At seven o'clock in the morning, after finishing breakfast, Silas recalled all five Flabébé, the three Mudsdale, Smoliv, and Kangaskhan into their Poké Balls. A dense string of Poké Balls hung around his waist, completely filled to capacity.
Cyclizar was already waiting at the main gate. When it saw Silas approaching, it shook off the morning dew from its body, transformed into its riding form, and gestured for Silas to hurry up and get on.
"Let's head to the Miltank Ranch first to gather," Silas said with a smile as he patted it lightly and mounted Cyclizar.
It was his first time participating in a festival-like event of this kind, and having an acquaintance like John along would undoubtedly make things much more convenient.
A few minutes later, one man and one Pokémon arrived at the entrance of the Miltank Ranch.
They happened to run into John and his wife, Penny, who were heading out with their Herdier and Gogoat.
The three exchanged greetings, then chatted as they traveled together toward their destination.
Cyclizar yawned in boredom—the pace was so slow it felt like an old man's leisurely stroll.
Silas, however, gained quite a bit from the conversation, learning about the traditional rules of the Evaluation Tournament from John and his wife.
Gym Leader Ramos, a veteran ranch owner, would judge the economic value of the Pokémon, while Nurse Joy would use her professional expertise to assess their physical and mental health.
However, today seemed to be different. It was said that Gym Leader Ramos had invited a powerful trainer to serve as an additional judge.
That meant another evaluation criterion had been added, increasing the difficulty of winning the championship.
A gentle breeze swept past, lifting the man's hair.
Silas and the Belmond couple stopped outside the Coumarine Gym, each of them recalling their Pokémon.
Following John and his wife through the gym, they arrived at the ranch behind it. Many ranch owners and trainers had already gathered around the area.
The ranch gates were wide open, with people coming and going in a lively scene.
A banner hung above the main entrance, with colorful ribbons dancing in the wind on both sides.
"Min!"
Minccino grabbed Silas's hair in surprise, signaling him to look.
"I see it, I see it," Silas replied helplessly as he tilted his head back. On the banner were written the six large characters: Spring Evaluation Tournament.
"Silas, you might not know this yet! This is Gym Leader Ramos's ranch. He raises the largest herd of Gogoat in the entire Kalos region," Penny said admiringly.
"The goat milk produced here is exported across the entire League. It's the only top-tier milk that can rival Moomoo Milk from Goldenrod City."
Their words were filled with admiration and reverence.
This was the goal they had been chasing ever since becoming ranch owners.
Silas responded with a smile. "I believe you'll definitely be able to produce the finest Moomoo Milk one day. When that happens, John, you'll have to give my little ranch a hand."
John rolled his eyes and replied irritably, "Stop joking. With your abilities, if you seriously focus on cultivation, you'll do even better than us. It should be you helping my wife and me."
"All right, all right!" Penny interrupted their mutual praise. "Let's go in quickly. We'll still have time to introduce Silas to some other ranch owners."
The three entered the ranch together. After only a few steps, familiar ranch owners greeted John and his wife.
"John, Penny, you're here too? Do you have confidence in taking the championship this year?"
"Yorick, don't tease me. Your Tauros is the real favorite to win."
"Come, come, let me introduce you," John said as he grabbed the other man and introduced Silas.
"This is Yorick, a ranch owner who specializes in raising Tauros. His ranch is on the outskirts of Coumarine City."
"Yorick, this is Silas, the new ranch owner from Route 12."
"I know you—you're the owner of that ranch by the seaside, right?"
"That's me," Silas replied with a smile, reaching out to lightly shake hands with him.
After that, with their introductions, Silas met several other ranch owners.
"Hain, he raises a large flock of Mareep."
"Pamia, he's one of this year's top contenders for the championship, with a ranch full of Clauncher."
Clauncher, the Water Gun Pokémon.
Unlike Crawdaunt, whose claw meat carried a noticeable earthy taste, Clauncher lived in a cleaner environment, making its claw meat exceptionally delicious.
With a new colleague joining them, the ranch owners were very enthusiastic, sharing their breeding and ranching experiences with Silas.
Before long, their conversation shifted to an interesting piece of news.
"John, Silas, you should be extra careful these next few days. A group of Meowth have wandered into our area and even raided Yorick's grain storage."
When the topic came up, Yorick wore a miserable expression and explained the details to everyone.
"Gray and brown Meowth?" Silas asked in confusion. "That sounds like an multi region criminal gang."
Aside from the normal white Meowth, the cunning and sharp gray ones were Alolan Meowth, while the dark brown, brave ones were Galarian Meowth.
Silas could already imagine just how much chaos such a group of Meowth could cause.
"Have you notified Officer Jenny?"
"We did," Yorick said with a bitter smile. "Officer Jenny's Growlithe was even injured by that gray Meowth."
"Officer Jenny told us to wait a few more days. She's already looking for trainers to help surround and capture them."
"That's good, then."
Everyone felt a bit more at ease and moved on from the topic.
They began chatting about other matters, such as the fact that Hain's ranch would soon welcome a new batch of Mareep births.
"Mr. Hain, could I reserve one… or three?" Silas asked.
Now that his ranch had entered a stable phase, it was time for him to raise other ranch Pokémon to expand it further.
Mareep were a very good choice.
"Of course, no problem," Hain replied with a smile, more than happy to make the deal. The two exchanged addresses.
While the ranch owners were chatting, many trainers and townspeople were also visiting from the outer areas.
They all gathered in a nearby waiting area, where the participants released their Pokémon.
Beams of white light descended one after another, and all kinds of ranch Pokémon appeared—Mareep, Tauros, Clauncher, Miltank, and more.
And standing beside Silas were his three Mudsdale.
In an instant, they became the focus of the entire venue.
Their resounding neighs, powerful physiques, and calm, unflustered temperaments all vividly displayed the beauty of raw, wild strength.
"Oh! Look at those beautiful hooves wrapped in mud!" Yorick exclaimed excitedly as he stepped forward. "Silas, are these Pokémon you raised yourself?"
"Yes," Silas replied as he gently stroked one of the Mudsdale.
Yorick looked troubled. "Oh my gosh, this tournament just gained another terrifyingly strong opponent."
The other ranch owners cast frequent glances their way, clearly thinking the same thing.
Everyone present was a professional ranch owner and could roughly judge how well Mudsdale were being raised.
This newly arrived ranch owner had shocked everyone like a dark horse.
"Mud?"
The third Mudsdale awkwardly twisted its hips. Being stared at by so many people made it uncomfortable.
It buried its big head into Silas's chest, asking him to pet it.
Another Mudsdale refused to be outdone, also demanding Silas's attention.
"Min~"
Minccino, who had been lying on Silas's shoulder the whole time, became unhappy as well and demanded to be petted too.
In an instant, Silas was completely surrounded by four Pokémon.
And amidst this lively and bustling atmosphere, the Spring Evaluation Tournament quietly began.
In the crowd below the stage, tourists gathered densely. Serena grabbed her mother's hand and squeezed her way to the very front of the crowd.
(End of Chapter)