The next morning we went straight down to find Pikachu, Cyndaquil and Totodile completely healed. Ash laughed, spreading his arms as Chansey ushered them out of the overnight room. "Hey guys!" He ran to them as Pikachu called out his name then jumped into his arms, snuggling into Ash's shoulder as he held him carefully. "Pikachu, Cyndaquil, Totodile, that was a great battle yesterday." He told them proudly as they danced around him.

"Good morning!" Someone called out and we turned to see Whitney walked towards us. "Hi!"

"Hi Whitney!" Brock greeted with a slight blush to his cheeks.

"I came to see how all the Pokémon were doing after yesterday's big battle." She explained as she continued to walk towards Ash and his Pokémon as they all smiled. "Pikachu!" Whitney beamed, holding out her arms and Pikachu leaped into them with a squeal. "I have a special place that I think you're all going to love!" She said as she turned and walked off with Pikachu smiling over her shoulder. "Come on everybody! Follow me!"

"Uh…" Ash blinked, staring after Whitney before he held out his hand. "Wait up!" I quickly picked up Cyndaquil, in one arm and settled him on my shoulder as I held the egg and its incubator carefully, smiling up at him before following after Ash as Brock picked up Totodile and together, we all raced after Whitney and Pikachu. "Oh right, return you two!" Ash said, stopping to return Cyndaquil and Totodile after he'd stopped at the door to look back.

"Honestly Ash, you'd forget your head if it wasn't screwed on." I said with a shake of my head before smiling down at the egg. "Right?" I got a little blip of a laughing sensation in return, making me smile further before running after the others.

Whitney led us out of the city a lot quicker than I would have thought she'd have been able to. Maybe this time she really knew where she was going. "So Whitney." I said, jogging a few steps to catch up with her. "Where are we going?"

"To a dairy." She told us cheerfully, still carrying Pikachu as we trekked up the hill. Ash looked at her with a bewildered expression, tilting his head to the side and arching his eyebrow.

"A dairy?"

"Yup! It belongs to my uncle Milton. It's a Miltank dairy. There are dozens and dozens of Miltank dairies in the hills around Goldenrod City but I think my uncle's is the cream of the crop." She told us with a bright expression. "And the Miltank cream is so nutritious that I just know it'll help your Pokémon power up again." She laughed and Pikachu turned an excited smile up to her.

"Pika!" We began to pass a fence and on the other side the field was full of Miltank, either eating or sleeping but all of them looking rather sweet and quite huggable. We all beamed in admiration, watching the Miltank as we continued up the road.

"Look at 'em all!" Ash said as we saw the next hill over were full of Miltank too.

"There must be a million Miltank here!" Suddenly Whitney stopped and looked over the fence, lifting her head up as she spotted someone.

"There he is! Good morning Uncle Milton!" She called over with a big wave, getting her uncle's attention as he shovelled more hay onto a pile. "I brought some friends for a visit!" I watched him stand up then instantly laughed. He wore a hat and scarf just like mine! Maybe I'd fit right in here.

"Hey! Morning Whitney!" He called back, walking over to then stop and lean on his pitchfork. "What mighty fine friends you have here. Say, that's a fine looking hat and necktie you got there missy." He said to me and I nodded my head with a grin.

"Thanks! The hat is from an old friend of mine. He's a ranger on the Safari Zone back in Kanto." I told him and he chuckled.

"Well, I bet you kids are all thirsty. How about you come into the house and I'll fix ya'll something to drink?" He suggested and instantly we all licked our lips, knowing exactly what he meant. Time to taste the cream of creams!

Sure enough once we were inside the neat, cosy little cottage Milton went into the kitchen and brought out drinks for everybody. "Now, who wants a little taste of Milton's finest?" He asked as we all leaned forwards with thirst.

"I've always wondered what Miltank milk tastes like." Brock said as we all nodded our heads.

"Ash why don't you let out your Totodile and Cyndaquil so they could have some too?" Whitney suggested so Ash nodded his head.

