Pokémon to join the ranch."
With his current finances, supporting one more Pokémon wouldn't be a problem.
For wild Pokémon, their needs were simple.
As long as there was enough food and snacks, they would work hard in return—like tireless employees on a 24/7 schedule.
Even so, that life was far better than surviving in the wild.
They wouldn't have to worry about going hungry.
They wouldn't have to fight other Pokémon for food.
And they'd even get a safe place to live.
For a Pokémon, that was practically a blessing from heaven.
After all—
"No one refuses a good home with plenty of food."
And the same principle applied perfectly to Pokémon.
It was precisely because of this symbiotic relationship between humans and Pokémon that the Pokémon League had grown stronger over time.
The prosperity of the League today was the result of both humans and Pokémon working together.
Neither side could do it alone.
Having made up his mind, Hayato began preparing for the afternoon trip.
Using a few clever tricks wasn't shameful.
First, he reminded Kangaskhan and Cinccino not to wander too far away.
After receiving their agreement, Hayato went into the kitchen.
Looking at the shelves filled with neatly arranged ingredients and prepared dishes, something caught his eye.
A half jar of golden, crystal-clear honey.
"Got it."
He was confident that no Pokémon could resist food made with honey.
White flour was mixed with milk, honey, one egg, and a bit of butter.
After thoroughly combining the ingredients, Hayato kneaded them into dough and set it aside to ferment.
While the dough rested, he started preparing lunch.
The usual menu:
Deluxe Burgers and French fries, with an extra plate of Berry fruit salad.
He prepared most of it in advance so it could simply be reheated when it was time to eat.
Soon after, Hayato returned to the fermented honey dough.
He heated a frying pan over low heat and scooped a spoonful of batter into the pan.
Crackle crackle—
The sizzling sound echoed like falling rain.
Hayato carefully controlled the temperature.
Gradually, small bubbles formed across the surface of the pancake.
With a quick motion, he slid the spatula underneath and flipped it.
Now the other side began to fry.
When both sides turned golden and crispy, the gentle aroma of wheat mixed with honey spread through the air.
Hayato quickly lifted it out of the pan.
One pancake finished—perfect.
"As expected of me."
He crossed his arms proudly.
Then he immediately started making the next one.
What Hayato didn't notice was that two heads were secretly peeking through the kitchen doorway.
Kangaskhan sniffed the air with a blissful expression as its stomach began to growl.
Just smelling it made the food seem delicious.
Beside it, Cinccino wore almost the same expression.
A little droplet of drool even escaped from the corner of its mouth.
I'm starving!
"Gulp… gulp…"
The sound of swallowing filled the doorway.
Of course, Hayato heard the commotion behind him.
But since he was busy cooking multi ple things at once, he didn't bother turning around.
He simply pointed toward the dining table.
"I left some over there for you."
"Kangaskhanaa!"
"Cinccino!"
To them, Hayato 's words were practically a royal decree.
Cinccino and Kangaskhan rushed forward immediately.
Kangaskhan grabbed a still-warm honey pancake and took a huge bite.
Sweetness instantly filled its mouth.
The rich floral honey flavor made Kangaskhan hum happily.
So delicious!
Crispy and fragrant.
Compared to Kangaskhan , Cinccino ate much more elegantly.
Small bite after small bite.
But its eyes grew brighter and brighter until they curved into happy crescents.
In no time, both of them had finished a pancake each.
Yet they still wanted more.
At the same time, they looked toward Hayato with pleading eyes, even acting cute.
"Just taste testing," Hayato said, waving them away.
"Lunch is about to start."
He continued placing freshly cooked pancakes onto a plate.
Honey Pancakes (C Rank)
Crunch crunch—
Crispy flakes fell as Hayato took a bite and thought for a moment.
Honey pancakes had a very unique flavor.
And for some reason, they seemed to have a special attraction to Pokémon.
Looks like the trip to the back mountain this afternoon was guaranteed to succeed.
With pancakes in hand, no wild Pokémon would be able to resist approaching.
With burgers, pancakes, French fries, and berry salad, Hayato and his two Pokémon ate until they were completely full.
Afterward, they stretched lazily and took a short nap.
When the sun outside began drifting westward, Hayato got dressed, placed Cinccino on his shoulder, and called for Kangaskhan to follow.
"Back mountain… here I come."