Pokemon Paldea [236-237] (Patreon)

Chapter 236: Miltank and the Hero

Such high-quality Moomoo Milk being sold to the miners below market price—could Hanza really be doing charity?

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Just as that question popped into Lucas's mind, Hanza finished tidying up and walked in, wearing an apologetic look.

"Miltank~"

The well-behaved Miltank sitting to the side smiled and raised a foreleg to greet Hanza.

"Good work, Miltank." Hanza nodded slightly, then looked at Lucas and got straight to the point: "Mr. Sebas told me everything. You're planning to adopt a Miltank, right?"

"Yes. I'm setting up a farm, and the pasture area is a bit empty, so I want to add some Pokémon."

Lucas put down the glass bottle that had somehow already been drained without him noticing and confirmed Hanza's question.

"I see. That puts me at ease. You don't look like the type who'd treat Pokémon badly." Hanza smiled and gestured. "Please, come visit the pasture behind the house."

Lucas stood and followed Hanza to the pasture out back—not cramped, but certainly not spacious.

On a stretch of fertile grass, around twenty Miltank lay resting. Some were taking dainty bites of what looked like very tasty grass; some were napping, all of them looking very relaxed.

"They're all kids I brought from the Johto Region. Every one of them is in great health. Even the pasture grass and the soil I cultivated were imported from Johto at great expense."

Hanza introduced the pasture with pride. In Johto, raising Miltank is a real art—there's no room for sloppiness.

Their living environment affects a Miltank's physical and mental health, which in turn affects the yield and quality of its milk. You have to take it seriously.

Lucas was a little surprised. "Bringing it all the way from Johto must have cost a fortune in freight. Paldea and Johto are practically half a planet apart!"

Hanza's proud expression crumpled. He gave a sheepish laugh. "Haha… laugh if you want. Honestly, most of the money I made running a ranch in Johto got sunk into this. What was left bought this house and the small plot behind it."

"In truth, I'm basically flat broke right now."

Lucas didn't get it. "Then why are you letting me adopt a Miltank for free? Just because of a favor?"

"That's part of it, but mostly I just can't stomach putting a price on them." Hanza gazed at the Miltank living leisurely in the pasture, his expression wistful. "To me, they're all part of the ranch—they're family."

"Things are hard now, but that's only temporary. I won't sell my family just because of that."

Lucas was silent for a beat, then said softly, "It seems they mean a lot to you."

Hanza nodded gently.

A question rose in Lucas's mind. Why would Hanza spend so much and leave himself penniless just to move from Johto to Zapapico in Paldea? After all, the town lives mainly off mining—that alone shows the surrounding environment isn't ideal for building a ranch.

Why take on something so thankless?

Curiosity got the better of him. Lucas tried asking, adding that Hanza didn't have to answer if he didn't want to.

"It's fine. It's nothing particularly special." Hanza smiled, his gaze full of reminiscence. "When I first became a trainer, I traveled in Paldea with a Miltank—the very one that greeted you earlier."

"While passing through Zapapico, I was attacked by a vicious Tyranitar. At the critical moment, a hero like a knight saved me."

"Wanting to see that hero again—that's also why I moved to Paldea."

Lucas frowned slightly. "A hero… a trainer?"

Hanza shook his head. "No, I remember clearly—it was a Pokémon. Its swordsmanship was gorgeous, like a dance. Its relentless strikes pushed that Tyranitar back again and again."

"That long blade lit up with a pink-violet edge; the image still echoes in my memory even now. But its exact appearance has blurred with time."

A sword-wielding knight… could it be Gallade?

After mulling it over, Lucas felt that based on Hanza's description, Gallade was the closest match.

"Oh, right. In fact, the mine the workers who buy my Moomoo Milk are currently digging is where I met that hero back then. After I'd gotten in good with them, I went in to look around. Unfortunately, I didn't see any trace of the hero—or even the Tyranitar."

Hanza sounded regretful. He believed that if he could see that hero again, he'd surely remember. But getting that one meeting was so difficult.

Lucas's eyes widened. He asked hesitantly, "…So the reason you sell them Moomoo Milk at a low price is just to build connections so it's easier for you to pop into the mine from time to time?"

Hanza admitted it without hesitation. "Yeah. I'm practically penniless now. If I'm doing a money-losing deal, there's definitely a reason."

Lucas: "…"

Give me back my solemn respect and the tears you moved me to shed!!!

Pointing at the Miltank lounging in the pasture, Hanza smiled. "Alright, enough digressions. These Miltank all have mild temperaments. You can go pick one. As long as it doesn't resist you, you can adopt it."

After chatting with Lucas, Hanza felt sure he wasn't a bad person. And Mr. Sebas had no reason to introduce him to someone who'd mistreat a Miltank. Now Hanza was completely at ease.

At that, Lucas nodded slightly. Under Hanza's lead, he began, with his half-baked experience, to observe the Miltank's spirits, looks, and development. It was clear they were all very healthy.

Half joking, Hanza said, "Seeing how picky you are, you could also try tasting each one's milk before deciding."

Lucas wasn't embarrassed at all. Since he could only adopt one, he naturally wanted the best.

In the end, his gaze settled on a Miltank that had been eating grass ever since he entered the pasture—and showed no sign of stopping even after the others had had their fill.

He could see a faint, almost imperceptible green sheen covering that Miltank, flickering in rhythm with its eating.

Miltank have three possible Abilities: Thick Fat, which boosts bulk; Scrappy, which affects Ghost-type matchups; and…the hidden Ability, Sap Sipper—

Chapter 237: The Trainer Who Abandoned Ceruledge

Based on this Miltank's behavior, Lucas guessed its Ability was likely Sap Sipper.

