Miltank

Carrying the bag of soil, Naoki strolled through the market once more, hoping to find something suitable for the other Pokémon on his ranch.

Despite his efforts, he didn't come across anything similar, and with a sigh, Naoki decided to move on to his next stop—the town's seed shop.

The owner of the seed shop, a middle-aged man with slightly curly brown hair and a bit of a paunch, was easily recognizable by his brown coat. As soon as Naoki entered, the shopkeeper, who quickly recognized the newcomer to town, greeted him warmly.

"Good morning! What seeds are you looking to buy today? Spring is almost over, and we've got some great deals on spring crop seeds!"

Naoki glanced around the shop, soon spotting a fresh batch of seeds displayed on a shelf. The packaging, in dark green bags, seemed to be a nod to the approaching summer season. Several other customers, clearly farmers, were also browsing the summer seeds, indicating that he wasn't the only one preparing in advance.

"I don't need any spring seeds," Naoki replied. "I'm here to check out the summer seeds."

He moved over to the shelf and began carefully selecting his options. Summer offered a greater variety of crops compared to spring. He considered items like corn, wheat, hops, melons, pineapples, pumpkins, onions, and sunflowers. There were also many flowers, such as cornflowers, evening primroses, lavender, and hyacinths.

Naoki pondered over his choices. His ranch primarily focused on animal husbandry, with most of his income coming from rock salt, goat milk, and the mushrooms he cultivated in the cave behind the ranch, rather than from farming. Therefore, practicality was the key factor in his decision-making.

"Corn could be a good choice," he mused. "Not only can I sell it, but I can also make boiled corn and popcorn—both popular snacks."

"Wheat? Once I save enough to build a mill, I'll be able to process both wheat and corn into flour and animal feed."

"As for hops. While I don't have a brewing cellar on the ranch yet, I plan to have one built before winter. I wonder if the hops harvested in the summer can be stored until autumn. If they can, I could use the winter months, when planting isn't an option, to brew some beer."

He considered planting melons, pineapples, pumpkins, and similar crops as well. They could be sold, but they could also be used to develop new recipes. The same logic applied to sunflowers. In addition to enhancing the ranch's aesthetics, the seeds from a field of sunflowers could be roasted into a tasty snack.

With these thoughts in mind, Naoki decided to purchase a pack of each type of seed. As he paid, the shopkeeper glanced at the seeds and couldn't help but comment, "You know, you don't have to buy every kind of seed. Managing all these different crops is a tough job for a rancher. Plus, each seed requires a different planting method and has a unique maturation time. It could become quite troublesome if something goes wrong."

Hearing this, Naoki smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I have a special notebook where I keep track of everything. Besides selling these, I plan to use most of them for me and the Pokémon on the ranch."

"Alright then," the shopkeeper said, nodding in understanding and refraining from further comments.

After leaving the seed shop, Naoki made his way to the Happy Ranch.

As he entered, he noticed the old man behind the counter, wearing reading glasses and engrossed in a newspaper. The gentle tinkling of wind chimes alerted the old man to Naoki's presence. He looked up and smiled warmly.

"Naoki, good to see you! What Pokémon are you looking to buy today?"

Naoki wasted no time and asked, "Is there any news about the ship transporting the Miltank?"

The old man nodded, his expression turning serious as he recalled the news he had received earlier. "Yes, I got word about it. The freighter carrying the Miltank encountered a terrible storm at sea. It ran aground on a small island and eventually sank."

Naoki's eyes widened, but the old man continued, "Fortunately, the crew were well-prepared. With the help of some water-type Pokémon, they managed to rescue the Miltank that had fallen into the water."

The old man paused, his voice softening with admiration. "I also heard that while they were lost at sea, a Dragonite appeared and guided them back to land. Without its help, they might not have made it."

"Dragonite?" Naoki repeated, catching the significant detail.

The old man nodded, smiling. "Yes, it's a truly remarkable and kind Pokémon. Thanks to its help, the Miltank made it safely. They arrived at the ranch just yesterday. Would you like to go and see them?"

Naoki, who had only ever tasted Moo Moo Milk but had never seen a real Miltank, couldn't hide his curiosity. He nodded eagerly, agreeing to take a look.

Seeing Naoki's interest, the old man stood up from behind the counter and led him through a small door at the back, which opened up to the ranch where many Pokémon were being raised.

On a lush, green meadow, Naoki finally saw the group of Miltank. In reality, Miltank looked like a pink cow, with a spherical tail and a black pattern on its head that resembled a black hood, giving it a rather unique appearance.

Their bodies appeared strong and sturdy, which explained why many trainers chose to use Miltank in Pokémon battles. The most famous of these trainers was Whitney, the Gym Leader of the Goldenrod City Gym.

It was said that her Miltank was infamous for defeating countless challengers with its powerful Rollout move, becoming a nightmare for many trainers.

"This is Miltank. Is this your first time seeing them in person?" the old man asked with a smile.

Naoki nodded, replying somewhat vaguely, "I guess so! I've only seen them on TV before."

"Miltank are truly mankind's best friends," the old man continued. "The milk they produce has nurtured generations. Whether it's the people in the nearby Galar region or those far away in the Kanto region, many have grown up drinking their milk."

He paused for a moment and then asked, "Have you heard of Whitney?"

"Huh?" Naoki was taken aback, not expecting to hear Whitney's name here. "Whitney?"

"That's right," the old man confirmed. "She's a very famous Miltank trainer. The milk produced by her Miltank is considered the best Moo Moo Milk. It's really something special!"

The finest Moo Moo Milk. Naoki thought, comparing it in his mind to the quality of fresh milk enhanced with a touch of [milk porridge].

He couldn't help but admire Whitney's ability to raise Miltank to such a high standard.

"Alright," the old man said, interrupting his thoughts. "How many Miltank would you like to buy?"

...

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