Chapter 45:
"Another one of my dad's old friends?"
Seeing the man recognize his father's name, Hayashi Kaede's face showed a trace of helplessness—but deep down, he was relieved.
If someone knew his dad, odds were they'd be easier to talk to.
"If you mean the former plantation owner from Aogiri Town, then yes. He's my father."
The large man stood up at once. With a few quick strides, he was in front of Hayashi Kaede, giving him a long, curious look—as if he were a rare Pokémon.
"This build… that face… yeah, you've definitely got his genes."
Then came a hearty laugh and two solid pats on the shoulder that nearly rocked Hayashi Kaede off balance.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Hayashi Kaede."
The man smacked his lips. "Your old man and I were close back in the day. I'm being presumptuous here, but just call me Uncle Genmu. Name's Kusano Genmu. You mentioned you're selling forage grass? Let me take a look."
"Sure."
Hayashi Kaede didn't mind the familiarity. He reached into a storage ball and pulled out a handful of grass—but before he could hand it over, Kusano Genmu had already snatched it.
The big man's eyes lit up the moment he saw it.
For Pokémon like Miltank, there were only two keys to producing top-quality Moo Moo Milk: strength and diet.
Stronger Miltank made more nutritious milk. But even the best Miltank couldn't produce high-grade milk without top-tier forage. Not even energy cubes could fully replace it.
Kusano Genmu rubbed the blades between his fingers, sniffed them, and then—without hesitation—tore off a piece to chew. A beat later, he was grinning.
"This is good stuff. Best quality forage I've ever seen. How much do you have? I'll buy the lot."
Hayashi Kaede let out a soft breath. "I don't have much. I've just been growing it for fun."
With that, he released the rest from his storage ball. A small hill of it appeared at his feet—around 100 pounds, the leftovers from his last harvest.
"For fun?" Kusano Genmu twitched.
That was exactly what Hayashi Kaede's father had said years ago when he settled in Aogiri Town. Claimed he was just farming for fun—and then every crop he planted turned out to be top-quality.
In fact, Kusano Genmu's own main Miltank had grown up eating his friend's grass.
"Didn't think the son would be just as absurd as the dad," Kusano Genmu muttered.
Hayashi Kaede scratched his head. "So… what about the price?"
"100 PokéDollars per 500g. It's high-quality forage, but looks like your first crop. With better yield, I'll raise the price."
"Thanks, Uncle Genmu."
Hayashi Kaede didn't know what forage normally sold for—but these days, he wasn't short on money. More than anything, Kusano Genmu seemed like the type of person you wanted on your side.
So he brought up his real purpose.
"Actually… I was wondering. Are any of your Miltank for sale?"
Kusano Genmu raised a brow. "You want to raise Miltank? Your plantation's not exactly huge."
"Just two. I want fresh MooMoo Milk to sell at the breeding house."
Kusano Genmu thought for a second.
Coincidentally, a batch of year-old Miltank was about to go to new homes. Selling one or two would be no problem. But the memory of constantly losing to Hayashi Kaede's father came flooding back.
Time for a little revenge.
"I'll sell them to you—but only if you challenge the Grass Gym."
It was childish, sure. But part of him wanted to see just how good this kid really was.
Hayashi Kaede's eyes widened. "Right now? But I didn't bring any Pokémon with me."
"No worries. The gym's open this afternoon. Get ready and come back then."
"Miltank!" grumbled the Miltank, annoyed that Kusano Genmu had paused mid-milking.
Hayashi Kaede took the cue and quietly stepped away, pulling out his phone to call a Didi back home.
"Servine?"
Back at the breeding house, Hayashi Kaede explained the situation. Servine nodded in understanding.
At some point, the newly hatched Ice Vulpix had woken up. It was now leaning on Servine like a sibling, blinking up at Hayashi Kaede.
From the looks of it, Ice Vulpix thought Servine was its trainer.
Hayashi Kaede had no idea what went on between them while he was out, but apparently, Vulpix had grown attached.
"Servine?" (Should I come too?)
With no one else to watch the newborn, it was a fair question.
Hayashi Kaede thought about it. "No need. I'll bring Milotic and Pidgeotto. You stay here and take care of Vulpix—it seems to like you a lot."
He considered the Grass Gym's likely team. A Grass-type gym meant Servine would not have any advantage. Better to rely on his Flying-type Pidgeot and the powerful, ever-reliable Milotic.
Plus, gym challenges around this time of year were meant for new grads. There was no way they'd use full-power teams.
Servine gave a nonchalant shake of the head, like it didn't mind missing the action. Besides, this was a golden opportunity to cement its status as Vulpix's big sis.
This is something she have to enforce.