At seven in the morning, after finishing breakfast,
Hayato Sora recalled all five Flabébé, the three Mudsdale, Phione , and Kangaskhan into their Poké Balls. A whole string of Poké Balls hung from his waist, packed full.
Cyclizar was already waiting at the gate. When it saw him approach, it shook off the morning dew from its body and shifted into its ride form, signaling Hayato Sora to hop on.
"Let's gather at the Miltank Ranch first," Hayato Sora said with a smile, patting it before climbing onto Cyclizar.
It was his first time attending a festival gathering like this, and having someone familiar like Denzel around would make things much easier.
A few minutes later, the trainer and his Pokémon arrived at the entrance of Miltank Ranch.
Just then, they happened to run into Denzel and his wife, who were heading out with their Stoutland and Gogoat.
After exchanging greetings, the three of them chatted as they headed toward their destination.
Cyclizar yawned boredly—this pace was so slow it felt like an old man's stroll.
However, Hayato Sora gained quite a bit from the conversation. From Denzel and his wife, he learned about the usual rules of the Spring Evaluation Contest.
The veteran rancher Mr. Fu would judge the economic value of the Pokémon, while Nurse Joy would assess their physical and mental health with her professional expertise.
But today seemed a little different.
Rumor had it that Mr. Fu had invited a powerful trainer to serve as an additional judge.
That meant another judging criterion—and winning would become even harder.
A gentle breeze passed by, lifting the boy's hair.
Hayato Sora and the couple stopped outside the Coumarine Gym, recalling their Pokémon.
Following Denzel and his wife through the Gym, they arrived at the ranch behind it. Many ranchers and trainers had already gathered around the area.
The ranch gates were wide open, and people were constantly moving in and out. The place was lively and bustling.
A large banner hung above the main entrance, with colorful ribbons fluttering on both sides.
"Li-li!"
Cinccino grabbed Hayato Sora's hair in surprise and pointed at the banner.
"I see it, I see it." Hayato Sora tilted his head up helplessly.
Six large characters were written across the banner:
Spring Evaluation Contest
"Hayato Sora, you probably don't know this yet," Denzel said. "This is Mr. Fu's ranch, home to the largest herd of Skiddo in the Kalos region."
Penny added admiringly,
"The goat milk produced here is shipped all across the Pokémon League. It's the only milk that can rival the famous Moomoo Milk from Goldenrod City."
Their voices carried unmistakable admiration.
For ranchers like them, this was the ultimate goal they had always been striving toward.
Hayato Sora smiled.
"I'm sure you'll eventually produce top-tier Moomoo Milk as well. When that happens, Brother Denzel, you'll have to give my little ranch a helping hand."
Denzel rolled his eyes.
"Stop joking. With your skills, if you really focused on breeding, you'd probably surpass us. It'll be you helping our ranch instead."
"Alright, alright!" Penny interrupted their mutual flattery. "Let's head inside quickly. There's still time to introduce Hayato Sora to the other ranchers."
The three of them entered the ranch together.
After only a few steps, several ranchers who knew Denzel and Penny came over to greet them.
"Denzel, Penny—you're here too! Feeling confident about winning this year?"
"Yorick, don't tease me. Your Tauros is the real favorite to win."
"Come, come, let me introduce someone," Denzel said, pulling the man closer.
"This is Yorick, a rancher who specializes in raising Tauros. His ranch is just outside Coumarine City."
"Yorick, this is Hayato Sora, the new ranch owner from Route 12."
"Oh, I know you," Yorick said. "You're the ranch owner by the seaside, right?"
"That's me." Hayato Sora smiled and shook his hand.
After that, through the couple's introductions, Hayato Sora met several other ranchers.
"This is Hain, who raises a large flock of Mareep."
"And this is Pamiya. He's one of the favorites to win this year. His ranch specializes in Clauncher."
Clauncher—the Water Gun Pokémon.
Unlike Crawdaunt, whose claw meat often carries a noticeable muddy taste, Clauncher live in cleaner environments, making the meat from their pincers especially delicious.
With a new colleague joining their circle, the ranchers were warm and enthusiastic, sharing plenty of breeding experience with Hayato Sora.
Before long, the topic shifted to an amusing but troublesome story.
"Denzel, Hayato Sora—you should be careful these days," one rancher said. "A group of Meowth has wandered into our area. They even raided Yorick's grain warehouse."
At the mention of this, Yorick looked miserable and explained the situation.
"Gray and brown Meowth?" Hayato Sora frowned. "Sounds like an international crime syndicate."
Aside from the normal cream-colored Meowth, the clever gray ones were Alolan Meowth, while the dark brown, bold ones were Galarian Meowth.
Hayato Sora could already imagine just how much chaos those Meowth might cause.
"Did you inform Officer Jenny?" he asked.
"We did," Yorick said with a bitter smile. "But Officer Jenny's Growlithe was injured by that gray Meowth."
"Jenny told us to wait a couple more days. She's already looking for trainers to help surround and capture them."
"That's good."
Everyone felt a little more relieved and quickly moved on to other topics.
Soon the conversation turned to something else—Hain's ranch was about to welcome a new batch of Mareep.
"Mr. Hain," Hayato Sora asked, "could I reserve… three of them?"
Now that his ranch had finally stabilized, it was time to start raising other ranch Pokémon to expand the ranch's operations.
Mareep would be an excellent choice.
"Of course, no problem," Hain replied with a smile. He was happy to make the deal, and the two exchanged addresses.
While the ranchers chatted, many trainers and townspeople gathered around the outskirts to watch the event.
Soon they arrived at the waiting area, where contestants released their Pokémon.
Beams of white light flashed one after another as various ranch Pokémon appeared:
Mareep, Tauros, Clauncher, Miltank—
and beside Hayato Sora, three Mudsdale.
Instantly, they became the center of attention.
Their loud neighs, powerful physiques, and calm temperaments all displayed the beauty of raw strength.
"Oh! Look at those beautiful hooves wrapped in mud!" Yorick exclaimed excitedly as he stepped forward. "Hayato Sora, did you raise these Pokémon yourself?"
"Yes."
Hayato Sora gently stroked one of the Mudsdale as he replied.
Yorick looked troubled.
"Oh my gosh… another incredibly strong competitor has appeared in this competition."
The other ranchers glanced over repeatedly, clearly thinking the same thing.
Everyone present was a professional rancher—they could easily tell how well a Mudsdale had been raised.
This newly arrived ranch owner was like a dark horse, shocking everyone.
"Rrruh?"
The third Mudsdale shifted its hindquarters uneasily. Being stared at by so many people made it uncomfortable.
It lowered its large head and nudged into Hayato Sora's arms, asking for a pat.
The other Mudsdale refused to lose, pushing forward to get Hayato Sora's attention as well.
"Li-li~"
Cinccino, who had been lying on Hayato Sora's shoulder the whole time, became unhappy too and demanded to be petted.
In an instant, Hayato Sora was surrounded by four Pokémon.
And amid this lively atmosphere—
the Spring Evaluation Contest quietly began.
Down below, tourists gathered in crowds.
Serena, pulling her mother along, squeezed her way to the very front of the audience.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
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