Pokemon: A New Path

At noon, after preparing lunch for all the Pokémon, Naoki began making Green Grass Dumplings using the glutinous rice flour he had purchased and grass clippings from the ranch.

Wearing a dirt-resistant grey apron, he worked at the chopping board, surrounded by washed and chopped grass and simmering syrup. Under Naoki's skilled hands, balls of glutinous rice were transformed into round cakes.

Green Grass Dumplings, unlike traditional feed, couldn't be stored for long periods. So, Naoki planned to make enough for about a week at a time, waiting until the Skiddo finished them before making another batch.

The afternoon sun streamed through the window as Naoki's hands became coated in glutinous rice flour. In the pasture outside, Alcremie and Smoliv played with the Nacli, the Skiddo lounged on the grass, Koraidon and Dragonite murmured to each other, and Cyclizar rested in the shade under the eaves, drowsy.

Hearing the sounds from outside, Naoki felt a sense of contentment with this peaceful life. Stretching, he started wrapping the green grass in the glutinous rice balls and steamed them all in a pot. He worked diligently until 3:30 in the afternoon, when everything was finally finished.

The green dumplings, like plump newborns, were piled high in a large stainless steel bowl. Naoki looked down, and information about the dumplings appeared in his mind.

[Green Grass Dumpling (C): A special dish made with glutinous rice flour as the outer layer, filled with lush green grass grown in spring and a small amount of sugar.

Cooking Effect: After consumption, slightly increases the chance of a Grass-type Pokémon learning a Grass-type move.

Additional effect: Slightly increases the friendliness of Grass-type Pokémon.

Comment: A very creative dish!]

"It can slightly increase the chance of Pokémon learning Grass-type moves." Naoki pondered. "It shouldn't be a problem to have them eat this three times a day as a meal, right?"

Perhaps? Naoki didn't dwell on it too much, as the ingredients used in the Green Grass Dumplings were quite ordinary.

Leaving the dumplings to cool, Naoki took rice and Moomoo Milk from the cupboard and started cooking milk porridge to improve the quality and nutrition of the milk.

This time, he learned his lesson and didn't directly add the chopped Black Truffles to the dish. Instead, he used a grater to shave the truffles into powder and then mixed it in.

Soon, a simple milk porridge was ready. The effect was the same as before.

[Black Truffle Milk Porridge (S): Milk porridge made with black truffle, sugar, and Moomoo Milk. The quality of the dish has been greatly improved by the addition of black truffle.

Cooking effect: Better Milk Lv3, limited to milk-producing Pokémon. Upon consumption, it greatly improves the quality of the fresh milk produced by the consumer, making it tastier and more nutritious. It also has the effect of quickly restoring stamina.

Evaluation: This is superb milk porridge. The nutrients it contains are suitable for the growth of all Pokémon. It is a rare delicacy.]

Naoki scooped out three bowls, brought them to the Skiddo, and said with a smile, "Enjoy!"

The Skiddo immediately smelled the rich, milky aroma. They were used to eating grains, so they had no objections to foods like rice and milk. Perhaps it was truly delicious, as the three Skiddo quickly drank the porridge, licking the bowl clean and even looking a bit unsatisfied.

"It's a shame I have to wait two days before they can produce milk again," Naoki thought to himself.

He had already milked all the Skiddo today, so there was no way to immediately check the changes in the milk. Before evolution, Skiddo could only produce milk once every two days. Only after evolving into a Gogoat could they produce milk daily, with improved quantity and quality.

After feeding the Skiddo, Naoki returned to the cabin and washed the bowls. Then, he went to find Kora and discussed building the pen.

"A goat pen? That's easy. You just need to use a wooden fence to enclose an area," Kora said with a smile. "This is simpler than building the salt shelter, which will be finished tomorrow morning. I'll bring the materials and help you build the pen then."

"Okay," Naoki nodded.

He had about 15,000 Pokédollars left from his fishing earnings, and after building the pen, there would be only 5,000 remaining.

Naoki couldn't help but sigh, "Didn't that money disappear too quickly?" He hadn't even noticed it dwindling.

Fortunately, with the Skiddo and Nacli on the ranch, he could continue earning income.

"Once the salt shelter is built tomorrow, we'll officially start raising Nacli. Combined with the milk from the Skiddo, we should be able to earn back the money within a month."

"And the crops in the fields are almost ripe, which should bring in some income too."

Naoki was planning the next steps for the ranch. But before that, he had one more task: familiarizing Dragonite with the delivery route.

With that in mind, Naoki found Dragonite and said, "Let's go!"

"Roar!" Dragonite let out a happy cry.

Naoki asked Koraidon to stay at the ranch while he rode on Dragonite's back, flying to town. Dragonite didn't seem to mind being ridden. In fact, its mind was so focused on becoming stronger that it didn't care about anything else.

The feeling was completely different from riding Koraidon. Dragonite's body was soft and felt wonderful to the touch.

It's a shame I didn't get to touch its big belly, Naoki thought with a touch of regret.

Dragonite soared through the air, feeling a bit worried. Flying like this didn't seem any different from flying over the sea in the past. Could it really become stronger this way?

Dragonite let out a confused cry.

Although they couldn't converse directly, Naoki could roughly guess what Dragonite meant based on its expression and tone. It doubted whether delivering goods could actually make it stronger! How could that be possible?

Naoki immediately addressed Dragonite's concerns. "Delivering goods isn't just about delivering goods. You have to use your heart to feel everything in the process, like the flow of the wind, the formation of air currents, or the grass and trees along the way."

"Use your eyes to observe, and in the process of delivering goods, slowly get to know everything around you, understand it, imitate it, and finally master it."

"You can imitate the process by flapping your wings to feel the flow of the wind, or you can try to blend into the airflow."

"No Dragonite is born with the ability to use those powerful moves. Everyone, no matter who they are, needs to practice and put in consistent effort to master their moves."

"Roar!"

What profound words!

Why did some of it sound confusing to Dragonite?

However, it all sounded very powerful! It had to learn those powerful moves and become stronger!

Dragonite was instantly filled with determination.