Sap Sipper might only grant immunity to Grass-type moves and raise Attack in the games, but in reality it could manifest in unexpected ways.

Its usual expression is eating Grass-type energy and, thanks to the Ability's supercharged digestive capacity, converting it into its own strength.

A scholar who studies Pokémon Abilities once published a paper:

"On the Manifestations of Miltank's Three Abilities"

In it, Sap Sipper was described like this:

"Regarding Miltank's Sap Sipper: it possesses a peculiar power. Miltank with Sap Sipper can not only consume more pasture grass, but thanks to the Ability's powerful digestive function, absorb energy to a degree far beyond Miltank with other Abilities."

"Therefore, Moomoo Milk produced by Sap Sipper Miltank often tastes notably better than that produced by Miltank with other Abilities. Detailed data analysis likewise shows the nutritional value is a cut above."

These were things Lucas had learned from papers he borrowed at Naranja Academy's library—and now that knowledge was paying off.

Knowledge really does come in handy.

"Miltank~?"

The Miltank, buried in eating, suddenly noticed the burning gaze on its back. It raised its head and looked curiously at Lucas, without the least sign of being scared.

If anything, the Miltank was puzzled about why Lucas was looking at it like that.

Putting on what he considered a very charming smile, Lucas waved. "Hello there, Miltank."

"Miltank~" The Miltank raised a foreleg back in friendly greeting. Very cute.

Lucas got straight to the point. "To be honest, I'm here to choose one of you. Would you like to come with me? All the pasture you can eat!"

His ranch's pasture was many times bigger than Hanza's—big enough for Tauros to run wild inside. The grass was cultivated using Grassy Terrain by Comfey, and the soil was tilled by Mudsdale. The taste wasn't necessarily worse than the pasture grass from Johto.

Lucas felt he could offer very generous conditions.

Under Lucas's grand promises, the Miltank's eyes clearly filled with longing.

In fact, they'd only just moved here. While they'd mostly adapted to the surrounding environment, the reduced size of the pasture was a headache. Even when eating, they had to hold back, afraid they might eat all the others' grass and make everyone go hungry.

What Lucas described was like paradise to a Miltank: wide open land and endless rich grass.

It felt like it hadn't eaten its fill in ages.

Though it yearned for that, the Miltank first looked toward Hanza. He was truly good to them; whenever there was something nice, he thought of them first.

Greedy as it was, it couldn't bring itself to abandon Hanza just for benefits.

Sensing the Miltank's gaze, Hanza smiled, waved his hand, as if saying goodbye.

Though he was surprised that Lucas had picked this particular special Miltank out of so many, he wasn't someone to go back on his word. Besides, Lucas's farm would surely offer the Miltank a better life.

After all, he'd noticed how it had been suppressing its appetite.

With Hanza's nod, the Miltank stopped holding back. It happily wagged its tail and ears, and accepted Lucas's petting.

"This is Miltank's Poké Ball. I'm entrusting it to you." Hanza's expression was a mix of emotions as he handed over the ball, suppressing his reluctance.

"I'll take good care of it." Lucas met Hanza's eyes and made the promise, then added, "If you have time, come visit my farm in Los Platos Town and see Miltank. You're always welcome."

Hanza nodded emphatically. "Okay."

Returning Miltank to its ball, Lucas no longer had a reason to linger at the Miltank House. After bidding Hanza farewell, he headed into Zapapico.

As he walked, he couldn't say why, but he felt he and Hanza would have many chances to cross paths in the future.

Walking the streets of Zapapico and looking at the familiar scenery, Lucas felt a bit sentimental.

Come to think of it, although it's farther along the route order, Zapapico was one of the towns he visited early in his journey.

Back then, aside from Luxio, his only other team member was Serperior when it was still a Snivy. He was basically no different from an ordinary newbie trainer—just a little better at battling.

The reason he traveled to Zapapico was simple and straightforward—he'd run out of travel funds.

Raising Pokémon is expensive. Compared to the cost of resources, food, clothing, lodging, and transport are a drop in the bucket. His initial startup funds—the money from selling a Crabominable's pincer—had already run out.

So Lucas had no choice but to put a pause on his full-steam-ahead gym challenge, stay in Zapapico, and look for temporary work.

He didn't know anyone and had no connections, so he'd planned to be a day-laborer miner. Fortunately, there was a job in town suited for trainers; otherwise he might have settled down in Zapapico.

He made his way, as familiar as if on rails, to the Pokémon Center in Zapapico and fell into memories again.

Zapapico lives by mining. Work often involves excavating newly found or dug-out caves, which inevitably raises the risk of conflicts with wild Pokémon.

Paldea counts among the regions that prize coexistence with nature. Even when mining, they take care not to destroy wild Pokémon habitats.

But conflict is unavoidable. You never know whether your swing of the pick will break into some wild Pokémon's nest or territory.

So, a job came into being through the Pokémon Center: accept requests to drive away wild Pokémon, bring them to the Center for care, and release them back into the wild after moderate extraction in that area was complete.

This job only required strong battling skills, paid money, and offered real combat experience—perfect for Lucas at the time.

And so, he stayed in Zapapico for a time to work and save up travel funds.

As a trainer who wasn't yet very high-ranked, Lucas could take on small-scale assignments to drive off minor wild Pokémon. For bigger jobs, he had to team up with other trainers to ensure success.

That was how he met Kimura, a trainer who, after collecting six badges, turned back because he couldn't clear the seventh gym.

And Kimura was also the previous trainer of Ceruledge back when it was still a Charcadet.