Chapter 49:
The next day, inside the plantation.
The scorching sun was already climbing high in the sky.
Uncle Akiyama had taken the matter to heart. Early that morning, several large trucks arrived, fully loaded with construction materials.
Following Hayashi Kaede's design, work began immediately on a cowshed—and had continued non-stop since.
Hayashi Kaede quickly returned with a chilled watermelon and a tray of energy cubes. "Thanks for the hard work. Here, have some watermelon. And you little porters—energy cubes for you!"
There were five workers in total. Each of them looked like seasoned professionals—shirtless, muscular, tanned from the sun, and accompanied by their own Fighting-type Pokémon.
The foreman of the crew was Fujita Gorō, a man in his forties.
Hearing Hayashi Kaede's voice, Fujita immediately shouted, "Alright everyone, break time! Brother Kaede brought us snacks!"
The workers climbed down from their posts. When they saw the bright red flesh of the watermelon, they couldn't help but start drooling.
One of the older men grabbed a slice and took a big bite.
Immediately, his eyes lit up. "Not gonna lie, kid—this plantation of yours is the best I've seen in years. These watermelons are incredible."
Hayashi Kaede smiled warmly. "As long as you like it." He distributed the energy cubes to the Fighting-types and turned to inspect the cowshed under construction.
The shed was being built at the very back of the plantation, behind the pasture. A section of the fence had been removed and extended to accommodate the expansion.
The design was directly modeled after the ones used at MooMoo Ranch: a low greenhouse-style structure for shade, plastic curtains enclosing the sides, and an air conditioning unit installed inside.
It was modest in size—enough to house about ten Miltank at most.
Behind the cowshed was a flat expanse of land, sparsely dotted with trees and patches of weeds. Once the shed was finished, Hayashi Kaede planned to cut everything down, let Sandshrew till the earth, and then plant fresh grass.
That way, the Miltank would have a proper area to move around freely.
With the help of several hardworking Fighting-type Pokémon, the entire bullpen could be completed in just another day or two.
Just as Hayashi Kaede was thinking through the next steps, a soft, playful voice drifted in from outside the plantation.
"Hmm~?"
Servine trotted in with a baby Ice Vulpix trailing close behind. Still newly hatched, the little Vulpix was curious about everything, pawing the ground with her snow-white, delicate claws.
After a while, she seemed to get bored. She bounded up to Hayashi Kaede and affectionately rubbed against his calf, sending a cooling sensation up his leg.
"Servine."
(She wants to play with you, Servine explained.)
"Mm."
Hayashi Kaede nodded and bent down to scoop her up. Looking into her wide, innocent eyes, he couldn't resist tickling under her armpits.
That turned out to be a sensitive spot. Vulpix giggled uncontrollably—
"Vulpix! Vulpix!"
—twisting around in his arms as her silky white fur fluttered in the breeze.
"Nooo… stoppp…"
"Heh… you're gonna get dirty, huh?"
Watching newborn Pokémon was endlessly entertaining.
When Ice Vulpix was nearly in tears from laughing, Hayashi Kaede carried her to the reservoir and gently washed the mud off her paws. "Look at you. All muddy. You've got to learn to coat your paws with Ice energy so they don't get dirty, okay? Otherwise, next time I won't go easy on you."
"Vul…pix?"
"…Sigh. She still a baby."
After playing for a while, he gave her a bit of mixed MooMoo Milk—just a small portion of Grade A blended with regular milk. Her energy quickly faded, and soon she was dozing off again.
Hayashi Kaede carried her back to the Breeding House and tucked her in.
Then, with an iron bucket in hand, he returned to the plantation and released Miltank from its Poké Ball.
"Moo~?"
The Miltank saw the bucket and instantly understood. They all ambled over obediently.
Even though it was their first time being milked, their instincts made the process feel completely natural.
Especially for Miltank raised on a ranch—milking was second nature.
Hayashi Kaede looked at the three cows, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. "Ahem… this is my first time milking. If I'm too rough, let me know, okay?"
I'm a breeder. This shouldn't hurt them… right?
"Moo~!"
The Miltank mooed softly, encircling him with gentle reassurance.
Their milk—once produced—needed to be expressed. To feed baby Pokémon, to store, to sell.
Miltank were gentle, generous Pokémon by nature.
Besides…
This trainer gave them such delicious food every day~
If they could live a life like this, being milked was a small price to pay.
"…Whew." Hayashi Kaede exhaled in relief. "Thank you."