Chapter 72: Effect of Poke Puffs
"The recipes for Poké Puffs aren't limited to just one or two," Lily said at the end of their happy baking session. "There are many kinds of Berries, and there are countless ways to combine them. You can develop Poké Puffs that are unique to your taste and cater to the Pokémon around you."
With work on the ranch keeping him busy, Naoki didn't have much time to stay. After learning the basics of Poké Puff making, he hurried back to the ranch and began preparing lunch for all the Pokémon.
There was no oven or pot for boiling berries at home. Naoki wanted to make one, but due to the lack of tools, he had to temporarily postpone his Poké Puff development plans.
He looked around at the video phone, the rear-projection TV, and the double-door refrigerator. Before he knew it, as he acquired more and more things, his home was becoming increasingly cramped.
Naoki thought to himself, "Once the Pokémon House is built and I get a Miltank, I'll have to start saving money for an extension."
He needed a bigger kitchen so he'd have more space for his cooking utensils, like ovens, rice cookers, frying pans, juicers, microwave ovens, and so on. With those, he could start developing and producing more dishes and desserts.
For example, the "Grass Cake."
After lunch, Naoki shared the Poké Puffs he had brought back from the Petite Pâtisserie with all the Pokémon at home. Due to the large number of Pokémon, each one only got one piece.
After eating the Poké Puffs, the "Best Friend" effect was triggered, and many Pokémon, led by Alcremie and Smoliv, started following Naoki closely. Wherever he went, they followed.
Naoki was about to go outside to check on the crops when Kora, who was building the Pokémon House, noticed the group of little Pokémon trailing behind him. She was quite surprised.
"Are you guys playing a game of tag?"
Naoki: "..."
The Pokémon following him chirped and bleated in response.
"..."
Naoki was a bit exasperated by the constant chirping. If he had known, he wouldn't have fed them those Poké Puffs with that effect.
He turned to Alcremie, the leader of the group, and said, "You guys go play for a while. I need to get back to work."
But the Pokémon only responded with coquettish cries, insisting they wanted to stay with him. Alcremie even pouted in a show of disappointment.
Naoki: "..."
Alright, alright!
It was impossible to work with these followers around, so Naoki had no choice but to take them to a meadow and enjoy the beautiful afternoon.
Kora watched as Naoki was surrounded by a group of Pokémon and couldn't help but laugh, thinking their bond was truly enviable!
The Pokémon were having a blast, and Naoki was "forced" to join in their fun.
He picked up Pawmi and, saying, "Little Pawmi was born to be cuddled by humans," buried his face in its soft, fluffy, and fragrant belly, taking a deep breath.
Naoki also took this opportunity to thoroughly pet Dragonite, a luxury he usually didn't have. He hugged Dragonite's chubby paws and pressed his face against its big belly—it was so soft!
Alcremie's body was sweet and soft, exuding the scent of caramel cream. Naoki really wanted to lick it, but that would be too weird. He thought about it carefully and ultimately decided against it.
Koraidon watched this scene with jealousy, roared "Roar!", and forcefully pushed its large head into the mix.
Naoki pushed it away with some effort, and only then did Koraidon seem satisfied.
After a while, Naoki was exhausted and lay on the grass, looking up at the sky, thinking, Isn't the effect of this "Best Friend" status a bit too overwhelming?
But then he remembered what Lily had said about wild Pokémon following trainers because they liked their Poké Puffs, and he felt it wasn't so bad after all.
...
February 15th of the Pokémon League calendar marked the first day of school for Naranja Academy.
Early in the morning, Naoki saw news on TV about the influx of new students into the academy. Watching a middle-aged man, around forty years old, with a backpack and a sturdy build, Naoki's eyebrows twitched.
A 40-year-old man could also study at Naranja Academy?!
But then again, the academy didn't seem to have any age restrictions on admissions. This was probably why players encountered such a diverse range of students in the game.
After breakfast, Naoki washed the dishes and went outside.
Morning dew still clung to the lawn, and beside the farmland, Dragonite stood, commanding the weather. Under its control, a dark cloud gathered directly above the farmland, and a light drizzle began to fall, moistening the crops below.
After a few days of construction, the Pokémon House was finally complete. Naoki walked over to the new building on the ranch, pushed open the door, and found it empty.
The Pokémon Center was built with a large amount of wood and stone. Inside, there was a brand-new wooden floor, feeding and watering troughs against the wall, and hay piles for bedding placed in the corners.
This was where the Miltank would live, but unfortunately, he didn't have enough money to buy one yet. Although he had sold goat milk and rock salt recently, Naoki had immediately used the earnings to buy a new bed, strictly forbidding Koraidon from jumping on it again.
A Miltank cost 20,000 Pokédollars, which seemed expensive at first, twice the price of a Nacli. But considering the import and transportation fees, the price was reasonable.
Moreover, unlike the Skiddo, Miltank was a natural dairy cow, capable of producing 20 liters of nutritious milk daily. If the rancher didn't milk it every day, it would feel unwell.
Miltank milk was sweet and loved by both adults and children. Even those who weren't accustomed to drinking milk would turn it into yogurt.
For the elderly and the sick, nutritious Moomoo Milk was the best drink.
There was a common saying, no matter where you were:
"Children who grow up drinking Moomoo Milk become healthy and strong."
A 500ml bottle of regular Moomoo Milk sold for 300 Pokédollars. If the quality was slightly better, it could even fetch 500 Pokédollars.
And he had the milk porridge that could further improve the quality of the milk.
If calculated based on the highest price, one Miltank produced 20 liters a day, resulting in a daily income of 20,000 Pokédollars, or 600,000 a month.
If he had ten.
Golden light flashed before Naoki's eyes, and images of Pokédollars floated past him.
A fortune!
With ten Miltank, building a grand villa in two months wouldn't be a dream at all!
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