"Eevee, Vulpix, Pikachu?"
Robin thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen any signs of them nearby. The forest near the carpenter's shop is mostly inhabited by Tarountula, Kricketot, and Smoliv."
"Alright."
Leo felt a bit regretful, but he knew some things couldn't be rushed. As long as he explored more in the future, he would encounter them eventually.
Time flew by, and three days passed in a flash.
Today was the day the Coop was completed.
Leo stood before the small building made of wood and stone, looking inside.
The Coop wasn't large. The floor was scattered with a layer of yellowing hay mixed with soil, compacted by a specialized machine to form a unique surface.
On the left side of the room sat a row of feed containers, next to a water trough where the hens could drink when thirsty.
To the left of the containers was the storage area for hay and feed, connected to the Silo outside.
Yes, with the construction of the Coop, Robin had thrown in a Silo for free.
The Silo was tall and imposing, built of red brick and stone, standing out prominently on the ranch.
In the corner of the room was a thick pile of hay and a pitchfork, next to a special circular straw nest surrounded by wooden boards.
"That is..."
Construction complete, the Conkeldurr and Machamp behind them began moving their tools and the rock crusher back onto the truck.
Robin stayed behind to introduce the Coop's features to Leo.
"That's the incubator area. If you place eggs in there, the hens will automatically incubate them. After a while, chicks will hatch.
"If you don't want to buy every hen from town, hatching them yourself is a great method."
I see! Leo nodded.
Robin walked into the room and continued, "Every morning, you need to take feed from the Silo and put it into these wooden troughs, then fill the water trough. The chickens will eat on their own.
"Note that you can give them extra feed, but never too little. If the chickens aren't full, they'll be unhappy, which will affect the quality of the eggs they lay.
"Besides that, on sunny days, you can open the Coop door to let them graze outside. But make sure to fence off the area, or the chickens might run away."
Leo nodded, memorizing every word.
Wooden fences...
He could make them himself, but he didn't have much experience.
Just then, Robin smiled. "My shop just produced a new batch of wooden fences. If you need them, I can help you fence off the Coop entrance right now."
Leo: "...How much?"
Robin: "Not much, just 1,500 League Dollars."
Hearing this, Leo relaxed. 1,500 wasn't expensive. He hadn't fished much these past few days, so he had little income. After paying for the Coop, he only had about 16,000 left.
He needed money to buy chicks this afternoon. If the fences were too expensive, he would have had to reconsider.
1,500 was acceptable.
Leo paid decisively. Robin waved her hand, and two Machamp began unloading wooden fences from the truck with their four muscular arms.
Seeing this, Leo couldn't help but say, "You were prepared all along."
Robin laughed softly. "Because I knew you'd buy them!"
Leo: "..."
Robin took a hammer from a Conkeldurr and worked with the Machamp to fence off the Coop entrance.
When the last post was hammered into the soil, she pointed to the area directly opposite the Coop door.
"You could build a Water Mill there. With it, you can grind your own flour to make chicken feed. Hmm, the price isn't bad either—just 15,000 League Dollars. We'll help prepare the materials and facilities."
Leo: "..."
He suddenly realized Robin had planned things out even more thoroughly than he had. He didn't know what to say.
Seeing his expression, Robin showed a merchant's smile. "Come find me at the carpenter's shop when you're ready! See you later!"
With that, she got into the truck. A Machamp, having learned the move Drive, took the wheel and drove her away from the ranch.
Leo watched the truck disappear before turning back to the newly built Coop.
Regardless, the Coop was done. It was time to start his livestock empire!
That afternoon, Leo left Cyclizar to guard the house and rode Koraidon to Porto Marinada—a promise he had made to Koraidon earlier.
Koraidon was so happy it almost flew, running wildly down the narrow country paths.
Its speed was much faster than Cyclizar's. In less than ten minutes, they arrived at Porto Marinada.
Koraidon switched to its quadrupedal Sprint Build and followed Leo.
Occasionally, trainers passed by with their Pokémon, so people weren't too surprised, though they cast curious glances at Koraidon.
After all, it was a Pokémon they had never seen before.
Leo ignored them and headed straight for the town's ranch store.
Although it was a "ranch," this place didn't raise animals for produce but focused on selling ordinary animals and farm Pokémon.
Since this was a legitimate business, unlike black market Pokémon sales, the League permitted such transactions.
The place was called "Happy Ranch," and the sign featured a grinning Miltank.
Leo walked in with Koraidon. The owner was a kindly old man with white hair, wearing reading glasses and looking down at a newspaper.
Hearing footsteps, the old man looked up. Seeing Koraidon's massive figure, he jumped in fright.
But seeing Leo beside Koraidon, he relaxed, clutching his chest and panting. "Scared me! I thought a wild Pokémon broke in! Are you here to buy ranch animals?"
Leo was surprised. "How did you know?"
The old man looked proud. "Mayor Thomas told me a while ago that a new rancher moved in. That must be you, right?"
Leo nodded slightly. "That's me."
"Haha!" The old man laughed. "I guessed right!"
He folded his newspaper, stood up, and led the way.
"Well then, come with me to the back pasture and see what animals and Pokémon you need!"