"Hello there!"
Squatting down, Hayato Sora greeted the Mareep that were curiously looking at him.
"Baa?"
One Mareep with a downward-curving tuft of wool on its head looked at him curiously. Its lively eyes made it look especially clever and adorable.
Seeing that he had attracted one Mareep's attention, Hayato Sora flipped his palm like a magician.
A Honey Pancake suddenly appeared in his hand.
Before the little sheep could react, the Flaaffy parents—already informed by Rancher Hain beforehand—sniffed the air.
The strong ram stepped forward first and snatched the pancake from Hayato Sora's hand.
He carried it to the side, split it into two pieces, and shared it with the female Flaaffy.
As for the five Mareep, he kicked them away with a single hoof, refusing to let them come closer.
…Very protective parents.
Fortunately, Hayato Sora had brought plenty.
He took out another pancake and waved it in front of the lambs.
The curious Mareep from earlier and another Mareep—whose wool looked suspiciously like a poop swirl or maybe a fluffy cloud—were immediately drawn in and waddled toward him.
Perhaps it ate too much normally, because the "poop-hair" Mareep waddled as it walked, its hips swaying side to side.
When it tried to run, it looked like a rolling glutinous rice ball.
Ridiculously cute.
In contrast, the other Mareep had a well-proportioned body and coordinated limbs.
When it ran, it felt light and agile.
Within moments, it overtook the waddling Mareep and reached Hayato Sora first.
Hayato Sora handed over the pancake with one hand while gently petting it with the other.
"You're very impressive!"
"Baa~"
The little Mareep purred happily under the touch, its eyes narrowing in pure enjoyment.
It even rubbed its fluffy body against Hayato Sora, clearly enjoying the affection.
Smart little thing.
"Baaahhh—!"
Suddenly, crying echoed nearby.
It was the poop-haired Mareep.
When it saw the food being taken first, it immediately burst into tears, snot and tears dripping down its face.
"Baa!"
At that moment, another Mareep rushed out from the group of three nearby and ran to the crying lamb's side, bleating angrily at Hayato Sora as if scolding him.
As Hayato Sora took out another pancake and approached, he carefully observed it.
This Mareep looked completely different from the other four.
Its skin wasn't the usual blue shared by Mareep.
Instead, it had a healthy bronze-colored tone, paired with thick eyebrows that made it look strong and spirited.
"Baa~"
Meanwhile, the clever Mareep picked up a pancake and carried it over to the crying lamb.
It offered the pancake to it.
The poop-haired Mareep squealed in delight and pounced onto the clever Mareep.
The clever one pushed it away in disgust—the mixture of tears and snot had smeared all over its wool.
The bronze-skinned Mareep seemed very unhappy about that and started bleating loudly, as if reprimanding them.
But just as it began scolding—
Another lamb stepped forward and stood protectively in front of the clever Mareep.
"Baa baa~"
It was a particularly adorable Mareep.
Its pinkish cheeks and bright watery eyes made it look incredibly sweet.
In an instant, the previously aggressive bronze-skinned lamb grew hesitant.
It lowered its head shyly.
Just then, the final lamb entered the scene and mediated between both sides.
This Mareep was noticeably larger than the others—about two or three times their size.
Despite its size, it wasn't aggressive at all.
Instead, it seemed warm-hearted and eager to help.
Hayato Sora had once heard that certain powerful Pokémon favored this kind of meddlesome personality, often choosing them as territorial leaders responsible for maintaining the stability of a local ecosystem.
Each of the five lambs had its own unique personality.
For some reason, the group felt strangely familiar to him.
"Everyone, don't fight."
Hayato Sora walked closer and crouched down.
"I still have plenty of pancakes here. Would you like some?"
"Baa…"
"Baa baa~"
"Baa baa baa!"
Soon, the air filled with the sound of bleating.
The five lambs surrounded Hayato Sora.
Thanks to the cooking effects of the Honey Pancakes, the Mareep quickly accepted him.
Before long, they were all acting affectionately toward him.
Seeing that the timing was right, Hayato Sora took out the empty Poké Balls he had prepared at his waist.
These were Luxury Balls he had specifically bought at the department store.
Each one cost 1,000 Poké Dollars—definitely not cheap.
First, he looked at the poop-haired Mareep.
Holding up a Luxury Ball, he asked:
"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-haired lamb's eyes sparkled.
Without any hesitation, it tapped the Luxury Ball with its head.
A red beam of light pulled it inside.
The ball didn't even shake once before making the capture sound.
First one—done.
Next was the clever Mareep.
And it truly lived up to the name.
It immediately understood the situation.
First it glanced at Hain outside the fence.
Then it looked at its Flaaffy parents.
Meeting their encouraging gazes, it seemed to realize—
It was time to part.
The clever Mareep walked forward on its own and touched the Luxury Ball on Hayato Sora's waist.
Capture successful.
Next was the sweet-looking lamb.
Then the bronze-skinned lamb.
Four captures—effortless.
Hayato Sora was still stunned as he looked down at the four Luxury Balls hanging at his waist.
Only the big Mareep remained.
The lamb looked left and right.
All its companions had already made their choices.
First it ran over to its Flaaffy parents and rubbed affectionately against them.
Then, reluctantly, it walked toward Hayato Sora and gently touched the Luxury Ball with its forehead.
Just like that—
All five lambs were captured with ease.
Hayato Sora walked up to the Flaaffy parents and handed them the last of his Honey Pancakes.
This was the final payment.
When he stepped out of the nursery, Hain and several Pokémon approached.
"Congratulations, Hayato Sora," Hain said.
"You've gained the lambs' approval."
"This was a choice made by both sides," Hayato Sora replied.
"I'll take good care of them in the future."
"That's good."
Hain sighed with a hint of nostalgia.
"I must admit, it's a little hard to let them go."
"Oh, right—Hayato Sora."
"The Mareep only need to have their wool trimmed once a month."
"And summer is coming soon. Mareep shed a lot of wool."
"Make sure your other Pokémon don't inhale too much of it, or the static electricity might give them quite a shock."
Hain generously shared all of his many years of experience raising Mareep.
Hayato Sora listened carefully.
Later, he even took out a small notebook and wrote down some important points so he wouldn't forget.
For example—
When a Mareep's body fluff expands to about twice its size, it's time to shear their wool.
When doing so, insulated gloves should be worn to avoid painful electric shocks.
Also, the wool they shed regularly is an excellent material for making carpets.
If possible, it should definitely be collected.
It would be best to prepare a fully enclosed room for collecting the wool.
That way it wouldn't float everywhere and fill the entire ranch with static electricity.
Hain's advice was extremely helpful.
It meant Hayato Sora wouldn't be completely lost while raising Mareep and could avoid many mistakes.
They walked together until they reached the ranch gate.
Only then did their conversation come to an end.
Hayato Sora placed the curious Cinccino, who was staring at the Luxury Balls, and the still-snacking Morpeko onto Cyclizar's head.
Then he mounted Cyclizar himself.
"Thank you for the advice, Mr. Hain."
"When I've raised the Mareep into strong, healthy Pokémon, I'll definitely surprise you."
"Hahaha!"
Hain waved from the ranch gate.
"I'll be looking forward to that day."
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