A rainy day

Early the next morning, Tong Hua opened his eyes to the patter of rain outside the window.

He sat up and looked outside. Sure enough, everything was gray, and a fine drizzle was falling.

"Haah..." Tong Hua yawned. This was perfect weather for sleeping.

None of the Pokémon beside him had woken up yet, and the cold, damp air suddenly made him feel chilly.

"Oh... better not catch a cold." Tong Hua got up, found a jacket to throw on, then turned back and tucked a blanket over the Pokémon still sleeping soundly on the bed.

The two Celebi were still cuddled together, each resting their head on the other's arm. Turtwig and Minccino, on the other hand, were far less graceful sleepers...

Tong Hua walked over to the other window, where Bounsweet's sleeping pot stood.

Bounsweet hadn't woken up either. The little Pokémon seemed very sensitive to the cold and had buried its entire body in the soil.

Tong Hua set the pot on the floor, opened the window, and took a deep breath of the moist air. The fragrance of earth and fresh grass filled him with a soothing freshness.

Mornings like this always felt especially peaceful.

"Not bad! Good thing I thought ahead and moved the logs indoors to keep them dry. And now I won't have to water the fields today, either."

Looking at the crops being watered by the rain, Tong Hua felt thoroughly pleased.

"Grrr..." His stomach gave a faint protest, and only then did he realize he was hungry.

He glanced back at the Pokémon curled up together on the bed, and a tender smile rose unbidden to his lips.

"If I remember right, the pickup truck doesn't come on rainy days. With those muddy village roads, even horse-drawn carts have trouble getting through when it rains, let alone trucks.

"In that case, there's no rush to milk Miltank."

Come to think of it, he wondered how Miltank was doing. This was her first night alone since coming to Fairy Tale Ranch.

"I'll make breakfast first, then go check on her," Tong Hua murmured to himself.

Before long, Tong Hua was in the kitchen, deftly taking out ingredients and getting to work.

The clink of kitchen utensils and the splash of running water wove together into a cozy morning melody. Soon, an enticing aroma filled the room.

"Labi...?" The green Celebi was the first to wake up at the smell. It rubbed its sleepy eyes and pulled free the arm that had gone numb beneath its companion.

It got up and flew straight over to Tong Hua.

"Oh, you're awake. Just a moment. It'll be ready soon."

Today, Tong Hua had once again made bread, fresh milk, bacon, and fried eggs. This time, though, his cooking benefited from the Cook profession's bonus.

Just as the Woodcarver profession allowed his body to perform woodworking tasks automatically, the Cook profession gave him the ability to cook automatically.

With High-Speed Craft added to the mix, a hearty breakfast was ready in under ten minutes.

The bread was golden and crisp, fragrant with wheat. The fresh milk was warm, with a thin skin floating on its surface.

The bacon was fried just right, its edges lightly browned and its fat sizzling. The eggs were tender, their yolks ready to spill deliciously at the lightest poke.

"Labi~!" The green Celebi's eyes lit up. It eagerly moved closer, its little nose twitching, clearly tempted by the delicious smell.

"Don't rush. Let's wait until everyone's awake and eat together." Tong Hua smiled and patted its head before turning to wake the other Pokémon.

Turtwig and Minccino were sprawled every which way. Turtwig had even rolled over and pinned Minccino beneath its belly.

Tong Hua gently patted Turtwig's shell. "Time to get up. If you don't, all the breakfast will be gone."

"Game!"

That magic word made Turtwig snap its eyes open and jerk upright.

Minccino popped out from underneath it with a little puff, then rubbed its face groggily. "Min...?"

The pink Celebi woke at the commotion, too, and silently flew up to settle on Tong Hua's shoulder.

Tong Hua gently dug Bounsweet out of its pot as well. The little Pokémon shook off the dirt and gave a sleepy yawn, but the moment it smelled food, it perked right up and hopped merrily over to the table.

"All right, is everyone here?" Tong Hua looked around to make sure no one had been left out. "Then let's dig-"

Before he could finish, a knocking sound came from outside the door. It wasn't loud, but it was urgent.

"Hm?" Tong Hua paused. Who would visit at this hour? The ranch rarely had visitors, especially on rainy days.

He walked over and opened the door. A gust of cold wind swept in, carrying fine rain, and standing in the doorway...

