Chapter 70: Gogoat Ranch
After returning Home, Bai Feng found a container and soaked the Seed Yingzhou had given him, planning to soak it to encourage germination.
Before soaking it, Bai Feng, as usual, used his Golden Finger to help it sort out its Energy. The Energy contained within this Seed, produced by an S-Rank Fruit Tree, was indeed more abundant than the Seeds Bai Feng had previously germinated. No wonder Yingzhou said that if this Seed could sprout, it would definitely grow into a B-Rank Fruit Tree; its starting point was higher than the Fruit Trees Bai Feng bought from the Plantation.
He just didn't know what this Seed would ultimately grow into now that it had the intervention of Bai Feng's Golden Finger.
After soaking the Seed, Bai Feng handed the container to Buneary, asking it to keep an eye on it so it wouldn't be thrown away as Trash by any Pokémon in the Home.
Buneary happily held the container and placed it in a bright and well-ventilated spot.
In the afternoon, Bai Feng took the specimen of the Time Flower and rode Talonflame Captain towards the Coupling Gym.
Seeing Bai Feng arrive, Grandpa Fu put on a stern face and pretended to be angry, saying, "You brat, you still remember this old man?"
Hearing this, Bai Feng quickly smiled apologetically, "How could I forget you, old man? You're closer to me than my own Grandfather! It's just that I've been quite busy lately. I'll definitely come to see you more often in the future."
Grandpa Fu snorted, "Those are all excuses. If you really cared, how could you not make time? It's not like your place is a hundred thousand eight thousand miles away from mine!"
"Yes, yes, it's all my fault." This time, Bai Feng didn't try to excuse himself. He had indeed been in the wrong lately.
Grandpa Fu wasn't truly angry. After teasing Bai Feng for a while, he began asking about his gains from his trip to Lumiose City. Bai Feng answered each question, and when Grandpa Fu learned that Bai Feng had obtained an A-Rank Fruit Tree from the Pokémon League, he was both surprised and pleased.
"Since the Pokémon League gave it to you, you should Cultivate it well. Maybe someday you'll Cultivate it into an S-Rank Fruit Tree!" Grandpa Fu said to Bai Feng.
An eight-hundred-year-old Fruit Tree had a good foundation. Coupled with Bai Feng's Exceptional Talent, perhaps he really could succeed someday.
"Yes, I will Cultivate it well and definitely not let down the Knowledge I learned from you."
Grandpa Fu was very satisfied hearing this, and his gaze towards Bai Feng was full of kindness.
The old man and the young man chatted for a while longer, and Bai Feng finally stated the purpose of his visit.
"Grandpa Fu, I came this time because I also wanted to ask you for a favor," Bai Feng stammered.
Hearing this, Grandpa Fu's reaction was exactly as Bai Feng had guessed.
"Alright, I knew you brat wouldn't visit without a reason! I thought you came specifically to see me, but it turns out you want something again!"
Seeing Grandpa Fu looking annoyed, Bai Feng quickly took out the Time Flower and said, "Oh, I definitely came specifically to see you! Asking for your help is just a bonus. Look, I even brought you a special Gift."
Grandpa Fu gave Bai Feng a look that said "Do you think I believe that?", but his gaze was eventually drawn to the Time Flower in Bai Feng's hand.
"This... this is..."
Unlike Bai Feng, the inexperienced brat, Grandpa Fu recognized at a glance that this Crystal Lotus was not real crystal, but a special type of plant.
"This is a specimen of a special Plant, called the Time Flower..."
Seeing Grandpa Fu staring intently at the Time Flower, Bai Feng began to tell him about its origin. Even though Grandpa Fu was knowledgeable and well-traveled, this was the first time he had heard of the Time Flower, as the number of Time Flowers brought out from the Tree of Beginning was not large.
He looked deeply at Bai Feng and said, "It's impressive that you managed to get your hands on it."
Bai Feng just chuckled and didn't say anything.
Grandpa Fu also stopped talking and carefully circled the Time Flower, afraid of accidentally damaging it, showing how much he truly liked it.
Then, following Bai Feng's guidance, he watched the video recorded inside the Time Flower and was similarly greatly shaken by the battle that lasted only a dozen seconds.
It was clear that the two Pokémon that appeared in it were truly extraordinary.
"This Time Flower is actually related to Mew and the Tree of Beginning, it's truly amazing," Grandpa Fu couldn't help but exclaim, very satisfied with the Gift Bai Feng had given him.
