Circle Throw is one of the Fighting-type moves.
It involves using overwhelming brute force to grab the opponent and then hurl them high into the air.
Its effect is similar to moves such as Dragon Tail, Whirlwind, and Roar.
All of them can forcibly drive the opponent off the battlefield.
However, for Kangaskhan, Circle Throw is not a move that can be learned through conventional means. It is a hereditary move, also known as an Egg Move.
There is only one way to master it—inheritance from one's parents at birth.
Usually, one or two such moves are passed down.
For example, Kangaskhan had previously inherited the move Crush Claw.
At this moment, Silas gained an even clearer understanding of the role of cooking—especially dishes with special additional effects.
Their effects were powerful, and every single one of them was worth digging into deeply.
They were far from as simple as they appeared on the surface.
Pan-Seared Steak was a perfect example.
This led Silas to another thought.
If he were to have a proper Fighting-type Pokémon, and that Pokémon ate Pan-Seared Steak every single day, would it be possible to eventually master all Fighting-type moves?
It was worth trying.
"Kang~ Kang!"
While Silas was lost in thought, he suddenly heard Kangaskhan calling out to him with an unusually urgent tone.
This was Kangaskhan calling for him—something unexpected had happened.
Hearing this, Silas quickened his pace. He forcefully embedded the axe into a tree stump, then followed along the fallen trees toward Kangaskhan's location.
From a distance, he could see Kangaskhan lowering her head, seemingly confronting another Pokémon.
"Min~"
As he drew closer, he could hear a low, wary cry, and at the same time, Silas finally saw the Pokémon facing off against Kangaskhan.
It was none other than the Minccino he had encountered before.
Its large ears stood straight up, and its small body was stretched taut with fear.
Its round, dark eyes were filled with terror, faint tears welling within them.
Its long tail swished back and forth, the fur standing on end and puffing up, making it look larger.
As if it were trying to tell the huge monster in front of it that it was also very formidable.
Trying to scare the big monster away.
Seeing this, Kangaskhan pulled back her lips, revealing a mouthful of chilling white teeth.
She sank her breath into her abdomen, her chest rising and falling as her throat rumbled.
"KAAANG—"
Kangaskhan released her aura, a thunderous roar crashing straight toward the Minccino.
At this moment, the roar seemed to take physical form. Leaves on the surrounding treetops rustled violently, falling like snow.
Then, looking ahead of Kangaskhan, the Minccino let out a faint "wu" and collapsed stiffly onto the ground.
Its eyes had turned into spirals—it had completely lost its ability to move, fainting on the spot and entering a brief state of pseudo-death.
"Ah… this…"
Silas felt helpless and lightly knocked Kangaskhan on the head in exasperation.
He then reached out and picked up the Minccino.
His big girl had quite a temper.
Especially recently, with her nearing adulthood and having already identified the ranch as her future territory.
She harbored a natural hostility toward any Pokémon or humans that trespassed.
This was a natural reaction among Kangaskhan as they approached adulthood and the time to bear offspring—an explosive surge of maternal instinct.
Especially since the Minccino had just provoked her.
So this outcome was hardly surprising.
"Kang!"
"I'm not blaming you."
Silas gently stroked and comforted Kangaskhan; the emotions of a big girl like her were especially sensitive.
"It's just that you need to rein in your temper a bit too. The ranch won't always be just the two of us. In the future, more companions will join us and become family."
Silas carried the Minccino back to the campsite and checked her over. Only after confirming that she had merely fainted from fright did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
After instructing Kangaskhan to keep watch, Silas went back to continue his work for the day.
Logging wasn't just about cutting trees down—it also involved trimming.
He shaved off all the branches except for the main trunk, shaping the log into a roughly cylindrical form.
The trimmed branches weren't wasted either.
They were all excellent-quality wood.
Silas stacked the firewood together, securing fuel for warmth in the winter.
If the ranch had a Slugma, keeping warm in winter wouldn't be a hassle at all—just let the Slugma stay in the fireplace, and the house would become wonderfully warm.
Meanwhile, while Silas was working at full tilt—
Back at the campsite, it was a scene of wide eyes staring at each other.
The Minccino slowly came to, and the moment she opened her eyes, she met the gaze of that terrifying big monster, nearly fainting again from fright.
It almost scared the little mouse to death.
Having been admonished by Silas, Kangaskhan sat obediently, though her eyes kept drifting toward the Minccino from time to time.
So small. Kind of cute. She wanted to put her in her pouch.
Thinking so, Kangaskhan did exactly that.
She reached out with her sinful big hand and, under the Minccino's stiff, petrified expression, placed her into the pouch on her belly.
The once-empty pouch now held life, and Kangaskhan's face immediately bloomed into an auntie-like smile.
Her entire body radiated maternal brilliance, positively glowing.
And as for the Minccino—
Her tense, frightened body suddenly relaxed. Warmth enveloped her, and she let out a contented purring sound.
The expression she used to look at Kangaskhan was no longer fear, but curiosity instead.
So when Silas returned, he saw this scene.
Kangaskhan lay comfortably on the grass, enjoying herself as the Minccino stepped all over her, using her tail to clean and groom her like a spa treatment.
It was incredibly harmonious—or rather, the bonds between Pokémon were just that pure.
"Kang~"
Kangaskhan lazily greeted Silas, while the Minccino obediently wagged her tail, still carrying a hint of timidity.
Seeing this, Silas smiled at them.
He first removed his straw hat, washed his face, and brushed the dust from his body.
Then Silas picked up a few Berries—using food to close the distance was still the best approach.
Ten minutes later, a fruit platter was placed beside the Minccino.
"Little one, this is my apology. Kangaskhan didn't mean it earlier," Silas said gently.
The Minccino glanced at Kangaskhan, then at the human in front of her. She whimpered twice, reached out with her small paws, grabbed a piece of fruit, and put it into her mouth.
Immediately afterward, the Minccino let out an extremely blissful cry, her round eyes suddenly lighting up.
So delicious!!!
No longer caring about maintaining a ladylike image, she sprawled in front of the plate, using both paws at once.
With every bite, it was so good that her little feet kicked up in delight.
The fragrance of the Berries combined with the sweetness of the honey made the Minccino devour everything ravenously.
This was the most delicious food she had eaten since being born.
At the same time, she gained a bit more affection for the human in front of her.
Human = food.
Food = like.
Human = like.
Seeing the Minccino lick the plate completely clean, Silas smiled faintly and reached out to pat her big ears, causing the little one's face to flush red.
So soft!
It would definitely be comfortable to hug to sleep.
Since that was the case, Silas's eyes rolled slightly, and he extended an invitation to the Minccino.
"Minccino, was this fruit platter tasty?"
The Minccino nodded without hesitation. It was the best food she had ever eaten—she couldn't help licking her lips.
"Then Minccino, would you like to join the ranch? You can eat fruit platters every day, and in the future, you'll be able to eat dishes even more delicious than fruit platters."
Silas coaxed her patiently.
"Min!! Cino!" Her eyes widened, and her tail shot straight up.
Being able to eat fruit platters every day—and even more delicious dishes in the future—Minccino drooled uncontrollably at the thought.
Under the temptation of food, Minccino made her choice.
(End of Chapter)
TN: All the Pokémon novel's I'm editing right now are all farming ones.