"Grilled fish is ready! Be careful, it's hot."
"Kang~ Kang~!"
Kangaskhan loved fish the most. Back when it and Silas were traveling outside and short on money, what they ate most often were the fish Silas caught in all kinds of waters.
Even now, Kangaskhan still loved it just the same.
Silas gave the biggest fish to Kangaskhan, then picked up Phione and placed it in its own special little seat. "This one's yours. Everyone gets a share."
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar grinned widely, picked up its bowl and bumped it lightly against Silas's.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't rush, everyone."
Silas gave Cyclizar the second-largest fish. He always distributed them according to body size—the bigger you were, the bigger the fish you got.
Well… not entirely. There were exceptions.
For example, little Morpeko. With its newly grown front teeth, it ate with remarkable efficiency. In just a few bites, a grilled fish about the size of its own body disappeared into its stomach.
"Burp…"
After letting out a satisfied burp, the pink pouches on both sides of its cheeks began generating electricity, consuming the energy it had just replenished from the grilled fish.
"Morpe~"
Morpeko scurried over to Silas's feet, pawing at him to ask for more.
Silas tapped it lightly with his index finger. Luckily, he had made extras. "This is the last one, okay!"
"Mor-pe-ko!"
Morpeko nodded happily. Tender, soft fish meat was perfect for it right now.
Looking around, Silas saw that after receiving their portions, the Meowth were quietly enjoying their food in a corner. Their round, shiny little faces wore expressions of pure happiness.
So tasty! Meow.
Popplio shared the same sentiment—and was once again utterly shocked.
Silas, this human, was already amazing at catching fish, but he could also make them taste this good!
Humans were really strange creatures.
Nom nom (Popplio chewing sounds)
"Pretty good, right?"
"Min!"
Minccino nodded vigorously, fully acknowledging Silas's cooking skills.
The little one usually only ate a few bites, but today it actually finished an entire fish.
Quickly shoveling the last mouthful of seafood risotto into his mouth, Silas wiped his lips and picked up two grilled fish before heading upstairs.
He first opened the wardrobe and took out Rowlet, which had curled up into a ball and fallen asleep inside, gently waking it up.
"Rowl!"
(It's grilled fish! It smells so good!)
"Go ahead and eat. This one's specially prepared for you."
Smiling, Silas smoothed down the tuft of messy feathers sticking up on Rowlet's head and set it aside.
Still standing by the window, Silas only had to lean forward and look out to see Litten.
He waved at it and called out, "Come over! Time for grilled fish."
Litten's ears twitched, and it strangely disappeared from his sight.
"Didn't we agree on this?"
Just as Silas thought Litten had run off out of embarrassment, he saw it leap up onto the windowsill with a Berry clamped in its mouth.
"Meow~"
So it wasn't shy—it simply believed in not taking rewards without earning them and wanted to trade the Berry for grilled fish.
"Oh? This is a Green Apricorn. You really do manage to surprise me every time."
The Green Apricorn was one of the special Berries and a key material used to make the special Poké Ball known as the Friend Ball.
"Thank you." After putting the apricorn away, Silas urged, "Hurry up and eat. It won't taste as good once it gets cold."
Silas helped peel back the aluminum foil, and the aroma of grilled fish made Litten sniff the air.
"Here, I saved this one especially for you. I added a bit of spice."
The surface of the grilled fish was covered with a layer of bright red chili peppers, the domineering aroma hitting the nose head-on.
"Achoo!"
Rowlet, who had been eating heartily nearby, caught a whiff of the scent and couldn't help sneezing. It hurriedly flapped its wings to disperse the spiciness, then grabbed its grilled fish and flew downstairs.
"Do you like it?" Silas rubbed his nose and stepped back a couple of paces.
"Meow!"
Without making a sound, Litten shuffled a little closer to him and rubbed its head against Silas's arm, expressing affection and approval.
Silas's fingers brushed against Litten's warm ear. Litten twitched slightly but did not move away.
Lowering its head right beside Silas, it began eating its portion of spicy grilled fish.
The crispy fish skin cracked with a crunch as it bit down. Savoring the fragrant, tender fish meat, Litten's golden eyes narrowed to slits, its tail swaying back and forth in clear enjoyment.
The flavor of the grilled fish suited its tastes perfectly.
…
Having just eaten seafood risotto at noon, Silas didn't dare waste time. After eating a piece of chilled rice cake, he picked up his fishing rod and headed out again.
He set up a sun umbrella on the beach and, in one smooth motion, hooked the bait and cast the rod.
Minccino and the others were all taking their afternoon naps.
The only one accompanying Silas was Litten.
It lazily hid in the shade, stretching out its tongue, lined with tiny barbs to lick the loose fur on its body.
For Litten, grooming itself was something it did every single day.
The loose fur they collected was also their best weapon.
Their oily fur could be ignited with ease, turning into a fireball to attack enemies.
Just like right now—Silas lifted the rod again.
When he saw the Pokémon hanging from the line, his expression darkened instantly.
Once, twice, again and again—did it really think that if the pufferfish didn't get angry, it could be treated like a Magikarp?
"Litten, use Ember on Inkay."
White-furred Litten hesitated for just a brief moment before firing a fireball wrapped in oily fur straight at Inkay's face.
Inkay wobbled, then plop—collapsed to the ground, completely losing its ability to battle.
"Hmph! Let's see how you keep bothering me now."
Silas poured some water into a bucket and temporarily kept Inkay inside, so it wouldn't continue causing trouble.
Without Inkay interfering, Silas sat there for another two hours. Perhaps because the peak feeding time had passed after lunch, not a single fish bit.
"This isn't my problem. It's definitely the fish conditions."
Nodding to himself with firm conviction, Silas quickly packed up his fishing gear and prepared to head back.
The weather was too hot, and the fish just weren't biting—there was nothing he could do.
Today's fishing plan ended there. He poured Inkay back into the sea, and one man and one cat returned to the ranch.
Silas called Litten to come inside and cool off together. After the start of summer, each day was hotter than the last.
According to the weather forecast he had seen that morning, it was supposed to hit around 37 or 38 degrees Celsius.
Even just walking that short stretch from the beach back to the ranch cabin left Silas drenched in sweat.
Only after entering the house did it feel cool again—the indoors and outdoors were like two completely different worlds.
Thankfully, he had installed air conditioning in the stables as well. Otherwise, in such extreme heat, neither humans nor Pokémon would be able to endure it.
The sound of the door opening drew the attention of all the Pokémon. As soon as he entered, he saw Popplio lying flat on the floor, its little belly sticking out, patting it as if inviting Silas to lie down and nap together.
Morpeko was still the same as ever. Even with such a big commotion when Silas returned, it remained completely unmoved.
Who knew where it had found a leaf—it had placed it over its little belly, and from time to time, arcs of electricity flickered across its pink cheek pouches.
Silas dropped his fishing gear by the door and gestured for Litten to find a spot and take its afternoon nap as it pleased.
He took a cup of milkshake out of the fridge and comfortably leaned back on the sofa.
Cyclizar was the first to come over, pawing at him with its big claws. Seeing that Silas didn't respond, Cyclizar simply lay down beside him.
He gently kneaded the Minccino in his arms, while his peripheral vision drifted to Phione nearby, its head poking out of Kangaskhan's pouch as it slept soundly.
The little one was taking its nap; otherwise, it would surely have been the first to pounce into his arms, begging for pets.
"Yawn~"
After fishing for an hour, Silas was tired as well.
Unable to hold back a yawn, he quickly downed the remaining milkshake in his cup, planning to take a short nap himself.
(End of Chapter)