The summer sunset stretched the shadow of the ranch cottage long and far across the ground. In the farmland, three Mudsdale stood side by side, using the move Rototiller to accelerate the growth of the crops.
On the road not far away, Minccino, Dolliv, and the others each balanced a lotus leaf on their heads, running all the way onto the small wooden bridge as they chased and played with one another.
Standing atop the aluminum alloy framework, Silas and Noivern carefully installed the final pane of glass onto the roof. Sealant was applied to all four corners, allowing the glass to fit perfectly into place.
"Hah—finished!"
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Silas gave a light hop onto Noivern's back and returned to the ground together with it.
The moment he landed, five Flabébé drifted over in unison, surrounding him completely, their ears filled with the sound of cheerful chirping and excited chatter.
He extended a finger to tease them, and all five little ones hugged onto a single finger together, letting out affectionate cries.
"Have you decided what kinds of flowers you want to plant?" Silas asked with a smile as the five of them entered the greenhouse.
Perched on his shoulders, the Flabébé were especially curious about the greenhouse.
So Silas began introducing it to them, focusing particularly on explaining the effects and advantages of the greenhouse.
"When autumn and winter come, and all the flowers outside wither away, you'll still be able to grow flowers inside here!"
"Bébé~~"
The Flabébé were surprised, and immediately pressed their cheeks against Silas's face affectionately. They liked Silas the most of all.
The interior of the greenhouse wasn't small. He had divided it into five smaller sections, allowing each Flabébé to plant the flowers they personally liked.
As for now—
They clearly hadn't decided yet.
However, Silas already had flowers he wanted to plant. He adjusted the temperature inside the greenhouse to between 15°C and 20°C—any higher, and tulip bulbs wouldn't grow properly.
Together with the Flabébé, he planted silver-cup tulip bulbs. Not wasting the adjacent plot, he also planted some ordinary tulip bulbs alongside them.
"Mudsdale, I'll need you to use Rototiller once more," Silas called.
"Mud~"
In response, rings of earthy-yellow ripples spread outward. Dense Ground-type energy surged into the soil, stimulating the bulbs to awaken and enter their growth phase.
"Popplio, Water Gun!"
Clapping his hands, Popplio gathered Water-type energy and sprayed a stream of water to moisten the land in front of them.
Silas didn't forget to take out a small bag of Rapid-Growth Fertilizer and hand it to the Flabébé to sprinkle themselves, letting them feel involved in the process.
After receiving their task, the Flabébé were visibly delighted.
Cradling a handful of fertilizer, they scattered it beside the bulbs. The smallest Flabébé, however, sprinkled too hastily, causing some fertilizer pellets to stick to the glass. It quickly wiped them away with its petals, prompting the other four to giggle quietly.
Silas gently patted the little Flabébé's head and helped it out, taking the opportunity to check the bulbs and make sure their sprouts were facing upward.
"Don't pour it all in one spot—spreading it out a bit is better," he reminded them.
"Bébé!"
Hearing this, the Flabébé changed their method, sprinkling the fertilizer from higher up so it fell evenly across the flowerbed.
After observing for a while and confirming there were no issues, Silas turned and left.
When he returned shortly afterward, he was carrying a small house in his hands.
The Flabébé needed to move as well into the greenhouse to live there.
Inside the greenhouse, they wouldn't need to worry about wind or rain, and the temperature was much more suitable for their daily lives.
If they wanted to go outside, it was easy. Silas had installed a small door on the greenhouse entrance, similar to a cat flap, which they could easily push open.
And of course, once the Flabébé evolved into Floette, they would be able to open the door themselves.
Having taken care of another important matter, Silas was in a good mood.
He scooped Popplio into his arms and tickled its little belly. Soft and squishy—it felt wonderful to touch.
Oh, right! He had forgotten to make a few Water-type dishes to boost Popplio's strength—and Phione needed them too.
Dishes suitable for Water-type Pokémon?
Thinking as he walked, Silas reached the cottage and looked up to see Litten stretching lazily on the roof, waving at him.
That's it! Besides Kee Berry, Litten had also brought back another special kind of Berry from Alola. Combined with a few other ingredients, it might be possible to create a dish suitable for Water-type Pokémon.
...
April 12th, Sunny.
After finishing the ranch's daily chores, Silas had Kangaskhan stay behind to help watch over the other Pokémon.
At the entrance of the ranch, Silas patted Kangaskhan and said, "There are still milkshakes and Pokéblocks in the fridge. If you get hungry, you can take them out—just don't let Morpeko eat too much."
"Kang~"
Kangaskhan hugged Silas and nodded reluctantly in agreement.
"And don't let Minccino run around under the sun. If it gets too hot, take the Meowth back inside…" Silas reminded repeatedly before finally mounting Cyclizar.
"Let's go!"
Cyclizar had been holding itself back for a long time. Its long tail swished excitedly from side to side.
As soon as Silas sat steady, it shot forward with a whoosh, the wind bending the wild grass along the roadside.
"Slow down—we're not in a hurry," Silas said with a laugh, patting it twice. Cyclizar had clearly been pent-up for a while. "We'll stop by the Miltank Ranch first."
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar lightened its steps and slowed down a little.
From the harvest box, Silas took yesterday's yield: olive oil produced by Dolliv and pottery clay crafted by Mudsdale during their downtime, earning him 5,000 Poké Dollars in a single day.
Calculating it out, the income was roughly balanced with expenses. Raising more than twenty Pokémon even with a bit of special assistance—was already quite economical.
Once the flowers in the greenhouse fully grew back, the ranch's daily income would increase even further.
Cyclizar entered the main road and slowed down again.
Eventually, it stopped in front of the Pokémon Center.
It had been several months since Silas last visited—he wanted to see whether any friends had sent him letters.
"Will you wait outside, or come in with me?" he asked.
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar nudged him ingratiatingly and followed closely behind as they entered the Pokémon Center together.
It was the same familiar Delibird as always. After exchanging greetings and confirming his identity, Silas waited a moment.
Delibird then produced several letters for him to sign and receive.
Heading to the adjacent café, Silas ordered two small snacks for Cyclizar to keep it content, then began opening the letters one by one.
The first was from Diantha, dated to late March, right around the time he had been in Alola.
The contents were simple. She mentioned taking on a new film role and needing to leave for over a month, followed by some casual greetings and everyday chatter.
Another letter came from a friend in the Hoenn region, proudly boasting about a newly unearthed Mega Stone.
According to research, it didn't correspond to any currently known Mega-Evolving Pokémon—it was an entirely new Mega Stone.
Which meant that there were still many undiscovered Mega-Evolved Pokémon in the world.
For example, the Dragoninite Mega Stone in Silas's possession.
If that red-haired, black-cloaked Dragon-type Elite in name but actually a Flying-type specialist in Indigo found out, he would definitely fly straight to Kalos without hesitation.
Silas's demands weren't high. As long as the Speed didn't decrease by ten points, and it came with a Flying-type Ability, that would be perfect.
Shaking his head, Silas set that letter aside and picked up the final one.
It was sent by a friend from the Sinnoh region, mentioning several methods to enhance the strength of Dragon-type Pokémon—ideas he could try out with Noivern when he had time.
After writing replies to each letter, Silas went to find Delibird to send them out.
But just as he did, Delibird stopped him.
(End of Chapter)