"Mr. Silas, are you selecting flowers for the Flabébé?"
"Mm." Silas nodded, briefly explaining the current situation at the ranch. At present, they only had one type of flower planted, tulips and he planned to add several more varieties.
"I see!"
Edward waved toward Ribombee. The yellow butterfly Pokémon fluttered down and landed on top of her head, pretending to be a decorative bow, staying perfectly still.
"With the Flabébé helping you, I'd recommend planting lilies, peonies, or azaleas. Their fragrance lasts a long time, and they're common flowers. The Flabébé probably wouldn't dislike them either."
"Of course, climbing roses are also an excellent choice. They have a long blooming season, large and beautiful blossoms, and can be used to decorate flower walls or archways."
When it came to flowers, Silas considered himself only half-knowledgeable. He didn't make any decisions on his own.
Instead, he called out to the Flabébé weaving through the flowerbeds, repeated everything Edward had just said, and guided them to recognize the different varieties.
He handed the choice over to them, allowing them to pick the one they liked most.
The Flabébé hesitated, deliberated, circled around again and again, unable to decide. After several rounds of discussion and indecision, they finally made their choice.
The red-flowered Flabébé chose azaleas. It liked them especially and had already wrapped its arms around a large red bloom.
"Azaleas? Are you sure?"
Silas crouched down and asked gently.
"Bébé~"
The Flabébé nodded in unison, indicating that this was indeed their decision.
"All right. You can still choose three more varieties."
Next, they selected climbing roses. This type of flower had many different cultivars.
The variety the Flabébé liked most was called Golden Celebration. Its blossoms were golden yellow, and its fragrance carried a wine-like scent that utterly captivated the little Pokémon.
Their cheeks flushed red; just smelling the aroma made them look as if they were tipsy.
Silas could only stare at them speechlessly.
Fortunately, they weren't truly drunk. Once the scent dissipated, they quickly recovered.
After chirping and discussing excitedly among themselves again, the five Flabébé chose hydrangeas.
"You have excellent taste, little cuties. The flower around Florges' neck is a hydrangea," Edward said with a warm smile. She brought over a potted hydrangea for them to observe up close and even took out a photograph of Florges.
"Bébé~"
The Flabébé gazed at the image of Florges with admiration. In the picture, she resembled a noble lady in an evening gown, standing within a secret garden.
"Do you want to evolve as well?"
Silas crouched down, leaning closer as he asked softly.
"Bébé~"
The red-flowered Flabébé nodded eagerly, expressing that it wanted to evolve so it could help Silas care for even more flower fields and fill the ranch with beautiful blossoms for him.
The other four Flabébé of different colors also nodded without hesitation—they all shared the same wish.
"Let me think…"
Evolving from Flabébé into Floette was not difficult. However, evolving into Florges required a Shiny Stone.
As one of the evolutionary stones, Shiny Stones were much rarer. Even the item shops operated by the League did not sell them.
"Right! I can exchange for them through League mission points—how did I forget that?"
Not long ago, he had helped the Kalos League resolve the massive power outage at the power plant and even discovered a Manectric capable of self-initiated Mega Evolution. His contributions had been significant.
Exchanging for five Shiny Stones shouldn't be unreasonable. He could prepare them in advance for the Flabébé.
Since the Flabébé would have their evolutionary stones ready, should he prepare something for Minccino as well?
Just as he was about to ask whether Minccino wanted to evolve, he realized the little fellow was nowhere to be seen.
He turned to Cyclizar, who was staring at his pant leg. "Did you see where Minccino ran off to?"
Cyclizar: "Cyc!" (I don't know!)
Silas stood up and looked around, calling out, "Minccino—Minccino…"
Soon, he heard a response.
It came from a corner of the flowerbeds.
Minccino was hidden behind the flowers and could only raise its tail high to signal its location.
When Silas walked over, he saw Minccino clutching a particularly small flower. The bloom looked sickly and half-wilted, as though it were barely clinging to life.
Seeing Silas approach with a stern expression, Minccino quickly put on a flattering smile and held the flower up high.
"Min! Min!"
(Silas, Silas! This flower smells really special. Try it!)
Rolling his eyes, Silas leaned closer and inhaled gently.
Indeed, just as Minccino had said, the flower carried a unique fragrance.
When he lightly touched the petals, a panel suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Gracidea Flower: Withering due to a sudden change in growing conditions. Try reviving it, perhaps an unexpected Pokémon may visit.]
He hadn't expected to see a Gracidea Flower here. This blossom was also known as the Flower of Gratitude.
Only a handful of people had ever encountered it. No wonder Edward didn't recognize it; judging by its condition, it had merely been treated as an ordinary plant.
The Gracidea Flower was closely connected to a certain Mythical Pokémon—the Gratitude Pokémon, Shaymin, said to possess the power to transform barren land into blooming fields in an instant.
More importantly, it could fly!
That alone was a major bonus.
And it was incredibly adorable.
In its Land Forme, Shaymin resembled a small hedgehog, making one irresistibly want to scoop it up and rub it affectionately.
In its Sky Forme, it looked like a small dog with wings, capable of true flight.
Most crucial of all, Shaymin had migratory habits.
If his ranch truly cultivated a field of Gracidea Flowers, there was a real possibility of attracting one or perhaps even several Shaymin.
Thus, he decided on the fifth flower for the field: Gracidea.
With that, the purpose of their trip was perfectly accomplished.
The flowers they would plant in the greenhouse were: azaleas, climbing roses (Golden Celebration), hydrangeas, and finally, Gracidea.
Aside from the Gracidea, Silas purchased several additional seedlings of the other three varieties. He also obtained detailed planting and cultivation instructions from Edward.
On their return trip, Cyclizar now had a small trailer attached behind it, filled with the flower seedlings they had purchased.
Because of the added weight, Cyclizar traveled much more slowly. The same route took significantly longer to traverse.
When they reached the rugged mountain road, Silas chose to walk while Cyclizar carried the seedlings behind him.
This only strengthened Silas's determination to build a proper road. He had already registered a task at the Pokémon Center and was now waiting for a Trainer with an Onix to accept it.
Upon returning to the ranch, Silas headed straight for the greenhouse.
He had Minccino fetch the three Mudsdale for assistance, and together with the Flabébé, they planted the three varieties of seedlings in separate flowerbeds.
The Gracidea was planted alone in another field.
The once somewhat empty greenhouse was now filled with a vibrant array of flowers, instantly brimming with life and vitality.
The Flabébé adored it. From the moment they returned, they had not stopped moving, tending carefully to each blossom, afraid that even the slightest problem might arise.
"Mudsdale, please use your Rototiller once."
After sprinkling compound fertilizer over the flowerbeds, Silas directed one of the Mudsdale to act.
"Mud!"
Mudsdale lightly stomped the ground. Tangible earthen-yellow ripples spread across the flowerbeds. With precise control, not a trace of energy leaked beyond the greenhouse.
The newly planted Gracidea Flower immediately showed visible improvement. Its sickly appearance eased, and a hint of vitality returned.
Yet at that moment, Silas's attention was no longer on it.
All of his focus had shifted to the Silver Chalice Tulip.
(End of Chapter)