Early the next morning, as the sky just started to lighten, Naoki got out of bed.
Outside, a light rain was falling. The sky was gray, and the entire farm was shrouded in a misty drizzle, with the grass glistening with a soft sheen of moisture.
"Still raining, huh?"
Naoki muttered, opening the door to let the cool breeze in, then grabbed some sandwiches and eggs from the fridge, making a few simple sandwiches which Cyclizar delivered to Glaceon.
After finishing breakfast quickly, Dragonite was already standing under the eaves outside the door, with its small red satchel on its back, waiting to start work.
Naoki handed it two bottled goat milk: "Thanks for your hard work!"
"Roar~"
Dragonite put away the milk and disappeared into the rain.
Naoki then put on rain boots and carried an umbrella as he stepped out of the house, turning back to stop Cyclizar and Koraidon who wanted to follow:
"I'm going to feed the Gogoat; don't come along. Stay inside, I'll be back soon!"
Rainy days would bring mud pits to the ground, and though Koraidon and Cyclizar wouldn't roll around in the mud, their paws would still get somewhat muddy, tracking it all over the house.
Thus, the two Pokemon stood under the eaves, watching eagerly as Naoki walked into the misty rain.
The rain did nothing to dampen the Gogoat's exuberance.
When Naoki arrived, the whole goat pen had transformed into a stage with neon lights flashing everywhere.
The three Gogoat were dancing wildly inside.
Nearby, Smoliv seemed unfazed by this scene.
It basked in the abundance of Grass Type energy, swaying its body comfortably.
Naoki, unfazed, poured a bag of Grassy Seed into the feed trough and filled the water trough nearby with water.
The three Gogoat immediately gathered around, shoving their heads into the food trough to start their breakfast.
Naoki stood by, watching this scene with a sense of awe.
The Gogoat were becoming more robust; after evolving, their height had increased significantly.
If they stood up fully, they would give off an imposing presence, as if confronting not Gogoat but the legendary Sacred Swordsmen, Cobalion, and Virizion.
Naoki shook his head, dismissing those odd thoughts.
Then he went to the Chicken House, taking feed from the silo and placing it in the feed trough, shutting the doors and windows to prevent the hens from getting soaked and sick.
In the Pokemon House, three Miltank had already milked themselves.
Naoki came over and filled barrels with milk, placed them in a corner, then took out a brush to start grooming them.
The Miltank looked utterly content.
For them, this life was the epitome of happiness.
Every day, someone helped with milking, feeding, grooming, and they had fresh, fertile grass to eat.
They loved it here.
As Naoki brushed the Miltank, he observed their mood. Seeing their enjoyment, his mood became uplifted.
Speaking of these three Miltank, though they looked alike, their personalities were completely different.
One was gentle and caring, often sharing its fresh milk with the weaker Pokemon in the farm.
Another was calm and liked tranquility, enjoying the lush grass outside and sunbathing on sunny days.
The third was lively and active, always full of energy, enjoying communicating with other Pokemon on the farm.
"All done, you're brushed!"
Naoki patted the Miltank's head, hung the brush on the wall, and said, "Go play! I still have to go next door to feed Nacli."
The Miltank agreed gladly.
Seeing this, Naoki smiled, then turned and headed next door.
As Rock Type Pokemon, Nacli did not like rainy days, mostly choosing to stay indoors and not venture out in such weather.
At this moment, the door of the Salt House was closed. The image of those five small figures flashed through Naoki's mind, bringing a smile to his lips as he pushed open the door of the Salt House.
The first sight that greeted him was a huge figure made of rock.
It was a Pokemon made entirely of rock, its body square, like something assembled from building blocks.
Naoki's eyes widened as he realized what had happened.
Nacli had evolved! Overnight, from Nacli to Naclstack!
Before he came in, the other four Nacli had gathered before the Naclstack, looking at their evolved companion with envy.
Seeing Naoki approach, they ran over, encircling him.
"Nacli!"
"Nacli..."
The evolved Naclstack also moved its limbs and stepped forward.
"Naclstack~"
Its growl had clearly changed since its time as Nacli, losing its previous naivety, and now sounded like a mix between a deep voice and a rumble.
Naoki looked with curiosity at this Naclstack, asking, "When did you evolve?"
"Naclstack... stack!" Naclstack responded.
It was just last night; while it was sleeping, it suddenly felt a mysterious power surge from within.
When it awoke, it found itself in its current state.
"Congratulations!" Naoki smiled, reaching out to pat its head.
But in the next moment, the Naclstack in front of him spat out a large amount of crystal-clear, spotless Rock Salt.
In the blink of an eye, the Rock Salt piled into a "salt mountain" on the floor beside them.