The next morning, Leo opened his eyes to the sound of pattering rain.
Looking out the window, he saw the world outside was grey and dim. The sky was heavy and dark.
It was raining.
A gentle spring rain shrouded the newly planted crops.
"Saves me the trouble of watering," Leo thought.
On rainy days, Leo didn't want to get his feet muddy, so he decided against going out to fish or forage.
Instead, he stayed inside to rearrange the old house, moving furniture around to his liking.
He moved the desk under the window so he could have a wider view while reading, making it feel less oppressive.
The bed stayed in the corner—having a wall against his back gave him a sense of security.
As for the cupboard...
Leo walked around it and decided to move it to the other side, using it as a partition between the sleeping area and the kitchen.
But as he directed Koraidon to move the cupboard, he was surprised to discover a dusty fireplace hidden behind it.
The fireplace was pitch black inside, with traces of soot still visible.
Leo leaned in to inspect it and found that it seemed to be in working order.
With nothing else to do, he simply started cleaning out the old wood ash.
Soon, the fireplace was spotless. Looking at it, Leo couldn't help but think, "What a big surprise!"
In the future, when winter came, he could light a fire to warm the house without worrying about freezing.
As an ordinary corporate drone from the modern world, this was the first time he had ever seen a real fireplace.
Speaking of fireplaces, Leo remembered the fairy tales he read as a child.
Heartwarming scenes of Mother Bear sitting by the fireplace knitting sweaters while Little Bear played with a ball of yarn.
Honestly, that kind of life was something to yearn for.
Of course, it would be even better with a few more Pokémon.
Like a cute Eevee, a warm Vulpix, a lovely Pikachu, or a pink and tender Skitty.
"This is what real life should be!"
Leo sighed with emotion.
If he hadn't been transported here, he would probably be braving the heavy rain to squeeze onto the subway for work right now.
But the past was in the past, and there was nothing there worth missing anyway.
Seizing the present was what mattered most.
Leo shook his head. The room felt a bit stuffy, so he opened the door to let the wind in.
Feeling the cool breeze, Leo sat at his desk and began to flip through The Rancher's Encyclopedia, looking up information on spring crops.
Fertilizer usage, growth cycles, harvest frequency, and so on.
Cyclizar and Koraidon didn't disturb him. They lay quietly by the door, listening to the rain.
But just then, Koraidon seemed to sense something.
It suddenly sat up and took two steps forward.
"Agias?"
Hearing the sound, Leo turned around to see Koraidon sticking its head out the door, looking to the side.
"What's wrong?"
"Agias."
Koraidon tilted its head, looking at a familiar Caterpie.
Seeing its reaction, Leo also got up to check.
Looking at the Caterpie curled up under the eaves, soaked by the rain, a surprised expression appeared on Leo's face.
"Caterpie?"
Seeming to hear his voice, the Caterpie opened its eyes weakly and looked over.
"Sss-wu..."
Seeing this, a bold thought immediately popped into Leo's mind.
Could this be the same Caterpie I used to test the Mochi yesterday?
What does it mean by following me here?
Leo was surprised. He observed the Caterpie's condition and, seeing it was weak, brought it inside. He dried the rain off its body and wrapped it in an old blanket.
"Sss-wu..."
Seeing the human's actions, the Caterpie's eyes filled with gratitude.
It had followed him yesterday.
But because it was too slow, and it had encountered attacks from wild Pokémon along the way, it didn't arrive until after dark.
Those Pokémon were strong. Before, the Caterpie could only run from them. But after eating that magical fruit, it had the power to fight back.
Although it wasn't enough to defeat them, its tough silk could trap them.
Seeing its own power made the Caterpie even more grateful to the human who had helped it.
It wanted to become stronger. It wanted to make sure no Pokémon dared to look down on it. So, it came.
But worried about disturbing him, the Caterpie had stayed outside the door the whole time.
Leo brought a plate of warm juice and placed it in front of the Caterpie to warm its body.
Watching the Caterpie drink, Leo thought about its behavior. Is this guy like Ash's Heracross in the anime? Did I accidentally charm it into wanting to travel with me?
After a moment of thought, Leo tentatively asked, "Do you want to choose me as your trainer?"
The Caterpie stopped drinking. Feeling the warmth returning to its body, it nodded repeatedly. "Sss-wu!"
"But I'm not a trainer!" Leo spread his hands. "As you can see, I'm just an ordinary rancher. I don't know how to train Pokémon."
His knowledge of Pokémon training was entirely theoretical, learned from watching anime. He had zero practical experience.
"Sss-wu..."
The Caterpie looked sad.
Leo scratched his head. As expected of the Pokémon world. Even a bug is this smart.
To become stronger, this Caterpie had followed him all this way and even pulled a "standing in the snow at the Cheng brothers' gate" move (waiting patiently outside out of respect)...
If he didn't show some appreciation, it would be too unreasonable.
Leo fell into deep thought.
Although Caterpie was weak, its evolved form, Butterfree, was actually quite useful. It could help pollinate the crops in the ranch, aiding their growth.
Thinking of this, Leo said, "I'm not a trainer, so I can't train you like one. However, I might be able to help you become stronger in other ways. Even so, do you still want to follow me?"
There were so many types of cooking. Maybe one day, he would make a dish with effects that enhanced Butterfree or Caterpie capabilities.
But the probability wasn't 100%, so Leo used the word "might."
If the Caterpie was willing, he would let it stay on the ranch and help out.
The Caterpie understood. It looked down at the blanket wrapped around it, then at the juice that warmed its body.
This human is so kind!
Not only did he save it when it was injured in the wild and give it a fruit to become stronger, but now he was providing a blanket and food.
In this moment, the Caterpie chose this human not just for strength.
—It liked this human.
Thinking this, the Caterpie nodded its head.
"Sss-wu~"