[
Cooking Effect: Donuts are really delicious.
If you loudly shout this sentence, the donut will become tastier, and there is a chance to receive one extra donut for free.
]
"Bleh, bleh… way too sweet!"
Hayato Sora shook his head and tossed the donut he had taken a bite from into the trash.
"Who in the world would even like something this sweet?"
After thinking for a moment, he concluded that food this sugary probably only existed to attract sweet-toothed people.
He wasn't the only one who disliked it.
Even Cinccino, who loved sweets the most, scrunched up its face after one bite.
Its big watery eyes looked pitifully toward Hayato Sora.
"If you don't like it, just throw it away."
Swish, swish, swish.
One half-bitten donut after another was tossed into the trash.
This was one dish Hayato Sora would never make a second time.
He asked Cyclizar to help throw the rest away.
The entire afternoon, Hayato Sora stayed inside the house watching TV with the Pokémon.
The novelty of television hadn't worn off yet—no one wanted to leave.
Time quietly slipped by like this.
Day after day passed without anyone noticing.
February 30 — Evening
Near Route 12
Hayato Sora handed over the pottery clay produced by the Mudsdale over the past two days to Gario.
Diggersby helped load the clay onto the small truck.
"Hayato Sora, here's 5,000 Poké Dollars."
"Alright."
Hayato Sora stored the money away and gently patted Mudsdale's body.
Mudsdale squinted happily.
"Gario, you don't need to come collect goods tomorrow."
"Oh? Are you going somewhere?"
"Not really. I promised Mr. Foon I'd participate in the Spring Evaluation Contest he's hosting tomorrow."
Hayato Sora briefly explained.
"I see," Gario nodded in understanding.
Many ranch owners participated in the Spring Evaluation Contest each year, and he had visited several times himself.
"I hope you get a good ranking, Hayato Sora."
"Thanks."
After saying goodbye to Gario and watching him climb into the passenger seat, Hayato Sora watched the truck disappear into the distance.
Then he headed straight toward Miltank Ranch.
He had arranged to depart together with Dingzhi and his wife the next day.
Before leaving, Dingzhi enthusiastically introduced the seasonal festivals held around Route 12.
"You might not know since you just moved here," Dingzhi said.
"But we have a lot of festivals around here."
"In spring there's the Beach Festival and the Evaluation Contest."
"In summer there's the Fishing Festival and the Fireworks Show."
"In autumn there's the Harvest Festival and Coumarine Day."
"And in winter there's the Snow Festival and New Year's Eve celebrations."
"Every one of them is lively. Many trainers from outside come to participate."
"Especially Coumarine Day—also called the Day of Vows. That's when your sister-in-law Penny and I first met beneath the Vow Tree."
Dingzhi kept chatting about the past while Hayato Sora nodded occasionally.
He even encouraged Dingzhi to tell him more about each festival.
Every single one sounded interesting.
Especially the Fishing Festival.
With his skills, he was certain he could dominate the competition that day.
Before leaving, Hayato Sora asked about the usual time the Fishing Festival was held.
Every year it took place sometime in April.
He was already looking forward to it.
Soon he would show all the fishing enthusiasts his incredible fishing techniques.
Cinccino + Seafood Paella bait—if that combo didn't dominate the event, he'd eat his words.
Riding on Mudsdale, Hayato Sora quickly returned to the ranch.
He shared the good news with the Pokémon.
Cinccino was the most excited.
They would get to join another lively event.
The other little Pokémon also became excited.
The only ones who didn't seem very thrilled were the Mudsdale.
But when Hayato Sora mentioned that the top winners of the contest would receive mysterious prizes, their expressions immediately changed.
Their eyes became serious.
They rubbed against Hayato Sora, indicating they would definitely win an award.
Hayato Sora simply smiled and stroked their backs.
The Mudsdale he had raised were large, muscular, and glossy-coated, full of energy.
Anyone who saw them would give a thumbs-up.
He was confident they could win a ranking.
As for first place, though—
Hayato Sora never underestimated the competition.
After all, it was his first time participating, and he didn't even fully understand the judging rules yet.
Winning the championship would depend partly on luck.
"Tomorrow depends on you guys."
"Let's try to win first place."
Hayato Sora smiled at the three Mudsdale.
The eldest Mudsdale nodded confidently.
"Dale~"
(Leave it to us!)
The second one said:
"Dale, dale!"
(We'll do our best!)
The third simply said:
"Same here."
Since they would be leaving the ranch tomorrow, at least one or two Pokémon had to stay behind.
Hayato Sora went to the cave and found the three Noibat.
After explaining the situation, the Noibat agreed to stay and guard the ranch.
Since they slept during the day anyway, they could take turns watching over the place.
Besides, Hayato Sora would only be gone half a day at most, returning before nightfall.
Standing at the cave entrance, Hayato Sora looked at the Noibat and began thinking.
Maybe he should cook some dishes to improve their strength.
As Dragon-type Pokémon, it would be best to enhance the Dragon-type energy inside their bodies.
He immediately thought of a rare Berry—
Salac Berry.
If used in cooking, it should help improve Noibat's strength.
During Hayato Sora's three years of traveling, he had only seen Salac Berries a few times.
Dragon-type Pokémon were extremely popular in battles.
Because of that, the price of Salac Berries was always high.
Whenever they appeared on the market, they were quickly bought up.
Trainers who raised Dragon-types were usually quite wealthy.
Under their demand, Salac Berries had become something that was rare and expensive.
Hayato Sora rubbed his temples helplessly.
He decided to ask Clemont to keep an eye out for them.
He could also contact the Dragon-type Trainer he met in Sinnoh.
And he shouldn't forget the Alpha Pyroar, the dominant Pokémon of Route 12.
But all that could wait until after the Spring Evaluation Contest.
They finished dinner early.
Hayato Sora and the Pokémon stayed inside watching TV.
While they watched, Hayato Sora checked the weather forecast.
The beginning of the month would have good weather.
But heavy rain was expected in the middle of the month.
Combining the information he had gathered, Hayato Sora began planning the ranch's future.
The third plot of farmland would remain unused for now.
He would plant summer crops there later.
The crops currently planted on the other two fields would be harvested one final time before being cleared.
The soil needed time to recover before summer.
That way he could plant large quantities of hops.
He also needed to buy summer seeds and wooden barrels for brewing.
After doing the math, Hayato Sora realized he probably wouldn't have any free days next month.
Fortunately, after finishing everything in March, he would be able to travel to Alola for vacation.
He wondered if his mother had received the family photo he mailed home.
At the Same Time — Asame Town
"Sérana, are you ready yet?"
A clear girl's voice came from the second-floor room.
"Mom, I'm still packing!"
"We're only going for a few days—you don't need to bring that much luggage."
Soon footsteps echoed down the stairs.
A girl wearing a pink princess dress ran down.
"Mom, have you seen the photo my brother sent home? I can't find it!"
She looked anxious.
That was the family photo her brother had specially taken.
"I have it."
Grace tapped the girl lightly on the head.
"I found it in the living room."
The girl clutched her head and pleaded.
"Please give it back to me, Mom! I promise I won't lose it again."
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
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