"Combee?" The old man said with a smile, "They're also a really good choice! If you place them on the ranch, they'll automatically help you collect nectar and bring it back."
Naoki nodded, though he harbored some doubts.
Because this kind of Pokemon, Combee, is a social Pokemon.
They are born in threes and pledge allegiance to the Vespiquen.
They also try to please the Vespiquen alongside other Combee for the sake of their colony, tirelessly transporting sweet nectar for the Vespiquen from dawn till dusk.
However, through Naoki's observations, the Combee at Happy Ranch don't seem to need a Vespiquen.
Thinking of this, Naoki asked, "If I buy Combee, do I need to purchase a Vespiquen as well?"
The old man immediately understood his question and shook his head with a smile, "Of course not, the Combee we sell to customers are different from the wild ones, they have all been specially bred and can survive just fine without a Vespiquen."
"In other words, to them, you, the one who raises and takes care of them, are their [Vespiquen]."
Naoki: "..."
Though it sounded a bit odd, he understood.
The old man continued, "Combee live in hives, in groups of three. If there's a large flower field nearby, their honey production speed is very fast, allowing you to harvest once a day."
"Conversely, if there are fewer flowers nearby, their honey production will significantly slow down."
Naoki nodded thoughtfully, "Then I'll start by purchasing one group."
He originally thought to save money to expand his house and improve his quality of life.
But now it seemed like saving up 2 million would take some time, so it was better to first complete the basic infrastructure on the ranch.
Like the hive for the Combee, the Pokemon House for raising Miltank, the pen for Wooloo, and so on.
"Alright," the old man smiled, "I'll have Xiao Mei deliver the Combee and feed to you later."
Xiao Mei is the old man's granddaughter, the girl who previously delivered chickens to Naoki, and she works as a delivery person here.
Naoki nodded, paid, and left for the ranch.
After taking medicine with hot water and waiting for some ten minutes, Xiao Mei, a round-faced girl with freckles, arrived at the ranch.
She politely greeted Naoki, "Hello, Mr. Naoki!"
Naoki nodded in response, "Hello, Xiao Mei."
He stepped forward to help Xiao Mei place the chicken feed into the silo, then turned his attention to the hive on the tricycle.
The hive looked like a small wooden house with a triangular top supported by four pillars, with a square opening at the front.
Peering through the opening, Naoki saw three Combee stacked on top of each other, timidly watching the outside world.
Indeed, Combee are quite cute, like little honeycombs with wings.
And these three seemed to be male, as Naoki didn't see red spots on their faces below.
This is a characteristic of male Combee.
Unlike females, male Combee don't have an evolution form and can never evolve into Vespiquen.
In their group, they typically serve as worker bees, continually gathering honey for the queen.
Just then, Xiao Mei asked, "Mr. Naoki, where should we place this hive?"
Naoki pointed to the grassy area beside the wooden house, "Put it over there!"
That spot is closer to the cabin and faces the flower fields directly, making it easier to collect honey.
Xiao Mei nodded, stepped forward to set up the hive, and then bid farewell to Naoki before leaving.
Naoki then squatted down in front of the three Combee, greeting them, "Hi, Combee, my name is Naoki, and I'm the rancher here. Please take care of me from now on!"
The Combee sensed the goodwill emanating from this human and felt a bit less afraid.
Seeing this, Naoki brought some Berries and snacks from the house, hoping to feed them and build a better relationship.
But the three Combee simply approached, sniffed, and then retreated without eating.
"Oh? Don't you eat Berries?" Naoki was somewhat surprised, as he thought Berries were a universally accepted food for every Pokemon.
"I forgot to ask Xiao Mei earlier."
With a slight thought, Naoki returned to the house and found the "Pasture Encyclopedia" that Mayor Thomas had left him, finally locating the food for Combee in the "Pokemon Breeding" section.
"Combee, a very unique Pokemon, do not require human feeding most of the time, as they venture out themselves to find pollen and nectar to consume."
"However, during rainy weather and winter, Combee usually won't leave the hive, and if rainy weather persists, beekeepers can feed them syrup to help them replenish energy and nutrition."
"It's crucial to leave some honey in the hive for Combee before winter arrives, as they rely on this honey to get through the season when there are no fresh flowers."
"Syrup, huh?" Naoki quietly memorized this information, deciding to purchase some when he went to town to learn how to make Poffins the next day.
Today, due to a fever, he was unable to visit the dessert shop and had to postpone his plans until tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Combee began to leave the hive, actively engaging with their surroundings.
At this time, the flower fields had just been planted and hadn't grown fully yet, but aside from that, there were other flowers on the ranch.
It's springtime, and many wildflowers grew among the grass on the ranch, attracting quite a few butterflies, which Cyclizar often ran over to chase after playfully.
The Combee also found those wildflowers by following the scent, hovering with their transparent wings, lightly collecting pollen and nectar from them.
They ate some themselves and brought the rest back to the hive to store for making honey.
The other two Combee followed suit.
Watching them start working immediately upon arriving at the ranch, Naoki couldn't help but think, "They're really diligent!"
He realized he needed to work hard too.
Naoki recalled the thief who had broken into the Chicken House and devised a series of capture plans in his mind, then sought out Butterfree on the ranch.
"Butterfree, can you use Stun Spore or Sleep Powder now?" Naoki asked.
"Fryyy~" Butterfree nodded happily, indicating it could even use a more powerful Electroweb!
"Great, I have a task for you now."
Naoki disclosed his entire plan to Butterfree, then headed to the Chicken House, utilizing the tools available on the ranch to create a simple mechanism.
If the door to the Chicken House is pushed open, it will trigger a sound, enabling Butterfree to locate the target and use Sleep Powder on it.
With everything ready, all that's left is a favorable opportunity.
Next, it's just a matter of patiently waiting for the fish to bite.