After admiring the Time Flower, Grandpa Fu said to Bai Feng, "It's not impossible for you to want the Fairy Flower." At this point, Grandpa Fu paused.
"Really?" Bai Feng said excitedly.
"But you have to do me a favor," Grandpa Fu added.
"What favor? Just tell me directly, why be polite with me?"
Grandpa Fu said exasperatedly, "Of course I'm not being polite with you! You brat always knows how to take advantage!"
Then Grandpa Fu stated his request.
It turned out that his son managed a Gogoat Ranch, but for some unknown reason, Skiddo or Gogoat had been disappearing from the ranch every few days recently, and they couldn't find the cause. So, he had to ask his Father for help.
Grandpa Fu was not a lonely old man; he had his own family. Besides his deceased wife, Grandpa Fu's son, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and grandson all lived in Biyi City.
However, Grandpa Fu's son was not a Pokémon Trainer, so he rarely came to the Coupling Gym. Most of the time, he stayed with his family at the ranch he inherited from Grandpa Fu.
When the ranch had trouble this time, Grandpa Fu originally wanted to send a Gym Apprentice from the Gym, but since Bai Feng had come knocking, he might as well let him go. He knew Bai Feng's strength was not weak.
This kid was really annoying. Did he think giving a Gift could erase his little trick of fooling the old man?
After listening to Grandpa Fu's explanation, Bai Feng patted his chest and said, "So it's this matter. Don't worry, I will do my best to help you find the cause."
Grandpa Fu nodded, "Okay, but you also need to be careful. If you encounter a problem you can't solve, contact me immediately!"
Although it was unlikely for anything major to happen at the ranch, there was always a possibility.
Grandpa Fu's son's ranch was also in the East District, but using the Coupling Gym as a reference, its location was roughly opposite Fangxing Mountain. Fangxing Mountain was northwest of the Coupling Gym, while the ranch was northeast.
After getting a general understanding of the situation from Grandpa Fu, Bai Feng rode Talonflame Captain and set off that afternoon.
At the ranch, Grandpa Fu's son and daughter-in-law welcomed him at the ranch entrance. Grandpa Fu had already called his son and daughter-in-law beforehand.
Grandpa Fu's son was named Luobu, now over forty years old. Unlike the thin Grandpa Fu, he was a bit overweight, especially his round beer belly which was particularly noticeable.
His daughter-in-law was a beautiful woman with slightly dark skin named Balice, who looked a bit younger than Mr. Luobu and had a very cheerful and generous Nature.
"Hahaha... you must be the Little Brother Baifeng Father mentioned, right? We've heard Father talk about you many times; he really wishes you were his own grandson," Balice said enthusiastically as soon as she saw Bai Feng.
Bai Feng politely greeted the couple, "Hello Uncle Luobu, hello Aunt Balice."
Luobu's Nature was not as outgoing as his wife's, and he seemed a bit awkward with people, just saying dryly, "Hello, hello, thank you for coming all this way."
Bai Feng quickly waved his hand, "It's no trouble, no trouble. Grandpa Fu has taken great care of me, and I'm happy to be able to help him."
"Alright, let's not stand here being polite. Let's go inside and talk first, don't just stand here," Balice interrupted their pleasantries.
"Yes, yes, let's go inside first," Luobu immediately said with a simple smile.
So, led by the couple, Bai Feng walked along a long path through the center of the ranch and arrived at the entrance of Luobu and Balice's Home.
The ranch the couple inherited from Grandpa Fu was truly large. Bai Feng walked for a long time without seeing the edge of the ranch. Everywhere in the ranch were Gogoat and Skiddo leisurely eating Pasture Grass.
According to Mr. Luobu, the Pasture Grass on the ranch was special Pasture Grass Cultivated by Grandpa Fu, which was very suitable for Gogoat and Skiddo to eat. It could not only promote their growth and enhance their immunity but also promote milk production in the female Gogoat, giving the Goat Milk a unique flavor.
In Biyi City, the ranch managed by Luobu was very famous and had Partnerships with many Restaurants and Dairy Plants. Even the Pokémon Center occasionally ordered Goat Milk from them.
The main business of the ranch managed by Mr. Luobu was selling Goat Milk, while also cultivating Mount Pokémon for Riding Competitions as a side job.
"Come in quickly, come in quickly!" Balice enthusiastically invited Bai Feng inside.
