"Is it tasty?"
Hayato Sora looked at the Flabébé expectantly.
Each of the tiny Pokémon was holding a golden, crispy egg tart almost as big as its face.
He had just baked them using pollen and nectar collected by the Flabébé, mixed with flour.
Because no additional seasoning had been added, the small pastry had developed a special cooking effect.
[Sweet Honey Egg Tart (C Rank)]
A simple pastry made with eggs and Flabébé nectar. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and filled with rich fragrance. A rare and delightful snack.
Cooking Effect:
Small Stamina Recovery
Special Effect:
Better Nectar Lv.1 (Flabébé Exclusive)
After eating, the consumer's collected nectar quality slightly improves, producing better flavor and subtle variations in floral aroma.
The five Flabébé held egg tarts larger than their faces and didn't even know where to start eating.
Yet the smell was irresistible.
All of them sniffed repeatedly and swallowed their saliva.
"Cinccino!"
Cinccino jumped beside them and began gesturing dramatically, demonstrating how to eat.
A little lightbulb seemed to pop beside the head of the red-flower Flabébé.
It understood.
Before eating, you had to offer food to the leader first.
That was one of the survival methods used by weaker Pokémon in the wild.
Flabébé were very weak.
Imitating what they had seen other Pokémon do, they struggled to break the egg tarts apart and offered pieces to Cinccino, Kangaskhan, and Cyclizar, who were gathered nearby.
"Bébé~"
Hayato Sora also received a piece.
He gently lifted the red-flower Flabébé and placed it in front of him, accepting the egg tart.
It was their sincere gesture.
He shouldn't refuse it.
After all—
Good food should be shared.
And sharing it would also help bring them closer together.
Taking small bites of the egg tart, Hayato Sora smiled.
The Flabébé formed a circle, their cheerful bell-like laughter filling the air.
This was the most delicious food they had ever eaten.
Their bodies felt warm.
Even the tiny bit of power inside them seemed to grow slightly stronger.
"It looks like you really like it."
Seeing the Pokémon enjoy his cooking made Hayato Sora happy as well.
He took out the rest of the egg tarts and shared them with everyone.
Cinccino, who loved sweet food, was the first to rush over.
It climbed onto Hayato Sora's shoulder, rubbing against his neck constantly and occasionally planting a little kiss.
Hayato Sora lifted it up and jokingly muttered,
"Little Cinccino like you were practically born to be eaten by humans."
At the same time, he squeezed its soft ears and buried his face into its fluffy belly, taking a deep sniff.
Watching their affectionate interaction, Kangaskhan puffed out her cheeks in jealousy.
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around both Hayato Sora and Cinccino, rubbing her head against him.
"Gaaao~"
Cyclizar quickly grabbed an egg tart and swallowed it before suddenly biting Hayato Sora's pant leg and climbing up toward him, pushing its big head forward.
In an instant, Hayato Sora was completely surrounded by Pokémon.
If he patted one, the others became jealous.
He wished he had dozens of hands.
Holding an egg tart with bits of egg custard still on their mouths, the Flabébé tilted their heads.
They watched Hayato Sora and the others interact with envy.
A human who could gain the affection of so many Pokémon…
He must be a very gentle person.
That meant their decision to stay at the ranch was the right one.
After calming the Pokémon down, Hayato Sora asked Cinccino to introduce the Flabébé to the other ranch Pokémon.
Meanwhile, he began today's harvest work.
Today it wasn't just strawberries—
The cabbages also needed to be harvested.
Afternoon – Miltank Ranch
After placing the harvested crops into the collection crate, Hayato Sora headed to Miltank Ranch.
Yesterday, Dingzhi had taken all the Grass Dumplings, and after a full day had passed, Hayato Sora wanted to ask about the results.
After greeting the Stoutland guarding the entrance, he found Dingzhi and his wife in the Skiddo enclosure, milking the Skiddo.
They were pleasantly surprised to see him.
Hayato Sora noticed there were still some Grass Dumplings left in the feeding trough and asked curiously:
"Denzel , did the Grass Dumplings work?"
Without stopping his work, Dingzhi finished milking one Skiddo and carried the bucket over.
His smile was impossible to hide.
"The results are amazing."
He pointed to the milk bucket.
Hayato Sora leaned closer to observe.
After nearly a month as a ranch owner, he had already developed a decent eye for judging agricultural products.
The goat milk in the bucket was milky white, evenly textured with no obvious sediment.
Up close, a pleasant dairy aroma could be smelled.
It might not reach top-tier quality, but it was clearly better than before.
If the Skiddo continued eating Grass Dumplings long-term, their milk could eventually reach premium quality.
And premium-quality milk sold for several times the current price.
That wasn't the only benefit.
Their reputation and prestige would also rise significantly.
"Hayato Sora, could you make another batch in a few days?"
This time, the order had been placed jointly by several ranch owners.
Dingzhi only received a small share.
At most, it would last about one week before running out.
Now that they had seen the results, they naturally wanted to order more.
Hayato Sora had no reason to refuse.
From the first batch of Grass Dumplings alone, he had earned 3,000 PokéDollars.
Based on the ranchers' consumption rate, he could sell four batches per month, earning 12,000 PokéDollars steadily.
That was not a small income.
So he readily agreed.
After checking on the Skiddo a bit longer, he returned to his ranch with the Pokémon.
Evening – Building a Home for Flabébé
Afternoons were usually Hayato Sora's relaxation time.
But today was different.
He wanted to build a special house for the Flabébé before nightfall.
After walking around the tulip field, he chose a location right in front of it—visible directly from the ranch house.
Because Flabébé were so small, he designed something similar to a birdhouse.
Waterproof wooden material
Slanted roof for drainage
Multi-layer interior with honeycomb-like compartments
Each Flabébé would have its own room
The bottom section was hollow so they could insert their flowers
Overall, it looked like a matchbox mounted on a wooden pole with a triangular roof.
The structure was simple enough that even a beginner carpenter like Hayato Sora could build it.
The only difference was whether it looked good or not.
After painting it blue, it looked surprisingly decent.
He lightly kicked Cyclizar.
"Go call the Flabébé back, you troublemaker."
Watching Cyclizar run off with its somewhat goofy gait, Hayato Sora laughed helplessly.
During construction, the Pokémon had been bothering him constantly.
A few times he almost tripped over it.
A few minutes later, a noisy crowd of Pokémon came running back.
They gathered around the small house curiously.
The Flabébé flew in and out of it with their flowers, clearly delighted.
From now on—
This would be their home.
The five tiny Pokémon gathered around Hayato Sora, rubbing their cheeks against him affectionately.
In their hearts—
Hayato Sora was the best human in the world.
And they would always like him.
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