Ranch Pokémon are a special category among the thousands of Pokémon species.
They all possess very high economic value and are deeply loved by ranch owners.
Miltank and Tauros are among their most representative examples, widely distributed across various regional continents.
Even in remote regions such as Ransei and Almia, their presence can still be found.
Their distribution is so widespread that they are almost as common as roadside Pikachu.
Stepping into the Pokémon shop, Silas found that it was open for business today, with quite a few people inside.
From their conversations, he learned that all of them were here for the Paldea region ranch Pokémon.
All at once, Silas grew nervous.
With so many people here, could they already be sold out?!
He quickened his pace and hurried to the front counter.
"Excuse me, I'd like to ask—have the newly arrived batch of ranch Pokémon all been sold out?"
The one who answered Silas was a female voice.
"Not yet, sir."
"Phew!" Silas let out a long sigh of relief. At least this trip hadn't been in vain.
"My name is Silas, and I'm a ranch owner from Route 12."
"Mr. Silas, just call me Camille. I'm the manager of this Pokémon shop. Feel free to ask me anything."
"I'd like to know what procedures and requirements are needed to purchase Paldea ranch Pokémon, and also what Pokémon are currently available."
Silas went straight to the point without any unnecessary preamble.
Following Camille, the two of them went to the backyard and entered an area enclosed by a glass dome.
Inside was practically a miniature ecosystem—rivers, grasslands, forests, mountains, deserts—every kind of environment one could imagine, able to accommodate the living conditions of most Pokémon.
Some Pokémon that had been domesticated by humans were playing and frolicking freely inside, living carefree and happy lives.
Silas and Minccino unconsciously struck the same pose, their gazes sweeping over the Pokémon in unison.
"Miltank, Dodrio, Tauros, Mareep, Phanpy, Skiddo, Noibat…"
All of them were common Pokémon in the Kalos region. The only relatively rare one was probably Noibat, after all, it was a Dragon-type Pokémon.
If Silas remembered correctly, Noibat had a habit of collecting Berries.
If you raised a group of Noibat, by the next day you would be able to find neatly gathered Berries inside their cave.
After passing through another section, Silas finally saw the true target of this trip.
His eyes immediately lit up—the ranch Pokémon from the Paldea region.
Camille stopped and pointed at the Pokémon playing around on the grass ahead, saying, "Those are the ranch Pokémon from Paldea."
"Take a look at that one. It's called Lechonk."
Following the direction of Camille's finger, Silas saw a small pig Pokémon with a black body, a brown face, and a pink nose, lying lazily in the shade of a tree.
At first glance, it looked chubby like a round ball, but upon closer inspection, one could tell its entire body was packed with muscle.
"That Pokémon is extremely gluttonous and spends every day foraging for food. With it around, you'll never return empty-handed from the mountains—it can help you find the most delicious wild delicacies. It's said that it can even locate the tasty crab claws dropped by Klawf."
"So amazing!"
"Min!"
Both Trainer and Pokémon couldn't help but marvel. With Lechonk along, going into the mountains would never be in vain.
Camille's introduction didn't stop there. She pointed toward a Pokémon hiding among the branches.
"That one is Tarountula, the String Ball Pokémon. The silk it produces is as strong as metal wire. Its purchase price in agricultural markets is extremely high, and it's one of the primary materials used to make high-end formal wear."
Its rear was wrapped up in a ball of white silk, leaving only its head and eight legs exposed, giving it a very cautious appearance.
"Over there, chasing butterflies, is the Puppy Pokémon, Fidough. It can produce a special yeast that can be used in cooking."
"And that one that looks like it's about to cry is Smoliv. After it evolves, it can produce a fragrant and delicious olive oil, highly favored by certain chefs."
There were simply too many—far too many to count.
Huddled together in a cave were Nacli, which could produce precious salt through friction by rubbing their bodies together.
There was Wattrel, capable of generating electricity and ensuring that fishing would never come up empty.
