Chapter 123: Visiting MooMoo Ranch
Chapter 123: Visiting MooMoo Ranch
Before long, a silver-haired old man arrived at Yuga's location. As soon as he saw Whitney, he looked her up and down, repeatedly muttering, "Whitney, are you alright? What happened?"
The newcomer was Whitney's grandfather, the current Gym Leader of Goldenrod City and Yuga's intended contact, Mr. Milton. He had heard the sounds of battle and rushed out of concern for Whitney.
"Grandpa, I'm fine. It was this young man who saved me," Whitney reassured Mr. Milton and pointed to Yuga.
Whitney was actually a sweet-looking girl, but her strong accent and thick dialect were a bit disappointing when she spoke.
Mr. Milton had actually noticed Yuga as soon as he arrived but was preoccupied with worrying about his granddaughter to ask.
"I see, thank you very much, young man. But what exactly happened?" Mr. Milton first thanked Yuga and then asked in confusion.
"I don't know either. I saw Miss Whitney being surrounded when I was passing by, so I intervened. I'm not sure of the details," Yuga said, equally puzzled about why Team Rocket would attack Whitney and what "inappropriate sight" Tyson referred to.
Mr. Milton nodded and turned to Whitney, asking, "Whitney, do you know why they targeted you?"
Whitney shook her head and explained, "I don't know. I left the gym and was heading to the ranch to find you. When I reached here, I saw many people dressed similarly gathering for some unknown reason. They quickly left when they saw me and left a few behind to deal with me."
After hearing Whitney's account, Yuga asked in confusion, "That guy named Tyson mentioned that you saw something you shouldn't have seen. Take a moment and think, do you remember what you saw?"
Whitney pondered hard for a while but eventually confirmed, "I really didn't see anything."
Seeing that Whitney genuinely couldn't remember, Mr. Milton patted her back and said, "Alright, forget about it then. Let Miss Cynthia and the others investigate this matter."
Mr. Milton, as the Gym Leader of Goldenrod City, was well aware of the existence of Team Rocket. Over the years, Team Rocket's influence had been steadily expanding, reaching from Kanto to Johto. Their name had long been on the lists of Gym Leaders and Miss Cynthia in these two regions.
However, this organization's activities remained shrouded in secrecy. The identity of their leader was still unknown to the League, and dealing with them had proven challenging. Their sudden appearance on the outskirts of Goldenrod City, coupled with their attack on the local Gym Leader's granddaughter, raised questions about their motives.
Mr. Milton said, "Regardless, we have to thank this young man for his help. By the way, we still don't know your name."
"I'm Shimizu Yuga, you can call me Yuga," he replied.
Mr. Milton chuckled and said, "Then I'll call you Little Yuga. Since you and Whitney are around the same age, you can call me Grandpa Milton. Are you alright now? How about visiting my ranch? I must show my gratitude."
"Of course, I'd be honored." Yuga's purpose for coming was related to Whitney, so he wouldn't refuse. "However, during the battle just now, I left my brother hidden in the bushes. Can I go to him first?"
"Of course, go ahead. Don't keep your little sibling waiting."
After retrieving Rand, Yuga, along with Mr. Milton and Whitney, headed to MooMoo Ranch.
Upon arrival, Yuga saw rolling hills and a flat area where various Miltank lay, each in different poses: some sleeping on the grass, some leisurely munching on grass, and others playing in groups. The scene was delightful.
Seeing these groups of Miltank, Mr. Milton proudly said, "How about it? My Miltank are great, aren't they?"
"Absolutely, each one looks healthy and full of vitality," Yuga answered involuntarily.
Upon hearing Yuga's praise, Mr. Milton laughed heartily, sounding proud. Whitney chimed in with self-satisfaction, "Indeed, my grandpa's ranch is the largest in Goldenrod City. My Miltank all come from here."
Speaking of ranches, there are two famous types of ranches in Johto region. One is the Mareep Ranch, known for its abundant wool production, and the other is the MooMoo Ranch, renowned for its rich supply of Moomoo milk. Both types of ranches are well-known in the Pokémon world.
The only ranch that can be compared to the Moomoo Ranch in Johto region is the Baa De Mer Ranch in the Kalos region. The Sheep milk produced by Skiddo and Gogoat has a nutritional value similar to that of MooMoo Milk, known for its high nutritional value.
Mr. Milton's MooMoo Ranch is one of the most renowned milk ranches in Johto region.
The group walked through the spacious ranch and reached Mr. Milton's house. After they sat down, Mr. Milton served Yuga, Rand, and even their Pokémon with glasses of Moomoo milk.
Especially for Florges, as the heroine of the recent battle, she received a warm welcome from Mr. Milton and Whitney.
Looking at Yuga's Pokémon, Mr. Milton asked, "Little Yuga, you're not from Johto region, are you?"
Setting down his glass, Yuga nodded and explained, "I'm from Hoenn region, living in Verdanturf Town. I came to Johto to participate in the Breeder's Exchange Conference."
"I see." Yuga had five Pokémon in total—two from Alola and two from Hoenn, while the smallest, Budew, was distributed in both Hoenn and Sinnoh. Mr. Milton immediately noticed that Yuga wasn't from Johto, but he couldn't determine Yuga's specific origin.
"However, the Breeder's Exchange Conference doesn't seem to be over yet. How did you end up here?" Mr. Milton was certainly aware of the conference. It was a large event that occurred every three years, and as the Gym Leader of Goldenrod City, he naturally knew the details of the event held in his jurisdiction.
Yuga answered with a smile, "Well, you see, the final day of the conference is the day of breeders' job hunting, and I didn't participate."
Mr. Milton suddenly realized and jokingly said, "It's a good thing you didn't, otherwise Whitney would have been in danger." He burst into laughter after saying that.
"However, your strength is quite impressive. Compared to you, our Whitney falls far behind," Mr. Milton added, pretending to glare at Whitney.
Indeed, judging from Whitney's performance in the previous battle, her strength was lacking. Though her age was similar to Yuga's, her abilities were considerably inferior. Even though Yuga was a self-proclaimed "pseudo" Trainer, her own abilities couldn't compare.
Coming from a decent background—her grandfather being a Gym Leader, and her family wealthy and influential—Whitney was a classic rich kid. Yet, even with all these advantages, her strength didn't surpass that of her peers. Compared to Yuga's friend Robert and Reggie, she was far behind.
"Grandpa!"
Seeing her grandfather's stern expression, Whitney quickly clung to his arm, acting coquettish.
Mr. Milton feigned annoyance and said, "You still have the nerve to call me that? If your strength could match Little Yuga's, today's incident wouldn't have happened."
Whitney let go of Mr. Milton's arm, stomped her foot, and said, "I know, I'll work hard to train from now on and catch up to Yuga's level!"
Only then did Mr. Milton happily pat her head and laugh heartily. "That's right, the future of Goldenrod City's Gym will rely on you. You can't stay like this forever."