Happy Ranch.
Led by the elder, Naoki came to an area enclosed by wooden fences.
Here, he finally met the Miltank.
They were sitting on the fertile grass, leisurely eating the pasture growing on the ground, their bodies quite strong and robust.
The elder said with a smile, "These are the Miltank. Although they've been through some terrible events before, they haven't been affected. They still eat and sleep well."
Naoki nodded. It should be referring to the cargo ship disappearance incident that happened earlier.
The elder opened the small gate of the fence, leading Naoki forward while continuing:
"There are a total of ten Miltank here, each in very good health, producing plenty of fresh milk. Ah, by the way, have you planted pasture in your ranch yet?"
Pasture is a type of feed that grows in the spring, summer, and fall seasons, specifically for animals and Pokemon to consume.
Unlike ordinary grass, this pasture has been specially cultivated and improved by humans to provide nutrition to most herbivorous Pokemon.
Naoki nodded truthfully, "Haven't had time to buy it yet."
"No worries, ordinary feed can also be given to Miltank." The elder explained, "But compared to hay, Miltank prefers fresh pasture."
"The more high-quality and fertile the pasture, the richer and tastier the milk produced by Miltank. Different from goat milk, the taste of fresh milk from Miltank changes with the seasons!"
"Changes with the seasons?" Naoki raised an eyebrow.
"It's quite magical, right?" The elder said with a smile. "It's said to be influenced by environment and temperature, causing the pasture that grows in different seasons to vary."
"After Miltank eats this pasture, their bodies absorb the nutrients, producing fresh milk with different flavors."
Naoki wasn't too familiar with this matter. Curious, he asked, "Is there a big difference?"
The elder answered, "Not very big. It's all the taste of milk, just with some differences in texture."
"For example, some seasons' milk tastes fresh and sweet, while other seasons' milk becomes rich and creamy. The milk in this season is the first kind."
Naoki understood, nodding as his knowledge of Miltank deepened a bit.
At this moment, the two came to the front of the group of Miltank.
Their gazes were drawn in, looking over with curiosity.
"Children, this is the rancher from the neighboring Naoki Ranch." The elder first introduced Naoki's identity to the Miltank, then said with a grin, "He is someone who is very good at caring for Pokemon; whoever goes home with him is lucky!"
Naoki: "..."
The words sounded a bit strange.
But as it turns out, these words were very effective on this group of Miltank.
They immediately gave Naoki an observing look.
Naoki stood in place, maintaining a smile, allowing them to size him up.
After a while, several Miltank showed interested looks.
"Moo?"
"Moo~"
"..."
Seeing this scene, the elder said with a smile, "Alright, go and pick one from them!"
Upon hearing this, Naoki nodded, then stepped forward to observe the condition of each Miltank.
Their eyes followed his movements, looking very expectant.
At this moment, Naoki suddenly felt like he was choosing an initial Pokemon...
Shaking his head to dismiss this thought, Naoki began trying to interact with the Miltank in front of him.
"Hello, Miltank!"
"Moo!"
The Miltank happily stood up, its black ears swaying back and forth, looking quite cute.
"Softer than I imagined," Naoki thought.
As a Pokemon, Miltank belongs to that kind of easygoing Pokemon; their personalities are very gentle, mostly disliking conflict.
Thinking about this, Naoki's mind was already made up.
He pointed to the responding Miltank and said to the elder, "I'll take this one."
No matter which one he picks doesn't matter; once he saves enough money, he'll come back to take the other Miltank home.
"Alright." The elder nodded kindly.
He took out the Poke Ball of that Miltank and handed it to Naoki, "This is this Miltank's Poke Ball. From now on, I'll leave it in your care."
"I will."
Naoki reached out to take it, suddenly feeling the buy and sell of Pokemon here wasn't a transaction but more like an adoption exchange.
After a moment of thought, Naoki looked at the Miltank in front of him and said with a smile, "Please take care of me in the future, Miltank."
"Moo~"
Accompanied by a flash of white light, this Miltank was absorbed into the Poke Ball.
Naoki paid the money, and the savings in his pocket dropped to four digits.
He bid farewell to the elder, turning around and leaving there, heading to the town to buy some daily necessities.
Such as feed and pasture seeds for Miltank, special soil to enhance Nacli, and several bags of Sweet Red Tea.
Naoki didn't linger in the town for long, riding Cyclizar back to the ranch after buying the needed items.
He looked at Koraidon waiting outside, handed over the bags to it to help carry them back to the house, while he headed to the Pokemon House.