Inside the Pokémon Battle Dome, after the battle between Misdreavus and Lapras...
Arthur had assumed Lena's strategy involved enhancing Lapras's Hydration ability and powering up her Water Gun—but it appeared she'd had a different plan, one that had somehow gone awry.
Lena paused, thoughtful, before letting out a long sigh. She admitted, "I was expecting your Misdreavus to fall asleep right away... My plan was to use the rain to amplify Lapras's Sing."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "What made you think rain could amplify Sing?"
Lena began to explain, and as she did, Arthur slowly pieced together what she had intended.
Recalling one of Arthur's earlier lessons about electricity traveling faster through water, Lena had wondered if the same principle might apply to sound. Curious, she tested her theory in the pool in her private room. To her delight, the sound did seem to travel faster and farther through water. Inspired, she devised a creative tactic: use the falling rain as a medium to carry Lapras's Sing across the battlefield, reaching Misdreavus more effectively.
Of course, she understood that rainfall wasn't as uniform as pool water. The raindrops were scattered, inconsistent. Still, she hoped the effect would be enough to slightly amplify the sound—just enough to lull Misdreavus to sleep.
That was her plan.
It was creative, undeniably—but in the process, she had overlooked one simple truth: when it's raining, it's hard to hear anything clearly.
Arthur smiled, recognizing her ingenuity and the flaw in her logic.
"Okay, how do I explain this...?" he murmured, glancing at Lena, whose eyes were full of anticipation, as well as Wartortle, and even Lapras, waiting silently inside her Poké Ball.
He scratched his head, searching for the right words and carefully piecing together how to break it to her gently.
Taking a deep breath, Arthur began, "Okay, think of sound like a messenger running to deliver a letter." He made a running motion with two fingers across his palm. "The ground they run on determines how fast and smooth that delivery is.
"Now imagine three different roads: air, water, and rain.
"First, air, full of dusts and random tiny bits invisible to our eyes, is like a bumpy dirt road—our messenger can run, but it's slow and full of little bumps. That's sound moving through air.
Lena nodded, following along.
"Now, water? That's like almost a perfect smooth stone path. The messenger flies across it—fast and steady. That's why sound travels faster and farther in water. Everything's packed tightly and neatly, so there's less delay."
"Makes sense…" Lena murmured, her gaze drifting up toward the dome's ceiling.
"But rain? Rain is like a crowded street in a downpour—random umbrellas, people, puddles, and trash in the way. The messenger tries to run, but keeps getting splashed, bumped, and blocked. Even though it's still water, it's chaotic."
Turning her gaze back to Arthur, Lena's eyebrows lifted. "So the sound gets... lost?"
"Exactly," Arthur nodded. "Even though it's all water, the scattered droplets, background noise, and uneven air mess things up. The sound bounces, scatters, and gets weaker instead of stronger. That's why we can barely hear each other clearly in the rain."
Lena blinked in realization, then let out a long sigh followed by a self-mocking chuckle. "So I gave my messenger a path full of umbrellas and trash…"
Arthur smiled and gently patted her shoulder. "You gave it a creative path. That's what counts when you're paving the smooth road for your future."
Encouraged, Lena smiled and gave him a quick hug. "Thanks, bro! I'll try harder—and win next time!" she said, then turned to talk with her Pokémon.
Smiling at the sight, Arthur turned back toward Misdreavus. "We'll win again next time, right, partner?"
"Mi~!" Misdreavus twirled happily around Arthur and Pikachu, basking in the glow of victory.
Next time, I won't dodge the attack! Misdreavus thought with newfound determination, glancing at the side where Water Gun had grazed its body.
---
"I thought the rain-and-Sing combo would be a great strategy..." Lena mumbled dejectedly, lying on her bed. Wartortle, cuddled up beside her, gently patted her cheek in comfort.
She was in her private room, sprawled across the mattress as her mind replayed the battle between her Lapras and Arthur's Ghost-type, Misdreavus.
The way a Ghost-type like Misdreavus could float with barely any effort was surprising enough... but the fact it could also phase through attacks—and even through her—had truly amazed her.
Concentrating, she summoned a thread of mana, weaving it to bend the space around her.
"Is this the principle behind it...?" she wondered aloud. A fragile, thin pocket of distorted reality shimmered into existence, overlapping her body—an alternate space, weak and unstable—just like the ghostly form Misdreavus had taken during the battle.
"War?" Wartortle looked confused as its hand suddenly phased through Lena's arm. It blinked, then responded by playfully squirting her face with the weakest possible Water Gun.
"Hehe~" Lena chuckled softly. The gentle splash only tickled her, doing no harm at all.
In that moment, she also came to a quiet conclusion. While this kind of 'intangible' spell cost almost nothing to create or maintain, it was so fragile that it was practically useless—hardly worth the effort.
Even though her magic specialized in the Water Element, the fact that she could so easily form such a delicate alternate space using Space Elemental magic only reinforced the truth: for mages like her, this kind of creative spell held little to no value in real combat.
She dispelled the alternate space with a sigh and turned her thoughts to her next plan—how she'd beat Arthur next time.
