The rancher sighed deeply.
"Yes, caring for them takes so much time—but summer orders are huge."
Kalos consumed massive amounts of Moomoo Milk—not just for ice cream, but also Poké Puffs, which used it as a key ingredient.
Because milk quality depended on pasture grass—and Santalune's pastures were superior—most ranches clustered here.
Ron pulled out the Auto-Grabber and explained its function.
"You're saying this can collect milk from all my Miltank?" The rancher eyed the device skeptically.
If it looked more high-tech, she might've believed it had internal mechanics. But this? Just a wooden box with a funnel stuck on top.
"I'll let you try it overnight," Ron offered. "One unit only works per building, though."
He glanced at her ranch—five separate barns.
Even at 30,000G each, that'd be 150,000G in sales.
Hesitant but hopeful, she accepted.
"If it doesn't work, return it tomorrow. The price is 30,000G—with lifetime warranty. Though I guarantee it won't break."
30,000G was steep—but if it cut her workload by 60%, it'd pay for itself fast.
She nodded. "I'll test it. If it works, I'll buy five."
After chatting about local land leases and pasture rents, Ron left to scout locations.
This area's premium grass made rents higher, but Ron didn't need quality pasture yet. His priority was cheap land to build a modest factory.
For security, he'd temporarily relocate the farm's Zubat squad. Since sales were limited to the food company, secrecy wasn't urgent—there was no risk of industrial espionage yet.
After circling the outskirts, he found a barren plot fenced with corrugated metal. A sign listed the rent and a contact number.
He dialed immediately.
"You want to lease that plot?" the owner laughed. "Sure, but fair warning—the soil's terrible. Nothing grows there, not even grass."
Industrial factories were banned anyway—Santalune prioritized livestock and protected the nearby forest's Bug/Grass Pokémon. No chemical plants or waste discharge allowed.
Ron knelt, crumbling dry, chalky soil between his fingers. Barren. Not a weed in sight.
"Can I build a small facility? Just for food packaging—processing ingredients into sealed bags."
"No issue," the owner said. "Rent's 10,000G/month."
At ~300 sqm (half an acre), that was 33G/sqm—reasonable.
Ron agreed, scheduling the contract signing for tomorrow morning.
Perfect timing: he'd use Auto-Grabber profits to pay the deposit, then hire builders.
Unlike Stardew Valley, no super-carpenter like Robin existed here. Construction would take weeks—but crews often employed Pokémon labor, speeding things up.
Ron only needed basic shelter: weatherproof, discreet.
With plans set, he headed back to Santalune City.
He'd meet Abigail for dinner and one last night at the Pokémon Center.
After tomorrow, he'd be too busy to assist her. If she earned her badge, she'd journey alone to the next Gym.
Unless… Ron doubted she'd lose. Even if Viola underestimated Gengar, she'd never unleash a high-level Pokémon on a first-time challenger.
At the city center, Abigail spotted him and waved.
"Ta-da!" She popped open her Badge Case, revealing the Santalune Badge. "First Gym—easy win!"
She was practically glowing—victory sweeter than expected.
Ron listened quietly as she recounted the battle. When she mentioned one-hit KOing Vivillon, he chuckled.
"What?"
"Nothing. Viola underestimated you."
Realistically, no Gym Leader expected a rookie to wield a Level 40 Pokémon. Here, leveling up required grinding wild battles (considered cruel) or trainer matches. No mine monsters to exploit.
But Abigail's path ahead was hers alone. Ron offered no advice—he'd only ever leveled Pokémon via game mechanics which was useless here.
He knew that a Level 40 Gengar would carry her halfway to the end. As for the rest? She'd have to figure it out herself.
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