After enjoying a leisurely lunch, Silas and all the Pokémon settled down for their midday rest.
Silas lay stretched out on the sofa, with one small Pokémon sprawled across his stomach and another draped over his chest, both clinging to him as if he were their personal cushion. When he gently told them to get down, Minccino merely put on an exaggerated act, letting out a dramatic yawn.
With nimble paws, it tugged a blanket from the side and pulled it over itself as though preparing for a long nap. It even waved its tiny paw at Silas, urging him to hurry up and sleep too.
For a time, the entire ranch grew quiet. The Pokémon had all prepared to nap, and a peaceful stillness settled over the land.
But after several hours had passed and the sun began to tilt westward, that calm was abruptly shattered.
With a loud bang, Cyclizar burst out of the house. Perched proudly on its back were Minccino and the others, while Silas's voice trailed behind them in reminder. Alcremie and Dolliv, the well-behaved ones, waved politely at him, whereas the mischievous Minccino didn't even bother to turn its head.
Shaking his head with a faint smile, Silas helped the Meowth put on straw hats and sun-protective clothing.
"Meow!"
Alolan Meowth called out, signaling the other two Meowth to get moving. They had work to do this afternoon.
Today's tasks included clearing weeds from the vegetable fields where various melons, fruits, and vegetables were planted. They also needed to place protective bags over the watermelons, cantaloupes, and cucumbers to prevent rot and to keep birds and insects from pecking at them.
With all the Pokémon gone, the house suddenly felt spacious and empty.
Well—not entirely empty. Kangaskhan was still there.
Since adopting Phione, Kangaskhan had undergone a noticeable change. The childish air it once carried had faded, replaced by a sense of maturity and responsibility.
Silas handed it a portion of chilled rice cake and asked, "Kangaskhan, aren't you going out?"
"Kang~"
Kangaskhan shook its head and pointed toward the Phione nestled in its pouch, fast asleep.
This little one truly loved to sleep. Once it drifted off, it was nearly impossible to wake unless the sky itself collapsed.
Silas stepped closer and gently pinched Phione's soft cheeks.
"What a sleepyhead! Well, let it sleep more and grow strong."
He placed some small snacks on the coffee table for Kangaskhan and made sure to prepare food for Phione as well. The moment that little one woke up, it would undoubtedly cry about being hungry.
Only after finishing all this did Silas step outside.
A wave of hot wind rushed toward him. Fortunately, he had eaten a chilled dessert before coming out. The heat brushing against his skin felt manageable and didn't stir up any discomfort.
Pulling his hat down to shield himself from the sunlight, Silas headed first toward the silo and the chicken coop.
He sorted and prepared feed for the ranch Pokémon and collected the eggs laid by the chickens that day.
The number of eggs laid daily now matched their consumption perfectly. The flock wasn't small, and Cyclizar already had its claws full managing them alone, so Silas had no intention of incubating more for now.
These days, Silas had added another task to his morning and afternoon patrols.
Every day, he made a trip toward the ranch gate to check the mailbox for letters. This afternoon was no different.
Beside the mailbox stood a Delibird, stuffing letters inside.
Silas hurried forward to greet it and took the letters from its wings.
The stamp bore the official emblem of the Kalos League. Such stamps were typically reserved for formal correspondence from the League.
As he opened the letter and walked back, he skimmed through its contents. By the time he reached the front of the ranch cottage, he had grasped most of it.
The Kalos League's letter was simple:
They expressed their gratitude to Silas for rescuing the emergency team and helping uncover the culprit behind the massive blackout.They enclosed a redemption list, allowing him to exchange the mission points he earned for items, tools, or even Pokémon listed within.
Speak of the devil.
That very morning, he had been thinking about exchanging for five Shiny Stones in case of future need. And now, in the afternoon, the League had delivered exactly the opportunity.
Flipping through the redemption list, Silas selected five Shiny Stones, leaving him with two points remaining.
After searching a bit longer, he chose to exchange them for two Xtransceivers.
One he would send home to his mother; the other he would keep for himself.
With Xtransceiver, they could make video calls and communicate face-to-face instead of relying on letters that took days to arrive.
The power of technology truly was remarkable. Silas found himself looking forward even more to the World Expo in May.
Would even more advanced technology appear there? The thought filled him with curiosity.
After writing a reply to the League, he could only wait for them to deliver the items he had redeemed.
With that matter settled, Silas headed to the vegetable fields to help the Meowth with their work.
The weeds in the fields had been mostly cleared. The three Meowth had tossed them loosely along the ridges of the field, where the slanted afternoon sun would dry them out within a couple of days.
At that moment, the Meowth were carefully fitting large protective bags over the watermelons. Their movements were cautious, trying their best not to damage the fruit.
Busy in the fields, their pink paw pads were smeared with mud, and their fur had turned dusty and gray from the labor.
After asking a few questions about their progress, Silas joined in.
Working together with the Meowth, they completed the remaining tasks.
With Silas's arrival, the Meowth picked up their pace slightly.
The sun quietly sank behind the treetops in the west, its lingering glow bathing the ranch in a warm orange hue.
Once the final bit of work was done, Silas straightened up and stretched his stiff waist. Having squatted for so long, his joints let out a sharp crack.
The three Meowth gathered at his side. Silas glanced at them and said,
"Work's done. I'll take you to the river to wash up."
They were covered in dirt. Silas brushed off some of the loose dust with his hands, though stubborn bits clung to their fur.
Leading them to the wooden bridge by the river, he washed them one by one. After cleaning each thoroughly, he let them stand on the bridge, where the evening breeze drifting in from afar would dry their fur.
The three Meowth stood neatly on the wooden bridge, and Silas stepped up beside them.
At that moment, he noticed a green figure running toward them from a distance, followed by a large group of little companions.
It was Cyclizar, with Minccino, Dolliv, and the others trailing behind. Even from afar, he could hear their cheerful cries.
Cyclizar reached Silas first and came to a stop, presenting him with Sweet Berries they had gathered outside.
The others had brought things back as well. Minccino carried a bunch of unknown wildflowers, while Dolliv held two Oran Berries.
Bringing up the rear was Morpeko. Its cheeks were puffed full, and after a moment it spat out two berry pits, offering them sheepishly with an embarrassed grin.
This little glutton truly tasted anything delicious it found.
The fact that it managed to bring back two berry pits at all was already commendable.
"Perfect timing. Cyclizar, help carry these back home."
He called Cyclizar over to assist.
Together, they gathered the tools he and the Meowth had used and brought them back to the silo for storage.
Minccino eagerly tried to grab a task to prove itself, dragging a basket almost taller than it was. After only two steps, it tripped and landed on its backside, drawing quiet laughter from the others.
Silas helped it up and rubbed its messy, dusty fur. "Alright, alright. You don't need to help. Let Cyclizar handle it."
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar cried happily and swiftly carried the tools back.
Silas scooped Minccino into his arms and called for the Meowth to follow, trailing behind Cyclizar.
By the time they finished storing the tools and headed back, the evening glow had spread across the sky. Pink and purple clouds intertwined like spilled paint on a palette.
Silas glanced at the sky. "I hope tomorrow's weather is nice—and a little cooler."
Upon returning to the house, Phione rushed over excitedly, chattering animatedly to Minccino. Leaving the two little ones to their lively conversation, Silas went ahead to prepare dinner.
(End of Chapter)