"Good morning, you three!"
Silas leaned against the fence, brushing his teeth as he greeted the three Mudbray that were walking out of the donkey shed.
"Mud~!"
Hearing Silas's voice, the three Mudbray cried out happily and quickly gathered around him, their expressions spirited and their eyes brimming with fighting spirit. Having received such excellent treatment, they were already itching to start working for the ranch.
"Don't rush," Silas said with a smile as he reached out to stroke each of them in turn. "Let's eat breakfast together first, then I'll arrange your work."
Silas took in their condition at a glance. They had adapted very well, showing no fear or unease from arriving in an unfamiliar environment. He believed it wouldn't be long before they could mingle freely with the other Pokémon.
Today's breakfast was much the same as usual, only with greatly increased portions.
A huge basin filled to the brim with pumpkin porridge—this was the Mudbray's breakfast.
Silas had observed that the Mudbray were still quite young, in a stage of growth and development, and drinking more milk would be beneficial for them.
Chatot's breakfast consisted of a few Berries and some small insects it caught by itself in the vegetable fields—its own daily buffet.
Minccino had its favorite red date glutinous rice cakes, while Silas and Kangaskhan stuck to their usual massive burgers.
After breakfast, Silas led the Mudbray to the edge of the vegetable plots.
"Your job is very simple," Silas said, gesturing to mark out an area. "Each day, just use the move Rototiller once on this entire field. Make sure you don't miss a single corner."
Mudbray: (o_O)
Rototiller was the first move they learned, aside from Mud-Slap.
Almost every Mudbray could use it—the only difference lay in how proficient they were.
However, the effects of the pumpkin porridge made up for their lack of proficiency, allowing them to rapidly increase their mastery of the move in a very short time.
One Mudbray stepped forward, its small face taut with a seriousness it had never shown before.
This was their first job since coming to their new home—they had to give it their all to repay Silas.
The three Mudbray exchanged glances. Having lived together day in and day out, they easily understood each other's intentions.
In perfect unison, they raised their front hooves and stomped heavily on the ground.
A yellow-brown light erupted from their bodies, gradually sinking into the earth and spreading outward in concentric ripples. The ground began to tremble slightly.
Wherever the yellow-brown light swept across, the crops seemed to be infused with new vitality. Plants that had been growing slowly suddenly sprouted and surged upward.
In the blink of an eye, crops that had been mere seedlings unfurled and entered their second stage of growth, with plump green flower buds shyly waiting to bloom.
Silas: …Huh?!
This was Rototiller?
Judging by the effect alone, calling it Geomancy wouldn't be wrong.
Geomancy, Xerneas's signature move—just hearing the name made it clear how absurdly good it would be for farming.
Logically speaking, there was no way Mudbray could unleash a Rototiller with such power.
Which meant there was only one explanation—the effect of the pumpkin porridge.
This was only their first time eating it. If the Mudbray continued to eat it every day, accumulating its effects over time… Silas didn't even dare to imagine what kind of changes might occur.
"Mud~" …So tired, I feel like I'm about to collapse.
"Mud!" Me too.
"Mud-bray?" Let's see if Silas is satisfied?
The three Mudbray turned around together to look at Silas, eager for his approval.
Silas noticed at once, and seeing their exhausted expressions made his heart ache.
The little guys had gone all out, using every last bit of strength just to please him—no wonder the effect had been so dramatic.
Silas paused, gently reaching out to stroke them as he praised, "You're amazing. How about this— from now on, I'll leave all these fields to you to take care of?"
"Mud-bray, mud-bray…" Leave it to us!
"Yes, yes, you're all such good kids."
"But in the future, you don't need to push yourselves so hard. You can use the move multiple times instead—just don't exhaust yourselves. Make sure you rest plenty."
The Mudbray licked Silas's palm, showing that they had heard him and that they wouldn't make him worry anymore.
From this moment on, the Mudbray officially joined the ranch, becoming an indispensable part of it.
Silas provided them with shelter and food, and in return, the Mudbray worked for him, Rototillering the fields and helping the crops grow faster.
Neither side could do without the other.
After the Mudbray recovered a bit of their strength, Silas led them back to the donkey shed.
He carried his toolbox out of the house—he hadn't forgotten his promise to build them a mud pool.
After choosing a suitable spot, he had the Mudbray help dig it deeper.
He himself used a shovel to shape steps along the edge, then thought for a moment and laid wooden planks over the steps, driving wooden stakes into both sides to secure them.
This way, the Mudbray could stand on the wooden steps and rinse themselves from top to bottom with a hose, without splashing mud all over the surrounding area.
It took quite some time, but Silas finally finished the job.
Beside him, the Mudbray were practically trembling with anticipation, eager to jump in and bathe, to coat their bodies in mud and roll around to their hearts' content.
"Go on, go on."
Silas stepped aside and waved them over, signaling them to hurry in and try it out, to see whether it suited them or needed any adjustments.
The Mudbray rushed in one after another with excited cries, splashing mud everywhere as they rolled around, wrapping their bodies completely.
They loved this mud pool—and they loved Silas the most.
Seeing his ideas accepted and loved by the Pokémon made Silas very happy as well.
With the mud pool in place, there was no longer any need to worry about the Mudbray flinging mud everywhere.
Silas hadn't done this just for cleanliness, either—it was also for Minccino.
If that little one saw mud being splattered all over the place, it would probably go completely berserk.
As he was thinking this, Silas noticed Kangaskhan waving to him from not far away.
Walking closer, he saw that Kangaskhan was holding a bunch of fresh flowers, blossoms of various colors competing in beauty.
"You picked all of these?"
Silas accepted them and gently took a sniff.
A fresh floral fragrance mixed with morning dew lingered around his nose.
Minccino poked its head out from the pouch, raising its tiny hand high to show that it had helped too.
"Mm-hmm! You're all such good kids."
Silas accepted the flowers with care, planning to find a vase so they could last a bit longer.
"I really like this gift."
Sometimes, Pokémon were just that simple and adorable.
They didn't harbor complicated thoughts—whoever treated them well, they would treat well in return, even to the point of risking their lives to protect you.
Perhaps this childlike purity was the key reason why Pokémon and humans, two different species, could coexist peacefully.
As Silas was thinking this, Minccino's furious shriek suddenly rang out by his ear.
Well then—
Minccino had seen the Mudbray rolling around in the mud.
Two Pokémon with completely opposite personalities, destined to live together for a long time in the future.
How to mediate their relationship was the responsibility of a Trainer.
Silas scooped Minccino into his arms and carried it away first, heading to a clean patch of grass nearby.
He explained the Mudbray's habits to Minccino and told it about his solution.
Though still somewhat dissatisfied, Minccino ultimately agreed.
It wouldn't interfere with the Mudbray—but in return, the Mudbray would have to wash themselves clean when they were outside.
A small Pokémon conflict was thus resolved by Silas.
Both sides were good kids—once things were clearly explained and laid out in the open, everything was fine.
(End of Chapter)