Spring, Year 198 — February 4
Expenses: 500 PokéDollars (eggs and ingredients)
Income: 15,500 PokéDollars (cabbages and strawberries)
Remaining Funds: 93,000 PokéDollars
After recording the ranch's income and expenses for the past two days, Hayato Sora noticed something.
The ranch's demand for eggs was steadily increasing.
He needed eggs when cooking, and eggs were also necessary for making pastries for Cinccino and the others.
Basically, every two days he had to go to the farmers' market to buy another batch.
Looking back through earlier entries in the ledger, he realized that nearly 4,000 PokéDollars per month were spent on eggs alone.
And they were absolutely necessary.
Kangaskhan and Cyclizar needed eggs for protein due to their large appetites.
Meanwhile Cinccino, Mudbray, and the Flabébé also needed eggs for their daily meals and snacks.
Closing the account book, Hayato Sora muttered to himself:
"Looks like I should build a chicken coop and raise some hens."
Even if he didn't sell eggs externally, just eliminating the need to buy them would already save money.
The only thing he hesitated about was—
Who would take care of the chickens?
On the other side of the ranch lake was a wild Pokémon watering spot, and he often saw Pokémon coming to drink.
Some of them might wander into the ranch and attack the hens.
Hayato Sora lowered his head.
At his feet, Cyclizar was wagging its tail like a fan, staring intensely at his pant leg.
"Shoo, go play somewhere else. Stop sticking to me."
He raised his foot to shoo it away.
Cyclizar easily dodged and promptly bit onto his pant leg again.
Hayato Sora helplessly kicked twice.
Cyclizar was now even clingier than Kangaskhan.
It had completely become his little shadow.
"Wait…"
Hayato Sora suddenly realized something.
Wasn't there a perfect candidate right in front of him?
He could let Cyclizar watch over the chickens and give it something to do.
Otherwise it would keep following him around all day.
After thinking it through, Hayato Sora grabbed Cyclizar's big head and pulled it onto his lap, rubbing it vigorously.
"Cyclizar, the ranch has a very important mission for you. Can you take it on?"
Helping the ranch meant helping Hayato Sora.
Cyclizar immediately stood upright in a battle-ready stance, full of fighting spirit.
"Gaaao!"
"Very good. Full of energy."
Hayato Sora patted it approvingly before leaning in to explain the mission.
"Gao… (˘･_･˘)"
Cyclizar looked disappointed.
So the mission was just watching chickens?
Anyone could do that.
Cyclizar wanted a mission only it could accomplish, something that would make Hayato Sora look at it with admiration afterward.
Seeing its mood change, Hayato Sora immediately turned serious.
He began describing chicken farming as if it were critical to the survival of the entire ranch.
Daily egg production determined whether everyone could eat well.
By the end of the explanation, Cyclizar had officially accepted the role of Chicken Coop Captain.
In fact, it began urging Hayato Sora to buy hens immediately.
It couldn't wait to start working—
For the sake of everyone's meals!
Logistics Captain Cyclizar has joined the field!
Before building the chicken coop, another structure was needed first:
A Silo.
This building would store feed.
Not only for chickens—if the ranch raised larger livestock in the future, it would also be useful.
After walking around the ranch, Hayato Sora chose a location near the ranch gate, leaving the nearby open space for the chicken coop.
He deliberately avoided building it near the ranch house.
After all, he was close to saving 100,000 PokéDollars, which meant the ranch house would soon be expanded.
He needed to leave space for that.
[Silo]
Cost:
1,000 PokéDollars
100 Stone
10 Clay
5 Copper Ingots
Description:
A structure used to store and process animal feed.
The ranch already had all the materials.
Without hesitation, Hayato Sora selected Build.
Within moments, a new building rose from the ground before him.
Constructed from red bricks and stone, it stood tall and long—visible even from a distance.
The Pokémon playing around the ranch immediately noticed the commotion and rushed over curiously.
Cinccino stood proudly on Mudbray's back, hands on hips and cheeks flushed.
Like a storyteller, it vividly described how amazing Hayato Sora was to the newly arrived Flabébé and Smoliv.
Soon, all the Pokémon looked at Hayato Sora with excited anticipation.
Magic.
They wanted to see magic too.
Facing all those gazes, Hayato Sora sighed helplessly.
He picked up Cinccino and flicked its forehead lightly.
"You little show-off."
"Cinccino!"
Cinccino giggled and buried itself in his arms, covering its eyes with its large ears.
Smoliv copied the behavior and jumped off Mudbray, burying itself halfway into the soil.
The Mudbray looked at each other and simply lay down, covering their eyes with muddy hooves.
The Flabébé looked around, then formed a circle and used their flowers to cover each other's eyes.
Everyone was ready.
They were waiting for Hayato Sora's magic.
Hayato Sora opened the system panel.
[Chicken Coop]
Cost:
4,000 PokéDollars
300 Wood
100 Stone
4,000 PokéDollars was still within Hayato Sora's budget.
It was a fair price.
Hiring craftsmen in Santalune City would cost about the same anyway.
While the Pokémon waited with curiosity and excitement—
A small red-roofed building suddenly appeared.
When Hayato Sora told them they could open their eyes, Cinccino excitedly pointed at the chicken coop and began chattering endlessly.
Its face was filled with pride.
Hayato Sora could cook delicious food—
And he could perform magic too.
He was the most amazing human ever.
Ignoring the excited chatter behind him, Hayato Sora pushed open the door and walked into the coop.
The space was neither large nor small.
It could comfortably house eight to ten hens.
Inside, the layout was simple.
A row of nest boxes for laying eggs
A separate section for hatching chicks
A water trough and feeding trough across from the nests
Every morning, feed would be taken from the silo and added along with water.
There was also a small door leading outside.
On nice days, the hens could come out for fresh air.
Regular exercise helped produce better-tasting eggs.
As for protecting the flock from wild Pokémon—
That was the responsibility of Chicken Coop Captain Cyclizar.
Now everything was ready.
All that remained was to buy the chickens.
With Cinccino's help calling Cyclizar over, Hayato Sora climbed onto its back.
They quickly headed to Santalune City.
At a store that sold ranch livestock Pokémon and farm animals, Hayato Sora bought:
Three hens
One rooster
As for chicks, he planned to hatch them himself.
That would save a lot of money.
When they returned, the Pokémon gathered around curiously to look at the four chickens.
The chickens were guided into the coop.
Soon they stood by the feeding trough and began pecking at their food.
They adapted quickly.
Perhaps by tomorrow morning, there would already be eggs to collect.
"Alright, alright," Hayato Sora clapped his hands.
"You've seen them now. Don't disturb them."
Then he looked at Cyclizar.
"The chickens are in your care."
"Gaaao!"
Cyclizar responded proudly.
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