At noon, Leo prepared a dish of Cucumber Salad.
The effect of this dish was "Heat Resistance"—eating it would cool the body down, perfect for the warm afternoon.
For Koraidon and Cyclizar, it was sandwiches again.
It wasn't that Leo didn't want to cook something new, but after a busy morning, he was simply too exhausted.
So, for the afternoon, he planned to rest properly and try his hand at fishing by the river.
Worried that Cyclizar might get bored, Leo looked at the glutinous rice flour and red bean paste in the cupboard after lunch and fell into deep thought. Maybe some snacks for the fishing trip?
No sooner thought than done.
Leo took out the glutinous rice flour, added water, and kneaded it into dough. He rolled it into strips, flattened them, filled them with the prepared red bean paste and sugar, and then rolled them into balls.
Soon, a batch of snow-white dumplings appeared on the counter.
Attracted by these novel little things, Cyclizar approached curiously to observe. "Gaa-ow?"
Leo glanced at it and smiled. "These are called Mochi. I don't know if you've ever had them before."
Cyclizar shook its head. "Gaa-ow..."
"Then you can try them this afternoon. Hmm, I wonder if you'll like the taste."
Cyclizar nodded eagerly. "Gaa-ow!"
Leo couldn't help but laugh. "You silly thing. You haven't even eaten it yet, and you're saying you like it? Aren't you afraid it'll taste like that salty noodle soup?"
"Gaa-ow..."
Cyclizar scratched its head with a claw, looking embarrassed.
On the side, Koraidon couldn't bear to watch.
Was I really this stupid back then?
Does that other Koraidon look at me the way I'm looking at this guy right now?
Just then, Leo turned to look at Koraidon.
"Koraidon."
Koraidon immediately trotted over to Leo's other side.
"Agias?"
Leo thought for a moment, then asked, "Did you come here from the Great Crater of Paldea?"
After much deliberation, he decided to ask about Koraidon's origins. He wanted to know if, like in the game, it had fled Area Zero after losing a territory battle with another Koraidon.
Hearing this, Koraidon nodded.
Seeing this, Leo thought to himself, As expected.
He asked again, "Were you fighting another Koraidon before that?"
Koraidon was dumbfounded. "Agias?!"How do you know that?
Hah, little guy, there's nothing I don't know, Leo thought smugly.
But fearing he might hurt Koraidon's pride, he didn't ask about the result of the battle. Instead, he asked, "What are your plans now?"
Koraidon: "Agias!"
Although he couldn't understand the language, Leo grasped Koraidon's meaning.
It wanted to stay here.
This suited Leo perfectly. Koraidon was incredibly strong; it would be a fantastic helper on the ranch.
Leo was excited inside but kept a calm face. "You can stay, but you have to help me manage the ranch."
"Agias!"
Before Leo could even finish, Koraidon nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Just then, the last Mochi was wrapped. Leo placed them in the steamer to cook over low heat.
Estimating the steaming time, Leo grabbed a folding stool, his fishing rod, and bait, and headed to the river that circled the ranch.
Before baiting the hook and casting the line, Leo said to Koraidon and Cyclizar, "I'm going to fish now. You guys go play!"
It was spring, and the ranch was covered in dandelions and small yellow wildflowers.
Hearing Leo's words, Cyclizar went off to play by itself.
Attracted by a butterfly, it chased the insect through the grass.
After running for a while, Cyclizar stopped in front of a fluffy, white dandelion. It lowered its head, curiously examining the tiny seeds.
Suddenly, its nose tickled.
It couldn't help but let out a huge sneeze. Achoo!
Instantly, the dandelion seeds were scattered by the blast of air, drifting up into the blue sky.
Cyclizar looked up, watching the scene with innocent curiosity.
By the river.
Leo looked at Koraidon, who was still standing there. "Aren't you going to play?"
"Agias."
Koraidon shook its head. It looked at the slow-flowing river and the fish shadows of various sizes beneath the surface, then at the fishing rod in Leo's hand.
A lightbulb suddenly went on over Koraidon's head. It had a great idea.
Before Leo could react, Koraidon's aura suddenly surged. It leaped high into the air, changing forms mid-jump, and crashed ferociously into the water.
SPLASH!
A massive column of water was blasted into the sky, raining down like a sudden storm.
Leo: "???"
He stared, dumbfounded.
Koraidon hopped out of the water, happily looking for praise. "Agias!!"
Leo looked down. As the turbulent water calmed, numerous dark shapes floated to the surface, bellies up. They had clearly been knocked unconscious by the shockwave of Koraidon's impact.
Leo didn't know what to say.
He looked at Koraidon and couldn't help but say, "I know you want to repay me for taking you in, but there's no need to be so... dramatic."
Koraidon drooped its head in disappointment. "Agias..."
Leo sighed helplessly. "Okay, I'm not blaming you. Uh, good job!"
Koraidon's eyes lit up immediately. "Agias~"
Leo: "..."
He sighed and directed Koraidon to pick up the unconscious fish and put them into a bucket filled with river water.
Koraidon obeyed immediately, quickly scooping the fish out.
The fish weren't very plump in this season, but for Leo, who was just starting out, that didn't matter much.
He picked out a few Magikarp mixed in with the ordinary river fish.
Koraidon looked at the three red fish, confused. "Agias?"
"You can't eat those." Leo shook his head.
He intended to release the Magikarp back into the river, but then he remembered the lake on his ranch.
Raising Miltank would take a long time to set up. In the meantime, why not raise some fish?
Not just Magikarp, but the ordinary river fish too.
After thinking for a moment, Leo carried the bucket to the lake and released the three Magikarp into it.
He didn't leave immediately. instead, he stayed to observe the Magikarp.
He wasn't sure if they were just knocked out by Koraidon or actually dead...
Fortunately, these three Magikarp were tough. They hadn't died. After a few minutes of unconsciousness, they slowly opened their eyes.
Finding themselves in a new body of water, they didn't panic. Instead, they continued to swim slowly with dull expressions, as if nothing had happened.