"Right. Totodile! Cyndaquil! Come on out guys!" He called and they appeared with either a happy dance or squeal. I poured some of the cream into a bowl and set it down before Totodile and Cyndaquil as Misty gave a glass to Togepi and Ash gave another to Pikachu. "Drink up guys!" We all chorused before drinking our own portions.

Never have I tasted something so creamy yet light and thirst quenching. It was delicious! "Ay-yay-yay!" We all sang, eyes sparkling as we touched our cheeks in delight.

"It tastes great!"

"Better than great!" Ash corrected Misty as Brock sighed dreamily.

"I could go for seconds!"

"Me too!" I agreed with a laugh, downing the rest but then a thought struck me. My hand rested on my egg case, though my thoughts drifted off to Dratini. Maybe this Miltank milk could help her feel a little better. I know I'm certainly not feeling so down, so perhaps a little drink of this will help her get back to her old self again.

We all sat down and helped ourselves to more, though I paused on my second glass. "Mr Milton? I was wondering…you see I have a Pokémon who isn't feeling very well. It's my Dratini, she's been feeling under the weather for some time now and I was wondering…" He chuckled at my nervous asking.

"You were wondering if you could give it some Miltank milk to help get its strength back up." He said and I nodded my head with a little blush. "Well how could I refuse a little lady in such a fine hat? Of course you can have some more, just bring out your Pokémon and we'll have it set right in no time."

"Oh I can't, I sent Dratini over to Professor Oak to see if he could find the problem. I was wondering if I could maybe take some with me to give to her when I get her back." I explained and Whitney smiled.

"Of course! It's no problem. Right uncle?" She turned to Milton who nodded his head with a warm smile.

"Of course it's not, I'll just get you a can of Moo-Moo milk so you can take it with you." He said, rising up and going into the kitchen before returning with a carton of Miltank milk. "Here you go little missy, I'll let you have that one, free of charge."

"Oh thank you so much! You both are the greatest!" I cheered, finally feeling hopeful about Dratini's case. Maybe with a little sip of this she'll start to get better! And thinking about it, maybe I could add this milk into the Pokémon food somehow for extra nourishment. I'll have to start experimenting with Brock.

"Wow Togepi, you're on your third glass!" Misty praised as Togepi sucked the milk out of the glass with a straw, trilling happily at the wonderful taste.

"Yeah me too. This stuff is just great! No wonder Pokémon love it." Brock said as I drained my third glass as well.

"There's plenty more kids so help yourself." Milton said as Whitney chuckled.

"Miltank milk can also be made into cheese and yoghurt, which is just as nutritious as its milk and can be eaten by both Pokémon and humans." Awesome!

"I'd love to try some of that." Ash said and I nodded my head.

"Me too, imagine all the different things you could cook with Miltank cheese to make it taste even better!" I was just thinking of a huge bowl of spaghetti bolognaise with Miltank cheese sprinkled on top. Hmm…delicious.

"Why don't I go get a whole bunch of things for you guys to try?" This place is heaven! I may never leave it!

"Good idea." Milton agreed as Whitney stood and walked off to go grab some samples. She went through the kitchen and into the parlour, however what we heard next was her shouting.

"Come back here! Stop!" Huh? What's going on? I looked up to see none other than Team Rocket escaping through the kitchen and out the front door, carrying all kinds of Miltank produce with them. Hey! That food is not for stealing! It's for me to sample right now!

"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled as he leaped up but I was already running out the door.

"Come on you guys! Let's get them!" With that everyone bolted out the door and chased after Team Rocket as they made a break for it, carrying a startling amount of cheese, milk, cream and yogurt without dropping a single thing.

"We can't let them get away!" Ash called back to us so I smirked, picking up a Pokéball.

"Don't worry." I said to him as I flung it forwards. "We won't! Bulbasaur go!" Bulbasaur landed on the ground with a flash, taking shape before looking around to see us running towards him. "Now Bulbasaur, use your Vine Whip to stop Team Rocket from getting away with all that stolen food!"

"Bulbasaur!" He nodded and turned around, facing Team Rocket before shooting out his vines and whipped out their feet from underneath them, sending them tumbling to the ground with a startled yell, the goods flying out of their hands.

