The female Pyroar stepped forward and gently licked the girl's face twice with her tongue.
The girl murmured unconsciously, as if rambling about something like "a hundred consecutive victories on an adventure journey," words that made little sense to anyone listening.
Moving closer, Silas squatted down.
"As far as I can see, there are no obvious external injuries, so she likely wasn't attacked by wild Pokémon. Her skin is flushed, her complexion is pale, and her body keeps trembling."
He reached out and placed his hand on the girl's forehead—it was scorching hot.
She must have been frightened into a fever.
"The temperature is very high, probably around thirty-nine degrees Celsius. This is bad."
Thirty-nine degrees already counted as a high fever. If it continued like this, it could cause irreversible harm to her body.
What she needed now was to cool down immediately.
He didn't have any medicine on him. Although the ranch had some basic fever medicines, they probably wouldn't be very effective against such a high fever.
After thinking for a moment, Silas thought of someone.
"Pyroar, please come with me and help take her to a place. There's someone there who can treat illnesses."
As soon as he finished speaking, Silas had already picked the girl up.
Naturally, he mounted Pyroar's back, raised his hand, and pointed ahead. "That direction."
…
Beside Route 12, at the Miltank Ranch, a Stoutland lay lazily on the ground, enjoying the afternoon sunshine.
In the next moment, Stoutland became alert.
It sprang to its feet, eyes locking onto a certain direction, body lowering into an attack stance.
"It's me, Stoutland. Is Sister Penny at the ranch?" Silas's voice arrived before his figure did, instantly dispelling Stoutland's vigilance.
Stoutland barked softly twice and led Silas into the ranch.
Penny, who was checking the health of the Miltank, suddenly saw three figures rushing toward her.
The two unfamiliar Pyroar that appeared beside her without warning startled her badly, and she screamed on the spot.
"It's me, Sister Penny!"
Silas patted Pyroar to signal it to stop and hurriedly jumped down.
"Oh, it's you, Silas." Penny patted her chest, still shaken, then curiously sized up the two Pyroar. "They're your Pokémon too? They look really strong."
"Pyroar and I are friends," Silas explained casually as he carried the girl down from the female Pyroar's back. "Sister Penny, please take a look. Pyroar found her in the wild. She has a high fever, and the situation doesn't look good."
As a junior breeder, Penny had learned some basic medical knowledge.
With just one glance, she understood the girl's condition.
She placed a hand on the girl's forehead, then immediately directed them, "Quick, follow me. There's a medical room over here."
The priority was to reduce the fever. Penny fed her some fever-reducing medicine made from Pecha Berries.
The effect was immediate. The girl's temperature dropped rapidly, her condition stabilizing. Before long, faint snores echoed in the room.
Silas, Penny, and the Pyroar mates peering in through the window all let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Thankfully you were here, Sister Penny. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have known what to do."
"It's nothing. If you hadn't brought her in time, even I would've been helpless if it had gone on any longer."
"This was really thanks to Pyroar."
Their conversation lasted only a short while. After saying goodbye to Sister Penny, Silas headed back first.
With Penny watching over her, he could feel at ease.
Tomorrow, once the girl woke up, he would take her to Officer Jenny and help send her home.
On the way back, after learning that their cubs had been left behind, the female Pyroar inevitably complained to the male Pyroar. Only after Silas repeatedly assured her did she finally calm down.
Judging from the female Pyroar's attitude toward her offspring, this was likely her first time giving birth and forming a pride.
Thinking of his own Kangaskhan, Silas figured he could let it learn a thing or two from the Pyroar couple.
If nothing unexpected happened, Kangaskhan would probably give birth to a baby Kangaskhan in autumn or winter.
As they hurried back to the ranch, before they even got close, the cheerful roars of the cubs carried over.
Eager to see her young, the female Pyroar visibly relaxed, though she still cast a resentful glance at her mate.
You were told to take care of the kids, and you just dumped them on someone else—what kind of father is that?
Inside the ranch, the three cubs were in unprecedentedly good spirits.
Kangaskhan had put all of her childcare knowledge into practice, with excellent results.
So much so that when the cubs saw their own parents, they only glanced at them briefly before continuing to play and tussle around Kangaskhan.
Well now!
They'd only been away from their parents for a few hours, and they were already less attached?
This made the female Pyroar so angry that she grabbed the male Pyroar and gave him another beating.
Marital discord wasn't good news. Silas went over to Kangaskhan's side and whispered something into her ear.
Kangaskhan nodded, indicating she understood.
Seizing a lull in the Pyroar couple's argument, she led the female Pyroar away.
A mother who had just given birth, and a mother-to-be—there were many common points between them, and plenty to talk about.
Kangaskhan shared her childcare experience, while the female Pyroar talked about raising cubs.
They got along harmoniously, leaving the male Pyroar to take that beating for nothing.
"Pyroar, it's getting late today. Why don't your family stay at the ranch for now? I'll go cook."
Silas looked at Pyroar and extended an invitation. "It won't be too late to leave after eating."
Pyroar: "Roar!" (I want extremely spicy.)
He seriously suspected Pyroar had come looking for him just for that one bite of spicy boiled meat.
"Alright." Silas agreed, then turned to the Minccino clinging tightly to his side. He scooped it up in one motion. "What would you like to eat?"
His tone softened noticeably.
"Min~"
Minccino nestled in his arms, rubbing its face against his, giving him a little cheek bump.
That tiny gesture was irresistibly cute.
"How about making some glutinous rice cakes?"
He pinched its ears lightly, and Minccino shyly lowered its head.
"Go play for now. It'll be ready soon."
He headed into the kitchen and glanced at the shelves where he stored ingredients.
Luckily, he had done a major restock a few days ago—otherwise, it wouldn't have been enough to treat the Pyroar family.
The key to spicy boiled meat was the heat, so Silas first prepared his secret chili sauce, guaranteeing it would satisfy Pyroar's needs.
[Secret Chili Sauce: An ultra-ultra-ultra-spicy chili sauce. Do not try it lightly. When added to certain dishes, it will be adored by some Pokémon.]
Staring at the description, especially the three "ultra" characters at the beginning, Silas froze with his chopsticks halfway out.
Forget it, forget it.
Better not take the risk himself.
In addition to making spicy boiled meat for the Pyroar couple, Silas also skewered several large meat kebabs. Two super-spicy dishes were more than enough to satisfy Pyroar.
He also prepared dinner for Kangaskhan, Minccino, and the others.
Silas didn't stop there. Today, he also planned to make a kind of baby food.
It was preparation in advance for the birth of a baby Kangaskhan.
He usually didn't have the chance!
But today, with three Litleo cubs at the ranch, nothing would go to waste.
Got it!
An idea quickly formed in Silas's mind.
He peeled and diced tomatoes and potatoes, minced beef into a paste.
All were ingredients already available at the ranch—nothing would be wasted.
Compared to regular dishes, baby food was easier to make.
Very soon, baby food tailored to the cubs' tastes was finished, and at the same time, information appeared before Silas's eyes.
(End of Chapter)