Under Yozora's command, Aegislash deliberately slowed its movements.
The sword-and-shield Pokémon's level was far beyond that of Machop's, and coupled with its Light Metal ability, its speed already surpassed Machop's by a wide margin.
If it wished, Machop would never be able to even touch it.
But this time, Yozora's purpose was different—he was training Machop's ability to use Foresight, honing its instincts to catch ghost-types in motion.
Whether it could land a hit after that was another matter entirely.
In the games, once Foresight connected, the next attack would hit without fail.
But in reality, things didn't work that way. Speed—this was a hurdle that could never be bypassed.
Unless it was a move with a wide area of effect—like Hurricane, Surf, or Psychic—or one that could bend and seek its target, like Aura Sphere.
Otherwise, talk of "guaranteed hits" was meaningless. Foresight, Mind Reader, Lock-On—they only meant reading an opponent's movements, raising the odds of hitting after anticipation, but never making it absolute.
As for combining Detect with Hurricane… well, that was like putting on pants just to take them off again—completely redundant, since Hurricane would hit anyway.
Then there was Dig, a defensive masterpiece of a move. While underground, even wide-area moves like Hurricane or Surf couldn't reach.
At that point, the most practical counter was simply blasting into the hole with Water Gun or Flamethrower.
Two days later, Machop finally succeeded in landing a Brick Break against Aegislash.
Success!
After days of grueling training, Machop had finally mastered Foresight.
They rested one last night, and at dawn the next day, Yozora set off once more.
Checking his map, he realized he wasn't far from Fuchsia City. His next destination was set.
But he had no interest in the Fuchsia Gym. Its leader, Koga, was also a high-ranking member of Team Rocket. Yozora had no intention of provoking them.
Instead, his eyes were on the Safari Zone near Fuchsia. That wild expanse held countless Pokémon. In the original story, Ash had caught thirty Tauros there.
Not only that—there were also a Dragonair and Dratini dwelling in the area.
Yozora couldn't help but hope for such luck himself.
He didn't want much at the moment: a Gengar with Hypnosis, an Eevee with high innate potential… everything else would depend on fate.
Of course, a Dratini would be ideal. If he came across one, Yozora intended to persuade Dragonair to let the young one explore the world. If not, he would never force the matter.
As he traveled, Yozora suddenly spotted two Tauros locked in a brutal clash.
Beside them stood an old man, face full of worry, yet too afraid to step in.
Yozora approached and saw that both Tauros had eyes burning red with rage, consumed by hatred.
"Elder, what's happening here?" Yozora asked.
"These two Tauros belong to my ranch. They've never gotten along since they were calves. Now their tempers have flared up, and they won't stop until one of them is dead!"
The old man sighed, then glanced at Yozora with sudden hope. "Young man, you're a Pokémon Trainer, aren't you? Could you use your Pokémon to separate them? If you succeed, I'll reward you greatly!"
"That's no trouble at all." Yozora smiled, releasing Golduck. "Golduck, calm them down with Water Gun."
Psshht—
Jets of water sprayed over both Tauros' heads. Sure enough, the cold splash snapped them out of their rage.
They quickly parted ways and began grazing peacefully, as if nothing had ever happened.
The old man's eyes lit up. "Amazing! You truly are gifted, young man!"
Yozora chuckled. "I just happened to pass by. But if you want to prevent this from happening again, you should raise a stronger Pokémon to keep them under control."
"I know. My ranch has a Miltank that can keep them in line, but I forgot to bring her out today…" The old man gave a sheepish laugh, then invited Yozora to visit his ranch.
Unable to refuse such warm hospitality, and since the ranch wasn't far ahead, Yozora accepted.
The ranch turned out to be dedicated to raising Tauros and Miltank—their natural counterparts.
Tauros were only male, while Miltank were only female.
The old man quickly brought out fresh milk for Yozora, laughing heartily. "Young man, release all your Pokémon! I'll make sure everyone is well treated!"
"Thank you, sir." Yozora smiled, summoning all of his Pokémon, including Beedrill.
The old man blinked, startled by the sheer number, then hurried to bring out more milk for them all.