"Now grab that milk!" I said with a grin.

"Saur Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur quickly began to grab all the foodstuffs as they fell through the air and smartly flicked them back to us in order, right into our arms which we all caught with a laugh.

"Way to go Bulbasaur!" I cheered, holding onto the egg as I grabbed a carton of milk then ran over to my Pokémon to praise and hug him. "You were great, you stopped Team Rocket right in their tracks and rescued all the food!"

"Bulba! Saur Saur!" Bulbasaur beamed, wrapping his vines tightly around me in a sign of affection as he licked my cheek, making me giggle and lose focus of what was around me. When I looked up however it was to see Miltank powering into Arbok and Weezing with its Rollout attack, slamming into them once to send both of them back into Team Rocket and a second time to send them flying.

"We're blasting off again!" I laughed, standing up with Bulbasaur at my side.

"Have a nice flight!" I yelled after them with a wave before walking back over to the others with Bulbasaur and the milk. "That was awesome Whitney. Your Miltank's Rollout is really something." I said to her as she beamed at me.

"Thanks! Your Bulbasaur was great too! Its Vine Whip attack was so quick I almost didn't see it." She praised, kneeling down to rub Bulbasaur's head. "You're a lucky Pokémon to have such a great trainer like Ruby you know, I hope you take good care of her!"

"Bulbasaur!" My Bulbasaur nodded his head, giving Whitney's face a lick which made her giggle before standing upright.

"And thank you all for your help, how can we ever repay you?" Milton asked us but Ash was all ready with an answer.

"I would sure like to learn more about Miltank." He said so Whitney nodded her head.

"I have a way you can brush up on the Miltank!" She told us before walking over to the cottage. "Come on, I'll show you!" So she had us literally brushing up on the Miltank. Grooming them spotless, though I didn't mind because it was the kind of thing I enjoyed.

"Hey Eevee, how about you come on out and join us?" I suggested, letting her out of her Pokéball. "Come and play!"

"Eevee!" She trilled happily, blinking sweetly up at me before running around in a circle to chase her tail. I chuckled as she played, leaping around the field as Bulbasaur helped me to brush this Miltank I had been assigned, gently smoothing the brush over its fur with one of his vines.

"You're doing great Bulbasaur." I told him proudly, giving his head a rub. "I think Miltank is really enjoying this, aren't you Miltank?" Miltank gave a moo in reply, rolling over for us to reach her other side and I giggled before continuing my work.

"Hey Ruby! Whitney's going to train on the hill and we're going to watch, are you coming?" Ash called and I looked up before nodding my head.

"Okay! Just one minute!" I finished the last patch of fur before patting the Miltank on the head gently. "There you go, all nice and clean. Come on Eevee! Bulbasaur! Let's go!" I called and they rushed after me from where they had been playing.

I followed the others to the hill where Whitney stood about hallway down with her Miltank at the top. "Okay Miltank, show me your Rollout!" Miltank nodded its head then leaped up, curling into a tight ball before speeding down the hill at an alarming pace. "Okay Miltank, now roll back up the hill!"

Before Miltank could hit Whitney it turned and began to roll back up the hill, losing some of its speed but still keeping up the power. "Wow, with workouts like these it's no wonder that Miltank is so tough to beat." Brock said in appreciation as Ash just watched intently, trying to figure out a weakness.

Miltank jumped up at the top, waving its arms to signal it had reached the peak and Whitney smiled. "That was excellent Miltank, let's do it again!" Miltank began to run circles, going up and down like nobody's business. It was pretty awesome to watch and a little frightening too.

Without warning something came rolling into view at the top, crushing bushes and shadowing the sun as it glared down at us, making everyone gasp in fear as Miltank jumped out of its Rollout to stare. "It's a giant barrel!" Whitney stared in bewilderment. Just then the top opened and Team Rocket rose up in style with snide little smirks on their faces.

"A barrel it is so prepare for trouble!" Jessie announced as she rose, holding out a hand as James folded his arms and stood with a proud stance.

