Giant Dragonite's pure and simple personality allowed it to blend into the ranch very quickly. Before long it had become close friends with Cinccino and the others, happily playing together as if they had known each other for a long time.
Of course, it also quickly became a very capable worker at the ranch.
Working together with the Mudsdale and the others, Dragonite helped harvest the ripe pumpkins from the fields. One enormous pumpkin after another was lifted easily into its arms and placed carefully onto the wooden cart.
"Mud! Mud!"
"Draa~"
The two Pokémon exchanged a few sounds with each other, and eldest Mudsdale expressed its gratitude.
With Dragonite helping out, the pumpkin harvest progressed extremely quickly.
Being thanked by the Pokémon made Dragonite feel very proud. It flexed its arms and struck a strong pose, looking incredibly happy.
"Meow~"
Meowth called out from the pumpkin field, signaling Dragonite again. It had discovered several more huge pumpkins.
Dragonite quickly responded and hurried over to harvest them together with Meowth.
Eldest Mudsdale stamped its hooves happily and walked toward the silo with light, rhythmic steps. Together with Kangaskhan and the others, it placed the harvested pumpkins neatly onto the storage racks.
Pumpkins were different from most other crops.
Because they were protected by a thick and sturdy rind, they could be stored for a very long time as long as they were not cracked or crushed. Normally they could last three to four months without any problem at all.
However, judging by how obsessed the Mudsdale brothers and the others were with pumpkins, if the first batch of harvest could last even one month, that would already count as a great success.
At the same time, another crop was also experiencing a huge harvest.
Yams.
Silas personally led Cyclizar and Galarian Meowth to harvest them, working together with the two younger Mudsdale.
Harvesting yams was similar to harvesting beets, because both of them grew underground. The part that people ate was mainly the tuber.
Just like the other crops, most of the harvest was packed into crates and prepared for sale, while a smaller portion was kept to expand the ranch's menu.
Although yams could not be stored quite as long as pumpkins, if they were processed properly they could still last for two to three months.
Silas was conducting his first storage experiment.
If everything worked well, then during winter he could use the yams to cook warm and comforting soups.
Yam pork rib soup.
Yam mushroom chicken soup.
Each time Silas mentioned a new dish, Morpeko standing beside him would cooperate by making exaggerated slurping sounds.
"Bring that cardboard box over here to help."
Silas reached out and lightly pushed Morpeko's back.
The little mouse Pokémon with puffed cheeks immediately carried out the order.
Soon afterward, Silas saw a moving cardboard box sliding toward him before bumping into his ankle. Morpeko struggled underneath it, lifting its head to peek out.
Silas rubbed its little forehead, then straightened the cardboard box and spread a layer of dry sand at the bottom.
He placed the yams inside with their stems facing upward, then covered about two thirds of them with sand.
This was a traditional method of storing root vegetables long term using sand.
The box just needed to be placed somewhere cool and ventilated, and the sand's moisture level had to be checked periodically to ensure it stayed slightly dry.
By the time Silas finished his work, it was already getting late.
After giving Cyclizar a quick instruction, Silas picked up two yams and carried a large pumpkin in his arms as he headed toward the small house to prepare lunch.
The pumpkin pie that Mudsdale had been thinking about for so long definitely had to be made today.
As for the yams, they could be stir fried with meat, and he could also make yam glutinous rice cakes.
[Pumpkin Pie (C+): Rich fragrance and a crispy crust. A very pleasant autumn dish.
Dish Effect: Large stamina recovery. After eating it, Pokémon gain a small temporary boost to all six stats for thirty minutes.]
Although the effect was fairly minor, having some effect was still better than none.
Silas took three slices and placed them on the windowsill where the Mudsdale brothers had been waiting eagerly.
The three Mudsdale first sniffed the pie with their noses. Then they swallowed the slices in big bites while chewing vigorously.
Soon afterward they snorted with satisfaction and stamped their hooves happily.
Unlike pumpkin porridge, they absolutely loved pumpkin dishes like this.
"As long as you like it."
