After splitting up with their friends, Sky, Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, and Spike continue toward Hayseed Swamp. Where both Sky and Aj look to win their third badge and get one step closer to entering and competing in the Equestrian League, our group was passing through a meadow when a giant wind began picking up behind them.
"Gees, it sure is windy!" said Aj as she had to grab her hat to avoid it flying away.
"Oh, dear!" said Rarity as she rubbed her arms, becoming a bit cold from the sudden chill.
"Well, that's because we're approaching the nearby town," said Twilight as she looked at her tablet. The bookworm touched their position to zoom in and then touched the town above them as it displayed some photos. "This here is called Molendina Town. And it's famous because everything powered in this place is by windmills on the outskirts."
"You mean like those?" said Spike as he pointed outward.
The teens all looked toward the small boy as a few windmills were rotating their blades on some hills in the distance. Near the windmills were a few Pokémon containing Miltanks, Wooloos, and Bouffalants as they grazed. The group got closer to the creatures as a sound was heard. The Pokémon heard the bell as they began to move.
"Wonder where they're goin'?" stated Aj as they saw the Pokémon move.
They followed the herd as nearby there was a large farm. The Pokémon all began to enter as the kids noticed someone entering the barn with a bucket. The person happened to be a man in his mid-30s as he placed the feed bucket near the stall where the Miltanks were.
"Alright, girls. It's feedin' time!" said the farmer, grabbing a nearby stoll.
"Uh, excuse me!"
The farmer turned in the direction of the voice as he saw the group of kids near the barn's entrance.
"Well, howdy there, kids!"
"Howdy, sir!" said Applejack as she tipped her hat. "Sorry for intrudin', but we noticed all these Pokémon near the meadow. They yers?"
"Yup. Raised just about every one of them," said the man. "Mah name is Shawn."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Sky."
"Greetings, I'm Rarity."
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is my little brother Spike."
"Howdy, mah name's Applejack."
"Applejack? Is your grandmother Granny Smith?" asked Shawn.
"Yes, sir!" confirmed the country gal.
"Figures. Your family's apple cider and apple jam are top-notch. Some of the best I've ever had."
"Thank you, kindly," said the girl, tipping her hat. "You got a nice barn here."
"Appreciate it. It means a lot coming from an Apple Family member, " stated Shawn as he entered a stall where a Miltank was.
"So this is a Miltank, huh?" said Spike as he approached the post and climbed on the bottom rung to look into the stall while the others stood beside him.
"Miltank, the Milk Cow Pokémon. Miltank produces highly nutritious milk, so it's been supporting the lives of people and other Pokémon since ancient times. This Pokémon needs to be milked daily, or it will fall ill. The flavor of Miltank milk changes with the seasons."
"Huh? I didn't know that Miltank milk had different flavors," said Sky as he put his Pokédex away.
"It's not a common fact. After years of being a farmer, you learn something about Pokémon by living alongside them," stated Shawn as he fed the Miltank before placing the stool on the side of the Pokémon and sat down. "Pass me that bucket?"
Aj grabbed the nearby bucket and entered the stall; she handed it to the farmer.
"Thanks," stated the man as he began to milk the utters from Miltank as the Pokémon ate.
"Doesn't that hurt them?" asked Rarity.
"No. Milking a Miltank doesn't hurt. The other factors required for milk production can cause significant pain," stated Aj.
"Exactly, Ms. Applejack. You Apples really do know your stuff," said Shawn.
"Aw, shucks," said Aj as she lowered her head to hide the red on her face from Shawn praising her.
"Care to?" asked the man as he got up from his seat.
Applejack sat on the stool, cracked her knuckles, and twisted her neck. The girl then grabbed the Miltank's utters and began squeezing them using her grandma's teaching techniques. The others were amazed by how skilled the country gal was in milking the Pokémon and how quickly she filled the bucket within minutes. Miltank let out a sound as it licked the girl's face.
"Think nothing of it," said the teen to the Pokémon as she petted its head before it went back to eating.
"Stellar work!" said Shawn as he applauded the girl who belonged to the legendary family of apple farmers. "Care to lend a hand with the rest of them?"
"Sure thing," stated the farm girl.
"Mind if we help?" stated Sky.
The kids then began to help Shawn with his tasks. Seeing as Rarity wasn't too keen on cleaning the stables, the man sent the fashionista to town to pick up some supplies and groceries. Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike were looking to feed the rest of the Pokémon as the sibling duo brought some hunks of corn to Grumpigs. That left Sky to be with Applejack as the girl taught the boy how to milk the Milktanks properly.
"So, what's the first step?" asked Sky.
