The orange red afterglow of the setting sun dyed the horizon, where a mass of flaming clouds slowly spread across the sky. Silas lay flat on the grass, utterly exhausted, not wanting to move even a single finger. He was simply too tired. Before nightfall, he had finally managed to repair the damaged fences of the ranch.
And it was not just Silas who was worn out. Cyclizar, Dragonite, and Galarian Meowth were all sprawled out on the ground as well, equally drained.
They rested for quite a while until Morpeko came rushing over in a fluster. Only then did Silas and the others get up and head back toward the house.
Dinner was already ready.
For now, only the fences had been repaired, ensuring that wild Pokémon would not sneak into the ranch in the middle of the night. As for the damaged paths within the ranch, the uneven pits scattered across the grassland, and the broken branches and fallen leaves, those would have to wait until tomorrow.
After dinner, Silas washed up and handed over the nighttime patrol duties to the male Indeedee. Then he collapsed into bed, hugging the soft and fragrant Cinccino, falling asleep almost instantly. Today had been far too exhausting.
Younger sister Indeedee was in charge of looking after the smaller Pokémon in the ranch. When it was time for bed, she gently urged each of them back to their own little nests.
Before going to sleep, older brother Indeedee also made a round of the ranch in place of Silas. What had happened during the day still lingered in his mind, and he could not help but worry about everyone.
After making a full round, he found that none of the ranch Pokémon had been affected. Everyone had already fallen into a peaceful sleep.
Only the three fully recovered Noivern along with Rowlet, were still outside playing.
Older brother Indeedee called the Noivern over and carefully checked each of them one by one. Their injuries had mostly healed, but he still applied another layer of high quality healing medicine, imitating Silas's usual careful manner as he gave them a few reminders.
When the male Indeedee returned to the ranch house, he found a Pokémon sitting in the living room. It was the shiny Celebi from earlier that day.
Celebi cheerfully waved its tiny hand at him, holding a piece of Ultra-Fragrant Sweet Poffin. It was unclear from which point in time it had managed to trick Silas into giving it that treat.
"Cee~" (I came to deliver a gift.)
As it spoke, Celebi pulled out a yellow crystal from its pocket. Embedded in the center of the crystal was a smooth spherical core, within which a mysterious double helix pattern of unknown colors slowly shimmered.
"Cee Cee~" (I saw that humans like collecting pretty stones like this, so I asked Mew for one just now.)
After giving a quick explanation, the shiny Celebi placed the gift down and vanished in a flash.
Older brother Indeedee stepped closer and examined it from different angles. It looked exactly like the stones carried by Dragonite and Kangaskhan, so it was probably something useful for Silas.
He carefully locked it away in a drawer, planning to tell Silas about it first thing in the morning.
Yawning, older brother Indeedee reminded Cyclizar to go to sleep soon. Then, stepping lightly past the three Meowth, he returned to his own room.
…
Early the next morning, Silas headed out wearing a straw hat.
"Arboliva, please use Grassy Terrain."
"Bolii~"
The tall Arboliva responded, its branches swaying gently. As it spread its arms, a fruit dropped to the ground.
A soft green glow spread outward, covering the entire grassland. The withered pasture quickly sprouted fresh new shoots.
As for the uneven terrain full of pits and holes, the three Mudsdale brothers stepped forward, using their plowing techniques to level the land.
The ranch grassland was soon restored to its original state. Fallen leaves and scattered branches were turned into the soil, becoming rich nutrients.
Silas worked alongside his Pokémon, clearing the land piece by piece until the sky was fully bright.
"Thank you for your hard work." He took out the Oran Berries he had prepared in advance and fed them to Arboliva and the Mudsdale.
"Bolii~"
"Mud!" x3
The four Pokémon gathered around Silas, rubbing against him affectionately.
They were asking about what had happened yesterday, clearly worried about him.
"I am fine. Yesterday, Cyclizar and Kangaskhan were able to… cough cough… protect me."
He placed a hand on one of the Mudsdale, only to immediately start coughing from the dust on its body. "You three stay here later. Since the weather is good today, I will give you a bath."
"Mud!" (I do not want a bath!)
"Mud! Mud!" (Silas, I am fine! I do not need a bath!)
"Mud!" (Me too!)
"Objection denied."
Silas crossed his arms firmly.
Before bathing the Mudsdale, they still needed to complete the ranch repairs.
Next came fixing the roads, filling them in with stronger stones.
While Silas was busy, the smaller Pokémon in the ranch were not idle either.
Everyone did their best to help. Cinccino gathered a group of small Pokémon to clean up fallen leaves and broken branches.
Kangaskhan lifted trees that had been broken by the aftermath of the battle. Using its hand like a blade, it trimmed off branches and turned them into usable logs, stacking them behind the ranch house.
There was not only wood stacked there, but also stones that Silas had collected over time.
As for the branches, Cyclizar chopped them into smaller pieces to be used as firewood.
Morpeko also helped. The little rodent had incredibly sharp incisors.
Crunch crunch. In just a few seconds, it could chew through a section. Hugging a branch thicker than itself, Morpeko ran quickly on its short legs.
When it reached Cyclizar, it proudly pushed the chopped wood toward its feet and looked up, its teeth gleaming brightly in the sunlight.
Cyclizar glanced down, then lightly tapped its head with its tail, a trace of cunning flashing in its eyes.
"Cyc~" (Morpeko is amazing, so I will leave all of these to you.)
"Morpe…ko." (I can… do it.)
Morpeko snapped back to reality and saw a mountain of thin branches in front of it.
It stared at the pile in despair. There was simply too much. It was impossible for a single small mouse like it to handle.
Turning around to look for Cyclizar, it found that the latter had already disappeared, having run far away.
"Morpe!"
It fumbled in its little pouch and took out a snack, tossing it into its mouth.
At this point, filling its stomach came first.
After eating everything in its pouch, Morpeko wiped its mouth casually.
Its eyes narrowed, and it quickly got to work.
Picking up a branch, it began gnawing with its sharp teeth. Before long, a small pile of wood chips had formed beside it.
Morpeko nodded in satisfaction, tossing the finished firewood aside and continuing its work.
However, its small ears remained alert, listening carefully to sounds nearby.
As it noticed footsteps getting closer, Morpeko sped up, so much so that it ended up covering itself in wood chips.
"Huh, was not Cyclizar supposed to be cutting firewood? Where did it run off to play?"
Silas's puzzled voice sounded as he approached, with younger sister Indeedee pointing with her finger.
Looking down, Silas saw a pile of wood chips. Within it, something wriggled. Morpeko struggled to crawl out.
Its body, face, and even its mouth were covered in wood chips. At that exact moment, it strained to throw out a finished piece of firewood.
"Pfft."
Silas could not help but laugh at the sight.
Morpeko still had half a piece of bark in its mouth. Only after hearing the laughter did it sluggishly spit it out.
It wiped its face with its tiny paws, only to smear the dust even more evenly across itself, looking exactly like a little construction worker mouse, covered in grime.
Grabbing Morpeko by the back of its neck, Silas lifted it up and flicked away the wood chips stuck to its nose.
"How did it end up being you, Morpeko? Where is Cyclizar?"
"Morpe… Morpeko…"
Morpeko immediately pulled a pitiful expression, complaining about Cyclizar and accusing it of dumping all the work on it.
It even opened its pouch wide to show Silas. It was completely empty. All its snacks had been taken by Cyclizar.
(End of Chapter)