Chapter 262:
Walking from the plantation to the breeding house, Hayashi Kaede passed by Sprigatito lounging near the living room fireplace.
Ten days had passed, and its size had already grown to that of a normal Sprigatito—no longer the tiny kitten that could fit in one hand. Now, when Kaede picked it up, he needed both hands.
"Meow~"
Sprigatito looked at Kaede as he approached, meowed twice, then relaxed lazily.
"Alright," Kaede greeted with a wave. Only then did Sprigatito settle comfortably on the sofa.
As it grew, its temperament had become noticeably calmer—quite odd, considering how clingy it had been when it was first born. Now, it no longer sought hugs on its own.
However, whenever Kaede approached and held out his hands, Sprigatito would still leap into his arms.
It seemed to have developed a personality opposite to that of the Alolan Vulpix from its childhood. One was lively, while the other preferred quiet.
During this time, Alolan Vulpix hadn't given up on trying to recruit the little cat into its "team."
But Sprigatito always refused—and the look it gave carried a hint of amusement.
As if saying, "You're that old and still playing games?"
For a moment, Kaede couldn't even tell which one was older—Sprigatito or Alolan Vulpix.
What was certain, though, was that Sprigatito was unusually mature for its age.
After greeting it, Kaede didn't disturb Sprigatito's rest and continued toward the breeding house.
Behind him, Sprigatito watched Kaede leave, meowed softly a few more times, then lay back down.
'Leaving so quickly... probably busy again...'
"Uncle Genmu…"
When Kaede came out, sure enough, the person standing by the counter was Genmu.
He smiled, pleasantly surprised. Seeing a familiar face was a comfort.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Kaede asked.
Genmu, still absorbed in examining the Moomoo Milk, finally looked up when Kaede approached.
"I just had to pick up something in the city," he said. "Since it's your first time raising Miltank, I thought I'd stop by to remind you about a few things."
He lifted a bottle of Moomoo Milk. "This is from the Miltank you bought from me, right?"
Even though seeing was believing, the drastic improvement in milk quality over just a few months still left him speechless.
"Yes," Kaede replied. "I only have three Miltank in my barn right now."
"..."
Genmu fell silent.
Kaede tilted his head. "By the way, Uncle Genmu, what did you want to remind me about?"
"Well," Ye Mu said, "winter's coming soon. I wanted to check if you've prepared enough hay for your Miltank. Normally, by this time of year, ranchers who raise Mareep or Miltank have their Grass-type Pokémon accelerate hay growth during summer, then cut and store enough to last the winter."
"Otherwise, you'll have to rely on a lot of Energy Cubes, which can get pretty expensive."
Before coming, Genmu had assumed Kaede, having only taken over the family plantation a few months ago, would need help for his first winter.
That was why he'd brought his Venusaur—planning to use Grassy Terrain to help grow hay faster, and even lend Venusaur to Kaede for a few days.
But now, after seeing the flourishing plantation on his way in, he was beginning to doubt that Kaede needed any help at all.
Judging from the vitality of the fruit trees, it was clear there was already a strong Grass-type Pokémon around—he just didn't know which one.
"I see," Kaede said with a smile. "Don't worry, I've already prepared plenty of winter feed for the Miltank."
Ye Mu nodded.
"Would you like to see them?" Kaede offered.
"Can I?"
The two spoke almost in unison, then both laughed.
"Of course," Kaede said. "Come with me."
After asking the Indeedee brother to watch the shop, Kaede led Uncle Genmu toward the plantation.
On the way, they met the Indeedee sister and Gardevoir, both carrying three buckets each—six in total—filled with Moomoo Milk, suspended effortlessly by their Psychic power.
"Indeedee~"
"Gardevoir~"
Seeing Kaede with an unfamiliar guest, the two Pokémon looked a bit surprised, but they still greeted them politely before heading to the kitchen to bottle the fresh milk.
Only their Psychic abilities made such work so easy—filling those bottles by hand would've taken at least an hour.
Genmu stared at the six full buckets in disbelief. "Is this... the daily yield of those three Miltank?"
His own Miltank would only produce one bucket a day—on a good day.
Kaede nodded. "Yes. They eat a lot, so they produce a lot. When I have time, I do the milking myself. When I'm busy, the Indeedee sister helps."
"The barn's behind the plantation. Come, I'll show you."
Genmu followed Kaede, still dazed, and stepped out into the plantation.
The moment he exited the house, he froze.
A massive Salamence was resting by the back door. It gave Genmu a casual glance, then looked away with a lazy yawn.
Genmu's breath caught.
Even as an Elite Four–level Trainer, he could tell from its build and presence alone that this Salamence was every bit as strong as his Venusaur—if not stronger.
Wait... wasn't Kaede just a high school student a few months ago?
But this Salamence...
Before he could gather his thoughts, a gentle, melodic sound rang out—
"Serperior~"
In an instant, the entire plantation was enveloped in a wave of shimmering green light.
A lush vitality spread across the fields; the fruit trees and vegetable patches seemed to drink in the energy, rustling softly in the breeze.
Some of the unripe fruits began to ripen before their eyes, their colors deepening as if infused with life itself.
Genmu stared, completely stunned.
"That's... Grassy Terrain—so rich, so full of life energy..."