Mesagoza was located in the southern region of the Paldea, a bustling coastal town.

  From the inal owner's memories, Naoki khe City was known for its various local festivals.

  For example, the Spriival, the Water Pokémon Rally, and the summer-only fireworks dispy.

  These unique events attracted many visitors and bined with the flourishing agriculture and animal husbandry around the town, Mesagoza had developed steadily over time.

  The "Mesagoza Market" withiown was even more famous.

  Naoki walked dowreet with Cyclizar, pedestrians with various Pokémon strolling leisurely in the sea breeze. The atmosphere was cozy and rexed.

  This time, besides buying food, Naoki had other important tasks.

  He o visit the town's carpentry shop, general store, seed shop, and the store that sold ranon and ordinary animals.

  "It's almost six o'clock," Naoki thought, a little worried the shops might close soon. He paused and asked the Cyclizar, "Are you hungry?"

  "Groo!"

  The Cyclizar hen shook its head. It was intelligent enough to uand that Naoki had things to do, so it could wait a little longer.

  Seeing its response, Naoki smiled, patted its head, and said, "Good boy, the's go to the general store first."

  "Groo~"

  The town wasn't big. Perhaps to prevent visitors from getting lost, the locations of various shops were clearly marked on both street signs and billboards.

  Log the general store on the map, Naoki headed straight for it.

  After crossing an interse, a red brick building appeared before Naoki.

  It was evening, and the store was empty except for a bald man wearing gsses sitting behind the ter, fiddling with a Foongus bag.

  Hearing the wind chimes jingle as the door opehe man looked up. "Ah? A er! Wele!"

  Naoki greeted him politely, then asked, "Do you have any seasonings here?"

  "Yes! On the innermost shelf!"

  Naoki walked over and found a wide variety of seasonings on the shelves, just as the man had said.

  Oil, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, flour, spices, red bean paste, butter, sugar, pepper.

  Their prices were clearly marked on the shelves.

  For example, a bag of flour cost 200 Pokédolrs, a bottle of oil cost 100 Pokédolrs, and red bean paste cost 150 Pokédolrs.

  Looking at these prices, Naoki was a bit puzzled about the cost of things in the Pokémon world.

  A small bag of flour was the same price as a Poké Ball. From that perspective, Poké Balls didn't seem that expensive.

  After a moment's sideration, Naoki bought one of each seasoning.

  When he brought his items to the ter, the shopkeeper looked surprised. He took out a bag and asked, "Did you just move to Mesagoza?"

  "Yes," Naoki nodded.

  The shopkeeper smiled. "Then enjoy your life in Mesagoza! Alright, the total es to 2,820 Pokédolrs."

  Naoki didn't pay immediately. Instead, he asked, "Do you have fishing rods here?"

  "Fishing rods? Yes!"

  The shopkeeper turned around arieved a few fishing rods from a shelf, pg them on the ter. "Each fishing rod has a different price," he expined. "This one is 2,000 Pokédolrs. If you pair it with bait, you caton and fish ahere's water."

  "This fishing rod costs 5,000 Pokédolrs. It's made of higher quality materials, so it performs better than the 2,000-Pokédolr rod and is more durable."

  "And this one here is 15,000 Pokédolrs. It's the and most powerful fishing rod, made with the most advanced materials and boasting top-notch performance."

  Naoki's eyes sed the three fishing rods. He ultimately chose the standard 2,000-Pokédolr rod, pnning to use it for the time being.

  "The total es to 4,820 Pokédolrs. Sihis is your first time shopping here, I'll give you a box of bait for free. Please e again!" The shopkeeper smiled and handed him a tin .

  "Thank you," Naoki said, taking his purchases and leaving the store.

  His stop was the carpentry shop, located on the edge of town with a forest behind it.

  A wooden stake stood outside the shop, a saw stu it.

  Just as Naoki was about to knock, the door opened.

  A sturdy woman with a high pink ponytail and a headband emerged.

  After Naoki expined his purpose, she led him into the workshop at the back.

  "Are you the new ranch owner who just moved here?" she asked curiously.

  Naoki was slightly taken aback, then realized that Mayor Cvell had probably informed her of his arrival.

  He nodded. "My name is Naoki."

  "Just call me Kora," the woman replied.

  "Yes, Miss Kora."

  As they walked, Kora expihe process of expanding the ranch house. "You haven't he ranch yet, have you?"

  Naoki shook his head. "Not yet. I only arrived yesterday."

  "No worries, just making versation," Kora said with a smile. "Well, Mayor Cvell filled me in. You're here to learn about rest the Pokémon shed and expanding the house, right?"

  "That's right."

  "The me expin. Repairing the Pokémon shed requires 50,000 Pokédolrs and 300 pieces of lumber. Once repaired, you raise Miltank and Mareep there. Of course, that's a bit pricey for yht now."

  "So I reend starting with building a chi coop and raising regur chis. The eggs they y be sold for profit. A chi coop only needs 20,000 Pokédolrs and 150 pieces of lumber."

