Tomorrow would be the tasting party, and the very first batch of fruit wine he had brewed would undoubtedly be the absolute star of the event.
Before letting his friends sample it, Silas naturally wanted to taste it himself in advance.
After entering the cellar and walking only a few steps deeper inside, a rich aroma of wine began to curl around his nose.
The fragrance carried the sweetness of fruit, blended with the mellow depth unique to fermented products.
It felt as though the entirety of summer had been sealed away inside this cellar, the scent so enticing that Silas swallowed unconsciously and quickened his pace.
The first row, ten wooden barrels lined up neatly, was the result of his very first attempt at winemaking.
"It smells pretty good. I just wonder how it tastes."
As he thought this, Silas had already pulled the stopper from one of the barrels and poured himself a glass. A faint apple fragrance immediately rushed into his nostrils.
[Apple Wine (C): The first work of a beginner winemaker. The flavor may not be perfect, but it carries a heart full of sincerity.
Drink Effect: Bug Gathering: Placing a glass of apple wine outdoors has a chance to attract one or more Applin Pokémon.]
As expected, it was still lacking somewhat. When the fruit wine slid down his throat, the apple's tartness was distinctly noticeable.
It was drinkable, certainly—but it probably wouldn't be wildly popular.
The older Indeedee moved that barrel one row back, and Silas continued tasting the remaining nine barrels one by one.
Only two of them truly satisfied him in flavor—raspberry wine and peach wine.
Both had uniquely distinct tastes. Silas even let the older Indeedee sample them, and Indeedee agreed they were quite good.
"Then we'll tentatively use the peach wine and raspberry wine to entertain our guests. The rest can be for everyone to taste freely."
"Indee!"
The older Indeedee followed behind him, indicating that it had memorized this and would remind Silas tomorrow.
The man and his Pokémon left the cellar together. Since they would be hosting friends the next day, preparations had to begin that very afternoon.
The open space in front of the ranch house was large enough to serve as the gathering venue.
Wooden tables were set up one by one, each covered with a red cloth, which made the area look much more festive.
Minccino and the other little ones played hide-and-seek nearby. They didn't need to help this afternoon—their only job was to play.
Around six in the evening, a small truck pulled up beside the ranch gate.
Gario had come for his usual collection. Yesterday, after learning that a large batch of crops at Silas's ranch had ripened, he had cleared out his truck in advance.
Seeing someone arrive, Cyclizar hurried toward the house to call Silas.
"Sorry, sorry for keeping you waiting, Gario."
"Not at all, I just got here myself. Are you preparing for tomorrow's wine tasting?"
"That's right!"
The two chatted as they walked toward the silo.
"I'm really looking forward to it—wine brewed by Silas himself."
"Hahaha! I won't disappoint you, Gario."
Silas smiled as he brought out the crops to be sold that day.
Most of the melons and watermelons, as well as all of the chili peppers and green beans.
As for what the ranch would consume, Silas had set aside a portion separately—more than enough for the whole family to eat for a week.
After weighing everything, Gario paid according to the market price of the day.
They worked together to load the various produce onto the small truck.
As he prepared to leave, Gario leaned out of the window. "Tomorrow at four in the afternoon, I'll be there on time."
"Alright!"
Silas nodded and waved goodbye.
At first, Silas had considered setting the event in the morning, but after thinking it over, he gave up on that idea.
If it were in the morning, his fellow rancher friends wouldn't be able to attend—they'd be tied up with their daily ranch work and wouldn't be able to get away.
After seeing Gario off, it was already getting late. Silas and the Pokémon shared a hearty dinner centered entirely around green beans.
Green beans stir-fried with minced meat, braised green bean noodles, cold green bean salad, green bean and egg soup…
The entire group of Pokémon unanimously declared that Silas should never plant green beans again.
Carrying Minccino in his arms, Silas went upstairs early and lay down in bed, conserving his energy for the next day's event.
The next morning—
Silas rose early. After breakfast and finishing the ranch's routine chores with the Pokémon, he began preparing for the afternoon's gathering.
Before four o'clock even arrived, friends who had received invitations began arriving at the ranch one after another.
The first to arrive were Korrina and Gym Leader Gurkinn. Even before they appeared in sight, Korrina's cheerful shout could be heard from afar.
The moment she entered the ranch, she scooped up Minccino—who had been helping arrange the venue—and showered it with kisses and playful cheek-pinches.
The little one had been eating meals with special culinary effects every day. It had been raised to near perfection—there was simply no one who wouldn't adore it.
Even Gurkinn wasn't immune. He reached out to rub Minccino's large ears, causing the little one to shyly kick its legs.
With a sudden burst of movement, Minccino wriggled free from Korrina's embrace, darted toward Silas, and climbed up onto him.
"Min Min~!"
Scratching its chin gently, Silas said softly, "Don't worry. Gym Leader Gurkinn doesn't mean any harm—he just thinks you're too cute."
"Min!"
Being praised so suddenly, Minccino's little face flushed faintly pink. It buried its head in Silas's arms and clutched tightly at his clothes.
Walking toward the two guests, Silas beckoned the Indeedee siblings over.
"Silas, these two Indeedee are the ones…"
"That's right!" Silas nodded, placing a hand on each of their heads. "If it weren't for Gym Leader Gurkinn's introduction, I might never have met these two diligent little ones. With them here, most of my ranch work is taken care of."
"I'm glad they've been of help."
Silas invited Gurkinn to sit first, as it wasn't yet time for the official start of the event.
Soon after, more people arrived at the ranch, including Siebold, who had traveled by water, riding his Blastoise upstream along the river.
"Wow! Silas, your ranch has grown this large already? It hasn't even been that long—this is incredible."
"You made it, Siebold and Blastoise too."
Silas stepped forward to greet both trainer and Pokémon.
"Blastoise~"
Blastoise gave a simple, honest smile.
Besides the fruit wine, which was the star of the event, Silas had also prepared plenty of snacks.
Freshly harvested watermelon and sweet melon from that very morning were indispensable.
Sweet mini egg tarts, red date glutinous rice cakes, mung bean cakes, honey pancakes, assorted berry platters, sablés, and various flavors of Poffins.
Of course, the essential summer cooling treats—chilled jelly cakes and milkshakes couldn't be missing either.
All these snacks were laid out across the long dining tables for everyone to enjoy freely.
There was only one rule: no wasting food.
Litten had voluntarily taken on the role of supervisor, prowling about like a lion patrolling its territory.
At this very moment, it was secretly watching Korrina from the shadows.
It stared in disbelief as the petite girl continued placing dessert after dessert into her mouth, while Minccino even assisted her from the side.
Her stomach seemed like a bottomless pit, leaving Litten utterly dumbfounded.
"Cyc~"
Cyclizar suddenly appeared and patted Litten, signaling it to relax.
That girl could really eat. Silas had prepared so many desserts precisely with her in mind.
Otherwise, if too little had been made, the event might have been wiped clean by Korrina before it even officially began.
But judging by the current situation—
With Korrina, Lazy Mareep, and Morpeko—these three great big eaters gathered in one place,
The snacks Silas had prepared probably wouldn't last very long at all.
(End of Chapter)