Pokemon: A New Path

"Okay, just a second." Naoki grabbed a cup and started pouring the juice.

He wasn't worried about his earlier explanation raising suspicions. After all, the theory did exist in this world. Besides ordinary Evolution Stones, there were also various type-specific gems. These gems contained a large amount of energy that, when absorbed by Pokémon, enhanced the power of their corresponding type moves and occasionally led to learning new moves.

Secret seasonings also existed. They grew in Area Zero and were later brought out and guarded by powerful Trainers. After all, this was an important storyline in the games.

In comparison, was it so unreasonable that food could enable Pokémon to learn moves? It seemed perfectly logical!

Naoki handed the Pecha Berry juice and steamed eggs to the girl and her Sprigatito. Then, he looked up and noticed that Rick and Litleo had already left.

For Pokémon that weren't Fire-type, the boiled pork slices were just ordinary food, and the effects of the juice and steamed eggs were unremarkable. So, Naoki wasn't concerned about causing any strange side effects.

As time passed, the crowd in the cherry orchard grew, and Naoki became busy. Koraidon and Cyclizar, understanding his needs, also helped out.

During this time, Mayor Thomas Clavell came by to check on things. But seeing Naoki busy, he didn't interrupt, instead standing quietly at a distance and observing.

Witnessing this scene, he was genuinely happy for Naoki. It was good news that the long-abandoned ranch was operational again, and it was heartwarming to see that the young man had emerged from the shadow of losing his parents.

...

Pecha Berry juice, steamed eggs, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes were very much in line with the tastes of the Paldean people. The popularity of these three dishes exceeded Naoki's expectations, and they sold out quickly.

In the end, only a few servings of boiled pork slices remained.

Gradually, evening approached, and the Cherry Blossom Festival drew to a close. The visitors began to leave one after another.

Seeing that there weren't many people around, Naoki sat down and counted the profits from the morning.

"One thousand, two thousand, three thousand... twelve thousand... eighteen thousand three hundred. Wow, the profit is a bit beyond my expectation." Naoki was pleasantly surprised.

Even after deducting the costs, there was still a net profit of 14,000 Pokédollars.

Cooking really did make money!

Naoki even considered opening a restaurant in town. But after careful thought, he decided against it. Running a restaurant required sticking to a strict schedule, unlike the freedom of being a rancher, where he could wake up whenever he wanted and do as he pleased after completing his daily chores. Naoki usually used this free time to play with the Pokémon on the ranch.

"Thank you all for your hard work!" Naoki put away the stack of money and looked at the Pokémon around him with a smile.

After playing for most of the day, the Nacli, Alcremie, and Smoliv were a bit tired and even starting to doze off. Seeing this, Naoki returned them to their Poké Balls so they could rest.

Only Koraidon remained outside.

Naoki started packing up, preparing to return to the ranch.

Just then, Elisio, the owner of the cherry orchard, approached with a bottle of wine. "Hey, Naoki, thank you so much for coming to the Cherry Blossom Festival today. This is the fruit wine we made from the cherries in the orchard. Take it back and enjoy it!"

"Oh?" Naoki was slightly taken aback and subconsciously wanted to refuse.

But Elisio spoke first, "Please don't refuse. This is a gift from me. You have no idea how happy I was when I heard from Mayor that the ranch was reopened. Please take care of me in the future!"

"Mr. Elisio, this is a dish I made myself. Please, have a taste!" Naoki offered a portion of the boiled pork slices.

Elisio, with his bold and generous personality, just like his rugged beard, readily accepted. He opened the container, picked up a piece of meat, and popped it into his mouth.

A moment later, he gave a thumbs up and exclaimed, "Delicious!"

Naoki smiled in response.

As Elisio left, another elderly man with white hair approached.

He held a bag of cheese and said to Naoki, "Hello, I'm Matsuda, the rancher from Three Rivers Ranch. This cheese is a specialty of our ranch. Could I trade it for one of your dishes.?"

He had smelled the spicy aroma from afar, and Matsuda, a lover of spicy food, had been salivating ever since.

"Of course," Naoki nodded with a smile, understanding the man's intention.

He turned and saw an old woman at the stall across from him. After a moment's thought, he took out another dish and handed it over. After all, the cheese Matsuda offered was quite large, far exceeding the value of a single dish.

Matsuda happily accepted, and the two exchanged their goods. Naoki kept the cheese and, seeing that there were still three servings of boiled pork slices left, decided to share them with the remaining stall owners.

Next to him was a girl selling desserts.

When Naoki shared the food with her, the girl handed him a yellow box with a smile. Her voice was pleasant as she said, "These are Poké Puffs from our dessert shop."

"Poké Puffs?" Naoki inquired.

The girl nodded. "It's a snack that Pokémon really love! Just feed this to your partner Pokémon, and they'll happily go on adventures with you. I'm giving them to you! I saw you have many Pokémon around, so you must need them!"

Naoki turned and looked at Koraidon beside him, then smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

The girl chuckled and said, "I own a dessert shop in town. If you ever want to buy some snacks for your Pokémon, you can find me there!"

Snacks? Naoki thought about his newfound ability. What would happen if he made Poké Puffs himself?

The girl continued, "Also, if you ever want to make snacks for your Pokémon yourself, feel free to come to my shop."

Naoki's interest was piqued, and he nodded in agreement. "Okay."

Next, he shared the last two servings of boiled pork slices with the remaining stall owners, receiving a bag of handmade cookies and a Pikachu mask from each of them.

In the evening, the setting sun painted the sky a vibrant red. Naoki, wearing the Pikachu mask, asked Koraidon, "How's this? Look cool?"

Koraidon: "Gaah."

Naoki also felt that the Pikachu mask wasn't exactly "cool," but he put it away anyway.

Then, he returned to the ranch with the items he had exchanged from other stall owners: a bottle of cherry wine, a piece of cheese, a box of Poké Puffs, a bag of cookies, and the Pikachu mask.

By the time Koraidon landed in the pasture, it was almost dark.

Naoki put his things away, stood up, and checked on the ranch. Before leaving, he had filled the Skiddo's trough with grass dumplings and feed, and there was still some left. Remembering their voracious appetites, Naoki added more dumplings to the trough.

After that, he went to the chicken coop, fed the hens, and refilled their water trough.

Once everything was taken care of, Naoki returned to the cabin, had a simple dinner, and then collapsed into his bed. He reached out to turn off the light, petting Koraidon's large head as it nuzzled close.

What a fulfilling day. Time for bed!