At Happy Ranch, under the guidance of the old man, Naoki arrived at an area surrounded by wooden fences. This was where he finally saw the Miltank.
The Miltank were sitting on the lush grass, leisurely munching on the greenery beneath them. Their bodies were strong and sturdy, a testament to their good health.
The old man smiled and said, "These are the Miltank. Despite the terrible ordeal they went through, they're doing well—still eating and sleeping like nothing happened."
Naoki nodded, recalling the incident of the freighter losing contact that the old man had mentioned before.
The old man opened the small gate in the fence, leading Naoki into the enclosure. As they walked, he continued, "There are ten Miltank here. Each one is very healthy and produces a lot of fresh milk. Oh, by the way, you haven't planted any grass on your ranch yet, have you?"
Grass is a special type of feed that grows in the spring, summer, and autumn, specifically for domesticated animals and Pokémon. Unlike regular grass, this type has been specially cultivated to provide optimal nutrition for most herbivorous Pokémon.
Naoki nodded honestly, "I haven't had time to buy any yet."
"That's okay. You can feed Miltank with ordinary feed," the old man explained. "But Miltank prefer fresh grass to hay. The better and more fertile the grass, the more fragrant and delicious the milk they produce. Unlike goat milk, the taste of fresh Miltank milk changes with the seasons!"
"Changes with the seasons?" Naoki raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"It is amazing, isn't it?" the old man chuckled. "It's said that due to the influence of the environment and temperature, the grass grown in different seasons varies. When the Miltank eat this grass, they absorb its nutrients and produce fresh milk with different flavors."
Naoki, who didn't know much about this, asked curiously, "Is there a big difference in taste?"
The old man replied, "Not a huge difference. It's still milk, but the texture and flavor can shift slightly. For example, in some seasons, the milk tastes sweet and light, while in others, it becomes rich and creamy. The milk produced this season is the first kind—sweet and delicious."
Naoki nodded, his understanding of Miltank deepening as they approached the group.
The Miltank noticed them and looked over curiously.
"Kids, this is the owner of the Naoki Ranch next door," the old man introduced Naoki to the Miltank. Then, with a smile, he added, "He's someone who takes good care of Pokémon. Those who go back with him will be very lucky!"
Naoki blinked, feeling a bit awkward at the old man's words.
However, it turned out that this was exactly what the Miltank wanted to hear. They immediately turned their attention to Naoki, eyeing him with interest.
Naoki stood there, smiling, allowing the Miltank to size him up.
After a while, several Miltank showed expressions of interest.
"Milu?"
"Milu~"
Seeing their reactions, the old man grinned and said, "Alright, go ahead and pick one!"
Hearing the old man's encouragement, Naoki nodded and stepped forward to observe each Miltank closely. The Miltank's eyes followed his movements, full of anticipation.
Naoki suddenly felt as if he was choosing a starter Pokémon, a thought that made him chuckle. Shaking his head to clear the idea, he focused on making contact with the Miltank in front of him.
"Hello, Miltank!" Naoki greeted.
"Milu!" the Miltank responded happily, standing up with its two black ears flopping back and forth, looking quite adorable.
Naoki thought to himself, A lot cute than I expected.
Miltank are known for being gentle and docile Pokémon, not inclined to fight. With that in mind, Naoki made his decision.
He pointed to the Miltank that had responded to him and said to the old man, "I'll take this one."
It didn't really matter which one he chose, as he planned to come back for the others when he had saved up enough money.
"Okay," the old man agreed, nodding gently.
He handed Naoki the Poké Ball belonging to that Miltank. "This is its Poké Ball. I'll trust you to take good care of it from now on."
"I will," Naoki promised, taking the Poké Ball. He suddenly felt that the exchange wasn't like a typical transaction—it felt more like an adoption, a transfer of care.
Naoki smiled at the Miltank and said, "Please take care of me in the future, Miltank."
"Milu~" the Miltank responded before being recalled into its Poké Ball with a flash of white light.
