By the time our break ended and we walked the remaining distance, the forest slowly opened into the familiar wide pasture.
The scene was calm.
Peaceful.
The younger Pokémon that had been feeding here earlier were already gone. Only the Miltank herd remained, resting lazily in the sun. Some were sprawled on the grass, others chewing cud, their tails flicking gently.
As soon as I stepped forward with Mankey beside me, the Miltank leader—whom I met yesterday—lifted her head.
"Mooooo~"
A sound of clear recognition.
Mankey, who normally acted like the god of punching, suddenly turned into the purest baby on Earth. He tucked his tail, widened his eyes, and stared at Miltank like she was his long-lost mother.
The team noticed.
Rohan whispered,"…Sir, why does your monkey look like a toddler meeting Santa?"
I ignored him and stepped closer.
"Hello again," I greeted softly, placing a respectful hand on the leader's neck.
She mooed happily.
Then Mankey walked toward another Miltank, one who had helped feed baby Pokémon yesterday.
The moment she saw Mankey, she let out a soft moo… and Mankey immediately pressed himself against her side and started drinking milk.
Even though he had JUST eaten lunch.
"Greedy little fellow," I muttered.
Chat exploded:
[GREEDY BABY MONKEY][SIR CONTROL YOUR CHILD][MANKEY LIVES THE LIFE I WANT]
Growlithe soon joined him, drinking from the other side like a royal prince.
The team stared in disbelief.
Kadam murmured,"I've never seen animals trust someone this fast…"
I turned back to the leader.
"Is it okay if we get some milk?" I asked gently.
She mooed warmly—permission granted.
I faced the team."Everyone brought two empty bottles, right?"
They nodded, suddenly realizing this was why I made them carry those.
"Good. Ask any Miltank politely. If she agrees, you can milk her. Do NOT force anything."
The team spread out.
As for me, I sat beside the leader Miltank and began milking her myself.Old habits kicked in instantly.
My grandparents had two cows back in our village. Every summer vacation, I spent mornings helping them. This felt nostalgic.
Warm milk flowed smoothly into the bottle.
I glanced at the drone and noticed Ritu had focused the camera on Mankey and Growlithe—still drinking milk like bottomless pits.
I chuckled and continued milking, then gently asked,
"It's uncomfortable for you if you're not milked regularly, right?"
Miltank nodded—muffled but clear.
I continued,
"I can help fix that. I can have people come every day to milk you properly."
She mooed happily… but then hesitated.
Her eyes drifted toward Mankey and Growlithe—who were still drinking enthusiastically.
"Oh," I realized. "You're worried the baby Pokémon might not get their portion if humans start milking you."
She nodded.
I thought for a moment.
"Don't worry. I'll send people AFTER the young ones finish feeding. Afternoon only. Also, you produce around nineteen to twenty liters a day… right?"
She nodded again.
"We'll only take fifteen. The rest is for the Pokémon in the forest."
She considered it.
Then gave a soft, agreeing Mooo~
A perfect partnership.
This was it.
My first real step into the future Pokémon industry.
Milk. Honey. Food supplies. Berries.
Slow, careful, responsible partnerships.
I stood and bowed slightly to her.
"Thank you. The arrangements will take two to three days, but we'll start soon."
She nuzzled my arm affectionately.
I turned to the team.
"Alright everyone—pack up. We're heading out."
But before anyone could move—
Three small figures shot out from the tall grass.
High-pitched squeaks.
Fast footsteps.
Four little shapes came into view—
Three Pichu carrying a fourth limp one.
They ran straight toward the Miltank leader and placed the injured one at her feet.
The entire atmosphere shifted instantly.
Miltank became dead serious.
She stepped forward, closed her eyes…
…and a soft glowing bell appeared above the fallen Pichu.
A gentle chime echoed through the air.
The purple hue on the baby's cheeks faded slowly.
Heal Bell.
Chat went insane:
[WHAT WAS THAT LIGHT??][SHE CAN HEAL POISON??][OMG THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL][MILTANK SUPPORT GODDESS]
But the injuries remained.
I stepped forward, heart tightening.
"Let me help too."
I crushed two Oran berries into pulp and gently poured the juice into Pichu's mouth.Then placed my palm over her tiny chest and guided Evergreen Power into her body.
Green light flowed softly.
Her breathing steadied.
Her ears twitched.
"Ritu," I whispered without looking away, "go bond with the other three. See if one wants to be your partner. They're scared — calm them."
Her eyes widened. She nodded, placed the drone controller beside me, and gently approached the three uninjured Pichu with soft berry pieces in hand.
Good. She needed this.
Its eyes fluttered open after a minute — dazed, scared, but alive.
It looked around.
Saw the other Pichu.
Relaxed instantly.
I stroked its tiny head.
"Hey… you're safe now. What happened?"
The Pichu let out a weak "Pi…pi…"And the meaning flowed into my mind through instinctive communication.
A large poisonous Pokémon ambushed them.The injured Pichu had tried to protect the others — using all its stored electricity in one burst.That paralyzed it momentarily… and the poisonous Pokémon struck.
If the others hadn't dragged it away, it wouldn't have survived.
These Pichu weren't even a week old.
This was their first battle.
I looked it in the eyes.
"Do you want to become stronger?"
It hesitated…
"If you come with me, I'll train you. I'll help you get strong enough to protect anyone."
It looked at the three Pichu clustered near Ritu.
Worried.
I smiled and pointed.
"That girl — Ritu — wants to take care of one of your friends. She's gentle. Reliable. And the other two? I'll find them a safe home. A good one."
The Pichu studied me.
Then — trusting me — it nodded.
I placed her gently beside the others.
The injured Pichu squeaked softly, explaining everything to her siblings.
One of the healthy Pichu stepped toward Ritu — wanting to go with her… but torn about leaving the others.
My Pichu patted it on the head reassuringly.
A moment passed.
Then the second Pichu nodded firmly and pushed the hesitant one forward, almost like, "Go. It's okay."
Ritu gasped softly as the small electric mouse climbed onto her palms.
She hugged it close, eyes shining.
I picked up the injured Pichu again.
"Alright," I said quietly.
"Let's move."
I looked toward the other side of the pasture.
The Tauros herd.
Strong.
Territorial.
Aggressive when provoked.
I really didn't want to take a thirty-minute detour around their grazing area.
So I bent toward Miltank again.
"Do you think you could convince the Tauros to let us pass?"
She looked at me.
Then looked at the Tauros.
Then mooed once—firm and commanding.
The kind of moo that mothers use when telling their rowdy children to behave.
The Tauros herd paused… then slowly settled back down.
I blinked.
"…Okay wow. That actually worked."
The team stared at Miltank like she had just unlocked cheat codes.
Growlithe barked approvingly.
Mankey wiped milk from his mouth and punched the air proudly.
And with a clear path ahead…
We stepped forward, deeper into the Pokémon-filled Aarey Forest once again.