Part 7: This Week on "This Old Ranch"

1Yr. 7Mo. 4Wk.





When I got back from the competition, Yuri had some news for me, some good, some bad. The bad news was, her old man had decided she'd spent enough time goofing off on my ranch, and it was time she went back to a real job. The good news was, she'd already found someone to take her place...



...and it was Rio, wearing an... uh... outfit. Well, it's better than the nun suit, I suppose.

You know, it's occurred to me that maybe I've been reading Cesare all wrong. Maybe I'm just a pawn in his Machiavellian game. Maybe Rio's been the focus all along; no sooner is she finally coaxed into accepting the great responsibility coming with her great power than, whoops, I just happen to have a job vacancy.



At any rate, Chucky didn't crush the competition quite as thoroughly as I wanted, so I figure I'll focus on training for the next three months, then start putting him in tournaments again. (For some reason, the TMA has a Grade D battle this week, but anyone fresh out of Grade E wouldn't be eligible to participate in it. I don't follow their logic here.) I'll keep you informed.





1Yr. 8Mo. 1Wk.



Yuri came by with a friend of hers this week. And I promptly put my foot in it. But you would have too, dammit!



That is not a boy.



No way in hell.







Thankfully, almost immediately this manly chap showed up, offering a pretty sweet deal: monster training gadgets! The monster works a bit harder, but it learns faster too.



Oh, and apparently they're powered by Spirit Tree blood. But Mockruji said he could spare it, so... training gadgets ahoy!



Trouble is, our plot is a little... how you say... cozy. So I could only find room for the sandbag and the target.



Which Chucky promptly started slacking off on.



He tried to pretend he'd been working hard the whole time, but I caught him in the act.



1Yr. 8Mo. 2Wk.



So get this. Not a week after the gadget vendor leaves, Cesare shows up, making noises about the ranch is too small and we should have better housing and he'll pay for it because it's his baby girl blah blah blah. Nice timing, jackass. Couldn't have dropped by before Mister Manly showed up?



Then this... person showed up. (I'm not sure I dare guess.) Thankfully, we avoided an awkward 'who's on first' situation. We're taking the week off; Chucky's tired, and everything is under construction anyway.



1Yr. 8Mo. 3Wk.



The work's done, the stuff's rearranged, and I actually have more than one room now! Too bad it's just as crowded, because now Rio's living with me. And I traded up to DSL, since I could afford it and all.



There's more good news. With an expanded barn comes the potential to raise more than one monster at a time! Chucky could use a couple playmates. Now I just have to decide which Saucer Stone to choose...