"La~..."
As if sensing her mood, Lapras emerged from the indoor pool, crawling over with a sorrowful look. It nudged its head against Lena's cheek, clearly feeling apologetic.
"Lapras, I'm not mad at you," Lena said with a soft smile, nudging back. "You did great."
Lapras had grown quickly in just a week—now almost two meters tall. According to the Pokédex, Lapras could grow to 2.5 meters or even more if raised properly.
She had been considering asking Arthur to install a Space-type magic circle to stretch the height of her room's ceiling—making more space for Lapras. She didn't want her Lapras to keep bowing its head just to avoid hitting the ceiling.
"La..." Despite her comforting words, Lapras still looked downcast, clearly blaming itself for the earlier loss.
Lena had learned from both the Pokédex and firsthand experience that Lapras was naturally gentle and hated fighting. Her own Lapras, in particular, wasn't afraid of pain—but it was terrified of hurting others.
That's how she came up with the singing strategy: to amplify Lapras's Sing, lull Misdreavus into a deep sleep, then gently toss it outside the arena—securing a near-pacifist victory.
As for how to actually toss Misdreavus out, Lena believed that once it fell asleep, it would lose its intangibility. If not, she planned to have Lapras use a low-pressure Water Gun to gently push it out.
This way, Lapras wouldn't have to hurt Misdreavus—much.
The one time Lena ordered Lapras to use Water Gun during the battle, it obeyed without hesitation—believing Misdreavus would dodge. It did, but the slight delay meant Lapras's attack still landed, leaving Lapras feeling a little distressed.
Arthur had been very surprised the first time he saw Lapras step into the battle arena without hesitation, but since it seemed willing, he didn't say anything.
In truth, Lapras had only entered the fight because of Lena's Sing plan.
Lena had told Lapras it didn't have to fight if it didn't want to, but her stubborn partner insisted on battling for her sake. After some back and forth, Lena reluctantly agreed to let it try.
The result was a failure—due to her own strategy.
"Lapras... it's my fault," Lena apologized softly. "I should've tested Sing in the rain before letting you battle Arthur…"
She then added, "You don't have to fight if—Ouch! Ouch! Okay, okay! I'll let you fight!" Lena smiled wryly as Lapras gently nibbled her cheek, pouting.
"War!" Wartortle stood up, wagged its finger at Lapras, and scolded it for hurting Lena.
"La..." Lapras lowered its head, then raised it again, eyes shining with determination.
"Don't fight!" Lena hugged them both and smiled happily.
Since Lapras wanted to battle for her sake, trying to dissuade it now would only disrespect its wish.
She jumped off the bed, clapped her hands, and raised a fist. "If we want to win, then let's train hard together!"
Both Pokémon responded eagerly, ready to improve.
Lena placed two buckets in the center of her room, then raised her hand, gathering Water Elemental magic. With a focused breath, she conjured water into both—one filled with normal water, the other with pure, crystal-clear water.
"Since this will be your first time, watch Wartortle carefully," she told Lapras before beginning to explain the difference between how electricity travels through normal water but not through pure water.
"La...?" Lapras tilted its head, clearly not understanding.
Lena smiled gently. "Don't worry, I'll explain everything slowly later. For now, just watch Wartortle."
Her training method was simple: teach Wartortle to distinguish between normal and pure water, then practice purifying the impurities until the water was clean.
It was a difficult task, and Wartortle had failed more times than it succeeded.
During its battle against Pikachu—where Lena first revealed this tactic—it was actually quite lucky that Wartortle managed to pull it off without losing too much energy or stamina. Normally, even when successful, the process of purifying water was both physically exhausting and mentally draining for Wartortle.
Though Water-type Pokémon like Wartortle were naturally attuned to water—far more than Lena, a mage specialized in Water Elemental magic—it was still taxing for it to purify water inside its body before using it in battle.
It was already difficult enough for Wartortle to apply this purification to a basic move like Water Gun, let alone a more advanced move like Water Pulse.
The fact that it had pulled it off at all was practically a miracle.
Lena, by contrast, could conjure pure water effortlessly by gathering moisture from the air, not drawing from her own body like Wartortle had to.
On top of that, she had unknowingly developed the ability to sense the presence of oxygen and hydrogen—skills she'd honed back when Arthur taught her how to manipulate air with water magic to suffocate monsters. That training made forming pure water even easier for her.
Wartortle dipped its head and took a mouthful from the bucket of normal water, tasting it carefully. It focused, trying to purify the liquid inside its mouth—then spat it back out.
It failed.
But that was expected during pure water training. Unbothered, Wartortle moved to the second bucket, drank the pure water, and concentrated on memorizing its taste, its texture, and the way it resonated with the water energy flowing through its body.
Lena continued conjuring normal water and pure watere as Wartortle went back and forth between the buckets, while Lapras watched with serious focus—even if it didn't yet understand the lesson.
It hated fighting, but more than anything, it wanted to make its Trainer happy.
---
"This still isn't enough…" Arthur frowned.
