At the entrance of the ranch gate stood a young girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with twin ponytails and a small freckled face, quietly waiting.
Beside her was a Gogoat, and trailing behind the Gogoat was a small cargo box filled to the brim with goods.
Upon seeing Silas, the girl hurried forward and spoke timidly, "You're the ranch owner who purchased the Noibat, Smoliv, and Cyclizar, right? Please sign here."
"That's me," Silas replied with a slight nod, signing his name on the delivery form.
The girl carefully tucked the form into the satchel at her waist, then let out a relieved sigh.
Walking over to the cargo box behind them, she clapped her hands lightly. "Everyone, come out now. Mr. Silas is a very gentle person—he'll take good care of you in the future."
Silas shifted his gaze to the box behind the Gogoat and saw five Pokémon poke their heads out from the edge of the crate, their expressions full of curiosity and confusion.
On the left were three small-bodied Pokémon resembling purple bats, each with a pair of oversized ears.
Their golden-yellow eyes cautiously examined Silas before they shrank their heads back in fear.
In the middle was a green lizard-like Pokémon, its chubby little hands resting on the edge of the crate, revealing the tire-shaped structure around its neck.
On the far right was a small Pokémon that looked just like an olive, its body a tender green, several green leaves sprouting from the top of its head, and a single yellow fruit nestled in the center.
At this moment, it was staring at him timidly.
All five Pokémon wore identical expressions, most of their bodies still hidden inside the crate, clearly feeling uneasy.
Smoliv: "Smo…" (?,?)
Noibat ×3: "Noi… bat~" (o□o)/
Cyclizar: "Cyc?" (';')?
"Hello there, little ones!"
Silas squatted down and greeted them warmly, his voice gentle and soothing.
"Noi!"
Instead of responding, the three Noibat shrank back into the crate, and even Cyclizar closed its eyes.
They were still scared.
"Kang?"
Behind Silas, Kangaskhan walked over, curiously sticking its head forward to look at them.
Only then did Silas understand—the little ones weren't afraid of him, but of Kangaskhan.
In their eyes, Kangaskhan was a fully armored, fearsome-looking monster, the kind that could swallow all of them in a single bite.
"..."
Once he understood the reason, Silas patted Kangaskhan and cleared his throat lightly. "Kangaskhan, could you help me call Chatot, the Mudbrays, and the others? Let's all come together to welcome our new companions. Today, we're holding a grand celebration feast for them."
"Kang~!"
At the mention of good food, Kangaskhan's eyes lit up, and it couldn't help swallowing a mouthful of saliva before heading into the ranch to share the news with the others.
Seeing Kangaskhan leave, the five little ones in the crate visibly relaxed.
So that scary big guy… is going to be a companion too? How terrifying.
As if seeing through their thoughts, Silas smiled and explained, "Kangaskhan is a very gentle Pokémon. You don't need to worry—it won't eat you."
"Cyc!"
Naturally cheerful and innocent, Cyclizar was the first to jump out of the crate once it sensed the danger was gone.
Looking like a lizard but acting like a puppy, Cyclizar circled around Silas, sniffed him up and down, then leaned in and rubbed its body against his thigh.
"So well-behaved, Cyclizar," Silas said as he crouched down, gently patting its smooth head. Then he took out a small pastry. "Here, this is a welcome gift from me—honey buns."
Having already accepted Silas, Cyclizar didn't hesitate at all. It bit into the honey bun, chewed a few times, and swallowed it down.
In an instant, its eyes lit up.
So tasty!!!
Cyclizar immediately entered "battle mode," standing upright, placing its chubby paws on Silas's shoulders, and licking his face wildly with its pink tongue, begging for more delicious buns.
The girl lifted Smoliv and the three Noibat out of the crate, gently giving them a push from behind. "Go on! Don't let Cyclizar eat all the tasty stuff."
"Smo~"
"Bat!" ×3
At this moment, Silas had just finished calming Cyclizar down. This fellow might be called a lizard, but its personality was more like that of a big dog.
He had Cyclizar obediently sit beside him, then waved the buns in front of the other four little ones. "Do you want some? They're really delicious."
Beside him, Cyclizar stared intently at the buns, drool dripping from the corner of its mouth.
"(*p*)"
Silas's demeanor, along with Cyclizar's drooling, finally lowered Smoliv's and the others' guard, and they trotted over to him.
Pokémon are the most wondrous creatures in this world, pure by nature.
The kindness Silas released—they could all feel it.
Through their interaction and the lure of food, that last bit of unfamiliarity between them melted away.
The five little ones gathered close around Silas, each holding a fragrant, milky-scented bun.
Seeing this harmonious scene, the girl stepped forward and said, "Mr. Silas, I'll be entrusting them to you from now on."
"I will," Silas replied seriously, placing a hand atop Cyclizar's large head.
"And this as well." The girl took three thin booklets from her bag. "These record the abilities and some basic information of Cyclizar, Smoliv, and Noibat. You should find them useful."
"Thank you! I really do need these."
After giving a few more instructions, the girl and Silas worked together to carry the food supplies for the five Pokémon into the small house.
Several large bags of sweet feed—one ten-kilogram bag cost 100 League Coins if purchased separately.
One bag was enough to feed a juvenile Pokémon for half a month.
"Mr. Silas, if you ever need to purchase more ranch Pokémon in the future, please consider us again."
The girl waved goodbye, mounted her quiet Gogoat, and in the blink of an eye, disappeared at the far end of his sight.
Watching her leave, Silas led the five little ones over to the front of the ranch house.
Kangaskhan had already called Minccino, Mudbray, and Chatot back as well.
Silas took this opportunity to introduce everyone to each other—especially Chatot, who was rarely seen during the day.
It had still returned on time for meals a few days ago, but lately it had been coming back later and later each day.
If Silas didn't always see it sleeping in its nest at night, he would have thought it had been kidnapped by some bird Pokémon and forced to become a bandit chief's wife.
"These are the three Mudbray brothers."
"Mud-mud~"
The Mudbray trio cheerfully greeted the five newcomers, quickly locking eyes with Cyclizar.
"And this is Chatot."
Chatot shook the feathers on its head and said smugly, "Cha-tot."
At the same time, five berries dropped out from beneath its wings, floating toward the five little ones.
The Noibat's eyes lit up. Flapping their tiny wings, they hugged the berries tightly, their gazes toward Chatot filled with admiration.
"This one here is the ranch's head steward—Minccino."
"Min~!"
Minccino tried its best to act like an adult, politely waving in greeting. Smoliv hopped over in response.
It smells so nice—like sunshine.
Smoliv clung to Minccino at once, instantly breaking Minccino's composed act. The two Pokémon quickly ended up tumbling together in playful roughhousing.
"And this is Kangaskhan!"
All five little ones tilted their heads up together to look at the towering Kangaskhan, their eyes filled with awe.
The big monster… was their companion.
With it around, they wouldn't be bullied by other Pokémon in the future.
The five little ones clearly understood who the boss was. They crowded around Kangaskhan eagerly—some massaging its legs, some stepping on its back, and others polishing its armor-like hide.
The interactions among the Pokémon were remarkably harmonious.
(End of Chapter)