A faint, sweet fragrance drifted over, and Wooloo's throat emitted a soft "baa" sound.
It pawed the ground twice with its front hooves, then hesitantly nudged forward.
Jack remained perfectly still, watching as Wooloo tentatively extended its tongue and took the Pecha Berry from his palm. The tip of its tongue brushed against his skin—a warm, ticklish sensation.
"Good boy," Jack praised softly.
His fingertips carefully touched the Wooloo's curly wool, which felt like a soft cloud beneath his hand.
Wooloo twitched its ears but didn't retreat. Instead, it gently rubbed its head against his hand, as if responding to his kindness.
Uncle Exxon watched with a chuckle. "It's already taken a liking to you. Looks like it's recognized its new owner."
Jack smiled and stroked Wooloo's neck. The little one comfortably narrowed its eyes, its tail wagging gently as bits of grass clinging to its wool fell off.
Jack looked at Wooloo's docile demeanor, his gaze growing softer. He gently patted Wooloo's back and said quietly, "I'll be relying on you from now on, Wooloo. Please take care of me."
Wooloo seemed to understand, letting out a "baa" that was louder than before, and even actively rubbed its head against Jack's chest.
The sunlight streamed down on the trainer and Pokémon, warm and inviting.
Uncle Exxon watched from the side with satisfaction. He could tell that Jack and this Wooloo were truly meant to be together.
The other Wooloo in the enclosure also looked over curiously, no longer as wary as before. Some even slowly moved a few steps closer.
"Did you bring a Poké Ball? This Wooloo is only nine months old and hasn't been caught yet."
Jack fumbled around and pulled out an empty Poké Ball. Wooloo touched the Poké Ball with its head, and with a flash of red light, Wooloo was drawn inside.
"Ding—"
"I caught a Wooloo!"
Although Jack had always thought Ash looked silly when he celebrated catching Pokémon, when he truly caught a Pokémon himself, the excitement in his heart was genuinely irresistible!
"I'll help you deliver the two Miltank to the Ranch later, Jack. Do you need anything else?"
Anything else?
Jack checked his wallet—he had exactly one thousand League Coins remaining. He couldn't buy much with that.
Those thirty thousand-plus League Coins were gone before he could even enjoy having them.
"I'll buy a fishing rod and some fish food. I plan to visit Viridian Forest in my free time. Oh, and pasture seeds too."
Earning money in the early stages was difficult, so he would have to rely on the persistent efforts of a fishing enthusiast.
Jack purchased an ordinary fishing rod for one thousand League Coins.
Little fish, here comes Jack!
"That'll be one thousand two hundred League Coins total. I'll send everything to your Ranch with the rest later."
Uncle Exxon was quite generous—he even included a small bag of fish food and a small bag of Miltank feed as gifts.
Riding in Exxon's old three-wheeled vehicle, Jack quickly returned to the Ranch.
Sandshrew was still diligently carrying out its work, vigorously tilling the soil. Bulbasaur and Meltan were carrying a small watering can together, watering the previously planted vegetables and berries while removing weeds.
"Your Ranch seems to be developing well. You already have so many Pokémon working here."
Exxon noticed that the Ranch looked completely different from two days ago. When he first visited, there had been many weeds, but now the Ranch appeared much tidier.
"It's the result of my and the Pokémon's hard work together."
"Indeed, Pokémon truly are the best partners for a Ranch."
Jack led one Miltank into the Ranch. Some uncultivated areas were still covered in weeds—far inferior in quality to pasture grass. They weren't tasty and would negatively affect the milk's quality.
"Today, I also need to clear these weeds and plant pasture grass."
Jack led Exxon to a somewhat dilapidated shed. He tied the Miltank to a pillar and then provided her with food.
"Come, I'll teach you how to milk."
Uncle Exxon rolled up his sleeves and gently grasped the Miltank's teats with both hands. With a rhythmic squeeze and release of his fingers, the snow-white milk flowed steadily into the wooden bucket beside them. In a short while, he had collected half a bucket, his movements smooth and effortless.
"It looks so simple."
Jack watched, eager to try. Mew floated over at some point and perched on the roof, observing Jack with interest.
Jack imitated Exxon, grasping the teats. But either he used too much force, making the Miltank moo in discomfort, or his technique was incorrect, and not a single drop of milk came out despite his efforts.
His forehead was soon sweating from frustration, milk splattered all over his hands, but there was hardly any in the bucket. The scene was quite messy.
"Mew~"
Mew lay on the roof, laughing heartily, attracting both Jack's and Exxon's attention. However, they saw nothing when they looked up.
"Was that a Pokémon?"
"Yes, it's quite shy. It's a Pokémon from another region, and like Meltan, it doesn't naturally live in the Kanto region," Jack quickly explained.
Exxon didn't suspect anything—it was normal to encounter unfamiliar Pokémon. Even Professor Oak couldn't claim to know every Pokémon species.
Mew had enjoyed the entertainment enough and disappeared to who knows where.
"Don't rush. You need to use a gentle touch," Uncle Exxon patiently guided him. "Your fingers should be positioned like this, stroking slowly from the base to the tip with even pressure—not too fast. If you use too much force at once, the Miltank won't be comfortable."
Exxon held Jack's hand and demonstrated on the Miltank's teat several times. "Feel it—it's like gently squeezing a soft ball."
Jack practiced following along.
At first, he was still somewhat clumsy, and the milk came out in uneven spurts. But gradually, he got the hang of it, and his finger movements became more coordinated. Finally, the milk flowed smoothly into the bucket with a steady "gurgle, gurgle."
Although his speed was much slower than Exxon's, and he had some milk stains on his clothes, looking at the milk gradually accumulating in the bucket made Jack's smile irrepressible.
He had finally managed to milk her successfully.
The Miltank also seemed to sense Jack's progress, gently wagging her tail and continuing to eat her food contentedly.
Uncle Exxon watched Jack's success, nodding with satisfaction.
"Not bad, not bad—that's more like it. An adult Miltank can be milked three times a day, with a yield of about thirty kilograms, so she consumes considerable amounts of food. You'll need to plant plenty of pasture grass."
These Miltank had been specially bred through selective crossbreeding to produce milk, so their yield and quality were notably higher.
"Alright, I understand."
"Then I'll head back now. If you have any other questions, you can contact me by phone."
Seeing that Jack had learned the basics, Exxon drove his small three-wheeler back to his shop in town.
"A full bucket of milk—today is another day full of harvest!"
Jack placed a lid on the bucket, and after high-temperature sterilization, placed it in the well to keep it cool. There were no large-scale refrigeration containers at the Ranch yet, so for now, he could only rely on this method.
"Oh, right—Wooloo!"
Jack released Wooloo from its Poké Ball. "Wooloo and the Miltank are our Ranch's new partners!"
Meltan, Bulbasaur, and Sandshrew all gathered around curiously.
"Melo—" (So much wool on her body!)
"Bulba~" (You look so comfortable!)
"Jiji—" (Are you also a Ranch worker?)