Chapter 38: Efforts and Gains
At eleven o'clock that evening, Naoki and Koraidon returned to the ranch after a long day's work. Even though it was late, the ranch was still brightly lit.
Since returning from Casseroya Lake, Naoki had been working on the ranch's stone path. Without professional equipment, he couldn't grind the stones into slabs, so he resorted to using wooden boards to create a pathway through the pasture.
They had been busy working late into the night. To provide light, Naoki made torches from wooden sticks and oil-soaked cloth, placing them along the sides of the path. Once darkness fell, lighting a torch illuminated a large area, bringing a bit of life to the ranch under the firelight.
It was late, and Cyclizar, who had been waiting for Naoki's return, had already fallen asleep under the eaves. Naoki didn't wake it, but instead worked with Koraidon to pour the fish from their net into the ranch's small lake.
Without a vehicle, their fishing method was quite cumbersome. Naoki would scatter bait on the lake, attracting fish to gather. Then, he and Koraidon would each take a net and fish in separate areas. When the nets were full, they would airlift them back to the ranch.
Finally, they would pour the fish into the lake and wait for Zack to collect them the following evening. As long as Koraidon flew quickly enough, they could transport the fish back before they suffocated. Of course, some fish didn't make it, and Naoki would often cook them into dishes to reward Koraidon.
For convenience, they had placed an extra-large fishing net at the bottom of the lake beforehand. This way, when Zack came to collect the fish, he could simply gather the net's four corners and haul up all the fish at once.
It's worth mentioning that to make fish collection easier, Naoki had returned the few Magikarp he had casually tossed into the river back to their original habitat.
"Thanks for your hard work!" Naoki wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve and said to Koraidon with a smile.
Koraidon also wiped its face with its large paws, "Koraidon~"
Naoki looked around and, seeing that it was getting late, said, "Let's call it a day!"
They returned to the cabin, and Naoki woke Cyclizar, letting it go inside to sleep. Meanwhile, he went to the kitchen to prepare a late-night snack.
The noise they made woke up Smoliv and Alcremie, who opened their eyes and looked over. So, Naoki made two extra servings.
After their enjoyable midnight snack, Smoliv and Alcremie went back to sleep. Koraidon, exhausted from the long day, no longer had the energy to compete with Cyclizar. It returned to its spot, yawned, and fell asleep with its paws as a pillow.
Cyclizar stood next to Naoki, chirping softly. Naoki removed his dirty work clothes, revealing a thin white t-shirt underneath.
"It'll get easier soon," he reassured Cyclizar, stroking its head. "Nothing out of the ordinary happened on the ranch today, right?"
Cyclizar, having diligently guarded the house, shook its head and chirped, "Cyclizar!"
"Good job," Naoki smiled. "You've earned a treat."
"Cyclizar."
Naoki patted its shoulder again. "Alright, it's getting late. Go to bed. I'll join you after I finish the accounting."
Cyclizar obediently went to rest.
Naoki pulled out his ledger and recorded the day's income. The ranch's main source of revenue lately had been the fish they caught in Casseroya Lake and the Paldean Sea. Naoki hadn't sold the eggs from the hens; instead, he used them to make various egg dishes to reward the Pokémon.
After deducting the cost of bait and fishing nets, they had earned a total of 43,320 Pokédollars in the past five days. By selling the fish in the lake tomorrow, combined with their remaining money, his savings would exceed 50,000 Pokédollars.
Despite the exhaustion of the past few days, Naoki felt a surge of motivation as he looked at the drawer full of money. The hard work had made him stronger, his muscles more defined, and his skin more tanned. He was starting to look like a real rancher.
"This is great. I can finally take a good rest!" Naoki stretched lazily, leaning back in his chair and contemplating his plans for the next day.
With the money he had earned, he planned to go to town and find someone to build the salt shelter. Although he didn't know if the Nacli would agree to come to the ranch, it wouldn't hurt to prepare in advance. Additionally, he needed to buy more Poké Balls so he could return to Casseroya Lake while the shelter was being built and try to capture the Mareep, Skiddo, and Tropius.
By the time those tasks were completed, some of the first batch of crops he had planted would be ready for harvest.
After the harvest, the land would need to be plowed again and the next batch of seeds planted.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Naoki glanced at the old-fashioned clock on the wall and realized it was nearly one in the morning.
Naoki sighed. "Time for bed."
.....
The next morning, Naoki headed to the friendly shop in town and bought ten more Poké Balls. Although they cost him 2,000 Pokédollars, Naoki believed that the Pokémon he caught with them would generate far more value than that.
Leaving the shop, he made his way to Kora's woodworking shop, located in a forest cabin on the edge of town. Kora, dressed in blue overalls, was chopping wood with an axe.
Seeing Naoki approach, Kora raised an eyebrow. "I heard from Zack about what you've been up to lately. He said you and Koraidon have been catching a lot of fish and making a good profit. You're working hard!"
Naoki smiled. "After all, there are so many Pokémon waiting for me to raise on the ranch. I have to work hard!"
Kora looked the young man up and down. Compared to their first meeting, he was visibly stronger, his skin more tanned, and he looked healthier overall.
"Not bad," Kora complimented. "You're becoming more and more like a real rancher! Have you met any of the other ranchers around here?"
Naoki shook his head. "I haven't had time to visit them yet. What are they like?"
Kora chuckled. "Each of them is a strong individual. Years of farm work have made them quite robust. I have a feeling you'll be like them one day."
Naoki shrugged nonchalantly. He had never been too concerned about his appearance.
After a brief chat, Kora got down to business. "So, what do you want me to build this time?"
"A salt shelter," Naoki replied.
After careful consideration, he had determined that raising Nacli and collecting rock salt for sale was one of the most profitable ways to make money. So, he prioritized the construction of the salt shelter.
....
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