Preparation

'Speaking of horse Pokémon,' Naoki thought, 'my favorite and the one I could realistically capture right now is Rapidash.' There are two forms of Rapidash: the standard Fire-type and the Galarian form with its rainbow-colored mane. This Pokémon has flames that blaze along its back and mane, making it look both cool and impressive when running.

'If I were to ride on it while wearing a helmet, I could start cosplaying as the Grim Reaper right away.' The thought brought a small smile to Naoki's face.

'However, these Pokémon live in the vast wilderness, and there aren't many of them, so taming one would be quite challenging.'

After hanging up the phone, Naoki turned back to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner for the Pokémon. There was still much to do on the ranch. With summer approaching, he needed to set up supports for the beer peanuts growing in the farmland. The road that had been damaged by the Pokémon playing also needed repairs, and, of course, he had to take care of all the Pokémon on the ranch.

'There's no way I can go out for an extended period right now,' Naoki thought. 'Maybe it's best to skip the horse racing event this time.'

'This is only my first year in this world, after all. I don't need to rush to participate in everything. There's plenty of time ahead. These ten days are too short anyway. Even if I managed to capture a horse Pokémon, I wouldn't have enough time to train it properly.'

'Plus, I haven't even created a dish that could help a Pokémon run faster.' Naoki sighed. 'Life needs to be taken slowly. If I miss this year's event, there will always be another chance next year.'

Moreover, Naoki had other plans in mind. He had been thinking about going to Frost Mountain to see if he could find an Ice-type Pokémon that caught his eye and bring it back to the ranch.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the oil in the pan heated up, and Naoki used tongs to place two fresh pork chops into the sizzling oil. The steaks began to fry, filling the kitchen with a delicious aroma.

When the steaks were golden brown, Naoki flipped them over with practiced ease, sprinkling black pepper and other seasonings on them. Soon, two sizzling, juicy pieces of fried meat were ready.

He placed the steaks on a plate and handed them to Koraidon and Cyclizar, telling them to eat over by the side. Next, he had to cook for Dragonite, Butterfree, and Combee.

As evening settled in, many Pokémon that had been playing outside all day began to return to their nests. After dinner, Naoki grabbed a flashlight and went on his usual patrol around the ranch.

He checked on the Miltank, the Nacli, the Gogoat, and the hens, making sure everything was normal before heading back to the house.

Taking off his boots, Naoki prepared to take a good wash and then head to bed. Just as he was about to relax, he suddenly noticed something was missing from the windowsill.

Looking around, he turned to Pawmi beside him and asked, "Did you see where Smoliv went?"

"Pawmi." Pawmi shook his head, clearly just as puzzled.

Seeing this, Naoki stopped what he was doing and headed back to the sheepfold where his Gogoat were kept. Sure enough, he found Smoliv lying on the grass there.

It was taking a nap on a soft patch of grass. When it heard footsteps, it was startled awake and opened its eyes. Upon seeing that it was Naoki, Smoliv relaxed.

"Don't you want to go back to your usual spot to sleep?" Naoki asked.

"Smoli~" Smoliv shook its head slightly, indicating that it liked it here.

"Alright," Naoki said, feeling a bit helpless but understanding. He always chose to respect the preferences of his Pokémon.

From that day on, Smoliv officially moved to the sheepfold and lived with the Gogoat.

---

The next morning, after finishing his work on the ranch, Naoki rode his Cyclizar into town. Frost Mountain was known for its low temperatures and year-round snow cover. If he wanted to travel there, he needed to be well-prepared.

Upon arriving in town, Naoki went straight to the store and bought a cold-weather outfit. The outfit consisted of four parts: a cold-proof jacket, gloves, windproof goggles, and snow boots. These were essential items for his journey to Frost Mountain.

In addition to the clothing, Naoki also purchased a portable kerosene stove for making fires.

With everything ready, Naoki didn't set off immediately. Instead, he visited Kora's cabin to ask about building an ice cellar.

Kora seemed a little surprised by the inquiry. She slowly replied, "Well, generally speaking, when you add to your home, you can choose to build a cellar underground. But if you convert the cellar into an ice cellar, it might affect the house above. You know, the cold air could penetrate the ground and spread into the house."

Naoki considered Kora's advice carefully and realized she was right. Digging a new ice cellar on the ranch would be a significant project, and the cave behind his house was a more practical solution. 

"What if we dig an ice cellar somewhere else on the ranch?" Naoki asked.

"I don't recommend that," Kora responded after a moment of thought. "Instead of digging a new hole on the ranch to turn into an ice cellar, I suggest you transform the cave behind your house into an ice cave."

"If I remember correctly, you're using that place to grow mushrooms now, right?" Kora asked.

Naoki nodded. The cave currently housed several mushroom culture dishes, and new mushrooms would grow every few days. Initially, Naoki had been curious about them and would pick some to make soup or cook with. But once the novelty wore off, he threw all the mushrooms into shipping boxes for Zack to take to town and sell.

Now that he thought about it, the cave was indeed the perfect place for an ice cellar. It wouldn't require a massive construction effort—just the presence of an Ice-type Pokémon to create a natural ice cellar.

"I understand," Naoki said, expressing his gratitude to Kora.

Kora smiled and took the opportunity to promote her new furniture. "I just got a new batch of professional refrigeration equipment. Do you need it? The price is reasonable, just."

Naoki cut her off with a slight sigh. "I plan to capture an Ice-type Pokémon to help with the transformation."

"What about power generation facilities?" Kora continued, determined to make a sale. "It can absorb the electricity released by Pokémon and store it. If the Pokémon's energy is sufficient, it can meet the electricity needs of the entire ranch!"

Naoki's interest was piqued. "Really?" he asked, intrigued.

Seeing his expression, Kora's smile brightened. "Yes! And it's not expensive—only 30,000 Poke Dollars."

Thirty thousand… Naoki thought. The price was indeed reasonable. If he had this power generation device, he could save a lot on electricity bills in the future.

The Electric-type Pokémon on the ranch was Pawmi. Dragonite could also use Electric-type moves, so borrowing some electricity from them should be no problem.

Thinking of this, Naoki decided to purchase the power generation device and have it installed. This way, if the ranch ever lost power due to bad weather, such as a typhoon, he could generate his own electricity.