Naoki really wanted to buy it, but he was a bit strapped for cash at the moment and would need a few more days to save up enough to buy a Miltank.
So he shook his head and said, "I'd better come back in a few days. This way, I can prepare a new home for the Miltank in the meantime."
The old man smiled warmly, "Alright, I'll be here waiting for you to come and pick them up."
Naoki nodded. He didn't linger here for long. After confirming that the Miltank had arrived, he turned and left.
The food at home was running low, so before heading back, he needed to buy some groceries.
Naoki went to the town's shop that sold food ingredients.
Looking at the dazzling array of products, he picked out some meat cuts and fresh vegetables, then turned his attention to the dessert section.
With work at the ranch being not too busy for now, he thought he might explore making some desserts during his free time.
He already had milk, eggs, and cream at home, so just needed to buy a little more.
Naoki reached out and took some basic molds and ingredients for making desserts off the shelves.
Once he had everything he needed, he headed back to his ranch with his purchases.
Meanwhile, in the lush hills behind, a Butterfree successfully found Teddiursa under a tree.
Teddiursa seemed to have been running too hastily, and was now leaning against the large tree, panting heavily and taking a rest.
Butterfree flapped its wings and approached slowly.
Soon, Teddiursa noticed Butterfree following behind.
It instinctively thought that Butterfree had discovered its true purpose and was coming to teach it a lesson.
The image of the three Skiddo in the ranch appeared in Teddiursa's mind, and it instantly became alert.
With a tense expression, it stared at Butterfree and warned, "One?!"
"Mu ee..."
Butterfree was speechless, gently landing on a nearby tree, looking down at Teddiursa.
At that moment, Teddiursa also noticed the honey held by Butterfree.
Plus, it seemed that Butterfree wasn't planning to attack it.
This left Teddiursa with a big question mark over its head.
"One?"
"Mu ee."
Seeing Teddiursa didn't make any more aggressive moves, Butterfree flew down and handed over the jar of honey, relaying Naoki's message to Teddiursa.
"Mu ee, mu ee ee!"
After hearing it, Teddiursa was shocked.
He knew! He actually knew it was trying to steal the honey!
Soon, Teddiursa was utterly confused.
How did he know? Was it exposed?
No, that can't be!
Clearly, it was exposed, so why did that human still send it a jar of honey?
Staring at the honey jar that Butterfree handed over, Teddiursa remained dazed on the spot.
After delivering the honey, Butterfree flapped its wings and left.
Watching it disappear from sight, Teddiursa finally calmed down.
Smelling the aroma wafting from the bottle, it couldn't help but gulp down its saliva, then sat down on the ground, leaned against the tree, and started to dig into the honey with its paw, licking it clean.
The sweet honey seeped into its paw, and Teddiursa continued to lick happily.
Gradually, its tense body relaxed, and its worrisome heart found peace again.
In that moment, Teddiursa felt entirely filled with joy.
Honey, delicious honey, sweet honey. How tasty!
Quickly, Teddiursa finished off all the honey in the jar, put it down, licked its paw, and started recalling what had just happened.
Then, it suddenly remembered something.
Butterfree seemed to have mentioned that stealing honey was wrong, and if it wanted to have some, it could exchange something for it.
Is that really possible?
That human probably wouldn't trick it, right?
Teddiursa hesitated.
The nearby ranchers had all been fooled by it at least once. If it showed up again using the same method to get honey, they surely wouldn't fall for it anymore.
In this situation, getting new honey would be increasingly difficult.
After pondering for a long time, Teddiursa finally made up its mind!
Just give it a try! After all, it wouldn't lose much!
Upon thinking this, Teddiursa stood up and ran towards its lair.
Halfway there, it turned back to pick up the bottle on the ground.
Teddiursa's lair was located within the hills, though calling it a lair was a stretch—it was more like a small, inconspicuous cave.
Shrubbery covered around the cave's entrance, so usually, no Pokemon would notice it.
Teddiursa squeezed in and looked with satisfaction at the pile of treasures in the deepest part of the cave.
This was its "treasure trove."
It lovingly placed the empty bottle inside, then thought for a moment and took out an unassuming little stone.
Looking at the stone in its paw, it couldn't help but wonder: Can this stone really be exchanged for honey?
"One..."
After a long pause, Teddiursa finally made up its mind.
It would give it a try!
…
Meanwhile, Naoki returned to the ranch.
He put his things away, storing the seeds on the lower shelf of the cabinet.
Before he realized it, it was already noon.
The weather today was somewhat gloomy, with no sight of the sun.
Naoki glanced at the time, then looked out the window.
The Pokemon he raised were happily frolicking on the lawn.
They seemed to know nothing of sorrow, always so carefree and naïvely happy.
"Hoo!"
Naoki took a deep breath, looking joyful. He moved his wrists slightly, joints crackling.
It was time to prepare lunch for everyone!
For today's lunch, Naoki planned to try something new. Besides the clay purchased from Porto Marinada Market, he also brought out the honey brewed by Combee.
Without an oven, there was no way to make cakes or similar desserts.
Thus, Naoki had to try some simpler desserts to make.
Pudding was one of them.
As long as there is a refrigerator and gelatin powder, a bouncy, cool, and smooth pudding can be made.
This type of dessert should be quite popular with everyone.
The image of everyone on the ranch enjoying the pudding flashed in Naoki's mind, and a smile appeared on his face.
As a chef, nothing is more gratifying than having your homemade dishes enjoyed by everyone.
With that thought, Naoki got busy.
He added the MooMoo Fresh Milk he bought from town into the pre-prepared gelatin powder, let it sit for a while, then added Combee's honey.
Then he put it in a pot, cooking it over low heat until the gelatin powder completely melted, and finally poured it into pudding molds, covered them with a layer of cling wrap, and placed them in the refrigerator to chill.
During this time, Naoki also began preparing the various Pokemon's lunches.
After lunch, with nothing pressing to do, Naoki stayed at home watching television.
At 3 PM, the old clock on the wall chimed right on time.
Naoki quickly got up and retrieved the pudding stored on the lower shelf.
Uncovering the cling wrap, the dozen puddings, exuding a cool aura with a crystal-clear, bouncy texture, in a caramel color, unfolded before him.
Naoki looked down, and information about the puddings emerged simultaneously.
[Lucky Pudding (A): A dessert made with feelings of happiness, created using Light Cream, MooMoo Fresh Milk, and Honey.
Cooking Effect: Good fortune, slightly increases luck for a short time after being consumed by humans. For Pokemon, increases the chance of finding rare items during travels.
Review: A delicious dessert, consuming it brings happiness and is likely to bring good luck.]