"Ji! Ji! Ji! Jigglypuff!"
The overwhelming electronic sound shook the entire scene. Minccino, Popplio, and Diancie instantly widened their eyes.
Compared to their own soft and sweet singing voices, Jigglypuff's electronic tone was the complete opposite extreme.
Yet the three little ones were utterly captivated, not the slightest bit resistant to it.
Minccino waved its tiny paws excitedly, its fluffy tail swishing like a small fan.
"Min!"
(Little sister Jigglypuff is amazing!)
"Lioo~"
(It sounds so good. Although the more I listen, the sleepier I feel~)
Popplio swayed its round body as it nodded, unable to stop itself from yawning.
Led by Minccino, the little ones began praising Jigglypuff one after another.
Jigglypuff's small face instantly flushed red, and its eyes shimmered with moisture. This was the thrill of being acknowledged, the relief of no longer feeling inferior for being different.
Seeing how much everyone enjoyed it, it clenched its tiny fists and sang with even greater dedication and emotion.
"I am so sleepy."
Diancie rubbed her sore eyes, trying her best to stay awake.
But after blinking a few times, she felt two soft little bodies leaning against her from either side.
Minccino and Popplio had already tilted their heads and fallen fast asleep, their breathing steady and gentle.
Drowsiness seemed contagious. Watching their peaceful sleeping faces, Diancie finally could not resist and slowly closed her own eyes, planning to rest just for a moment.
Before long, the lawn was scattered with sleeping figures.
Morpeko curled into a ball on top of a pile of melon seed shells. The Floette nestled together beside the flowerbed, sleeping soundly. Alcremie still had its tiny spoon hanging at the corner of its mouth. Dolliv had buried its head deep into the soft grass.
Even Heliolisk, who had been in charge of the lighting, tilted its neck to one side. The frill around its neck drooped as the light gradually dimmed.
Not even Silas was spared. Resting against Cyclizar's back, his head grew heavier and heavier until he too succumbed to sleep.
He had never expected that electronic music could possess such powerful hypnotic magic.
It had not worked the previous night simply because the listening time had been too short.
Jigglypuff sang tirelessly over and over again until its throat grew dry.
When it finally opened its eyes, it froze in place. The entire audience below the stage had fallen asleep. Their even breathing intertwined, and the ranch was so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained.
"Jigglypuff?"
Tilting its little head in confusion, Jigglypuff blinked. It had no idea how a perfectly good performance had turned into a collective nap session.
With no other choice, Jigglypuff climbed onto Silas's chest and sat there, its short legs swinging lightly as it waited.
It waited from the time the sun rose overhead until it tilted westward toward evening. It waited until a bird Pokémon circled above the ranch, crying out as it flew. Only then did Silas finally stir and open his eyes groggily.
The moment he lifted his head, he met Jigglypuff's bright, sparkling eyes filled with delight.
"No wonder I felt like I could not breathe."
Silas laughed helplessly. There was a small weight sitting squarely on his chest.
Jigglypuff immediately cried out excitedly, gesturing animatedly with its tiny paws as it poured out everything it wanted to say.
"Jigglypuff!"
(Silas, you are finally awake. I have been waiting so long. A guest came to the ranch!)
Silas glanced at it in exasperation. This little one probably still did not realize that its species' singing naturally came with a built in sleep inducing effect.
As soon as he woke up, it was as though a wake up button had been pressed. The Pokémon scattered across the lawn began rubbing their eyes and sitting up one after another.
Morpeko patted its belly and casually popped a melon seed into its mouth, thinking it had simply been too tired.
Minccino immediately ran over and grabbed Jigglypuff's hand, insisting on hearing another song.
Black lines formed on Silas's forehead as he pretended to be stern and tapped Minccino lightly on the head. "It is almost dark. Today's performance is over."
Only then did the little ones realize that they had slept through the entire day.
"Jigglypuff, where is the guest you mentioned?" Silas looked around.
"Jiggly!"
Jigglypuff raised its short arm and pointed toward the sky. A bird Pokémon was circling above the ranch, lingering without leaving.
Silas's heart stirred. If an unfamiliar bird Pokémon was still hovering around the ranch, there was a high chance it was a messenger from Chatot.
That fellow had finally decided to send a letter back.
Silas cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted upward, mentioning several things that only they would know to confirm its identity.
Only then did the bird Pokémon lower its guard. It swooped down and handed a letter to Silas.
"Thank you for your hard work. Have a banana."
Silas accepted the letter and casually handed over a banana before opening the envelope. The moment he saw the contents, he could not help but smile.
The handwriting this time was neat and orderly, no longer the abstract scribbles from before.
Minccino, Smoliv, and the others crowded around, leaning against Silas's arms to peek curiously.
Reading the letter, Silas saw Chatot's leader rambling with concern, asking how the ranch crops were growing and whether the Pokémon had been eating properly. A gentle curve formed at the corner of his lips.
Aside from that, the letter mentioned only one matter.
Chatot and Zapdos had discovered a massive iron sphere on a continent called Hoenn. Zapdos claimed it was alive, and Chatot wrote to ask Silas to handle it.
"An iron sphere? A Pokémon?"
Silas racked his brain. Could it be Beldum?
Beldum was known as the Iron Ball Pokémon.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
The iron sphere described by Chatot was enormous, even larger than Zapdos with its wings fully spread. Beldum could be ruled out.
"Forretress? A seed iron ball?"
After thinking for quite some time without reaching a conclusion, Silas wrote down the location. He would personally make a trip there in a few days.
The only problem was that Chatot's description of the location was far too vague, almost as if it were afraid he would actually find the place.
Left with no choice, Silas went inside to retrieve a map for comparison.
Using several key details from the letter, he narrowed the location down to somewhere near Fortree City.
In the Hoenn region, only the people of Fortree City lived in houses built in the trees.
As for the exact spot, he would have to search carefully once he arrived there.
A delicious aroma of food drifted over from the direction of the house as Silas contemplated his upcoming plans.
The meteor shower appointment in July was approaching, and it would also be time to rotate the crops at the ranch.
He should be able to take all the ranch Pokémon to watch it.
Oh right, there was also the challenge against Gym Leader Korrina.
"Indee~!"
Snapping back to his senses, Silas saw female Indeedee tugging at his clothes.
"What is it, little sister?"
Out of habit, he placed his hand on her head, passing along his positive emotions. Indeedee fed on positive feelings.
"Indee~"
"Ah, it is completely dark already."
Without realizing it, an entire day had passed. Silas dusted off his clothes. "Let's head inside for dinner. I can smell the food, and my stomach has been growling."
Inside the house, all the Pokémon were present. Tonight's dinner had been prepared by the Indeedee siblings.
"I am going to eat now."
After saying that, Silas picked up a piece of meat. "It is delicious. Little sister Indeedee's cooking has improved."
Minccino, Kangaskhan, and the others followed Silas's example, praising the Indeedee siblings after every bite.
Later, as he lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, Silas finally had no choice but to wake up the snoring Jigglypuff beside him.
"Jigglypuff, sing a song."
(End of Chapter)