Naoki paid the money, noticing that his balance had now dipped back into four figures.
He said his goodbyes to the old man and then headed into town to buy some daily necessities—feed and grass seeds for Miltank, special soil to strengthen the Nacli, and a few packets of sweet black tea.
Naoki didn't linger in town for long. After purchasing everything he needed, he rode his Cyclizar back to the ranch.
Upon arrival, he saw Koraidon waiting outside. Naoki handed over the bags, asking Koraidon to help carry them back to the house while he headed to the Pokémon House.
Pushing open the door, Naoki looked around the long-unused Pokémon House.
It was a simple but functional space—empty troughs and water basins, wooden partitions, a feeding area connected to the silo, and a layer of soft hay covering the floor where Miltank would sleep.
"Come out!" Naoki called out, holding up Miltank's Poké Ball.
Naoki threw the Poké Ball, and with a flash of white light, Miltank appeared in the Pokémon House. Miltank looked around curiously, taking in its new surroundings and beginning to familiarize itself with the environment.
Naoki smiled and said, "This is your new home. How do you like it?"
"Milu..." Miltank looked around at the clean, tidy, and bright room, and responded happily, "Milu!"
Seeing Miltank's contentment, Naoki let out a sigh of relief.
Next, he opened the doors and windows of the Pokémon House and led Miltank to the open space outside. Gesturing to the area, he explained, "This is my pasture. I'll be planting grass right in front of the gate soon."
Forage seeds, he knew, didn't require much special preparation or tilling, making them easier to plant than crops. All he needed to do was scatter the seeds on the ground and wait for the resilient grasses to grow on their own. Their growth cycle and rate were far superior to ordinary crops.
Naoki immediately took out the bag of grass seeds and began scattering them across the open space.
After settling Miltank in its new home, Naoki returned to the cabin, feeling a sense of accomplishment. The process of raising Miltank was finally about to officially begin.
With the day's ranch work completed, Naoki made himself a cup of sweet black tea, moved his rocking chair under the eaves, and sat down to relax. Sipping his tea, he gazed out at his steadily developing ranch.
His mind drifted over the progress he had made—Cyclizar, Koraidon, Butterfree, Nacli, Skiddo, Alcremie, Smoliv, Pawmi, Dragonite, Combee, and now Miltank. The Salt House, Pokémon House, and Chicken House were all in good order, and the neat farmland was thriving with crops.
Reflecting on the transformation since he first arrived, Naoki couldn't help but sigh contentedly.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small figure rushing into the pasture.
Turning his head, Naoki saw the baby Teddiursa eagerly running toward him.
Raising his eyebrows slightly, Naoki recalled the last time Teddiursa had visited and eaten the lucky pudding before leaving the ranch.
'I wonder if it picked up anything good this time', he thought.
As Teddiursa reached him, Naoki asked, "Are you here to exchange something?"
"Teddi, Teddi!" Teddiursa nodded eagerly.
It stretched out its little bear paw and spread it open, revealing a small brown stone that looked rather ordinary.
Naoki tilted his head in curiosity. The stone didn't seem to be anything special at first glance. Gently, he took it from Teddiursa's paw.
'What is this'? Naoki wondered, examining the stone. It didn't look like an evolution stone, nor did it resemble a Hard Stone or any other familiar item. He was puzzled, unsure of the stone's significance.
Naoki noticed that the stone felt warm to the touch. He wasn't sure if it was due to Teddiursa's body heat or if the stone itself was naturally warm.
"Did you pick this up?" Naoki asked, curious about the stone's origin.
"Teddi!" Teddiursa nodded enthusiastically, its eyes full of hope.
Naoki couldn't help but smile at the sight of Teddiursa's eager expression. He could tell the little Pokémon was wondering if the stone could be exchanged for another delicious honey pudding.
"Hold on," Naoki said, getting up to retrieve a pudding from the refrigerator. As he did so, he asked, "You didn't go to any other ranches to steal honey these past few days, did you?"
