What Yushu did not know was that after he left, a transparent figure silently appeared on the ranch.
Its gaze lingered on the kitchen window for a moment, where the freshly made Pokéblocks sat.
It licked its lips.
Curiosity sparkled in its half-lidded eyes.
Two days later, Yushu crouched at the edge of the Berry orchard, lost in thought as he looked at the scene before him.
The Berry seedlings had grown branches.
That was not the point.
The point was that they were growing too fast.
Under a normal growth cycle, Berry seedlings needed at least five to seven days to grow tall and establish themselves.
But it had only been two days.
In two days, the seedlings had not only developed slender, woody branches, but their leaves had also unfurled and multiplied. They had grown into low bushes around half a meter tall, already taking on the outlines of fruit trees.
"This defies science."
Yushu crouched on the ground and gently touched a leaf with his finger.
The leaf was brightly colored, its veins clearly defined.
It looked nothing like a seedling planted just two days ago, and more like one planted two weeks ago.
He activated the Eye of Detection.
[Pecha Berry seedling] [Status: healthy, abnormal growth rate (approximately 300% above normal)] [Cause analysis: trace amounts of highly concentrated residual energy detected in the soil, suspected irrigation with a special water source.]
Yushu's brow twitched.
A special water source? That would be the water from Lake Acuity, then.
He had watered them exclusively with water from Lake Acuity. It tasted sweet, rather like water from a karez well, so he had figured it would be good for watering trees too.
But he had never imagined that the water could also promote growth.
It was as though a Pokémon version of the Little Green Bottle had fallen into it.
"Uxie..."
Yushu murmured to himself.
He had thought he would not get involved with Legendary Pokémon so soon.
After all, he was just an ordinary rancher who had absolutely nothing to do with Legendary Pokémon.
But now, it seemed one was right before his eyes.
I only wanted to farm in peace, but a legendary beast came looking to "snuggle up" instead?
At any rate, it was not a bad thing.
"Staraptor, have you been sneaking Pokéblocks again?"
Yushu stood in the kitchen with his hands on his hips, frowning deeply at the noticeably diminished stock of Pokéblocks on the counter.
"Star?"
Staraptor flew past the windowsill, tilting its head with an innocent look.
"Don't play dumb. I only made these yesterday, and now half are gone. Aren't you afraid you'll eat yourself to death?"
"Star! Staraptor!"
Staraptor shook its head fiercely, wearing an expression that said, "I've been framed!"
Half gone? That would be bliss.
No, no, that wasn't the point.
The point was, it wasn't freaking Snorlax. That much would stuff a bird to death!
"Then who ate them? Miltank? That doesn't seem possible either."
Yushu turned to look at Miltank.
"Moo~"
Miltank slowly raised its head.
Was he kidding? Would it do something like that?
It was a cow of standing. How could it do such a thing? That was beneath it, okay?
Could it be Torterra?
It couldn't even get through the door. That fellow was so big it got stuck in the doorway.
Luxray was even less likely. An upright kitty would never stoop to such sneaky business.
Vespiquen and Rotom?
They had small appetites. They couldn't eat that much.
Staraptor: ??? And I could?
"Forget it. I'll make more next time."
Yushu sighed helplessly and began preparing the ingredients again.
With Kaixin's order, he was not short of money for the time being.
But these Pokéblocks were disappearing far too quickly. Surely the place was not haunted?
Behind him, the six Pokémon exchanged glances.
Those looks said, Who exactly ate them?
Six pairs of eyes swept over one another, and a subtle atmosphere developed.
"Torterra." (I think you ate them.)
"Star." (I didn't!)
"Moo." (Could it be a ghost?)
"Rotom..." (Don't scare me...)
"Star!" (You're a ghost!)
"Roar~" (I also think you're more likely.)
"Buzz." (Agreed!)
"Star!" (It wasn't me!)
Staraptor felt terribly wronged.
It was determined to find the food thief.
With that many Pokéblocks, there had to be a stash.
It would thoroughly destroy those stolen goods to prove its innocence!
Over the next few days, Yushu's first task every morning was to inspect the Berry orchard.
The Berry branches were covered with small flowers in the colors of their respective Berries. They should bear fruit soon.
The Miltank's milk quality had also improved noticeably thanks to the Pokéblocks mixed into their feed.
The milk they produced now tasted richer, sweeter, and more fragrant.
With good milk on hand, Yushu began considering his next step.
He had originally planned to contact a buyer and sell the milk directly, but he had a new idea.
Wouldn't processing the fresh milk into cheese make it easier to sell?
Yushu scoured his memories of his previous life.
He had watched plenty of tutorials by grassland food bloggers on making cheese. Although he had never tried it himself, his theoretical knowledge of the steps was maxed out.
He got straight to work.
Following the steps he remembered from his previous life, Yushu began making cheese.
First, he heated the milk over low heat until slightly warm, turned off the heat, stirred in lemon juice, and let it sit until curds formed.
He strained off the yellow liquid through cheesecloth, then hung it up to drain for half an hour.
Finally, he packed the curds into a mold, pressed them firmly, and placed them in the refrigerator to set.
The whole process was not complicated, but it required patience.
Yushu used the downtime to inspect the Berry orchard and mix a fresh batch of feed for the Mareep and Miltank.
By the time the sun sank toward the west, the cheese in the refrigerator was finally ready to make its debut.
Six hours later.
Yushu opened the refrigerator and removed a whole block of cheese from the mold.
It was milky white, with a smooth, delicate surface, and gave off a rich, milky aroma.
He cut off a small piece and put it in his mouth.
The moment it entered his mouth, a rich, milky flavor bloomed on his tongue. Its texture was dense and delicate, with a faint hint of sweetness.
"It worked!"
Yushu could not help clenching his fist. It tasted much better than he had expected.
He put the remaining cheese on a plate, planning to take it over tomorrow and ask Kaixin if any merchants wanted to place an order.
At night, moonlight spilled over the ranch.
The ranch was quiet. The Pokémon were all asleep.
A transparent figure silently appeared on the kitchen windowsill once more.
Then, it carefully lifted one corner of the covering, picked up a small piece of cheese with its claws, and put it in its mouth.
Clang!!!!
The next second, its half-lidded eyes flew wide open.
Delighted surprise sparkled in those half-lidded eyes.
It picked up another piece and stuffed it into its mouth.
Then another.
And another.
Only after eating half of the largest block of cheese on the counter did it stop, still wanting more.
It licked its claws, then glanced at the upstairs room where Yushu slept.
Sorry, human.
But your food is just too delicious~(￣▽￣~)~