Luobu and Balice's Home, like Bai Feng's Home, was relatively simple in appearance but stood out for one Characteristic: it was large and practical.
As soon as Bai Feng entered, he saw two small heads peeking out from behind the sofa in the Living Room.
Balice also noticed the two little ones. She waved and said, "Xiao Yu, Xiao Long, come here quickly."
Then Bai Feng saw two identical little ones walk out from behind the sofa. They looked at Bai Feng with wide, round eyes, full of curiosity.
Bai Feng knew these were Uncle Luobu and Balice's Dragon-Phoenix Twins, who had just turned four this year, about the same age as Xiao Limo. Xiao Yu was the girl, the older sister, and Xiao Long was the boy, the younger brother.
Uncle Luobu and Aunt Balice had children relatively late, which was why the Dragon-Phoenix Twins were so young. Grandpa Fu particularly doted on this pair of Dragon-Phoenix Twins, his granddaughter and grandson, and usually returned to the ranch mainly to visit them.
"This is Brother Bai Feng. Say hello to your brother," Balice said to the siblings.
"Hello, Brother Bai Feng!" The siblings hid behind their Mother and quietly greeted Bai Feng. Their Nature seemed more like Uncle Luobu's.
After introducing the Dragon-Phoenix Twins, Balice invited Bai Feng to sit down and began to tell him the details of the recent disappearances of Gogoat and Skiddo.
"The first Gogoat disappeared five days ago. At the time, Luobu and I didn't pay much attention because the ranch is large, and it's normal for one or two Gogoat to hide and for us not to notice. It had happened before.
But unexpectedly, the next day another Gogoat and a Skiddo were missing. Luobu and I realized something was wrong, so we started searching the ranch for the missing Gogoat and Skiddo, but we didn't find them.
Not only that, we also found a gap in the Fence at the edge of the ranch that was damaged. At first, Luobu and I thought the Gogoat had damaged it and definitely ran outside through this gap, so we searched in the direction of the gap.
But we didn't find them. However, we saw Bloodstains in the Forest outside the ranch."
Speaking of this, Aunt Balice's expression became somewhat grim. She took a deep breath and said, "Luobu and I suspect the missing Gogoat and Skiddo have been killed."
Just then, Uncle Luobu finished making tea and brought it over, continuing, "That's right. Since that day, Balice and I have been constantly monitoring the situation on the ranch, even taking turns keeping watch at night, but the next day another Gogoat disappeared, and we didn't even see a Trace of the culprit."
Balice nodded, feeling very sad. All the Gogoat and Skiddo on the ranch were raised by them with great effort. Losing any one of them broke her heart.
Five days had passed, and no matter how careful the couple was, they still hadn't found any Trace of the culprit. In fact, several more Gogoat and Skiddo had disappeared one after another. In desperation, they had to ask Father for help.
They were worried that if they continued to let the culprit act so recklessly, the next victims might not be Gogoat and Skiddo. Perhaps someday it would be the couple and the Dragon-Phoenix Twins.
After understanding the details, Bai Feng said to Luobu and Balice, "Can you take me to see the damaged Fence?"
The culprit must have entered the ranch from there, and there might be hidden clues.
Balice replied, "Of course, let Luobu take you."
"I'll take you," Luobu nodded.
Leaving the Home, Luobu summoned two Gogoat as transportation. There was no other way; the ranch was too big, and walking on two legs would take too much time.
The two Gogoat Luobu summoned were Mount Pokémon that had undergone special Training and had even participated in Riding Competitions. They walked quickly and steadily while carrying people, and soon the two arrived at their destination.
The damaged section of the Fence had already been repaired by Luobu, but the newly repaired part looked clearly different from the rest of the Fence.
Bai Feng dismounted from the Gogoat and walked to the Fence to observe carefully. After a moment, he stood up and said to Luobu:
"From the marks, it looks like the damaged part was broken open by force. Didn't you and Aunt Balice hear anything before?"
Luobu shook his head, his face full of bitterness, "Absolutely nothing. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gone this long without even seeing what the culprit looks like."
Bai Feng thought for a moment and said to Luobu, "Uncle Luobu, why don't you go back first? I'll look around nearby and see if I can find any clues."
Luobu nodded, "Then be careful."
"Don't worry, I will."
Hearing this, Luobu left with a worried look, but he left the Gogoat for Bai Feng.
(End of Chapter)