"And you're over it, so make it double." Huh? Wait…what? You know, I really don't get their rhyming anymore. It just doesn't seem to make sense. Unwilling to suffer through their act, I shook my head and shouted out to them.

"Just get on with it! What do you losers want?" I demanded to know as Eevee and Bulbasaur both stood in front of me protectively, battle faces on and ready to go.

"Losers? Who are you calling losers?" James demanded but Jessie merely rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

"Just give us that Miltank and we'll be rolling on our way." She told us but Ash stepped forwards as well.

"No way!"

"Fine." Meowth shrugged, pulling a control pad out from behind him. "Then we'll just take it." With a press of a button the left side of the barrel opened up and an arm shot out at alarming speed, a giant red hand stuck on the end and it grabbed Miltank before we could even blink.

"Oh please, no!" Whitney cried, reaching out to try and grab Miltank but it was too late, Team Rocket had already snatched it up.

"Afraid so, gotta go!" They chorused before slipping back down into their weird machine thing with laughter. That's when the other arm shot out from the other side of the barrel and it began to roll forwards, descending the hill and looming closer as it grew larger and larger.

"Everybody look out!" Brock yelled, grabbing Whitney to pull her out the way as we all dove for cover. I turned and ran with Eevee and Bulbasaur, racing down the hill with that barrel only a few metres behind us as the other hand reached out and snatched Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled, trying to stop and turn but I reached out and grabbed his sleeve to keep him moving.

"We'll get Pikachu later, just run for now genius!" I yelled then pulled out two Pokéballs. "Bulbasaur, Eevee! Return!" I called and they disappeared safely into their Pokéballs which I quickly slipped onto my belt then hugged onto the egg for all I was worth.

"Milton! We're being attacked! Get the Miltank out of there!" Whitney yelled down to her uncle as we continued to race down the hill, however it seems Ash had had enough.

"If we run away then they get away. Cyndaquil, I choose you!" Ash yelled, facing down the giant barrel with his little mousey Pokémon. "Cyndaquil, we've gotta stop that barrel!" Ash said boldly and Cyndaquil fired itself up before running forwards bravely and I stopped to watch with wide eyes. "Cyndaquil! Tackle attack on its left side!" Ash directed and Cyndaquil powered into the left side with all its might, stopping the barrel in its tracks to make it spin around like a spinning top. Alright! "Good work Cyndaquil." Ash praised as the two of them looked up at their handiwork.

"Cynda!"

"Okay Totodile, I choose you!" Ash selected next, throwing his Lure Ball out and Totodile jumped into view, already kicking up its legs excitedly though Ash remained focused. "Totodile! Dig some ditches with your Water Gun attack!" What was Ash planning? This looks interesting and if I know Ash, it's going to be awesome too.

Just as the barrel stopped spinning Totodile leaped up into the air and used his powerful Water Gun attack to blast long craters into the ground in direct line of the barrel. Oh I get it! With those trenches, the barrel will lose its element of speed when using the slope of the hill!

Sure enough as the barrel started to roll down again, it struck the first ditch then went flying up into the air, until it struck another ditch and met a similar fate. "Alright! Those ditches knocked Team Rocket's big barrel of course and now they're stopped dead in their tracks!" Brock realised as Totodile celebrated with another dance.

The barrel struck the ground and the two hands opened up, releasing both Miltank and Pikachu. "Miltank!" Whitney ran over to her Pokémon and embraced it with relief as Pikachu leaped into Ash's arms.

"Pika Pi!"

"Pikachu! I'm glad you're okay!" Ash laughed, holding Pikachu securely before we all turned to face the barrel with stormy expressions. Those creeps had tried to steal all of Milton's Miltank as well as Pikachu. Now that's a felony in my books and they're going to pay for it.

"Ash? Would you like to do the honours?" I asked with a growl as we continued our glowering glare.

"Glad to. Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Ash pointed and Pikachu ran up his arm to leap off, jumping into the air with his cheeks sparking brightly.