There was Toedscool, which lived in damp forests and would shed chewy, delicious slices of flesh.
There was Cyclizar, a top-tier mount Pokémon with three different forms.
Too many, far too many. The selection was so vast that Silas's eyes were practically spinning.
Each one was unique, and he wanted every single one of them.
He had already begun imagining the scene of his ranch after raising these Pokémon.
Slurp, slurp…
Without realizing it, drool slipped from the corner of his mouth.
He wanted them all. Every last one.
Shaking his head to suppress the excitement in his heart, Silas turned to Camille and asked about the prices.
"So, how much do these Pokémon cost?"
"Not expensive at all! Absolutely worth every bit of it."
"Lechonk 5,000; Tarountula 5,000; Fidough 5,000; Smoliv 6,500; Wattrel 7,500; Toedscool 8,800; Cyclizar 10,000; Nacli 20,000."
"..."
"So expensive!" That was Silas's first reaction. His second thought was, "As expected of ranch Pokémon shipped across the sea."
After all, in Kalos, a common Skiddo only cost 2,500, and even a Dragon-type Noibat was just 3,000.
Those were normal prices, since they were all juvenile Pokémon in their earliest forms.
The abilities they could display were extremely limited and required long-term training, which meant even more expenses.
With prices this high, it was no wonder so many ranch owners were hesitating at the entrance.
After thinking for a moment, Silas suddenly looked up and asked, "Do Elite Trainers get a discount?"
"Only twenty percent off."
Silas let out a sigh. He could only adjust his plans and purchase selectively.
Buying ranch Pokémon was just the first expense. After that, he would need to prepare food for them and build suitable living quarters—those would be the real money sinks.
With that in mind, Silas made his decision. "I'll buy three Noibat, one Smoliv, and one Cyclizar."
"Three Noibat is 9,000, Smoliv is 6,500, Cyclizar is 10,000. After the 20% discount, that comes to 20,400."
"I'll round it down for you—20,000 even."
Clutching his chest, Silas felt a wave of heartache.
He'd only just warmed that money up, and more than half of it was gone in one go.
At the beach festival two days from now, he would have to show some real skill.
"Are there any freebies?"
"Yes, of course. Three months' worth of Pokémon feed, plus one year of free medical fee reductions."
"Swipe the card!"
"Ding. Remaining bank balance: 26,800."
League coins really vanished fast. In the blink of an eye, twenty thousand was gone.
Now he was actually glad he hadn't chosen Pokémon like Nacli or Toedscool.
They required fixed outdoor huts and salt caves, which would have been another huge expense.
In comparison, Smoliv was tiny—putting it on the balcony would be enough.
Cyclizar could even sleep indoors together with him.
The only troublesome part was having to build a cave for the three Noibat, but that was just a few punches' worth of work for Kangaskhan—hardly costly at all.
Camille smiled and nodded. "Alright then, Mr. Silas. Please leave an address. At most, within three days, the Pokémon and the complimentary items will all be delivered to your ranch."
"Before that, please make sure you prepare proper living spaces for them, and don't forget to build a bond with them."
"Alright, I understand."
Leaving the shop, his wallet instantly felt much lighter, while his belt now carried five empty Poké Balls.
Sigh… If only he could take a trip to Paldea right now, he could catch Pokémon in the wild and bring them back to raise himself.
But as things stood now, he could only obediently purchase them.
Well, buying them was fine—no regrets.
Silas took Minccino out for a good meal, then returned to the ranch before nightfall.
The moment he got back, Kangaskhan and the three Mudbray both gathered around him. Even Chatot was there—how rare!
"Are you all hungry? I'll go make food right now."
The next day, Silas was still deep in sleep when he was woken up by Chatot's noisy cries.
It turned out that the ranch Pokémon he had purchased yesterday had already arrived and were waiting for him at the ranch gate to be received.
(End of Chapter)