  "Also, you'll o build a silo on the ranch to store feed. We'll give you one for free the first time you build it."

  Naoki houghtfully, takial note of the prices.

  "What about expanding the house?" he asked.

  "That's much simpler," Kora replied. "A fully funal house would cost around two million Pokédolrs. We help you add a sed floor, a separate kit and bathroom, and renovate the basement. Usually, ranchers use the basement for making wine."

  "We also offer furniture services. Besides basic tables, chairs, and benches, you also buy aper, carpets, refrigerators, ste ets, various light fixtures, and so on."

  Five mier, Naoki walked out of the carpentry shop.

  Calg the remaining money, he realized he still had a long way to go.

  "This feels even busier than my 996 job..." he sighed, then envisiohe day when the ranch would be restored to its flory. A look of anticipation appeared on his face – by then, he could rex and enjoy the leisurely life of a rancher.

  Sihe Pokémon shed wasn't a priority at the moment, there was o visit the shop that sold ranon just yet.

  Riding Cyclizar, Naoki headed to his final destination – the seed shop.

  The seed shop owner was a middle-aged man with brown hair and a slightly plump figure, wearing a brown coat.

  When Naoki arrived, the man was having dinner with his wife and daughter.

  Seeing a er, the owner immediately stood up and greeted him. "Wele! Take a look around and see what seeds you'd like to buy."

  Naoki wasn't sure what to get since he only had a bag of turnip seeds given by the mayor.

  Following the owner's lead, he saw a vast array of seeds in tainers.

  Potatoes, turnips, garlic, strawberries, cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, grass, and even seeds for fruit trees like peaches and es.

  Naoki was dazzled by the variety. The seed shop owner expined, "These are crops and fruit trees suitable for spring pnting. They're easy to grow after cultivation. As long as you water ailize them on time, they'll grow big ahy."

  Naoki nodded silently.

  The seeds in this world were different from those in the Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley games he had pyed.

  There were many seeds in each packet here, enough to pnt a rge area, unlike in the games where one packet only covered oile of nd.

  After some thought, Naoki decided to buy a packet of each seed, including those for the fruit trees.

  The seed prices varied. The basic turnips were only 60 Pokédolrs per packet, while strawberries, cucumbers, and the like cost 120 or 150 per packet.

  Altogether, the seeds came to 1,370 Pokédolrs.

  As a result, he only had 27,000 Pokédolrs left from selling the bck truffle.

  After pag up the seeds, Naoki left the store with Cyclizar.

  It was getting dark outside.

  Naoki looked up at the starry sky, took a deep breath, and said, "Alright, let's go grab some dinner!"

  "Groo..." The Cyclizar looked a little downcast.

  Naoki smiled and patted its head, the into a restaurant.

  After a long day, he po eat out tonight.

  The waiter handed him the menu, whicluded both human food and dishes specifically for Pokémon.

  A Pokémon like Cyclizar... probably preferred meat, right?

  Thinking of this, Naoki ordered a meat dish for Cyclizar and a fruit ptter as a reward for its hard work today.

  Soon, the food arrived at their table.

  Watg Cyclizar eat with gusto, Naoki felt a warm glow in his heart.

  Pokémon were so i and adorable.

  He looked down at the fragraable stew and soup in front of him, and their information popped up in his mind.

  As expected, these dishes didn't have any special abilities that could enhanon.

  Naoki was sure of it now: "It seems only the food I cook has that kind of power."

  After dinner, Naoki went back to the general store to buy ingredients for the few days.

  Since he didn't have a refrigerator at home, he only bought enough for three days.

  The temperature was still cool this time of year, so the food wouldn't spoil easily if left indoors.

  Naoki carried his bags of groceries and climbed bato Cyclizar. In the darkness, the man and Pokémon headed home.

  The night air was chilly, and the wi cold against his skin.

  Cyclizar was sensitive to the cold, but Naoki, riding on its back, felt warm, which helped to ward off the chill.

  At that moment, Cyclizar suddenly craved another bowl of Naoki's hot noodle soup.

  Cyclizar was fast, and they returo the ran less than thirty minutes.

  The ranch itch bck at night. Naoki had anticipated this and brought a fshlight with him.

  He fumbled for it in the dark, but before he could find it, he heard a loud "bang!"

  The sound was deafening, apanied by the crag of trees.

  It was as if something had fallen from the sky, crashing into the rand knog down a group of trees.

  Startled, Naoki finally located the fshlight and quickly sho towards the sound.

  Soon, he saw a strange, dark figure in his farmnd.

  Naoki froze, and Cyclizar beside him rose from its riding position, looking warily in the same dire.

  It sensed an unusual presence.

  The fshlight beam illumihe dark figure, which y motionless on the ground, seemingly unscious.

  With the help of the light, Naoki finally made out the figure's true form.

  A scarlet body, a thick tail, fmboyant dragon whiskers, and an airbag on its chest that resembled a motorcycle tire.

  It was...

  Naoki was stunned.