"Pika! Pika…CHUUUU!" The entire barrel lit up, conducting the electricity until it short circuited and exploded all at once. I turned my face away and shielded the egg, holding it away from the blast to keep it safe and didn't turn around until the echo of Team Rocket's second farewell motto had died away and the dust had once again settled.

"Well, who knew dairy farms could be such a blast?" I said and everyone chuckled at my dry taste in humour until Milton turned to face Ash.

"Ash, if there's anything I can do to say thank you for saving all my Miltank, you just tell me." He said and Ash blushed a little, scratching his face modestly.

"Well I…"

"Come on Ash." Whitney said with a broad smile. "There must be something we can do!" Ash turned a serious expression around to her and nodded his head.

"Yes. There is." He admitted and Whitney blinked.

"Yeah?"

"I'd like to have another chance to battle you and Miltank." She blinked in surprise, obviously expecting something different but nodded her head all the same.

"Alright, how about tomorrow?" She suggested but Ash being Ash, was a little too impatient to wait another day for a gym battle.

"Let's battle right here right now and if I win, I get another shot at a gym battle and the Plain Badge." He said to her and Whitney listened carefully. "What do you say?" Then she chuckled.

"Why not? You've earned it." She agreed so she walked a little distance away before turning to face Ash, her Miltank at her side. I walked over to Misty, Brock and Milton, observing the battle from a safe distance though Misty was a little confused.

"What's he doing? Nothing's changed since Miltank won last time." She said so I gave a secret smile, closing my eyes to picture how Ash had defeated Team Rocket's barrel.

"No, nothing's different with Miltank but things are very different with Ash. I think he's now able to understand Miltank and how it battles, which may have given him some sort of strategy to defeat it. I guess we'll just have to watch and see." I said and Brock nodded his head.

"I agree."

"We're both ready over here Ash!" Whitney waved over to Ash from her side of the ground they were going to be using. "We can start the match whenever you want to!"

"Okay!" Ash called back as he stood then looked down to his Pokémon. "You know what to do Cyndaquil." He said and the little fire Pokémon fired up before walking out onto the battlefield.

"Let's do it Miltank, Rollout!" Miltank sprang up into the air then barrelled towards Cyndaquil who stood his ground.

"Cyndaquil, Tackle attack!" I watched as Cyndaquil tackled Miltank but the attack just bounced off, and Cyndaquil was thrown back a few paces, though he landed on his feet and Ash urged him to stay strong. Cyndaquil tackled again and again.

"Ash can't win if he does the same thing as last time." Misty worried as Cyndaquil was thorn high up into the air again then landed on the ground.

"Agh! Are you okay?" Ash asked as Cyndaquil tried to stand but his legs gave out beneath him, too tired to continue the match. "Cyndaquil return!" Ash recalled Cyndaquil then smiled at the Pokéball. "Thanks Cyndaquil, you did great." Ash told it proudly before turning down to Totodile. "Alright Totodile, you're up next!"

"To-to, To-to…dile!" It sang before charging out onto the battlefield.

"Go Totodile, you know what to do!" Ash said to Totodile who leaped up and began to blast ditches in the ground though Whitney was none the wiser.

"Go get 'em Miltank, you know what to do too!" She directed and Miltank went ahead with the Rollout whilst Totodile continued to dig the trenches.

"What's going on? What's Totodile doing?" Misty asked in confusion as we observed. Totodile suddenly charged forwards again, only this time his eyes were focused on Miltank.

"Do it Totodile!" Totodile sprang up into the air then used Water Gun on the ground to twist in the air, turning until finally he landed neatly on Miltank's back and began to dance on top of it, letting it roll with him. "Perfect, Totodile!" Ash smirked with satisfaction as Whitney frowned.

"Get that Totodile off you Miltank!" Miltank leaned left and right, trying to shake Totodile off but only succeeded when it gave a little jump and Totodile flew through the air, still kicking its legs. "Finish it off Miltank!" Miltank struck Totodile as it acme into landed, striking with such force that Totodile was knocked out with the one hit.

"Totodile return! Go Pikachu!" Ash called and Pikachu leaped forwards.