"First, wash your hands and then put these gloves on," said Aj as she tossed a pair at the boy's face.
The boy did what his friend asked as he reappeared with the gloves on.
"Nice job. Now, the first step in milking is that you want to tie up the Miltank and have some grain so they can feast while you work," stated Aj as she tied up the Miltank they were going to milk. The Pokémon let out a sound before it began to eat. "That way, they don't feel bothered. After that, you gotta make sure the udders are clean. If the udders are dirty, use a dry paper towel to clean them before milking. And try not to use water because we don't want residual water to drain and contaminate the teat opening."
"Got it," nodded Sky.
"Now we begin," said Aj as she sat down and allowed the boy to stand by her as she began the milking process. "You wanna squeeze with the thumb and first finger as high up as possible on the udder. Trap the milk with those fingers and then squeeze the remaining fingers while continuing to trap the milk. This will force the milk out of the teat."
Within seconds, Aj had milk come out of the utterance as she alternated between her two hands and, in a few minutes, managed to fill a bucket like it was nothing.
"Wow!" said Sky as he was taken aback by how easy the country gal made it look.
"Give it a try!" said Aj as she got up and switched places with Sky.
"Okay, so, like... this," said the boy as he grabbed the utters.
"Remember, squeeze with your thumb!" stated Aj as she overlooked the boy's technique.
Sky was doing what Applejack instructed; compared to the farm girl who grew up in a barn, he struggled with getting the milk from the teat.
"So... how long... does it usually take?" asked Sky as he grunted.
"Oh, about 8-10 minutes. Give or take," smiled Aj as she leaned against the Miltank.
"Great," groaned the teen as he kept trying to milk the Miltank.
Sky kept trying to milk the Miltank while Applejack snacked on an apple. After about 12 minutes, the boy was at his wit's end as he stopped and was out of breath.
"Let's see," said Aj as she returned with a bucket of oats.
The farm girl entered the stall and looked at Sky's bucket before him. The teen peered in and saw that the bucket was way less than she expected. The boy only managed to score a quarter of the bucket with milk using Aj's instructions.
"Well?" asked Sky.
"Not... bad... but... not... You did fine for a first-timer," chuckled Aj nervously as she tried her best to tell her honest opinion to her friend. "Why don't you check on Twilight while I finish here?"
"Sure thing," said Sky as he removed his gloves and headed out of the stall.
Once the boy was gone, Aj began to finish milking the rest of the Miltank. Sky was making his way out of the barn as he walked to where Twilight was. The two siblings were trying to get the herd of Wooloo from the pastures nearby into the pen. However, it was proving tough as the sheep didn't want to listen to the humans. Especially Spike.
"Move, sheep! I said, move!"
The boy was talking directly to a Wooloo's face as it baaed at the boy.
"Not baa. Mmmooove!" said Spike.
The Wooloo responded again. The boy then got behind the sheep and tried to push it but struggled a bit. Spike soon fell on his face as the Wooloo laughed at him before skipping away. The boy lifted his head from the ground as he mumbled. Spike dusted himself off as he approached the Wooloo from behind; the round, fluffy sheep lowered its head to eat as Spike put his arms out to hug the Pokémon. He then grunted as he lifted the sheep who just fit in his arm span and began to carry the Pokémon back as the Wooloo gave a confused expression.
"Stupid sheep," muttered Spike as he tried to carry the Pokémon back.
"Hey, Twilight!"
The girl turned as she saw Sky approaching her.
"Hey, Sky."
"So, how's it going?" asked the boy as he looked at the herd of Wooloo.
"We're... trying our best. Turns out herding sheep isn't as easy as it's made out to be," stated the girl as she looked back.
"Over here!" shouted Spike as the Wooloos ignored the boy and walked past him in the opposite direction he was pointing. "Stupid sheep!"
"How'd milking the Miltanks go?" asked the bookworm.
"I... did my best. Turns out it isn't as easy as it's made out to be," repeated Sky to the girl as she nodded, understanding what he meant.
While everybody else was working on the farm, helping Shawn with his duties, Rarity had her own priorities. Despite being sent into town to retrieve the supplies the farmer needed, the girl had gotten a bit distracted as she passed by some stores. The fashionista was looking at some special pieces of fabric that were only available in Molendina Town. She may have splurged a bit, but to her, she needed them.
"Step right up, everyone. Earn a chance to win a free cruise!" said someone trying to attract some customers.
Rarity was shown walking with a bag in her arms as her Delcatty was carrying her bag of fabrics in its mouth behind her. The teen was passing by the man when she overheard what he said.
