The back mountain was not far from the ranch. After passing the lake and following the river for a few minutes, one would arrive there.
The forest in the afternoon was lush and verdant, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the canopy and pouring down, dispersing the lingering chill. Even before entering the forest, the cries of various Pokémon reached the ears without pause. Listening carefully for a moment, most of the sounds came from bird Pokémon and bug Pokémon. Their numbers were large, and their species were diverse.
There was another important point as well.
This was currently their most active time. Once the sky grew darker, the fierce and powerful Pokémon lurking deeper in the forest would begin to emerge to hunt for food.
Silas had come this time to recruit a few Pokémon to help him manage the ranch. Whether they were strong or not did not matter—what mattered was suitability.
"Minccino, you used to live around here. Do you know where there are more Grass-type Pokémon?"
Pokémon suitable for ranch work—Grass-type Pokémon were undoubtedly the first choice.
Unable to help asking, Silas turned to Minccino, the local Pokémon.
"Min!"
Minccino shook its head like a rattle drum, indicating that it was only a baby that had been born a few months ago and did not dare enter the forest at all.
"All right." Silas gently pinched its big ears and comforted it. "I didn't mean to blame you. Being able to protect yourself is already amazing enough, Minccino."
"Min—!"
Minccino waved its tiny fists excitedly.
"Mm-hmm, then my safety is in your hands, Minccino."
Without knowing where Grass-type Pokémon tended to gather, Silas could only search based on past experience. Fortunately, this time he had prepared a secret weapon, so he wasn't worried about failing to find suitable Pokémon.
As Silas took out the honey pancakes, information about them popped up at the same time.
[Honey Pancakes (C): An afternoon snack made with honey and flour. The sweet honey fragrance is something no Pokémon can ignore.
Culinary Effect: Sweet aroma that gathers hidden Pokémon.
Duration: 120 minutes.
Special Effect: Ursine Attraction: has an extraordinary appeal to bear-like Pokémon.
Effect similar to the move Sweet Scent.]
Silas found an open grassy clearing in the forest, placed the honey pancakes in the center, and let their fragrance drift outward freely.
All that was left was to wait quietly.
In an instant, the entire back mountain became lively because of Silas's actions. Wild Pokémon hiding in bushes, caves, and treetops all turned their gaze in the same direction, swallowing unconsciously. One by one, they began to gather toward Silas's location.
The process was very fast. Soon, Silas noticed a wild Pokémon intruding into his field of vision.
He heard the noise from far away first—a noisy, chattering bird. It resembled a parrot, with a musical note-shaped crest on its head. This was a special organ of the Chatot, allowing it to chatter nonstop all day long, to the point of being downright irritating.
"Cha-tot~! The tasty stuff is mine!"
Chatot let out a human-like cry. If it spoke a little slower and articulated more clearly, it would sound no different from a human speaking. Mimicking human speech was a basic ability every Chatot possessed.
With its eyes fixed entirely on the honey pancakes, Chatot dove down from above, completely failing to notice Minccino leaping high and whipping its tail.
The next instant, with a loud bang, Chatot was sent flying back into the forest at an even faster speed than it had arrived.
"You were amazing, Minccino!"
Silas spread his arms to catch the falling Minccino and did not hold back his praise.
"Min~"
Minccino twisted shyly, its big ears covering its little face.
Hehehe~ got it under control!
Totally worth studying Pokémon psychology back at Blueberry Academy.
"Kang!"
Beside them, Kangaskhan let out a jealous roar, reminding him that such praise used to belong exclusively to it.
"Kangaskhan, I'll need you to help keep them quiet for a bit."
Silas patted Kangaskhan. He had come to recruit ranch Pokémon, after all.
"Kang~"
Hearing this, Kangaskhan shifted into battle mode. Its aura changed at a speed visible to the naked eye. A fierce battle intent appeared between its brows, and as its throat rolled, a thunderous roar shook the entire back mountain.
One Pokémon after another, previously intoxicated by the lure of food, snapped awake. How could a Pokémon with such terrifying presence appear in this forest?
Amid the chaotic chirping discussions, memories were stirred—of a certain night a few days ago, when a similar roar had echoed through the forest.
A horned Pinsir, still bearing injuries, was pushed forward to negotiate with the monster.
Thus, the scene that appeared before Silas was as follows.
The Pinsir that had always acted like the forest's tyrant now looked as pitiful as a wronged newlywed, stammering as it expressed its apology.
"So it was you, Pinsir."
Silas remembered—it was this same Pinsir he had encountered on a nighttime walk shortly after arriving at the ranch. It had been sent flying two kilometers away by a single slap from Kangaskhan, and even now, the old wound still ached faintly.
Looking toward the many pairs of eyes in the forest, Silas said, "Pinsir, call them all out. Today, I'm here to recruit a Pokémon to join my ranch and help me manage it."
"I'll provide safe housing and plenty of food."
Letting out a sigh of relief—it was good that the other party wasn't here to cause trouble. Otherwise, with their thin arms and legs, any resistance probably wouldn't even make a ripple.
With Pinsir acting as an intermediary, Pokémon of all sizes living on the back mountain revealed themselves and appeared before Silas.
Silas swept his gaze across them one by one, until it finally stopped on a few Pokémon.
"Wild Miltank?"
His eyes lit up instantly. This was one of the best Pokémon a ranch could have.
The Moomoo Milk produced by Miltank was famous throughout the entire League, with the milk from Goldenrod City being especially renowned. Silas had once been lucky enough to taste it during his travels. Just in terms of flavor, it was no worse than Veluza Sashimi—an absolute top-tier ingredient.
If he could recruit the three Miltank in front of him, he would have a steady supply of Moomoo Milk flowing endlessly.
However, just as his excitement rose, a bucket of cold water was poured over him when he looked more closely. He keenly noticed collars marking ownership around the necks of the Miltank, partially hidden beneath their black fur.
As expected—they had escaped from a nearby ranch.
Silas felt disappointed for a moment. If he hadn't encountered them, that would be one thing, but since he had, he bore the responsibility of sending them back. Presumably, the ranch owner who had lost them must be frantic right now.
After some thought, Silas walked toward the three Miltank and took out three honey pancakes.
"Did you get lost and can't find your way home?"
"Mil~ Tank!"
The leading Miltank nodded vigorously in surprise. Out of curiosity, they had slipped out through a broken fence while the ranch owner wasn't paying attention. And then, unsurprisingly, they got lost.
Hungry and exhausted, they had been drawn over by the smell of honey pancakes.
"I see." After roughly understanding what the Miltank were trying to convey, Silas said, "Eat your fill first. I'll take you back afterward."
"Mil~ Tank! (Thank you, human!)"
Starving, the three Miltank grabbed the honey pancakes and devoured them without any regard for appearances.
Looks like they had been starving.
To find the ranch where the Miltank originally lived, Silas would still have to rely on the surrounding wild Pokémon.
And so, he took out another honey pancake to inquire for information.
(End of Chapter)