"Okay, please wait a moment."
Naoki took out a cup and started pouring juice.
He wasn't worried that his earlier words would arouse suspicion because that theory indeed existed.
In this world, besides the normal Evolution Stones, there are also various Element Gems.
These gems contain a lot of energy. When given to Pokemon, they absorb the energy to enhance the power of corresponding type moves, and might even learn new moves occasionally.
Secret Spices also exist.
They grow in the Paldea Giant Pit and were later brought out by people, guarded by Titan Pokemon.
After all, this is an important main storyline in the game.
By comparison, is it reasonable for Pokemon to learn moves just by eating a dish?
It makes perfect sense!
Naoki handed the Berry Juice and steamed egg to the girl and Sprigatito.
Then he looked up and noticed that Rick had already left with Litleo.
For Pokemon that aren't Fire Type, Boiled Pork Slices are just ordinary cuisine, and the effect of Berry Juice and steamed eggs is quite average, so Naoki wasn't worried about any strange effects.
As time passed, the crowd in the Cherry Garden grew, and Naoki started to get busy.
Koraidon and Cyclizar, who could understand his intention, also helped him out.
During this time, Mayor Thomas came over to take a look.
But seeing Naoki was busy, he didn't come up to disturb him; instead, he stood silently a little distance away, looking across.
Seeing this scene, he felt genuinely happy for Naoki.
Happy that the ranch, abandoned for years, was operating again, and happy that the poor child had stepped out from the shadow of losing his parents.
————
The Berry Juice, steamed egg, and Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes were very much to the palate of those in Paldea, and their popularity exceeded Naoki's expectations, selling out in no time.
In the end, only a few portions of Boiled Pork Slices were left.
Gradually, it reached evening, and the Sakura Blossom Wine Party was coming to a close.
The visitors began to leave one after another.
Seeing there weren't many people left, Naoki finally sat down to tally the morning's earnings.
"One thousand, two thousand, three thousand… twelve thousand… eighteen thousand three hundred, wow, that's a bit more than I expected to earn."
Naoki was somewhat surprised.
Even after deducting costs, there was still a net profit of fourteen thousand.
Culinary really is profitable!
Naoki even considered opening a restaurant in town.
But after thinking carefully, he decided against it.
Because running a restaurant would require working fixed hours, unlike being a Rancher which offered more freedom—waking up whenever he wanted, doing whatever he pleased after finishing his daily tasks.
He usually spent this free time playing with the Pokemon on the ranch.
"Good job!" Naoki collected the money, smiling as he looked at the Pokemon around him.
After playing the whole day, the Naclis, Alcremie, and Smoliv were a bit tired, some even beginning to doze off.
Noticing this, Naoki retracted them into their Poke Balls, letting them rest well inside.
Soon, only Koraidon was left outside.
Naoki began to pack up, ready to return to the ranch.
Just then, the owner of the Cherry Garden, Elif, approached with a bottle of wine:
"Hi Naoki, thank you so much for participating in the Sakura Blossom Wine Party today. This is fruit wine brewed with cherries from our Cherry Garden. Please take it home and have a taste!"
"Ah?" Naoki was slightly taken aback and subconsciously wanted to decline.
But Elif quickly added, "Please don't refuse. This is a gift from me to you. You have no idea how thrilled I was to hear from Mayor Thomas that the ranch had reopened, oh my dear neighbor, I hope we can look after each other in the future!"
Naoki understood and reached out to accept it. After a moment of thought, he took out a portion of Boiled Pork Slices from his package and handed it over:
"Mr. Elif, this is a dish I made myself. Please have a taste!"
Elif, with a bold and generous personality just like the rough beard on his face, accepted it, opened the lid, and put a piece of meat in his mouth.
After a while, he gave a thumbs-up, exclaiming, "It's delicious!"
Naoki also broke into a smile.
After Elif left, an elderly man with white hair came over.
He carried a package of cheese and said to Naoki, "Hello, I'm Matsuda, the Rancher of Sanshui Ranch. This cheese is a specialty from our ranch. I was wondering if I could trade it for some of your dish..."
From afar, he had already smelled the spicy aroma, making the spice-lover Matsuda salivate uncontrollably.
"Of course." Understanding Matsuda's intention, Naoki nodded with a smile.
He turned and saw an old lady at the opposite stall and decided to take out another portion to give.
After all, the cheese was quite large, far exceeding the value of a single dish.
Matsuda gladly accepted, and they made the exchange. Naoki stored the cheese, and seeing there were three portions of Boiled Pork Slices left, he decided to share them with the remaining stall owners.
Next door was a girl selling sweets.
When Naoki shared his dish with her, the girl handed over a yellow box with a smile.
With a pleasant voice, she said, "These are Poffins made by our dessert shop."
Naoki: "Poffins?"
The girl nodded, "A treat Pokemon absolutely love! Give it to your Pokemon partners and they'll happily join you on your adventures. Here you go! I noticed you have many Pokemon, so you must need it!"
Naoki turned and glanced at Koraidon beside him, nodding with a smile, "Thank you."
The girl chuckled softly: "I run a dessert shop in town. If you're looking to buy treats for Pokemon, you can find me there!"
Treats, huh? Naoki thought about his Golden Finger, wondering what would happen if he made Poffins himself.
The girl continued, "Also, if you want to make treats for Pokemon yourself, you can visit the shop."
Naoki felt a stirring in his heart, and nodded in agreement, "Okay."
Following this, he shared the last two portions of Boiled Pork Slices with the remaining stall owners, receiving a bag of homemade cookies and a Pikachu mask in return.
By evening, the setting sun had turned the sky red.
Naoki put on the Pikachu mask and asked Koraidon, "How do I look? Cool?"
Koraidon: "Garras..."
Naoki also felt that the Pikachu mask wasn't very stylish, but he still put it away.
Then, with the items he exchanged with other stall owners—a bottle of Cherry Wine, a block of cheese, a box of Poffins, a bag of cookies, and a Pikachu mask—he returned to the ranch.
By the time Koraidon landed in the ranch, it was getting dark.
Naoki put away the items, got up, and did a round of checking the ranch.
Before leaving, he had filled the feeder of the Skiddo with grass bundles and feed, and there was still some left.
Thinking of Skiddo's ravenous appetite, Naoki filled it up with more grass bundles.
After that, he went to the Chicken House, fed the hens, and filled the water trough.
Only after finishing all this did Naoki return to the wooden house, have a simple dinner, and then collapse onto his bed.
Patting Koraidon's big head which nudged over, Naoki reached out and turned off the light.
It really was a happy day. Time for sleep!