"Hello there!"
Squatting down, Silas greeted the Mareep who were looking at him with curiosity.
"Maa?"
One Mareep with a small tuft of wool curling downward on its head tilted its head and looked at him inquisitively. Its lively eyes made it look especially cute and alert.
Seeing that he had successfully caught one Mareep's attention, Silas flipped his palm as if performing a magic trick, and a piece of honey nectar pancake appeared in his hand.
Before the little lamb could make a move, the Flaaffy couple, who had already been informed by Hain—sniffed the air.
The sturdy male Flaaffy stepped forward first and snatched the pancake straight from Silas's hand.
It trotted to the side, bit the pancake in half, and shared it with the female Flaaffy. As for the five Mareep, it kicked them away with a hoof, not allowing them anywhere near the food.
Uh… food-protective parents.
Fortunately, Silas had brought plenty with him. He took out another pancake and waved it enticingly in front of the lambs.
The lamb that had first been attracted, along with another Mareep whose head looked like a little pile of poop—or perhaps a fluffy white cloud—were immediately drawn in, wobbling toward him together.
The poop-head Mareep, perhaps because it usually ate too much, swayed its hips from side to side as it walked. When it broke into a small run, it looked like a rolling little cloud.
Incredibly funny!
By contrast, the other Mareep had a well-proportioned body and coordinated limbs. When it ran, it gave off a lively, agile feeling.
In just a few strides, it caught up to the poop-head Mareep, overtook it, and was the first to rush in front of Silas.
Silas handed over the pancake with one hand while gently stroking it with the other, not forgetting to praise it aloud.
"You're really impressive!"
"Maa~"
As it was petted, the little Mareep let out a comfortable purring sound, its small eyes narrowing blissfully.
It even rubbed its fluffy body against Silas, clearly enjoying the attention and showing its cleverness.
"Maa—waaaah—!"
Suddenly, a crying sound echoed through the room.
It turned out to be the poop-head Mareep. Seeing the food get snatched away, it immediately burst into tears, with tears and snot dripping together from its mouth.
"Maa!"
On the other side, from among the remaining three Mareep, one lamb rushed out and ran over to the crying poop-head lamb, bleating angrily as if scolding someone.
As Silas took out another pancake and prepared to approach, he carefully observed this lamb.
This one was clearly different from the other four. Its skin was not the standard blue of Mareep, but instead a particularly healthy bronze color. Paired with a thick set of eyebrows, it looked strong and spirited.
"Maa~"
The lamb with curled wool on its head picked up the pancake and walked over to the poop-head lamb, offering it the pancake.
The poop-head lamb squealed in surprise and pounced onto the curly-haired Mareep, only to be pushed away in disgust as a mixture of tears and snot smeared all over it.
The bronze-skinned lamb was very displeased by this and bleated loudly, "Maa Maa Maa," as if angrily reprimanding them.
But just as it finished shouting, another lamb joined in, stepping forward to stand protectively in front of the curly-haired lamb.
"Maa Maa~"
This was a lamb with especially sweet and cute features. Its rosy little face and bright, watery eyes were extremely endearing.
In an instant, the previously aggressive bronze-skinned lamb became hesitant and shy, lowering its head bashfully.
The last lamb then ran over, stepping in to mediate between both sides.
This lamb was noticeably larger than the others—two or three times their size—but its temperament wasn't bad at all. On the contrary, it was warm-hearted and eager to help.
Arceus loved this type of Pokémon that liked to meddle in others' affairs, often promoting them to act as Totem Pokémon responsible for maintaining ecological balance in nearby areas.
Each of the five lambs had its own distinct traits, and Silas felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"Everyone, don't fight, okay?" Silas said as he moved closer and squatted down. "I still have lots of pancakes here. Want one?"
"Maa…"
"Maa Maa~"
"Maa Maa Maa!"
Listening to the nonstop bleating around him, Silas soon found himself surrounded by the five Mareep.
Under the delicious effect of the honey nectar pancakes, the Mareep quickly accepted him, and the two sides grew close and affectionate.
Seeing that the timing was just right, Silas took out the empty Poké Ball he had prepared at his waist.
It was a Luxury Ball he had deliberately bought at the department store. Each one cost a thousand League Coins—quite expensive.
He first looked at the poop-head lamb among the five Mareep and raised the Luxury Ball. "Mareep, would you like to come to my ranch? There's lots and lots of delicious food there!"
At the mention of food, the poop-head lamb's eyes immediately sparkled with little stars.
Without a moment's hesitation, it touched the Luxury Ball with its head.
It turned into a beam of red light and was drawn into the Poké Ball. The ball didn't even shake once before the clear ding of a successful capture sounded.
One down.
Next was the clever lamb.
As expected of the clever lamb.
It immediately understood what was happening. It first glanced beyond the fence at Hain, then looked at the Flaaffy parents, meeting their encouraging gazes.
It was time to part.
The clever Mareep took the initiative, stepped forward, and touched the empty Luxury Ball at Silas's waist, being captured without resistance.
After that came the sweet-looking Mareep, who also touched the Luxury Ball on its own, and then the bronze-skinned lamb followed.
Without the slightest difficulty, four Mareep were captured just like that.
Silas was still a little stunned, his gaze sweeping over the three Luxury Balls clustered together at his waist.
Now there was only the sturdy lamb left!
The lamb looked left and right, seeing that all its companions had already made their choices.
It first ran over to the Flaaffy parents and rubbed against them affectionately, then, reluctantly, walked toward Silas and touched the Luxury Ball in his hand with its forehead.
Just like that, all five lambs were captured with ease.
Walking over to the Flaaffy, Silas handed them the last of the honey nectar pancakes he had on him—this was the final payment.
Stepping out of the nursery, Hain approached along with three Pokémon.
Hain said, "Congratulations, Silas. You've earned the Mareeps' recognition."
"This was a mutual choice," Silas replied. "I'll treat them well in the future."
"That's good," Hain said with a sigh. "I really do feel reluctant to part with them."
"Oh, right, Silas—each Mareep only needs its wool sheared once a month."
"And summer's coming soon. Mareep will shed a lot of wool, so make sure your other Pokémon are careful not to inhale too much of it, or they'll get shocked by static electricity and feel all tingly."
"…"
Hain held nothing back, sharing all of his years of experience raising Mareep.
Silas listened very attentively, and later even took out a small notebook to jot down some important points so he wouldn't forget.
For example, when a Mareep's body expands to twice its size, you must wear insulated gloves when shearing its wool, or you'll get shocked numb and sore.
Also, the wool that Mareep periodically shed is the best material for making carpets—if conditions allow, it should definitely be collected.
It's best to prepare a fully enclosed room for collecting shed wool, both to gather it efficiently and to prevent it from floating everywhere and filling the ranch with static electricity.
Hain's advice was excellent, ensuring that Silas wouldn't be completely clueless when raising them and could avoid many unnecessary detours.
The two of them walked together to the ranch gate before finally stopping their conversation.
Silas placed the curious Minccino, who was staring at the Luxury Balls on his waist, and the still-eating Morpeko on top of Cyclizar's head, then mounted up himself.
"Thank you very much for the reminders, Mr. Hain."
"When I've raised the Mareep to be healthy and strong, I'll definitely give you a big surprise."
"Hahaha~" Hain waved from the ranch entrance. "I'll be waiting for that day."
(End of Chapter)