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—