"Every entry is guaranteed a winner. And if you're really lucky, you can earn an all-expensed paid cruise for you and a few guests!" shouted the man.
"All-expensed paid cruise, hmm?" mumbled Rarity as she lulled it over. The purple-curly-haired girl looked at her Delcatty as her Pokémon made a sound with the bag in its mouth. "Well, you're right. I suppose it couldn't hurt. Besides, the others would be delighted knowing we get a free cruise."
The man was still trying to get some takers, but it didn't work. Eventually, he sighed as he sat down on a stool. He then took notice of Rarity approaching the table as her Delcatty put the bag in its mouth down on the ground.
"Excuse me, gentle sir. I would like to participate in this endeavor," stated Rarity.
"Oh, thank god, finally, someone. I mean..." the man cleared his throat as he stood up and dusted himself to be presentable in front of the young lady. "You've made the right choice today, young lady. Now then, take this ball and drop it at the top of plinko. Whatever slot the ball falls in at the bottom will determine what you get. Remember, every attempt is a winner."
Rarity looked at the ball in her hand before looking at the plinko board. The bottom part had many slots and prizes that Rarity could win. The prizes ranged from coupons to gift cards and a mystery prize. And, of course, there was the slot that said, "Free Cruise." The teen closely examined the board as she knew that sometimes these street games tended to be unfair or more in favor of the person running it as she had plenty of experience seeing them on the streets of Manehattan back home.
"Well, this seems fair and just," stated the girl as she approached the board.
Some people passing by saw the girl playing the game. A crowd slowly began to form as Raity held the ball high up at the top. The girl then dropped the ball as it began to descend plinko. The ball bounced about the many sticks along the way as the course was being decided. The small round thing acted like a pinball with how many times it bounced against a wooden stick to change its direction. Rarity was watching the ball bounce as she noticed how far away it was getting from the slot that said "Free Cruise."
The girl was making a face as if she was trying to will or send some energy to the round object to make it go where she wanted potentially. It seemed to work as the ball bounced off the latest stick, heading toward the "Free Cruise" slot. More people gathered around Rarity as they wanted to see if the girl was going to win the grand prize. The ball bounced as it got closer and closer and bounced as it reached the bottom of plinko and looked to go into the slot. However, it bounced off the edge of the slot and, unfortunately, knocked it back instead of dropping forward into the "Free Cruise" slot. Instead, the ball landed in the slot that said: Mystery Prize.
"We have a winner!" said the man.
Some people gathered behind Rarity began to chatter as they soon began to make noises to the man. Seeing Rarity's performance, they were all interested in winning prizes. The man was smiling as the teen's performance attracted a crowd and interested more people.
"Well... I did my best," said Rarity, still feeling a tad bit upset she didn't get the prize she wanted. Her Delcatty meowed at her mistress in an attempt to cheer her up. "So... what's my prize?"
Spike was carrying the latest Wooloo from the field as he dropped it in the pen. About ten Wooloos were gathered from the boy just picking them up in his arm, which took about 40 minutes. Looking back, there were still plenty of Pokémon he and Twilight had to round up. Spike turned to look back at the sheep he put in the pen when he saw they were gone. The small boy looked about as he saw the last Wooloo he captured hop on a stool inside, jump over the top railing, and bounce toward the pasture.
"Come on!" shouted Spike as he returned to chase them down.
"Here, little sheepie. Come on, let's go inside the pen to be safe," said Twilight as she approached a Wooloo.
The Wooloo turned at the girl and smiled before bouncing past her.
"No, this way!" said Twilight as she pointed, but the Pokémon ignored her call.
"Man, you guys are fluffy," stated Sky as he sat on the grass and petted a Wooloo on the head. The boy felt how soft and cuddling, not to mention warm, the fur on the Pokémon was.
"Aren't you gonna help us instead of petting the Wooloo?" asked Twilight as she approached a sheep.
The Pokémon looked as it smiled before it looked to walk past her.
"No, you don't!" said the bookworm as she looked to grab the sheep.
She, unfortunately, misplaced her footing when turning as she slipped and began to lose her balance. The bookworm flailed her arms as she leaned forward. Sky saw the girl falling as he put his arms out and caught Twilight; the girl fell into his embrace as she held onto him.
"Thanks for the save," chuckled Twilight.
Sky smiled as he ensured Twilight had a stable footing before letting go. The teens then turned as they saw the many Wooloo roaming the pasture. Some of them were jumping up and down on Spike's back as the younger boy had an unamused expression. They weren't hurting the boy, but it seemed they were making fun of him.
"How are we gonna get them back into the pen?" wondered Twilight.
Sky looked at the many Wooloo as he began thinking about that. An idea then popped into his head.
