Naoki stood there, a bit speechless, processing the situation. This was the first time he had encountered a Pokémon that actively requested to be milked.
But since it was late, Naoki decided to start the milking process the next morning. After calming Miltank down and making sure it was comfortable, Naoki returned home to get some rest.
The following morning, Naoki arrived at the Pokémon House, carrying a milk bucket he had prepared in advance.
Miltank was already awake, munching on some berries atop the haystack. As soon as it saw Naoki, it stood up eagerly, ready for action.
"Milu~!" Miltank greeted, clearly excited to begin.
Naoki chuckled, impressed by Miltank's readiness. 'You're pretty skilled at this', he thought to himself.
He decided to get to work right away. Placing the milk bucket beneath Miltank. With a gentle squeeze, thick, creamy milk began to flow out, filling the air with a rich, sweet aroma.
Naoki immediately noticed that the scent was sweeter and richer than the Moo Moo Milk he had purchased from the town. He glanced at the milk in the bucket, and information about it appeared in his mind:
[Milk (Top Grade): A milk of the highest quality and nutrition. Extremely beneficial to the body when consumed. It can also be used to make top-grade cheese, butter, and other foods.]
At first glance, it seemed similar to the top-grade goat milk from his Skiddo, but the scent and taste had their own distinct qualities.
'Whether this milk has the same magical properties as the goat milk remains to be seen', Naoki thought. 'We'll have to wait and see'.
Naoki refocused on the task at hand, concentrating on milking Miltank. There was definitely a technique to this—rhythmically squeezing the udder from top to bottom to draw out the milk efficiently.
Thanks to his experience milking Skiddo, Naoki found the process straightforward, though physically demanding. However, he soon realized that the pace was slower than expected.
By the time he filled the 20-liter milk bucket, Naoki was exhausted. His back and waist ached, and his legs and feet were numb. A quick glance at the clock made his eyes widen in disbelief.
Half an hour already?
It took half an hour to milk just one Miltank. If he had to milk ten Miltank.
'That would take five hours just for milking. This is too exhausting'!
"No, I definitely need to go to town and see if there's an automatic milking device for sale," Naoki decided, standing up and stretching his sore limbs.
After a moment of recovery, Naoki directed Koraidon, who had been waiting nearby and was nearly dozing off, to move the milk bucket.
"Ah, gah!"
Upon receiving the task, Koraidon immediately transformed into its combat form, effortlessly carrying the bucket of milk out of the Pokémon House. Naoki followed, leading Miltank outside.
Zack wouldn't be able to pick up the goods until the evening, which meant Naoki wouldn't be able to bring back the second Miltank to keep this one company until tomorrow. Naoki thought about how both Pokémon produced milk and figured that his Skiddo, with its gentle temperament, might get along well with Miltank.
So, he decided to introduce them.
The weather was perfect—sunny with a moderate temperature, neither too hot nor too cold. At nine in the morning, the ranch was bustling with life.
The diligent Combee had already flown out to gather honey.
Pawmi had also gone to the chicken coop to start herding the hens. Over time, Pawmi had become quite skilled at managing the chickens.
Next to the farmland, Dragonite was practicing its weather-based moves. With eyes closed, it was fully immersed in the process, waving its chubby paws in front of it as if playing an invisible piano. The farmland became its stage, and the rain its keys, creating a beautiful symphony that nourished the growing crops.
Miltank watched the scene with curiosity. Naoki noticed and smiled, saying, "That's Dragonite. It's currently training here at the ranch."
"Milu," Miltank responded, nodding in acknowledgment.
Just then, Miltank suddenly felt a powerful, almost overwhelming aura coming from nearby. It turned its head and saw a glowing patch of grass in the distance.
There, three Pokémon shrouded in a thick, radiant light were rolling around on the grass. The intense energy emanating from them made it impossible to see their forms clearly.
The aura was terrifying, the kind that could only come from very powerful and possibly violent Pokémon. Images of three fierce bullies flashed through Miltank's mind, leaving it stunned and frozen in place.
However, Naoki, already accustomed to the scene, called out to the trio, "Hey, stop that! I'm introducing you to a new partner!"
Hearing Naoki's voice, the Skiddo stopped their playful rolling and, in unison, ran over the green grass toward Naoki and Miltank.
When the Skiddo came closer, Miltank finally got a clear look at them. They were not the violent bullies it had imagined but three adorable Skiddo's?
"Milu?!" Miltank was even more surprised. 'How could such cute Pokémon emit such a terrifying aura'?
Naoki had planned to introduce Miltank to the Skiddo, but seeing them glowing green made him pause in surprise and confusion. 'Just yesterday, when the Skiddo were playing, they weren't glowing', he thought.
'Could it be that there's too much grass-type energy in their bodies, and it's starting to leak out'? Naoki wondered as he narrowed his eyes, changing his approach. "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?" he asked.
The three Skiddo shook their heads in unison. One of them stood up excitedly and called out to Naoki, "Baa, Baa!"
'It's learned a new move'! Naoki realized. He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Show it to me!"
The Skiddo took a few steps back, carefully observing the distance between itself and Naoki, as if it was worried about accidentally hurting him. After retreating a bit further, it seemed satisfied.
"Meah!" 'Alright, this should be enough'!
The Skiddo concentrated and held its breath, causing the grass-type energy in its body to surge. Suddenly, two slender, whip-like vines sprouted, curving gracefully.
As Naoki observed, the name of the move came to mind. "Vine Whip? But I didn't think Skiddo knew that move."
He was a little surprised, but before he could process it, the Skiddo moved again.
Under the immense amplification of grass-type energy, the two vine whips grew thicker and larger, reaching an almost ridiculous size.
"Um?!" Naoki was taken aback as the Skiddo waved the [Super Vine Whip], which had become as thick as a giant python. With a determined "baa," it brought the massive whip down with a fierce motion.
There was a loud crash, and the ground seemed to tremble from the impact.
Miltank, who was standing nearby, was shaken so much that it bounced slightly off the ground. It landed back down, staring in wide-eyed shock at the Skiddo, who was now calmly holding the vine whip.
"Milu!" 'Monster'!
Miltank thought, completely stunned by what it had just witnessed.