Returning to Huaqiao Village, Lin Feng felt much clearer about his goals.
He was here to challenge the Grass Gym and bring home two Miltank.
But before he even reached the Gym, he spotted Ye Mu standing by the pasture gates. That sparked his curiosity because, logically speaking, this was the peak travel season for rookie Trainers setting off on their journeys.
A city-level Gym Leader like Ye Mu ought to be pretty busy right now.
It wasn't until later that Lin Feng learned the truth.
As the only Grass-type Gym in Wutong City, Ye Mu's Gym didn't get many local challengers.
Especially for standard battles.
Because the Grass Gym's Leader, Ye Mu, used Venusaur as his ace Pokémon. Its Grassy Terrain could be set up almost instantly inside the Gym.
Coupled with moves like Ingrain, Protect, and Toxic tactics, unless a Trainer brought Pokémon with a type advantage, they were unlikely to gain any ground.
It was essentially the infamous Protect-Toxic stall strategy, now bolstered with field control.
"You made good time," Ye Mu said with a grin as he saw Lin Feng arriving under the blazing sun.
Lin Feng nodded. "So how exactly will the challenge be conducted?"
He was anxious to bring those two Miltank home as quickly as possible.
Ye Mu simply shook his head. "Come with me."
With that, he turned and started walking away.
Lin Feng followed, puzzled. Soon enough, he discovered where Ye Mu was leading him.
The cattle shed.
It was a simple structure, built from wooden fencing and surrounded by plastic roll-up curtains. A low canopy overhead provided shade, shielding the inside from the heat. Each Miltank inside had its own stall, lying on dry straw and occasionally taking slow, contented bites of grass, looking quite relaxed.
The moment Lin Feng stepped inside, he felt an immediate coolness wash over him.
Then he noticed something even more surprising.
There was air conditioning in the cattle shed.
At two in the afternoon, the sun was at its harshest, and even grass-loving Miltank weren't keen on wandering outdoors.
The real-life Miltank looked a bit pinker in the flesh, resembling pregnant dairy cows. The black markings on their heads and ears looked like a dark collar circling their necks.
All four hooves were smooth and black.
Their noses were moist and shiny, while their udders were creamy white. Each pair of bright eyes stared curiously at the two visitors.
They seemed a bit puzzled. It wasn't time for milking or feeding, so what were these two humans doing here?
Ye Mu began explaining.
"Although Miltank's milk production is directly tied to the quality of their pasture and their own strength, the quantity and subtle differences in milk quality also depend on their mood and the seasons."
"In spring, Miltank produce milk that's lighter and sweeter. In summer, like now, their milk becomes richer and more viscous. Come autumn, there's often a slight tang to the flavor, and in winter, the milk tends to be warmer and smoother."
"If they're in a bad mood, their milk production drops significantly. So if you're going to raise Miltank, there's quite a lot you need to pay attention to."
As he listened, Lin Feng had already pulled out his phone and started taking notes diligently.
Everything was starting to make sense.
Ye Mu definitely planned on selling him some Miltank. Although Lin Feng still didn't quite understand why he insisted on that Gym battle first.
Yet he also felt a certain admiration.
For someone as big and imposing as Uncle Mu, the man was surprisingly attentive and meticulous.
"Judging from the pasture grass you've grown, I'm not worried that your Miltank will be poorly fed. But when it comes to milk production, don't put too much pressure on them. Only when they're happy will they willingly produce plenty of milk."
Lin Feng nodded and lifted his phone slightly, indicating that he'd saved it all.
"Alright. One Miltank costs three hundred thousand. How many do you want?" Ye Mu didn't beat around the bush anymore.
"If possible, I'd like three." Lin Feng thought it over before settling on that number.
In truth, he wanted more.
But right now, he only had around eight hundred thousand in cash, mostly from his breeding shop's sales over the past three days.
Besides, his plantation wasn't fully developed yet, and he'd still need to build a proper cattle shed. Taking on too many Miltank at once would be biting off more than he could chew.
Ye Mu nodded. "Come on then. Three is pretty much the upper limit for your plantation at the moment."
Relief washed over Lin Feng.
Before coming here, he'd been worried he might leave empty-handed today.
Following Ye Mu deeper into the cattle shed, they came to an area where a group of slightly smaller Miltank were gathered.
Compared to the adult Miltank near the front, these younger ones had noticeably clearer eyes and livelier demeanors. When they saw Lin Feng and Ye Mu approaching, they all stood up at once, staring curiously at the newcomers.
Ye Mu explained, "These are this year's newly matured one-year-old Miltank. Their milk quality hasn't stabilized yet, but if you take them back and raise them properly, they should produce excellent Moomoo Milk in the future. Go ahead and pick three."
Seeing all those Miltank, Lin Feng couldn't help grinning as he let his gaze roam over them.
"Moo-moo?"
As his eyes moved from one to the next, the Miltank all turned their gaze to follow his movements.
ヾ(oωo`)o: Hee hee.
This human… seems interesting.
It didn't take long before Lin Feng selected three Miltank from the group.
[Pokémon: Miltank (x3)]
[Gender: Female]
[Abilities: Thick Fat / Thick Fat / Sap Sipper]
[Potential: Blue / Purple / Purple]
[IVs: ...…]
[Level: 21–24 / 22–24 / 25–27]
[Moves: Tackle, Growl, Defense Curl, Rollout, Milk Drink…..]
[Friendship: 15 / 20 / 30]
[Happiness: 30 / 30 / 40]
"You little rascal… That's quite the eye you've got. You really are your father's son."
Ye Mu looked genuinely stunned as he studied the three Miltank Lin Feng had chosen.
These were the best-quality Miltank in the entire batch. One of them was even the offspring of Ye Mu's own prized Miltank. He hadn't expected Lin Feng to scoop up all three in one go.
"Ahem…"
Lin Feng felt a bit embarrassed.
But Ye Mu had told him to pick freely, so of course he'd chosen the best ones.
These days, you needed a thick skin if you wanted to live well.
Being timid only led to missed opportunities.
"No problem. Now, you just need to convince them to go with you," Ye Mu added with a sly smile.
"…"
Lin Feng didn't waste any words. After a moment of thought, he reached into his storage capsule and pulled out some of the pasture grass he'd harvested when he'd gone to the plantation to pick up Milotic.
This was from his second batch of pasture grass.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Love the story? Show your support and unlock early access to new chapters by joining me on Patreon! and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!
P@treon.com/_tey
Change @ to a.