"I know!" said Sky as he was shown reaching for one of his Pokéballs. "Noctowl, I choose you!"
The boy threw his Pokéball, and out came his owl Pokémon. Noctowl sounded as he perched down on Sky's left shoulder and looked at his Trainer.
"Noctowl, can you use your telekinesis and get the Wooloo into the pen?" asked the boy to his owl.
Noctowl responded to the boy as he flapped his wings and took off. The owl flew above a patch of the meadow as he called out to the Wooloo. His eyes began to glow as he tapped into his psychic powers; the Wooloo he was above grazing or laughing when they looked up at the owl. Soon, their minds were affected by the owl's powers as they fell under his influence. The Wooloo then began to hear the bird's command as they began to walk toward the open pen.
"Um, you sure that's okay?" said Twilight as she felt it was kind of wrong to influence the Wooloo's mind to get them to do what they wanted.
"It's alright," said Shawn as he appeared and put his pitchfork down. "These Wooloos are a bit of a rascal. This saves time instead of chasing them down."
"Well, okay then," said Twilight as she pulled out her Pokéball. "Espeon, let's go." The girl called on her partner Pokémon as it appeared before her.
"Espeon!"
"Espeon, help Noctowl get the Wooloo into the pen, please?" asked Twilight.
"Espeon," nodded the Pokémon as it turned.
The Pokémon then tapped into its powers as the gem on its forward began to glow. Its eyes then shined as it began to influence the mind of some nearby Wooloo. The sheep felt themselves coming under the effect of both Pokémon as they began to march in a single-file line toward the pen. Spike opened the pen and removed the stool to ensure that the Wooloo didn't use it to hop over the fence once they were in. Noctowl and Espeon kept using their psychic powers as the Wooloos obeyed their command, and all entered the pen.
A single Wooloo who hadn't been affected was eating some grass as Spike approached it.
"Come on, sheep. Move!" stated the boy.
The Wooloo looked at the boy as it responded to him before returning to eating its meal.
"Let's go!" grunted Spike as he tried to push the Wooloo.
The Pokémon didn't budge as it kept munching, resulting in Spike to faceplant to the ground again.
"That's it! Move, stupid thing!" shouted the boy as he had enough. He got up and kicked the Pokémon in the back.
The Woolook felt the kick from the human as it let out a cry. It kept crying as it screamed to the heavens when it was soon surrounded by white light. Spike was taken aback by what he saw as he didn't know what was happening. The light died down as standing there wasn't a Wooloo anymore. Instead, a large, quadruped, sheep-like Pokémon stood. Its somewhat fat main body was fluffy and white with black spots. Around its neck was gray wool with four long tufts. Its head was black with a white blaze on its head, and its eyes were yellow with slit pupils. It had long black horns and no visible ears. Its legs were black with split hooves.
The Pokémon turned to look at the boy who kicked him. Spike chuckled nervously as he fell on his behind and looked at the larger and angrier sheep.
"Um, sorry," said the boy as the sheep let some breath through its nostrils.
"Well, that seems to be the last of them," said Twilight as she shut the door to the pen.
The last of the Wooloo entered the pin as Espeon and Noctowl finished their jobs.
"Great work, Espeon," said Twilight to her Pokémon as it hopped onto the top railing.
"Espeon," said the Pokémon as the girl began to pet its head and scratch her ears. The Pokémon purred from its Trainer, showing affection as it rubbed against her arm.
"You as well, Noctowl," said Sky as he turned to look at the bird perched on his shoulder.
Noctowl gave a response to the boy.
"Alright, now. Lets..."
"Help!"
The farmer and teens, along with their Pokémon, looked in the direction of the shouting. Coming over the hill was Spike, as the Pokémon he kicked was now chasing him. The Pokémon had its head down and was looking to use its horn to kick Spike as payback for what it did when it was a helpless Wooloo.
"Help me, please!" cried Spike as he ran back and forth in front of the group.
"What Pokémon is that?" wondered Sky as he pulled out his Pokédex and aimed it at the Pokémon as it was still chasing Spike.
"Dubwool, the Sheep Pokémon, and the evolved form of Wooloo. Weave a carpet from its springy wool, and you get something closer to a trampoline. You'll start to bounce the moment you set foot on it. Its majestic horns are meant only to impress the opposite gender. They never see use in battle."
"So that's a Dubwool? And it evolves from Wooloo," stated Sky as he put his Pokédex away.
"Spike! What did you do?!" shouted Twilight at her younger sibling.
"I tried to get the last one in, but it wouldn't listen. So I kicked it out of frustration, on instinct!" shouted Spike, running back and forth in front of the others as the Dubwool was still trying to headbutt him.
