"Chatot, this is your reward. I'll be counting on you next."
"Caw!"
The Chatot, still bruised and with feathers in disarray, flapped its wings twice.
Its eyes were unusually clear and confident.
It meant: Leave it to me. There's nowhere around here I'm not familiar with.
Truly worthy of being the neighborhood gossip of the Pokémon world—its social network was unmatched.
Chatot eagerly pecked at the delicious pancake.
At first it tasted it slowly.
Then it began devouring it in huge bites.
Tears shimmered in its eyes.
A Pokémon that normally lived off berries and seeds was now experiencing what it meant for food to be so delicious it made you cry.
Sob… sob…
So this was the kind of food Pokémon ate after being caught by humans?
It was unbelievably delicious.
Chatot was practically dying of envy.
Along Route 12 near Shalour City, there wasn't just the ranch Hayato had purchased.
Many ranches were scattered along both sides of the road.
Most of them raised Skiddo and Gogoat, common ranch Pokémon.
The goat milk they produced every day was supplied directly to Shalour City.
It could be said that this city—with over a million residents and hundreds of thousands of visitors—was sustained by the ranches along Route 12.
The area wasn't quiet at all.
Instead, it was lively.
Hayato had never had the chance before, but now—while returning the Miltank—he could take the opportunity to visit other ranch owners.
After walking along a rugged mountain path, Hayato and his group reached the main road.
Now it was obvious why Hayato had managed to buy such a large ranch for only 100,000 Poké Dollars.
The location was simply too remote.
Vehicles couldn't enter.
Transportation was the biggest limitation to the ranch's development.
Chatot circled in the low sky ahead of them, constantly chattering as it led the way.
The three Miltank followed behind.
All of them looked pained and had their ears covered.
Hayato sat on Kangaskhan's shoulder, looking into the distance.
Ahead, he could faintly see signs of buildings.
"Chatot, how much farther?"
Hayato called out.
"Caw~ (Just up ahead, chatter chatter!)"
They walked along the road for more than ten minutes.
From time to time, trucks sped past them.
Some carried empty cargo beds, while others were filled with freshly harvested crops.
Hayato couldn't help feeling a little envious.
When would his ranch produce enough crops to fill an entire truck like that?
Hopefully it wouldn't take too long.
"Caw! (That's the place! Krabby told me these Miltank ran out from over there.)"
Following Chatot's direction, Hayato soon saw a recently repaired fence nearby.
When the three Miltank saw their familiar surroundings, they began mooing excitedly.
They wouldn't have to go hungry anymore!
"Kangaskhan…"
Kangaskhan let out a low growl toward the ranch, warning Hayato that a group of Pokémon was approaching.
It was a herd of Skiddo.
A whole field of green shapes ran across the grasslands where ranch grass was growing.
They played freely, happily galloping around.
Beside them stood a larger Pokémon that looked similar.
Its long curved horns gave it an imposing presence.
The evolved form of Skiddo—
Gogoat.
"Baaa!"
Gogoat sensed unfamiliar Pokémon nearby and called out loudly to the herd.
The Skiddo gathered around it, curiously observing the newcomers.
"Moo moo!"
The three Miltank leaned against the fence and waved enthusiastically toward the herd.
As if saying:
It's us! We're back!
Once the Skiddo recognized them, the herd relaxed.
Soon they returned to their carefree running.
"Woof! Woof!"
Just as the Miltank excitedly shared their adventures outside the ranch with the Skiddo across the fence, a figure came running down from a distant hill.
A Pokémon covered entirely in long fur appeared.
Its beard was nearly as long as its body.
Stoutland.
A very common herding Pokémon used on ranches.
It was widely found on ranches throughout the Pokémon League.
Together with the Growlithe line, the Yamper line, and the Rockruff line, they were known as the four great ranch herding dogs.
Even though people often joked about calling them the "three great herding dogs."
Hayato 's gaze wasn't on the Stoutland itself—
but on the person riding on its back.
Dark skin, a sturdy build.
Clearly someone accustomed to hard farm work.
Seeing the man's cautious expression, Hayato quickly introduced himself to ease his suspicion.
"Hello. My name is Hayato . I'm the owner of the ranch by the seaside."
He pointed toward the three Miltank.
"I ran into them by chance in the back mountain. I saw their identification collars, so with Chatot's help I brought them back."
When the man heard that Hayato was also a ranch owner, his guarded expression immediately turned into a smile.
"So you're the one who bought that abandoned ranch!"
"I was actually planning to visit you, but these three delayed me."
He scratched his head apologetically.
"I'm really sorry about that."
"My name's Denzel. I'm the owner of this ranch."
After exchanging names, Hayato accepted the man's enthusiastic invitation and entered the ranch.
Compared to Hayato 's ranch—which was still largely abandoned—
this place was full of life.
Large fields had been divided into neat sections filled with crops.
But the majority of them were strawberries.
Rows upon rows of strawberry plants stretched across the fields.
Green fruit hung heavily from the branches.
In a few days, they would likely ripen into a huge harvest.
"Brother Denzel, you grew all these strawberries? They look amazing."
Hayato praised sincerely.
When it came to farming, he still had a lot to learn.
"Hahaha!"
Denzel's dark face broke into a broad smile.
Being praised by another ranch owner was the best recognition of his hard work.
"Growing strawberries isn't difficult. I'll explain it in detail later."
"I also have some extra strawberry seeds—I'll give them to you."
"That's too generous."
Hayato waved his hands quickly.
When he had first bought seeds, he had checked the prices.
A small bag of strawberry seeds cost 100 Poké Dollars.
It had been far beyond what he could afford before.
"No need to be polite," Denzel said.
"You helped bring my Miltank back. I should be the one thanking you."
"These seeds are just leftovers from my planting anyway."
"Well… alright."
Hayato finally accepted.
Refusing again would be awkward.
He decided he would repay them later by catching some fresh sea fish as a gift.
Soon they arrived at the ranch house.
A middle-aged woman with brown hair walked over.
"Hayato , this is my wife," Denzel said. "She helps me run the ranch."
"Hello Hayato . Just call me Penny," she said with a smile.
"Thank you for bringing the Miltank back. Denzel and I were very worried."
"If you ever have questions about raising Pokémon, feel free to ask me."
"Hahaha!" Denzel added proudly.
"Penny here is a Junior Pokémon Breeder. If you have Pokémon-related questions, you can ask her."
A Junior Pokémon Breeder?!
Hayato 's eyes lit up.
No wonder this ranch raised so many Pokémon.
He had already spotted several species around the ranch:
Rapidash, Rhyhorn, Tauros, and Dodrio.
They existed here in entire groups.
A League-certified Junior Pokémon Breeder was about as difficult to become as a High-Rank Trainer.
Every year, over ten million people registered for the exam.
The pass rate?
Only about 1%.
It was comparable to the brutal civil service exams in Hayato 's previous life.
As for the Ace Trainer certification, the pass rate barely reached one in a thousand.
The difficulty was like walking on a tightrope.