"Uwaaaaaa—!"
The newly evolved Lilligant was crying like a pear blossom in the rain, crouching on the ground and drawing circles in the dirt.
Compared to before, her evolved form carried the aura of a medieval elf princess.
Her original green twin-tails had transformed into a mane of emerald hair cascading over her shoulders.
A green ribbon cinched her princess dress, outlining her petite body with even more seductive curves.
The hem of her skirt unfurled like new leaves, yet it stopped abruptly three inches above her knees, revealing a pair of snowy, smooth calves like jade bamboo shoots.
The only fly in the ointment was that the snowy whiteness of her chest was somewhat disappointing.
"Alright, alright. Even 'little buns' can grow bigger."
Seeing this, Hakuya couldn't help but find it amusing, rubbing Lilligant's hair to comfort her.
The girl, looking every bit the elf princess, brightened her eyes and sprang up from the ground, inadvertently revealing a tantalizing view beneath her skirt.
She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and looked expectantly at the Trainer stroking her head.
"Can they really get bigger?"
"Of course," Hakuya leaned in and whispered into her ear. "The most effective way is..."
"Ma... Master!"
After hearing only the first half, Lilligant shyly covered her burning face, her heart thumping wildly.
Tonight, in the room... we really have to... to do that kind of thing.
Late at night, Beep! Beep! Beep!
The familiar horn of the truck sounded once again outside the farm.
"Coming."
Hakuya had just finished a satisfying dinner with the Pokémon girls.
He gently set down the cow lolita who was hanging off him and pushed open the door to head outside.
"Ma-champ!"
The robust Machamp wore a vibrant smile and waved at Hakuya.
"Good evening, Hakuya."
Without needing a second thought, the hearty male voice followed immediately.
Hakuya greeted the Machamp and then turned to the bearded man. "Good evening, Uncle Yoshino. Are you here for the goods?"
"That's right. What do you have for sale today?"
Yoshino jumped down from the driver's seat and scanned the area.
Under the dim yellow light, he could see two newly dug pools in front of the cabin, with many fish swimming freely within them.
"I certainly do. I just went to the lake today and caught some fish. Take a look."
In addition to the essential daily raw milk, Hakuya brought over the sorted fish.
"Let me see." Yoshino stepped forward, randomly caught a large fish flapping its tail in the basket, and examined it closely.
The fish's eyes were full and clear, the gills were vibrant red without mucus, and the scales were tight and glossy.
After a long while, he marveled, "The quality is incredibly high!"
Hearing this, Hakuya couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, by the way." Yoshino slapped his forehead as he remembered something. He spoke excitedly: "The raw milk I bought from you last time was a massive hit!"
"A company in Sinnoh is very interested. they asked me to inquire if you're willing to become partners."
At this point, he pulled a business card from his pocket.
"Mmm... MooMoo Milk Primary Manufacturing Co., Ltd."
Hakuya took the card and read the name aloud.
"Correct." Yoshino nodded and explained, "This company is one of the top leaders in dairy processing in Sinnoh."
"They promised to buy in bulk at prices far exceeding the market rate. I estimate it could reach 20,000 League Coins per ton of raw milk. What do you think about their proposal?"
Should I cooperate with them?
Hakuya rubbed his chin and pondered.
As the saying goes, even the best wine fears a deep alley.
Hinata Town Farm was just starting out, and its reputation wasn't widespread yet.
Being noticed by one of the largest dairy companies in Sinnoh, combined with their offer of premium prices for bulk purchases...
No matter how you looked at it, it was a win-win.
After weighing the pros and cons, Hakuya nodded to Uncle Yoshino, indicating his agreement.
"Good! Leave the task of contacting them to me. The company should send someone personally to sign the contract with you."
Uncle Yoshino slapped his chest in assurance.
Moving past the partnership, he began to count the goods Hakuya provided today.
"Five Magikarp, eight Basculin, plus 780 liters of Miltank milk... that's a total of 16,000 League Coins."
"Alright."
Hakuya took the stack of League Coins, confirmed the amount, and nodded.
As he was about to leave, Uncle Yoshino suddenly took a long fishing rod from the truck and handed it to Hakuya.
"This is..." Hakuya took it, speaking in surprise.
[Super Rod (Rainbow): An item for fishing Pokémon. Said to be the best fishing rod.]
In the Pokémon world, fishing rods are divided into three levels: Old Rod, Good Rod, and Super Rod.
This type of rod was different from ordinary ones. Besides catching normal fish, it could reel in many rare Pokémon living in the water.
There was even a rumor—true or not—that in a distant land, a blue-haired girl once used a Super Rod to catch a Kyogre.
Hakuya gently stroked it. His intuition told him the rod was quite old, but based on the still-shining lacquer, it had clearly been meticulously maintained.
Unlike the other two types, the Super Rod was not only expensive but had extremely low production. It was usually something only master anglers or those with special connections could obtain.
In other words, this was a treasure that money often couldn't buy!
Seeing Hakuya's delighted expression, Uncle Yoshino laughed heartily. "This was a prize my friend won years ago for being the champion of the Sinnoh League Master Class Fishing Tournament. He used to keep it under his pillow even while sleeping!"
"Back when we were young, we vowed to fish in every lake and river in Sinnoh..."
"Unfortunately, he's now busy making money to support his family and has no time to find a quiet place to fish. Thus, this Super Rod was passed to me."
Recalling a certain period of his life, a rare look of loneliness appeared on Yoshino's face as he sighed.
However, he quickly adjusted his mood and gave Hakuya a hard, envious slap on the shoulder.
"It's good being a farm owner like you. You aren't troubled by the petty affairs of the city. You can fish whenever you want."
With that, Yoshino opened the door and sat in the driver's seat, leaning his bearded face out of the window.
"I'm giving this Super Rod to you. Take our forgotten fishing will and keep on casting!"
"..."
Listening to the rumble of the truck as it drove away, Hakuya suddenly felt the rod in his hand grow heavy.
In the world of Pokémon, it wasn't just the bonds between people and Pokémon that were moving.
Perhaps, the bonds between Pokémon themselves, and between people, were just as profound.