"Why did you do that?" groaned the bookworm, knowing he made the Pokémon angry by kicking it.
"I was getting tired of these stupid sheep not listening!" shouted Spike as Dubwool heard that and took offense as he picked up more speed. "I'm sorry I called you that!" stated the younger boy as he realized his words made the Pokémon angry and ran even faster. "I thought these things don't use their horns in battle."
"Yeah, but it's not battling you. It just wants to ram you," commented Sky as he enjoyed seeing the boy being chased down by something so fluffy.
"Just help me, please!" shouted Spike, as he couldn't keep this up for much longer.
"Noctowl," said Sky as his owl flew from his shoulder. "Air Slash!"
The owl put its wings together to concentrate and create a ball of wind before flinging it downward. The sphere landed just before Dubwool as it got the Pokémon to stop, allowing Spike to escape. The sheep turned to look toward Noctowl as the owl taunted the sheep. Dubwool let out a response as Noctowl began to fly away with the sheep in pursuit. Noctowl kept low to the ground to get Dubwool to chase it as they headed for the pen. The sheep baaed at the bird as they got closer to the pen. Once inside, Noctowl quickly changed directions and shot upward.
"Espeon, now!" instructed Twilight.
"Espeon!" said the Pokémon as it tapped into its psychic powers and quickly shut the door to the pen.
The lock to the door was sealed as the Dubwool made a sound before turning its back to the humans and walking away. Spike collapsed on the grass as he stared up at the sky. The boy was out of breath from all his running as a shadow came over him. Twilight stood over her brother as she glared at him for forgetting their father's Pokémon rule.
"Thanks," chuckled the boy nervously at his older sister.
Twilight glared even more at her annoying little brother. But before she could lecture him.
"Hello, darlings!" shouted Rarity.
"Hey, Rarity!" said Sky as he saw the girl coming up the road with the bag of supplies that Shawn had sent her for and a giant container in her hands.
"What's with the container?" asked Twilight.
The stove's fire was on as the pot on top had steam coming out. The scent of what was inside filled the room as it smelled wonderful. Applejack had a pan in front of her as she was making flapjacks. Shawn was in another part of the kitchen making some other food. In the dining room, Twilight and Spike were setting the table as Sky was with Rarity.
"So, you won that?" said the boy, looking at the container holding Rarity's prize.
"Well, I tried to win us a free cruise, but... I suppose this is good enough. So... what is it?" asked Rarity as she had no clue what she was holding.
"That's a Pokémon egg," stated Sky.
"A Pokémon egg?" said Rarity as she looked at her prize.
"Yup. I'm amazed that you got one," said the boy as he eyed the object. "So, do you know which Pokémon it is?"
"Actually, no. The gentlemen running the booth decided to give me this special gift to thank me for helping attract others," stated the girl, eyeing the egg as she was curious about what Pokémon could be inside.
A bell caught their attention as Applejack was banging a little triangle.
"Soup's on, everybody!" exclaimed Applejack.
With the call from the country gal and the tasty smells, everybody gathered around the dining table. The different foods Aj and Shawn cooked were brought out as Sky and Spike had their mouths water from how delicious they looked. Everybody began to sit down as they all prepared to eat. The farmer pulled out some jugs of milk, placed them on the table, and poured some into several glasses.
"Thank you kindly for all your help, kids," said the man, taking off his hat and raising his glass of milk.
"It was no trouble at all," said Applejack as she took off her cowboy hat.
The group was now outside as they were preparing to hit the road.
"Here you go, y'all. Some fresh Miltank milk for the road," said Shawn as he handed some milk bottles to the kids as they were preparing to get back on the road.
"Thank you," said Twilight.
"It's the least I can do for helping me with my chores," stated the man. "Ms. Applejack, I'll be sure to order more apple jams from your family; good luck to you and Sky in your upcoming Gym battles."
"Thanks. We'll do our best," stated Sky.
The boy then began to wave at Shawn as they turned and continued to walk down the road. The farmer waved goodbye to the kids and wished them luck on their journey. Rarity was looking at the container holding her egg, curious about what Pokémon was inside. The girl had wanted to give the egg to Sky, but the boy turned her down and told her that she should keep it since she had won it. Now, the fashionista was wondering just what kind of Pokémon was inside. One thing was for sure: it was a mystery waiting to happen.
Author's Note: On their way toward Aj and Sky's next gym challenge, the teens have run into a farmer and gotten some experience in farm work. In addition, it seems Rarity has won a Pokemon egg and now the mystery lies: What's in it? And what kind of Pokemone might she get?