"Pika!" Whitney smirked confidently, holding up the one finger as she sang out.

"That's two Pokémon down and one Pikachu to go!" Miltank just kept on rolling, gaining attack power and speed but Ash concentrated on the battle.

"Pikachu, use your Agility!" Ash quickly directed and Pikachu sped out the way, leaving the path clear for Miltank as it rolled towards the trenches. It struck the first and lost speed, almost getting stuck before it managed to pull itself out again.

"Miltank no!" Whitney called as Brock suddenly cheered.

"Ash is…winning!" With each hit against a trench Miltank lost speed and attack power, leaving it more vulnerable.

"We got 'em now! Do it Pikachu!" Pikachu darted forwards with Agility before disappearing, hiding in one of the trenches as Miltank came powering forwards.

"Oh no!" Realisation dawned on Whitney as Miltank rolled over the trench and Pikachu leaped up, pushing Miltank into the air. Hey! That's just how Eevee and I did it! Way to go Ash! As Miltank uncurled with a confused cry Ash got serious again.

"Use your Thunderbolt Pikachu!" Ash ordered and Pikachu instantly leaped up into the air and struck Miltank with a powerful Thunderbolt, striking it mid-air and leaving it paralysed as it hit the ground, static dancing across its body. It tried to get up, pushing on its front hooves but then collapsed back down, too exhausted to continue.

"Miltank!" Whitney cried out then ran over to Miltank whilst Ash punched the air in victory.

"Ash and Pikachu win!" Milton declared, lifting his arm towards Ash and Pikachu who was panting for breath.

"Ash knew what he was doing after all!" Misty cheered as we all looked at Ash proudly.

"Miltank…are you alright?" I looked over to Whitney as she helped Miltank sit upright, looking with concern as Ash slowly approached.

"Whitney, is Miltank going to be okay?" He asked her politely and Whitney nodded her head, standing up.

"Miltank just needs a rest, but I need to give you something Ash." Whitney said, reaching behind her into her back pocket then drew out a square badge. The Plain Badge! "It's the Plain Badge. It's yours." She told him decisively as Ash stared at in in both wonder and confusion.

"But don't you have to win a match at a gym to win a gym badge?" He questioned as we all approached.

"The gym isn't what's most important, Ash." Milton told him, one hand in his pocket as he smiled down at Ash warmly. "Whitney knows a gym is just a building, what's most important is that you beat a gym leader's top Pokémon fair and square. Right Whitney?" Whitney nodded her head.

"That's right Uncle Milton!" She agreed as Ash turned back to her with a relieved and overjoyed expression.

"In that case, I'll take it!" He declared then reached out to pick up his newest badge. "Take a look guys! We did it!" He said as us spun around, holding his badge up to the light the way he always did whenever he won a new badge.

"Pi Pikachu!" We all laughed at Ash's expense before Milton made an excellent suggestion.

"How about we all go in for another glass of Miltank milk? You've all worked pretty hard today and I think you've earned it."

"Great idea uncle, come on guys, let's go!" Whitney said, racing off to the cottage and we all chased after her, minds set on another glass of delicious creamy milk. We washed it down with some fresh scones, butter, cheese and then finished it all off with some cooling ice cream, tasting all the delights that Whitney had originally promised us.

"Ah…that was the greatest dinner I've ever tasted." Brock said as he kicked back a little and relaxed. "You guys are definitely the best dairy farm there is." Whitney chuckled.

"Why thank you Brock, that's very sweet of you." She said as I looked out the window.

"It's getting pretty late guys, maybe we should start heading back before it gets too dark." I suggested and Misty nodded her head, standing up.

"Yeah maybe we should." She agreed before turning a grateful smile to Milton and Whitney. "Thank you so much for everything, we'll be sure to drop by if we're ever passing through here again." She said as I stood too, holding my egg to me.

"Definitely."

"No, no, thank you. Without you, Team Rocket would have stripped us dry of everything we've worked for." Milton said as he rose to his feet too. "Now you kids be sure to take care, those streets down there can get pretty hectic this time of day."

