Watching Professor Sada and little Arven leave, Naoki returned indoors. Seeing the familiar visual phone, he was reminded of the scene in the anime where Ash calls Professor Oak from the Pokémon Center.
The arrival of Professor Sada also made him aware of the timeline he was currently in.
Ten years before the Scarlet and Violet storyline, at this time, Ash might not have started his journey, or perhaps he had just set out.
If that's the case, then things could get interesting.
Because it means that Mewtwo has not yet been created, Lugia has not yet exploded, Groudon and Kyogre have not awakened, and Team Galactic has not controlled the Space-Time Gods...
Of course, all of this presupposes the existence of Ash in this world.
But whether he's here or not doesn't seem to concern him.
After all, he's just an ordinary rancher.
Life must go on.
Today he hasn't made any income, and things can't continue like this.
Naoki sighed and lifted an iron bucket, riding Koraidon upstream towards the river.
When he returned, the iron bucket was now brimming with fish.
At five in the evening, Zack arrived punctually with his truck to collect the goods.
As the temperature gradually warmed up, Zack had shed his thick jacket, working in just a t-shirt.
Looking at the renewed ranch, Zack remarked, "Wow, it's really changing every day!"
He glanced at the seedlings in the field and said to Naoki, "In half a month, the crops should be ready."
Naoki: "Yeah!"
"Before you plant your next batch of crops, you might want to buy some fertilizer in town. The higher the quality of your crops, the better price they'll fetch!" Zack casually suggested, then asked, "Any harvest today?"
Naoki handed him the bucket of fish.
Zack counted them, then took out his ledger to calculate, finally pulling out a wad of cash from his bag and handing it over with a smile, "A total of 2,620 League currency, please take care!"
Naoki reached out to take it.
Zack loaded the goods onto the truck, then got into the driver's seat. As he reversed, he waved to Naoki, "See you tomorrow!"
Naoki also replied, "See you tomorrow!"
After seeing Zack off, the sky gradually darkened.
It was getting late, so Naoki returned to the house to prepare dinner.
Alcremie jumped down from the cupboard, scampering to the desk to play with Smoliv.
Naoki looked at them and thought about how these two little fellows had been staying indoors and hardly went outside. He said to them, "Don't you feel cooped up staying inside all the time? You should go out occasionally for a walk!"
"Maa maa..."
"Smol..."
Upon hearing this, Alcremie and Smoliv looked outside, seemingly a bit afraid of the unfamiliar world.
Naoki understood.
Before coming here, Alcremie and Smoliv lived out in the fields of Happy Ranch. They grew up there and naturally weren't afraid.
But now, they've come to a completely unfamiliar ranch, and for them, only this small wooden house and Naoki could provide them a sense of security.
So, for the past two days, they've been playing indoors and haven't ventured outside.
"This won't do!"
Naoki thought for a moment, deciding to take them for a walk around the ranch after dinner so they could get used to the environment.
For today's dinner, Naoki prepared a meal consisting of rich creamy mushroom soup, Chinese-style meat buns, peppered grilled meat patties, plain boiled eggs, and concluded with five cups of milk infused with different fruit juices.
A sumptuous dinner was completed.
All the Pokémon ate happily.
Smoliv and Alcremie ate politely, chewing slowly and savoring each bite.
In contrast, Koraidon and Cyclizar ate with wild abandon, their paws and mouths covered in oil.
With a serious expression, Naoki reminded them, "Remember to wash your face and paws at the outdoor faucet after dinner!"
Last time, when he went to tidy up the dishes, he returned to find the sheets and floor covered in oil stains they had left behind.
"Gah-sii..."
"Gah-aww..."
Koraidon and Cyclizar obediently nodded in agreement.
They got it!
Quickly, dinner time was over.
Naoki prepared to do the dishes, while Koraidon and Cyclizar went to the outdoor faucet to clean their mouths and paws.
Seeing that they could take care of themselves, Naoki nodded with satisfaction and confidently turned to the kitchen to clean up.
Smoliv and Alcremie, seeing the two big guys, exchanged a glance and checked each other's mouths and little hands.
"Maa maa!" We should wash up too, get ourselves clean!
"Smol..." Smoliv looked fearfully at Koraidon and Cyclizar.
Compared to her, Alcremie's courage was slightly bigger.
In these two days together, she noticed that the two big Pokémon showed no hostility towards them.
This made Alcremie, who was initially a bit scared, less fearful.
Holding Smoliv's hand, she jumped down from the chair, sneaking to the door, peeking at Koraidon and Cyclizar.
Koraidon had switched from its four-legged sprinting form to its upright battle form.
In this form, it exuded an unparalleled wild aura, combined with its towering height of nearly two meters and muscular physique, it presented a formidable sense of intimidation.