After receiving the high-quality resources and materials from Rosaria as promised, he had carefully placed them on the twelve smaller pedestals surrounding the Safari Zone to enhance the performance of the Safari Dome.
He'd just activated the central control hub to test the new setup—only to find that even these premium materials had their energy drained far too quickly. While they lasted longer than the low and medium-quality ones he used before, it still wasn't enough to keep the Safari Dome running for even a full day.
He considered modifying and optimizing the dome's structure further, but at his current level of expertise in magic circle engineering, it wouldn't make much of a difference.
At this rate, he'd burn through a massive amount of resources for minimal return.
He was supposed to earn a share of profits from Rosaria's sales of the mass-produced Poké Balls and Pokédexes, but those hadn't gained enough popularity yet to turn a profit. For now, they had agreed to distribute them for free—to spread awareness of Pokémon, Poké Balls, and the Pokédex. Only once demand grew would prices be set, and Arthur would begin receiving a share.
But until then, he had no steady income from it—and no viable solution.
Sighing in frustration, he shelved the problem for now and returned home with his companions—Pikachu on his shoulder, and the ghostly green Misdreavus perched lightly on his head.
Lately, Misdreavus had grown more docile. It seemed the recent battle against Lapras had left an impression—it was listening to him more than ever.
"Mivu~"
"Pika~?"
Sensing his mood, both Pokémon gave him a gentle nuzzling assault in an attempt to cheer him up.
Arthur chuckled softly and reached up to pet them. "I'm okay… I just need to find another way."
Before heading inside, he took a short detour around his house—to the side where a new animal pen was being arranged and a large barn was under construction. Various berry trees were being planted nearby, destined to provide a steady source of food for the animal in the future. Two towering trees with thick, tough trunks stood nearby—rare specimens known for their magical ability to regrow overnight after being felled.
At the entrance, a freshly erected sign read:
Miltank Farm
Before placing the eggs inside the Safari Zone to hatch, Arthur decided it was wiser to raise a large number of Miltank first. This way, he'd have plenty of Moomoo Milk to nurture the thousands of baby Pokémon they were expecting. While different Pokémon had varied diets, Moomoo Milk was versatile enough to feed almost any species—making it the perfect staple.
With a steady supply of Moomoo Milk, he wouldn't have to scramble later to find specific foods for each individual Pokémon.
Beyond its practicality, the farm could also become a profitable venture, generating steady income.
Arthur, Lena, and their parents planned to oversee the farm personally as managers. Meanwhile, he intended to interview and hire workers from the Rastor's villagers to handle day-to-day operations.
Among those hires, Arthur aimed to carefully evaluate candidates and select a future Nurse Joy for Rastor Village. If no suitable candidate could be found locally, he would have no choice but to search beyond the village.
After thoroughly inspecting the Miltank Farm construction site and confirming everything was progressing well, Arthur headed inside.
He made his way to the Pokémon Breeding Room, where twenty-two eggs rested in incubators nestled atop warm nests—waiting patiently to hatch.
These were Miltank eggs—and a pair of Tauros eggs as well.
For now, twenty Miltank and two Tauros would suffice.
The Tauros were necessary for breeding more Miltank in the future, and two was the ideal number. With just two, they could establish a natural hierarchy through competition, keeping their aggression in check and exhausting their excess energy. Fewer than two, and they might vent their frustration on the farm or the buildings; more than two, and Arthur risked losing control entirely, as too many Tauros would likely clash and cause serious damage.
That was also the reason he planted those two special trees—resilient and self-regenerating, meant to serve as safe outlets for the Tauros to charge at when they needed to blow off steam.
According to the Pokédex, Miltank only learned Milk Drink at level 35—but that was too long a wait.
So, Arthur trained his Miltank to produce Moomoo Milk starting at level 10. While this milk wasn't as potent as Milk Drink, it provided sufficient nutrition for the baby Pokémon.
Though this early Moomoo Milk wouldn't heal injuries, as long as it helped the hatchlings grow strong and healthy, it was good enough.
Speaking of Miltank, creating its template had been one of the more difficult tasks—entirely because of the Moomoo Milk.
Arthur had to draw upon both his knowledge from Earth and the information available in this world, carefully combining formulas to replicate the ideal qualities of Moomoo Milk. He even asked Rosaria to bring him every book she could find on cow's milk to support his research.
It was exhausting work, but the end result should be worth it.
The only disappointing part was the cost—summoning even one Miltank was absurdly expensive.
But it had to be that way. If he cut corners, the milk wouldn't be true Moomoo Milk—it would just be ordinary cow milk wearing a Pokémon's name.
Even though he had sponsors, watching his money disappear so quickly still made his heart ache.
"I spent a lot to create you twenty... please produce the best Moomoo Milk you can," he murmured softly, as Pikachu trotted and Misdreavus floated curiously around the eggs.
Arthur let out a sigh.
It would take a while before the Miltank and Tauros eggs hatched—unsurprising, given their high base stats of 490.
That had been his oversight. He should have started working on their templates much earlier.
With nothing more to do for the day, Arthur left the Pokémon Breeding Room, planning to collapse onto his bed and rest—ideally while cuddling his beloved Pokémon.