Alex was woken the next morning by one of the Kimono Girls and promptly ushered out of the theatre so they could begin their daily preparations. Midori saw him off, thanking him for the unforgettable night.
Alex still had half of Johto to travel, so he headed west to Route 38. He briefly considered going east instead, but for the return trip, it was easier if he was closer to Kanto after the fact. So, he decided to close out the western side first before heading east and simply returning to Kanto from there.
Route 38 was more of the familiar forests, but it was significantly more traveled, so the trees were sparser, with more open land between them, making the route overall safer. It took a day for Alex to pass through the route and eventually arrive at the Moomoo Farm, which was the primary source of Moomoo Milk around the world.
Moomoo Milk was known throughout the world as the best sustenance and nutrition for children, young Pokémon, and even bodybuilders, as it was exceptionally packed with nutrients that supported overall growth. It was even more effective than simply eating high-ranked Pokémon meat.
Alex, to this day, still drinks at least one bottle of Moomoo Milk of the highest quality straight from the farm. The same goes for all of his Pokémon.
Thus, when they arrived at the Moomoo Farm that evening, the Pokémon were all visibly excited to visit and take part in the farm tour offered to tourists. Alex, on the other hand, wasn't particularly interested. He would've preferred to keep moving, but Gardevoir, his team's leader and unofficial spokesperson, had other ideas.
She drove a hard bargain, promising that everyone would work extra hard afterward if they could get Moomoo Milk straight from the source. To seal the deal, she even projected a mental image of the entire team with exaggeratedly sad eyes, dragging their feet in dramatic protest.
Alex gave in, though he suspected this was her plan all along. An extra day of leisure wasn't much of a loss, and if he was going to end up spending millions anyway, he might as well pick up some supplies and quality souvenirs for the girls while he was at it.
So, early the next morning, rather than take Route 39 and continue their journey south, Alex signed up for a tour of the farm that took up the whole day.
"Welcome to the Moomoo Farm, where we produce Moomoo Milk for everyone," the tour guide said as she led the way through the main facilities of the farm. "You may notice that our main factory is quite small compared to the rest of the farm. This is because the key to raising strong Miltank that produce the best-tasting and most nutritious milk is the feed they eat."
The Moomoo Farm was understandably expansive, stretching from the northern tip of Route 39 all the way down to halfway along the route. It also extended beyond the route to the northern and western sides, having gradually encroached on the surrounding forest over time.
The tour, however, was limited to the main factory where they collected milk from their prized Miltank.
The rest of the farm was used to raise the crops the Miltank fed on, which required vast territory and constant care to ensure they were producing the most nutritious feed possible. This meant the Moomoo Farm was also the top crop producer in the region, with all of it going straight to the Miltank to produce the best milk in the world.
"As you all might already know, our Moomoo Milk comes in different price ranges, from our cheaper 100 Pokédollar products all the way to our premium 100,000 Pokédollar products. This is because they are taken from differently ranked Miltanks, which affects both the overall level of nutrition and the taste of our products. The higher a Miltank's rank, the more nutritious its milk."
Alex, accompanied by an excited Espeon and Zoroark, looked out and noticed the Miltank grazing lazily, occasionally waving happily at the tourists. Their ranks ranged from Novice all the way to Elite, sparsely scattered throughout the nearby farmland.
Judging by the number of Miltank scattered around, Alex could tell this wasn't even 1% of their total. The amount of Moomoo Milk they produced and sold all over Kanto would easily require over a thousand Miltank producing milk daily.
This meant they likely had an even bigger, and perhaps more efficient, facility hidden somewhere within the farm. The fact that it was hidden suggested they were either not being very humane with their Miltank or doing something to the milk to make it as delicious and nutritious as it was.
Alex wasn't bothered by the possibilities. He came from a world where cruelty to animals was often blatant and widely accepted, and he didn't care either way. Still, it was nice looking at Espeon and Zoroark, who were likely thinking their milk was being produced by happy Pokémon. The same applied to the Pokémon in their Poké Balls, enjoying the tour.
"The next portion of our tour is where we clean, test, and ensure that the milk we sell is top quality and safe for consumption," the tour guide said as she pointed to a large vat being mixed and processed. "We also process the milk to make other products we sell, like butter and cheese."
They had the entire operation underway, similar to the factories Alex had seen in videos.
In addition to selling their prized Moomoo Milk, they also produced and sold cheese, butter, cream, yogurt, ice cream, buttermilk, milk soap, milk-based skincare (such as lotions and cleansers), casein glue, milk paint, and various other milk-derived products.
The factory was essentially the center of a full-scale milk-based industry, all visibly operating during Alex's tour. Still, based on his estimation, these were likely just the parts of the operation they were comfortable showing tourists, far from the whole picture.
"This is the final leg of our tour, where you are free to interact with the Miltank and drink their milk using the glasses we provide. If you'd like to try our other products, they are available in those stores. I promise you'll find all the products we sell there, including the best of our premium goods," she said before adding, "Also, as long as your Pokémon are well-behaved, they're allowed to play with the Miltank."
As if on cue, all the Pokémon stored in Poké Balls burst out in a flash of light as every single ball on the tour released its Pokémon, including Alex's. The Pokémon rushed straight for the pen, where over a hundred Miltank were ready and waiting for the incoming horde of fans.
Fortunately, one Champion ranked Miltank stood on guard, ensuring all the guests played nice.
Alex wasn't worried about his own Pokémon, as they were generally well-behaved despite their gruesome occupation. They had learned to be gentle with the girls at the farm, after all.
So, he made his way to the store and bought their most expensive products to bring back to the girls as souvenirs. He made sure to buy one of each item for each of the girls, even those who weren't at the farm, just in case. He also bought double the skincare products, also just in case.
The products they sold in the store were so diverse and filled with experimental items that Alex had to call for staff to help him box everything up. In the end, they sold Alex ten crates' worth of products from his request to have a bit of everything. Fortunately, space bags existed in this world.
Once Alex was finished shopping, he bought ice cream bowls for each of his Pokémon and had someone help him carry them outside to the pen.
A quick call from Alex later, and his Pokémon ran up to him, their mouths covered in milk from the tasting that was included in the tour price.
Despite gorging themselves on milk from the source, they still had enough space for some ice cream made out of milk from a Champion ranked Miltank. It cost a pretty penny at 100k per bowl but Alex had never skimped out on quality when it came to his team.
He even treated himself to a Champion ranked cheese board with crackers and wine.
In total, Alex had spent around 5 million Pokédollars in a single day, shopping for premium products and fresh supplies for the rest of their trip. It was clear that the Moomoo Farm was a great source of income for the company.
Once they finished their bowls, they returned to playing with the Miltank before tiring themselves out for the night. It wasn't the exercise that wore them out, but rather the excessive amount of milk they had to digest.
Fortunately for Alex, Arcanine had just enough energy to teleport them back to the house in Violet City before collapsing asleep in the yard.
Their day wasn't exactly productive, but Alex managed to pick up some souvenirs and made his Pokémon happy, so he considered it a day well spent.
Tomorrow, they would resume their journey south toward Olivine City and perhaps catch a ferry to Cianwood City.
-----
Support me on Patreon
patreon/babywrath