I caught wind and hit the road runnin'
And Lord, I've been a long time gone

”Sheeeewwweeeee, now THIS is where I’m gonna set up my farm, Q! Hits jes like back home! I don’t wanna g'won down the routes, let’s just set up hyere!” Mila told her pooch, looking around so much she was getting dizzy at every little detail that really did remind her of her home back in Hoenn. She got so distracted trying to soak it all in that she didn’t realzie the route turned at a sharp right and just kept walking straight. Straight on down someone’s dirt driveway right off the route and onto their farm!

Q had noticed but didn’t quite have the heart to clue her trainer in on it. She looked so happy, she didn’t want to ruin that mood for her. Every other place they’d been through she’d said “nah” to about her hunt to make her own start of a farm and begin her husbandry and home breeding business. It’s the whole reason she’d left home and come here, after all, so it only made sense that that was what was on the woman’s mind everywhere they went. If you looked at her team it was obvious she was trying to recreate a picturesque farm pokemon aesthetic.

They had a duck, two herding dogs, a fox but no henhouse, and eggs with a sheep, pig, and even a crocodile! She thought that was a weird addition but Mila had assured her people had gator farms back where she came from. Weirdos. And then they’d ditched the weirdo alien awhile back in Ara as soon as she found a PC and could trade it off to someone while healing the team up in a pokecenter following the battle they’d been through to take the Elgyem down.

Q wished she hadn’t missed it. It had been one of those instances where Mila was trying to get to know the rest of her teammates. The starter pup had to do her best not to let her jealousy show. It had been so nice when they first started and she could prove herself by herself. But being up against all these other pokemon, some of which were already rearing to have babies - like that Vulpix, she was baby crazy! - it made her feel self-conscious of the fact that she wasn’t really ready. So times like this made her glad that it was just the two of them out and about on the route, where she didn’t have to think of her shortcomings.

A sudden agitated moo from somewhere on the farm finally made Mila realize she was walking straight towards a barn and not just on an endless stretch of the route. She started to turn and head back, remember the trusty shotgun her papaw had always kept close by to scare of trespassers and not wanting to cause any trouble. But then the miltank gave another low moo of distress and she felt something in her stirring.

She’d heard that before. A miltank with a mood problem. Maybe...maybe she could help? She’d not seen a miltank in so long she’d almost forgotten what they looked like...and they were one of her absolute favorites….she hesitated and looked down to Q, ”Feel like sticking around and seeing if there’s anything we can help them with? Maybe I can find out about what a parcel of land this size would cost a body…” she asked.

Q’s tail wagged. A chance to work on a farm with Mila and show she could pull her weight with such a task?! < Count me in! > she yipped! Mila nodded and started to reach for a ball to let her vulpix out too but thought better of it when she saw a flock of baby torchics in a coop a few yards away. Better not to make another of the farmer’s animal’s skittish!

She took a few steps toward where the lowing was coming from, ”How y’uns doin?” she called out, ”Was a passin by 'n hyeared the mooin, figgered I'cud pop in and see if there’s anything might be need doin.”