Was a thoroughly drenched Miltank.

"Milu..." she called softly, looking rather aggrieved. Mud and a few blades of grass clung to her body. She had clearly rolled all the way here.

Tong Hua's eyes widened. "Miltank?! Why did you come over by yourself?"

Miltank gently rubbed against his leg, her wet fur leaving a damp patch on his trousers.

Seeing her reaction, Tong Hua said sympathetically, "I'm sorry. That Pokémon Cottage must be freezing in this rain. I should have gone to bring you over earlier. I'm really sorry."

Miltank lowered her head, her ears drooping slightly, looking embarrassed.

"All right, all right. Just don't go running around outside today. You might catch a chill."

Tong Hua fetched a towel and crouched down to dry her off, then rubbed her head. "I'll go get the milking machine and hay in a bit. Stay in the cabin today. We'll figure things out once the rain stops."

"Milu."

After breakfast, Tong Hua hurried over to the Pokémon Cottage with an umbrella and fetched the milking machine and a bucket of licorice.

As he'd expected, rain had blown into the rather rudimentary Pokémon Cottage, soaking some of the hay inside. No wonder Miltank had been uncomfortable.

After all, the Visual Illusion Effect made the space inside the cottage appear larger. Once water pooled inside, that puddle would seem infinitely larger, too.

To someone inside, even a tiny puddle might end up looking like a lake.

"I never thought this effect could turn into a drawback...

"Looks like this cottage can only be a stopgap after all. I'll have to tear down the remaining old cottages as soon as possible, gather enough materials, and build the deluxe custom Pokémon Cottage Mr. Xiang Shi designed."

With his mind made up, Tong Hua returned to the cabin and took care of Miltank's daily milking first.

Once he had finished milking her, he began

Planning the day's tasks.

"Looks like this rain's going to last quite a while..."

Outside, the entire sky was gray and blanketed in dark clouds. It wouldn't be clearing up anytime soon.

Naturally, this wasn't suitable weather for construction.

"But... isn't a rainy day supposed to be good for fishing?"

Tong Hua suddenly remembered hearing that fish let their guard down on rainy days and were easier to catch than usual.

"Why not take this chance to catch a few fish and see if I can unlock the Fisher profession?

"It'll also help me prepare to start raising fish on the ranch later."

At that thought, Tong Hua's enthusiasm flared again. He packed his fishing gear, picked up an iron bucket, and prepared to leave.

"Min!" "Game!" "Labi!"

Seeing Tong Hua about to head out, the Pokémon gathered by the window hurried over to him.

"You want to come, too? It's raining outside... all right, all right. Don't look at me like that. Let's go together."

In the end, only Miltank and Bounsweet stayed behind to watch the house, while Tong Hua took the other four Pokémon to the Small Stream north of the ranch.

Along the way, Tong Hua passed the pond where the Bibarel family lived once again.

Fortunately, these little Pokémon were amphibious, so rainy weather didn't bother them.

"Hey, good morning." Tong Hua waved at the Bibarel family poking their heads out of the pond.

"Bi-bi!" Bibarel and the Bidoof responded cheerfully. One of them even held up a freshly caught little fish as if showing off.

"Impressive! Looks like fish really are more active when it rains," Tong Hua praised them with a smile.

After saying goodbye to the Bibarel family, Tong Hua continued north. The rain gradually eased, but the sky remained gloomy.

Turtwig raced excitedly along the muddy path, stopping now and then to slap puddles with its claws. The splashing water made Minccino squeal.

The two Celebi sat on Tong Hua's shoulders, seemingly enjoying the scent of the rainy day.

The rain washed away the dust, leaving the forest fresher, too.

Tong Hua stuck his umbrella into the ground, then sat right down.

"No matter what, I'm catching at least three fish today!"

As he set his goal, Tong Hua began digging through the nearby soil for earthworms.

Using earthworms as bait was better than stubbornly fishing with a bare hook.

As for chumming the water before fishing, Tong Hua wouldn't have done that even if he knew how.

After all, he was here to catch fish, not feed them.

He baited the hook, swung the rod, and cast the line. The hook landed in the water with a plop.

Tong Hua fixed his eyes on the float, once again beginning the grueling contest of waiting for a fish to bite...