"So maivals, it sounds really exg!" Naoki's heart was stirred with excitement as Ivan described the town's vibraival life.

  Ivan gnced around and theioned, "It seems you don't have a horse Pokémo! Without one, you won't be able to participate in the horse rag event."

  Naoki paused. "..."

  He couldn't just jure a horse Pokémon out of thin air!

  Horse-type Pokémon were rare, and they weren't only found around the town. Pokémon like Rapidash arika roamed the vast open grassnds, far from the town's terrain. The heavy Mudsdale lived in the foothills, and it was unlikely he'd enter one in this enviro.

  As for the other horse Pokémon, only the Gar region's Spectrier and Gstrier came to mind, but they were hardly options. Naoki couldly ride Koraidon to Gar to challehe Calyrex for a Pokémon!

  Ivan seemed to realize the predit too and offered a sheepish smile. "If you don't have a horse, we always just watch the race together from the stands!"

  Naoki shrugged. "We'll see wheime es!"

  Who knows? Maybe he'd get lucky and stumble upon a horse Pokémon in the nearby hills.

  "Yeah!" Ivan hen, remembering he had more work to do, bid Naoki farewell ahe ranch.

  As Ivan's figure disappeared in the distanaoki found himself deep in thought.

  Today was February 21st, meaning there were only a couple of days left until the Spring Cattle and Sheep Judging petition. The ranch's only cattle and sheep Pokémon were his Gogoat and the newly raised Miltank.

  The Miltank, having just arrived, hadn't been at the ranch long enough for its coat to develop a shiny, healthy gloss.

  With this in mind, Naoki headed to the sheepfold to che the three Gogoat, who were lounging on the ground.

  In parison, the Gogoat's fur was in excellent dition. Their long periods of leisurely grazing and riutrition had resulted in a strong, healthy mental state aifully maintained fur. The wool was soft, smooth, a almost velvety to the touch.

  'These guys are defihe best didates for the petition,' Naoki thought, smiling.

  With a fident nod, Naoki made his decision. "Alright, it's decided—you three will be representing the ranch! Perform well and bring home first pe!"

  The Gogoat blinked in fusion. "Baa...?"

  But Naoki was already walking away, heading to the barn to cheiltank.

  ...

  The ranch had bee even more lively with the addition of three rge Miltank. Two of them were brought over from town by Naoki ter, giving the inal Miltank some pany and alleviating its loneliness.

  These three Miltank provided a substantial amount of Moo Moo Milk each day. Coupled with the goat milk from his Gogoat and the rock salt from his Nacli, the ranch's daily ine had bee quite substantial.

  Naoki had big pns for the money he was earning. He wao install air ditioners in his home, the chi coop, the Pokémon House, and the salt house. That way, when the scorg summer arrived, he and his Pokémon could rex in the cool air, eating watermelon and enjoying the forts of modern life.

  The Miltank wouldn't have to suffer in the heat either; they could stay fortably in their s, mung on feed without a care.

  With the ranch's eic crisis temporarily resolved, Naoki found himself with more time on his hands, which he used to explore new ary creations.

  That afternooook a trip to town aurned with a bounty of new ingredients and kit utensils, including an oven and frying pans, eager to show off his cooking skills.

  Today, he po create a new dish using the oven.

  I, Naoki id out all the necessary tools and ingredients: an egg beater, the oven, eggs, high-gluten flour, sugar, milk, butter, and honey.

  The eggs were fresh from his own hens, the milk roduced by his Miltank, and the honey was gathered by his diligent bee.

  Everything was set, and Naoki got to work.

  Just then, Alcremie came boung over, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Alcremie!" it called out happily.

  "Do you want to help?" Naoki asked, smiling down at the eager Pokémon.

  "Alcremie!" Alcremie nodded enthusiastically, its love for making desserts evident.

  "Alright, let's do this together!" Naoki agreed with a grin.

  He was about to start making the cake base, and with some help from Alcremie, and by adding some fresh whipped cream from his Alcremie, he was fident they could whip up a delicious caramel cream cake.

  But before moving on to the caramel cream cake, Naoki focused on the dessert he had inally po make.

  He carefully mixed high-gluten flgs, milk, and sugar until the ingredients were evenly blehen, he added yeast to the mixture and k into a smooth dough. C the dough with pstic , he set it aside to rest for 30 minutes.

  After the dough had rested, Naoki took it out and pced it on the work surface, switg to kneading mode. As he worked the dough, he gradually incorporated softened butter, ensuring the texture was just right.

  Ohe dough was ready, he shaped it into small buns, spread a yer of sweet filling over each, and pced them in the oven to bake.

  Soon, with a satisfying "ding," rows of honey buns emerged from the oven.

  As soon as the oven door ened, a rich aroma of milk and honey wafted through the kit, making Naoki's mouth water.

  The honey buns had a golden, crispy crust, but the real treat was inside—soft, fluffy, and with a teexture that melted in your mouth, each bite bursting with the sweetness of honey.

  "Yeah, perfect!" Naoki excimed, pleased with the result.

  He handed one of the buns to Alcremie, who eagerly accepted it with a cheerful "Mree!" The into one himself, sav the delicious fvor. As he ehe treat, Naoki decided to check the information on the bread.

  [Honey Bun (A-)]: This bread is made with ingredients such as sweet honey and Moo Moo Milk. The rich aroma of honey will also attract the attention of some Bear Pokémon.

  Effebsp;Bear Explosion. After eating, Bear Pokémon will enter a state of inspiration. In this state, their prehension ability is improved. This effect is limited to Bear Pokémon.

  Additional effebsp;Greatly increases the favorability of Bear Pokémon.

  Evaluation: A delicious little bread with a thick yer of sweetness, perfectly blending the fvors of honey, eggs, flour, and milk. It is a very good type of bread.

  "Not bad at all," Naoki thought, impressed by the bread's effects.

  He immediately thought of a particur Bear Pokémon he khe mischievous little Teddiursa that often visited the ranch. The thought of the cub brought a smile to his face, but then his expression grew more serious.

  'e to think of it,' Naoki realized, 'I haven't seen Teddiursa in several days.'

  It had been almost five days sihe little bear st visited the ranch.

  "Could something have happeo it?" Naoki wondered, worry creeping in. He walked out of the kit, standing uhe eaves as he gazed toward the mountain behind the ranch.

  Not far off, Butterfree was busy colleg ar. Remembering how Butterfree often flew around the pasture, Naoki called it over.

  "Butterfree, have you seen Teddiursa in the past few days? Has it e to the ranch?"

  "Mmmmm..." Butterfree shook its head slightly. It hadn't seetle bear.

  "All right," Naoki murmured, his growing.

  tless possibilities fshed through his mind: 'Was Teddiursa captured by a passing trainer? Did it fall off a cliff and 't get back up? Or maybe it's in danger'?

  Naoki's thoughts swirled with worry as he tried to figure out what could have happeo the little bear.