"Young man, I'm no Trainer and I don't know much about judging Pokémon strength, but… I can tell your Pokémon are extraordinary!" The old man's eyes sparkled as he studied Yozora's team.
"And sir, this milk of yours is extraordinary too—delicious!" Yozora praised.
Of course, the milk was from the ranch's Miltank.
The quality of milk varied with a Miltank's level.
A junior-level Miltank could already produce milk worth 10–20 Pokédollars per serving.
A senior-level Miltank's milk was worth 50–100 per serving.
Once it reached the Elite tier, the milk underwent a qualitative change, its nutrition greatly enhanced—fetching nearly 1,000 Pokédollars per serving.
Commander-tier Miltank could produce milk worth 2,000 per serving.
Lord-tier, 3,000 per serving.
And anything beyond that… priceless.
Yozora couldn't help but want to raise a Miltank of his own, one that produced fresh milk daily.
After all—
His monthly food expenses exceeded 100,000 Pokédollars, half of which went toward Miltank milk.
If he raised his own, leveled her up, he'd not only drink free high-quality milk every day, but also enjoy it fresh and delicious!
The problem was, Miltank were extremely rare and expensive. Yozora had never had the chance to raise one.
Any ordinary Miltank was worth at least a million.
If it had Elite potential? Over five million, easily.
"Young man, you must be an exceptional Trainer. If possible, I'd like to ask you a favor." The old man's face turned serious.
"Please, tell me first." Yozora didn't dare agree too quickly.
"My grandson is also a Trainer, about your age. But he's arrogant and thinks too highly of himself. I'd like you to battle him, to show him there's always someone stronger. Afterward, I'll reward you."
Yozora shook his head with a smile. "Sir, I don't need a reward. But… if possible, I'd like to purchase a Miltank from you."
"This…"
The old man hesitated, looking troubled.
Understandably so. Each Miltank was a money tree, producing milk daily. And paired with Tauros, they could breed more Miltank.
Seeing his hesitation, Yozora added quickly, "I'm serious. I'll pay double the market price."
The old man sighed, then smiled. "Very well. If you can defeat my grandson, I'll part with one Miltank for you."
"Thank you!" Yozora was overjoyed and followed the old man on a tour of the ranch.
Meanwhile, he secretly used his system to examine the potential of the Miltank herd.
While his system could easily raise potential, it was always best to start with the highest innate talent possible.
Soon, he spotted one particularly robust Miltank.
[Pokémon]: Miltank
[Type]: Normal
[Level]: Lord-tier Peak
[Potential]: Gym Leader
[Description]: The queen of the ranch, possessing overwhelming strength.
"How about this one, young man? She's the one who produced the milk you just drank. But I can't sell her—she's the pride of our ranch! Hahaha!" The old man pointed proudly at the mighty Miltank.
The moment he said it wasn't for sale, Yozora's interest faded.
Not that it mattered—even if she were for sale, he couldn't afford her.
A Lord-tier peak Miltank with Gym Leader potential would fetch thirty to fifty million without question. Buyers would line up.
"This Miltank is so strong, she can suppress even the wildest Tauros with ease."
The old man's prideful tone soon shifted to a sigh. "But she's also my heartache. Perhaps because she's too strong, she looks down on all the Tauros here. For the past ten years, she hasn't bred once."
"If she did… with her genes, the calves would surely be exceptional."
The old man's face filled with regret.
Yozora smiled knowingly. It was a common problem among powerful Pokémon.
The stronger they were, the harder it was to find a mate.
And it almost felt like a curse from nature itself—the mightier a Pokémon, the lower its fertility.
Take Dragonite or Tyranitar, for example. Producing a single offspring in decades was already fortunate.
Weaker species, on the other hand, bred rapidly.
Butterfree, Beedrill—one breeding cycle meant a whole clutch of eggs.
Of course, this applied to species as a whole, not individuals.
Yozora's own Beedrill was extremely powerful. Naturally, its fertility had dropped as well.
Not that it mattered—it was also far too proud, ignoring most female Beedrill outright.
(End of Chapter)