Seeing Pokémon enjoy the food he made always made Silas feel very happy.
At lunchtime that day the entire table was filled with dishes.
In the end nothing was left at all.
Everything had been completely eaten.
After the meal Silas lay down and rested for a short while with his head resting against Dragonite's soft, bouncy belly. Only when Cinccino came running to call Dragonite out to play did Silas finally get up.
He still had work to do in the afternoon.
He walked directly toward the berry orchard.
Meganium and Tropius were the same as always.
They were constantly showing affection and feeding each other sweetness like an inseparable couple.
"I'm free this afternoon. Meganium, come with me to the back mountain. We need to hire a Fletchinder to help incubate your eggs. Let Tropius watch over the eggs and the others for now."
"Megaa~!"
Meganium gently rubbed its head against each Pokémon egg one by one before reluctantly leaving with Silas.
Then it invited Silas to ride on its back.
The Pokémon living in the back mountain area of the ranch were generally not very strong. Meganium might not specialize in combat, but it was still a fully evolved Pokémon.
It simply did not enjoy fighting.
That did not mean it could not fight if necessary.
It still had enough strength to deal with baby Pokémon easily.
However, when they set off, Silas ended up carrying two additional passengers in his arms.
Litten and Rowlet.
The two of them insisted on accompanying Silas, claiming they needed to protect him. In reality, they simply wanted to stay close to him.
Meganium's back was extremely steady. There was almost no sense of bumping as it walked slowly toward the back mountain.
Along the path, Caterpie and Scatterbug saw the huge Pokémon approaching and immediately fled in panic to hide.
Rowlet showed great interest in them and looked eager to chase them, but Silas held it firmly in his arms and pressed down gently on its head to stop it from bullying the bug Pokémon.
"Meow~" (Exactly!)
Litten glanced sideways and agreed with Silas.
Silas lightly tapped Litten on the head.
"You too. You can't keep ordering Butterfree and Appletun around all day."
Soon the group arrived deep within the back mountain forest.
Their first stop was to find the local tyrant of the forest.
Pinsir.
Silas hired it using a honey pancake as payment, asking it to guide them in searching for Fletchinder.
Finding Fletchinder was actually quite simple.
If you discovered patches of burnt grass, that area was likely the territory of a Fletchinder.
They often scattered sparks over grass where bug Pokémon might be hiding. When the frightened bugs ran out in panic, the Fletchinder would attack them, roast them with flames, and then slowly enjoy the cooked prey.
After walking only a short distance, they discovered their first Fletchinder.
This one had an extremely aggressive personality.
The moment it saw Pinsir it attacked immediately, treating it as prey.
A Fletchinder like this was not suitable for the ranch.
There were many bug Pokémon living at the ranch, so they needed one with a much gentler personality.
After walking more than two kilometers further, they encountered another Fletchinder.
This one had a decent personality.
Unfortunately, its ability was Big Pecks, which Silas considered unsuitable for the job.
He gave the bird Pokémon a honey pancake and prepared to leave.
"Fletch, fletch!"
"Yes, we are looking for a Fletchinder that can help incubate eggs."
The bird pecked at the pancake and then flapped its wings while pointing toward a direction.
Through Rowlet's translation, Silas finally understood what the Fletchinder meant.
His eyes widened instantly.
"You mean there is a Fletchinder over there that helps other Pokémon incubate eggs?"
The Big Pecks Fletchinder nodded.
"Thank you so much. You can have these pancakes too."
Silas gave it three more pancakes before leaving, heading in the direction it had indicated.
They did not need to search for very long.
Just after passing a patch of low bushes, two Pokémon appeared before them.
One of them was exactly the Pokémon Silas had been searching for.
A gentle natured Fletchinder that willingly helped other Pokémon incubate their eggs.
The scene unfolding before them proved it.
At that moment the Fletchinder was helping a Vivillon incubate its egg.
It was truly incredible.
Only after the Vivillon finished and left with its egg did Silas signal Meganium to step forward.
Meganium approached slowly and greeted the Fletchinder, beginning their first interaction and conversation.
(End of Chapter)