"We will. Goodbye Milton, goodbye…Whitney…" Brock said, going suddenly all goofy. "I shall await the day when our paths will cross again, but until then I shall miss you with every fibre of my soul…ow!" Misty grabbed Brock by the ear and dragged him outside.

"Too bad your path leads this way." She told him as I smacked Ash on the back of the head, waking him up from his nap.

"Wargh! What's going on? Is Team Rocket attacking again?" He asked, kicking out wildly and fell of his chair as I laughed.

"Nope. Just me." I told him as I shouldered my pack.

"But that's worse!" Ash complained behind my back so I turned a sharp look on him.

"What was that genius?" I questioned darkly and he gulped, sweating slightly in fear as he waved his hands and shook his head vigorously.

"Nothing! I didn't say anything." Nodding my head I smiled then walked out of the house, the four of us waving goodbye to Milton, Whitney and Miltank as we returned to Goldenrod City and the Pokémon Centre, which was a little easier to find this time because Misty and I took charge of the map and since we could tell which buildings were shopping centres, it was easy to tell the difference between them and find our way.

We got to the centre pretty exhausted but Ash dropped Totodile, Cyndaquil and Pikachu off with Nurse Joy to have them set back to full health whilst I went over to the video phone and called Professor Oak. "Ah! Ruby, I thought it wouldn't be long before you called. Your Dratini is resting at the moment and I haven't seen an improvement, so it's too early to tell."

"That's okay professor, I actually have something that might help." I told him before pulling out the carton of Moo-Moo milk that Milton had given me.

"I see…Moo-Moo milk, very good stuff. Good for both Pokémon and people, very tasty too." He chuckled. "So you want to give Dratini some and see if it will help improve its health?" I nodded my head. "Very well, I'll send Dratini over to you right away." He said, getting up and walking away but it wasn't long before he returned with Dratini's Pokéball. "Sending to you now." He said, placing it somewhere then began to type on his computer.

The slot beside me suddenly burst into light and the Pokéball appeared, which I picked up the moment it had formed. "It's here." I said to Professor Oak then turned around. "Alright Dratini, come on out! I've got something for you!"

Dratini appeared with a flash of light and instantly I hugged her. "Oh I missed you so much!" I told her as she rubbed her head into me. "Are you feeling okay? How are you?" I asked as I drew back.

"DriiI!" She said with a smile but I could still see she was tired.

"Okay, well I have some special milk for you right here, it's really tasty so go ahead and try some." I smiled, pouring some into a bowl and settled on stroking her long body as she began to drink up. She took a little sip, blinked then beamed at me with a happy call, eyes sparkling before she drained the rest away then came prodding for more. "There's plenty more! I'm just glad you like it." I said with a relieved laugh, pouring out some more before standing up. "We have a winner." I said to the professor who smiled.

"Well I'm glad. Perhaps you'd better keep a hold of Dratini for now, I think it would be for the best. When Pokémon feel down or maybe a little unwell they prefer to be with their trainers for comfort." He told me so I nodded my head.

"That's fine with me, so long as she gets better then that's all that matters." I said, turning another smile down to Dratini.

"Good. Oh and how did your battle go?" Professor Oak asked. "I hear Whitney is a very tough opponent."

"She was very tough, her Miltank is really strong and it was a big challenge, but in the end both Ash and I got our badges. We're three down and five to go!" I said cheerfully as Professor Oak chuckled.

"I'm glad you're both doing so well. Keep up the good work and make sure you always remember to do your best. I have to go now as its dinner time, but we'll talk again soon!" He said with a wave before the call cut out.

Dratini began to rub against my leg, making soft sounds as if she were purring and I smiled lovingly, kneeling down to put the milk and bowl away before picking her up into my arms and carrying her with me over to the others as Brock started to hand out food for us all.

"Hey how's Dratini?" Misty asked as I sat down, Dratini curling up in my lap.

"The milk really picked her up, I think she's going to be just fine. All she needs now is lots of love and plenty of rest." I said, stroking her neck before looking up. "So. What's for dinner?"