As the saying goes, "All is ready except for the east wind."
The Black Truffle Milk Porridge, which can enhance the quality of milk, has been made, and now all that's left is a milk-producing Pokemon.
Miltank is out of the question for now.
Firstly, because after building the Salt House, he was left with very little money and still needed to save up for the next batch of crop seeds.
Secondly, because the Pokemon House hasn't been repaired yet, leaving no place for a Miltank to stay.
These domesticated, milk-producing Pokemon have certain requirements for their living environment; ideally, they should be kept indoors in warmth, as a good environment aids in milk production.
By contrast, Skiddo and Gogoat don't have such concerns; they live a rougher life.
They use the leaves on their backs to generate energy with just water and sunlight, so they can survive even on barren rocky mountains.
Compared to indoors, they prefer windy grassy fields where they can munch on the freshest grass at any time.
Thus, Naoki plans to fence off a patch of tall grass on the west side of the pasture and build an open pen for the Skiddo family to live in.
"I'll come with you!" Upon hearing Naoki's plan, Yousuke quickly got up to pack up the campsite with Sirfetch'd.
They extinguished the campfire and folded the tent, storing it back in the bag.
The large tent easily fit into Yousuke's small backpack.
Naoki's attention was instantly captured, and he looked surprised, "A Space Backpack?"
Yousuke nodded, "Amazing, right? Despite being small, this backpack holds so much. It's a must-have for every traveling trainer."
Yousuke unzipped the backpack, and Naoki peeked inside, seeing a vast space.
There was not only the tent but also tables, chairs, and cooking pots.
It's black technology! Definitely black technology!
If you could use this to store fish, wouldn't it be much better than a net?
Naoki made up his mind to ask about the Space Backpack at the department store in town later.
For now, he proceeded with Yousuke to the area where the Skiddo were active.
Upon hearing which Pokemon Naoki wanted to capture, Yousuke eagerly offered to lead the way since he was familiar with the area and knew where to find Skiddo.
The two journeyed around Casseroya Lake, crossing a shallow area to reach a zone filled with dense grass.
There, they indeed spotted several Skiddo leisurely grazing.
"1, 2, 3, there are three. Which one do you plan to catch?" Yousuke whispered.
"Of course, I want them all!" Naoki's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"..." Yousuke was momentarily speechless, but then he recalled how he had criticized a trainer for capturing Garganacl and leaving behind a group of Nacli. If it were him, he'd definitely take them all home, and the thought made him feel better.
"Well, then you should jump out now to challenge them."
Knowing Naoki wasn't a trainer, Yousuke began explaining the process for trainers to capture Pokemon.
However, Naoki's method for capturing Pokemon was different from that of regular trainers.
He shook his head, declined Yousuke's suggestion, and instead took out three green dumplings from his bag.
Yousuke was puzzled, "What's that? Is it a Sticky Glob used by ancient trainers to capture Pokemon?"
He had heard that centuries ago, trainers used something called a Sticky Glob to engage in close combat and capture Pokemon.
Naoki was speechless, "...No, I specially prepared this food for them."
[Grass Ball (C): A special dish made with glutinous rice flour as the crust, filled with plump spring grass and a touch of white sugar.
Cooking Effect: Slightly increases the chance of Grass Type Pokemon learning Grass Type Moves.
Additional Effect: Slightly boosts the affection of Grass Type Pokemon.
Review: An imaginative dish!]
The real-life Skiddo looked incredibly cute.
They resembled small goats covered in fluffy, dark brown fur, with white faces, and a patch of brown fur connecting to their backs, giving them a charming cat-like allure.
They had round black noses, and their shiny, round eyes looked intelligent and bright.
Most captivating was the leafy green mane around their necks, which looked like they were wearing a cute little bandana.
So adorable! Naoki started imagining himself strolling with a Skiddo.
At this moment, Yousuke began to introduce them, "Skiddo are known for their gentle nature. Records show they were among the first Pokemon to live alongside humans. Even today, mountain residents still ride them to navigate mountain roads, so capturing one shouldn't be an issue for you."
Naoki nodded slightly, then left Koraidon behind and approached with a few Grass Balls.
The sound of his approach immediately attracted the attention of the three Skiddo.
They turned their heads towards him, not afraid but curious, their black, round eyes sparkling with interest.
Naoki gently tossed the Grass Ball, which enhances affection, towards them.
The Grass Ball landed neatly in front of one of the Skiddo.
It lowered its head, glanced at it, and then gobbled it up.
In the next second, a happy expression appeared on its face.
"Baa!" Delicious!
Naoki then gave the other two Skiddo each a Grass Ball as well.
After they ate, they showed the same pleased expression.
Once they finished all three Grass Balls, the Skiddo looked up at the human with eager anticipation.
Naoki beamed with a warm, friendly smile.
He took out two Poke Balls from his pocket and said, "Come with me! You'll be able to eat this food every day!"
As soon as he said that, two of the Skiddo rushed over to him, raising their heads and bleating gently.
Skiddo: ヾ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ
Naoki: "..." Was it really this easy?
He now understood why Skiddo were among the first Pokemon to live with humans.
Perhaps ancient humans accidentally fed them extra grass, making Skiddo realize that following humans meant having food every day, so they started living with humans.
It wasn't just him; even the other Skiddo seemed very surprised.
It looked at its companions, who left with the human trainer just for some food, and seemed dumbfounded.
With an expression that seemed to ask how could they do such a thing?
At this moment, Naoki turned his attention to the remaining Skiddo.
Noticing his gaze, the Skiddo immediately became full of fighting spirit.
It tapped the ground lightly with its hooves.
"Baa!"
Human trainer, if you want to capture me, prove your strength!
Seeing its demeanor, Naoki was instantly taken aback.
He tentatively asked, "Do you want to have a Pokemon battle with me?"
"Baa!" Skiddo nodded seriously.
Naoki: "..."
But he's not a trainer!
Just then, Skiddo glanced at something behind Naoki.
Following its gaze, Naoki saw that at some point, Koraidon had come to his side.
Yousuke followed closely behind and noticed the determined look of the Skiddo. He couldn't resist telling Naoki, "It wants to battle you!"
At times like this, trainers must battle with the Pokemon. Only by winning will it agree to enter the Poke Ball and allow you to become its trainer.
Naoki obviously understood this, but…
He turned around, lowered his voice, and whispered sneakily to Koraidon, "Can you fight?"
Koraidon instantly nodded with enthusiasm, "Gah sis!" Of course! An insignificant Skiddo is no match!
Oh, no! Seeing Koraidon's confident expression, Naoki felt that a single Collision Course from Koraidon, and the Skiddo might just end up knocked out.
He quickly said, "Don't go all out, take it easy!"
"Gah oo?" Koraidon blinked, pondered for a moment, and seemed to understand Naoki's intent.
Confidently, it patted its chest with its big paw, "Ah gah sis!" Leave it to me!
With that, it transformed into its fierce and mighty battle form, standing opposite the Skiddo.