Steven stayed at the ranch for several days, and whenever he had free time, he would head straight to the Diamond Domain.
He even had his Aggron and his shiny Metagross help the Carbink dig tunnels, successfully working his way into the inner circle of the Carbink community.
Over the past few days, aside from her regular studies, Diancie devoted all her remaining time entirely to rehearsals.
The closer it came to the fireworks festival, the more anxious they became.
Every single day, they would gather around Silas and ask how many days were left. When there were only one or two days remaining, they even started counting on their fingers.
This morning, when they heard that it was already the fourteenth, the three little ones immediately grew restless. They decided to check the wall calendar themselves to confirm.
Unfortunately, none of the three were tall enough. Minccino kindly dragged over a chair to help.
Minccino and Popplio were lifted up by Diancie's hands, while Diancie herself bounced lightly and stood on the chair.
"Little sister Minccino, is it tomorrow? Tomorrow night is the fireworks festival, right?"
"Min Min~"
(Popplio, stop pulling me. Let me finish looking first, then you can look.)
"Lioo…"
(You have been looking for so long. Let me see for a second…)
"Min!"
(I am still searching for the date. Wait a little longer!)
The two Pokémon argued noisily, tugging at each other as both tried to confirm the exact date for themselves.
Below them, Diancie was swaying from side to side because of their pulling. Being shaken so much, she lost her balance. The entire Pokémon, along with the chair, tipped backward.
For a moment, cries of Min, Lioo, and Ah blended together as all three Pokémon tumbled to the ground.
"It… it cracked!"
Diancie rubbed her bottom. The floor had been smashed open with a hole from her impact.
Minccino and Popplio were flung out flat on their backs. One clutched her tail with teary eyes, while the other held her head as tears streamed down like a broken faucet. Both had taken quite a tumble.
Hearing the commotion, Silas hurried out of the kitchen. Minccino immediately ran toward him and leapt into his arms, looking utterly wronged and on the verge of tears.
"What happened here?" he asked, soothing her while checking where she was hurt.
He gently massaged her slightly swollen tail and held her close, patting her softly in comfort.
After quite a bit of coaxing, Minccino finally stopped her aggrieved sniffles and clung to him.
Silas stepped forward and picked up Popplio, who was still crying heavily. The little one's tears flowed as if they cost nothing at all.
When she saw it was Silas, Popplio raised her slightly reddened flipper for him to see, clearly seeking comfort.
Silas gently squeezed it and blew on it twice. "It is nothing serious. We will apply a bit of medicine later and you will be fine."
The two Pokémon hung from Silas's shoulders, one on each side, refusing to let go.
He allowed them to cling to him as he crouched beside Diancie, lowering himself to meet her eye level.
He brushed the dust off the heart shaped gem on her head and asked with concern, "Diancie, are you hurt?"
Diancie lowered her head, nervously fiddling with the hem of her dress as she murmured softly, "I am fine. It is just that the floor broke. It is my fault for not standing steadily. That is why we fell."
"Min Min~"
(It is not your fault, Big Sister Diancie. It is Popplio's fault. If she had not tried to grab it from me, we would not have fallen.)
"Lioo…"
(It was clearly you. It is your fault…)
"Min!"
(Your fault, your fault!)
The two little girls continued arguing beside his ears, making his head ache.
He lightly tapped each of their heads once, signaling them to quiet down.
"All right, all right. Both of you share responsibility. Diancie was the one dragged into it by you."
Instantly, the two little ones' momentum weakened a bit, though their cheeks were still puffed up, clearly unconvinced by each other.
Silas ignored their bickering. They might look at each other with dissatisfaction now, but in a short while they would be inseparable sisters again.
"Diancie, it is not your fault that you fell. I will just replace the floorboard."
"Then I will do it together with you."
"Okay." Silas reached out and pinched her cheek gently. "We will replace it together."
Considering that his house was filled with lively Pokémon, Silas always kept spare materials.
Just the door alone had been repaired seven times this month, and the floor patched five times.
After replacing the broken board with an identical new one, Diancie finally smiled again.
"No more worries now, right?"
"Mhm!"
Diancie happily hugged his arm and swayed, clinging to him affectionately.
"You are performing tomorrow night. Are you sure you should not be rehearsing right now?"
"Min!"
"Pop!"
"Ah!"
All three Pokémon gasped in alarm. They had delayed quite a while because of the fall.
They waved at Silas in unison and rushed off to rehearse. They absolutely could not afford any mistakes at the festival.
On the fifteenth, the three little ones went nowhere. They stayed inside the cottage for their final intensive practice.
Then they spent the entire day asking questions.
When will it get dark?
What time is it now?
Can we possibly skip participating?
Even Morpeko was stopped and questioned as it passed by. It nearly stuffed cotton into its ears before grabbing a milkshake and fleeing from the house as fast as it could.
Time passed from morning until the sun set. Silas and Steven walked in from outside together.
"Min Min?"
(Are we leaving now?)
"We will have dinner a little earlier tonight. How was your rehearsal?"
"We… we are a little scared."
Diancie spoke softly. Although they had spent the whole day trying to mentally prepare themselves, nervousness was inevitable.
"Do you remember what I told you during your first ranch performance?" Silas placed his hand on Diancie's head and encouraged her. "Just imagine the audience as carrots and cabbages. Do not burden yourself psychologically."
"Mhm. I understand, Silas."
That evening, the ranch had dinner early. As Minccino and the others watched the sky outside gradually darken, the closer the moment came, the less afraid they felt.
An event like the fireworks festival would surely be as lively as the beach festival last time, attracting people from nearby areas and even from around Shalour City. No one knew how many would attend tonight.
This time, Silas planned to bring only Minccino, Diancie, and Popplio. He did not intend to bring too many Pokémon.
With too many, he would not be able to take care of them all by himself.
After patiently explaining everything to Floette, Alcremie, and the others, Silas turned on the television and switched to the local Shalour City channel.
"The festival will be broadcast live. If you stay at home, you can still watch Minccino and the others perform."
With that assurance, the little ones gave up the idea of following along and obediently sat on the sofa, cheering for the three performers.
"Indeedee, I will leave the ranch in your care."
"Indee~"
The Indeedee siblings nodded. They even prepared sunflower seeds and some desserts to distract the little ones.
Silas recalled Kangaskhan and Diancie into their Poké Balls, then swung onto Cyclizar's back. Minccino and Popplio nestled in his arms.
Beside him, Steven released the Pokémon he used for traveling, a shiny Metagross.
Metagross was enormous, like two Metang combined together. Its body resembled a metal disc, supported by four limbs extending in different directions.
Its entire body was silver white, and the X shaped metallic marking on its face gleamed bright yellow.
Metagross still remembered Silas and lifted one of its forelimbs in greeting.
Mounting their respective Pokémon, the two of them set off toward the venue of the fireworks festival.
(End of Chapter)