Teddiursa shook its head vigorously, a look of sincerity on its face.
"That's good," Naoki said, handing the pudding over. "Remember, stealing is wrong. You might get away with it now because you're small and cute, but what about when you grow up and evolve into an Ursaring? Acting cute might not work as well then."
Teddiursa gobbled up the pudding in one gulp, but Naoki's words made it pause and think deeply.
Naoki saw this and felt a sense of accomplishment. 'If Teddiursa can recognize its mistakes and correct them, then all my efforts won't be in vain', he thought.
"If I were you," Naoki continued, "I would find a way to apologize to the ranchers you took honey from."
Naoki then gave a small bottle of honey to Teddiursa. "Here, since it's been tough finding food in the rain, consider this as a gift from me."
Teddiursa caught the honey with its paw, a touched expression spreading across its face. "Yi..." it murmured gratefully.
Naoki waved a hand dismissively as he reclined in his rocking chair. "I think anyone else would do the same. Now go on back."
With its mission accomplished, Teddiursa left the ranch happily, pondering over the events of the past few days as it made its way back to its cave.
Meanwhile, Naoki examined the warm stone again, trying to figure out what it was. After a moment of contemplation, he came up with a vague hypothesis.
'Could it be a fragment of a meteorite'? he wondered. Considering Rayquaza had recently appeared and dispersed the typhoon, he couldn't help but speculate further. 'Could this be one of Rayquaza's leftover rations'?
The thought gave him a thrill, but he quickly reminded himself that the stone was likely of little practical use—perhaps just a collectible.
Naoki casually tossed the stone into a drawer along with the Stone of Unchanging that Teddiursa had brought previously.
...
Later that evening, before bed, Naoki decided to make a bowl of black truffle milk porridge. This dish had been known to enhance the quality of milk produced by Pokémon to its fullest potential. It was because of this porridge that Skiddo's milk had mutated, gaining some additional effects.
Curious to see what effect it would have on Miltank, Naoki brought the porridge over to the Pokémon House.
When he opened the door, he saw Miltank sitting on a haystack, looking rather lonely.
Naoki was slightly taken aback. "What's wrong?"
"Milu..." Miltank responded with a gloomy expression.
"Let me guess," Naoki said gently, "are you missing your Miltank friends?"
Miltank nodded. "Milu..."
Naoki understood. Though Miltank had been happy to come to a new ranch, it now felt lonely being the only one of its kind here.
After a moment of thought, Naoki reassured it, "Give me a little more time. Once I've saved up enough money, I'll bring the other Miltank here as well."
Miltank looked at Naoki, a smile slowly returning to its face as it said happily, "Milu!"
Naoki smiled back and placed the milk porridge in front of Miltank. "Here, try this. It's something special."
Miltank eagerly lapped up the porridge. As it finished, a thought seemed to dawn on it. "Milu?" (Are you short of money?)
Naoki raised an eyebrow, surprised by the question. "Huh?"
Miltank proudly displayed its udders and said with excitement, "Milu, Milu!" (The milk I produce can be sold for a lot of money!)
While at the ranch, Miltank had often observed how ranchers helped other Miltank by milking them and then selling the milk for money. It was something that Miltank had come to see as a natural part of life at a ranch.
For Miltank, being milked was actually quite relaxing. Because of the large amount of milk they produced, Miltank would feel uncomfortable if the milk wasn't extracted daily. So, aside from drinking it themselves, they usually relied on humans to help with the milking.
Having seen and heard this so often, Miltank knew that its milk could be exchanged for money, and this idea had clearly taken root.
Naoki was initially a bit confused by Miltank's actions, but as he watched, the realization dawned on him. "Do you want me to help you with the milking?" he asked.
"Milu milu!" Miltank nodded eagerly, confirming Naoki's guess.
Miltank's intention was clear: it wanted Naoki to help it produce and sell milk, so they could earn more money—enough to bring the other Miltank to the ranch.
...
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