With five new little companions joining the ranch, the place that had once felt spacious and quiet instantly became lively and bustling.
Watching the Pokémon get along so harmoniously, Silas felt genuinely happy in his heart.
"Smo~"
Smoliv trotted over, wrapped its little arms around Silas's leg, and couldn't help letting out a big yawn, its eyes squinting sleepily.
Silas reached down and lifted Smoliv up, giving it a gentle rub, and asked with a smile, "Sleepy?"
"Smo!"
Forcing itself to stay awake, Smoliv rubbed its small face against his palm.
"Come inside and sleep. I've already prepared a little nest for you."
Carrying Smoliv with him, Silas entered the small house and headed straight to the bedroom.
By the windowsill, beside a bouquet of flowers grown in water bottles, there sat a brand-new flowerpot. Silas careSmolly placed Smoliv inside it.
Smoliv wriggled slightly, and its lower half naturally sank into the soil. At a casual glance, it looked no different from an ordinary potted plant.
Sunlight streamed directly onto Smoliv, the tender leaves atop its head spreading out as it naturally began photosynthesis.
This spot had been carefully chosen by Silas. No matter which direction the sun came from, it would always shine here.
Basking in sunlight was simply a Grass-type Pokémon's instinct.
Smoliv could convert energy through photosynthesis into oil, allowing it to go an entire week without eating or drinking.
This had been part of Silas's consideration when he decided to buy Smoliv in the first place.
Compared to other Pokémon, Smoliv didn't require much attention—just a sunny spot and regular watering every day.
It was practically like keeping a potted plant.
Especially since Smoliv was still in its initial stage, it spent most of each day sleeping.
After watching quietly for a while and seeing that Smoliv was sleeping peacefully, Silas finally tiptoed out of the room.
Back outside, he glanced at the Pokémon playing and roughhousing, then looked up at the sky.
There was still plenty of time, so he decided to wait a bit before cooking.
Silas dragged out a lounge chair, sat down at the doorway, and picked up the booklet the girl had given him before leaving.
He first flipped open the pamphlet detailing Smoliv. Inside was a comprehensive introduction to Smoliv, along with this particular Smoliv's inspection report.
"So that's how it is!" Silas exclaimed after reading it, suddenly enlightened. No wonder a Smoliv capable of producing top-grade olive oil only cost 6,000 League Coins.
The olive oil produced by first-stage Smoliv was extremely bitter and unsuitable for consumption.
Only after evolving into Dolliv would the oil become truly delicious.
Thinking it over, Silas understood.
At this stage, Smoliv was focused on accumulating and storing energy for growth, much like a seed straining with all its might to break through the soil.
That process consumed all its strength, so naturally there was no extra energy to produce tasty olive oil—just enough to sustain itself.
With that understood, Silas naturally wouldn't squeeze Smoliv for its oil. Growing happily was what Smoliv should be doing at this age.
Before he had read for long, Cyclizar came speeding toward him from the distance, clamping onto his pant leg and tugging him upright.
Cyclizar shifted its body, its lower jaw and tail-tire enlarging as it propped itself up.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a military-green mini motorcycle.
"Cyc~"
Cyclizar enthusiastically invited Silas to hop on—it wanted to take its Trainer out for a ride.
Unable to refuse such eager enthusiasm, Silas couldn't bring himself to say no.
He cautiously sat down on Cyclizar's back, and a completely different sensation washed over him.
Cyclizar's body was warm, dispersing the chill carried by the spring evening breeze—and this warmth worked both ways.
As a Dragon-type Pokémon, Cyclizar was actually quite sensitive to the cold and relied on human body heat to drive away the chill and restore its vitality.
Riding Cyclizar was a unique experience. After making a full circuit, Silas finally understood why Cyclizar had become so popular across the Paldea region.
Cyclizar was not only fast, but incredibly stable—riding on its back, you could barely feel any bumps at all.
Thanks to its sturdy head and thick tail, it could maintain perfect balance even while racing along at 120 km/h.
At that speed, it only took ten minutes to get from the ranch to Shalour City, at most thirty minutes to Coumarine City, and a round trip to Lumiose City would only take two or three hours.
It saved an unimaginable amount of time compared to before.
Silas patted Cyclizar appreciatively, feeling satisfied with his choice.
"Cyc~"
Sensing its Trainer's approval, Cyclizar grinned widely and let out a goofy, heh-heh-heh laugh.
Uh…
This Cyclizar of his seemed a bit… not very bright.
Letting Cyclizar go off to play on its own, Silas went to find the three Noibat.
The three little ones clung to his clothes as he brought them to the residence he had prepared in advance.
It was located at the edge of the ranch, directly facing the cave that Kangaskhan had punched out of the mountainside, one blow after another, near the orchard.
The cave was spacious—big enough even after the Noibat evolved into Noivern.
Taking into account their preference for darkness, only glowing stones were embedded at the cave entrance, while the inside remained pitch-black.
"Noi~! Bat~!"
Arriving at the cave, the Noibat cried out happily and flapped their tiny wings as they flew inside.
Each of the three quickly found a comfortable spot and hung themselves upside down from the cave ceiling.
Their bodies completely blended into the darkness, with only pairs of eyes gleaming faintly in the shadows.
"Looks like you really like it here. That puts my mind at ease," Silas said, standing at the entrance.
"I won't disturb you for now. Remember to come to the house for dinner later, okay?"
"Noi~"
The Noibat called back in response, indicating they would come later.
After all, they had already heard from Chatot and Minccino that Silas's cooking was unbelievably delicious.
Thinking back to the small bread they'd eaten when they first met, the Noibat couldn't help but drool.
If Silas had seen that little action, he probably would have laughed helplessly.
Well then!
The ranch had gained three more little gluttons.
After settling the five new arrivals, the timing was just about right.
Silas called Minccino and Cyclizar over—he planned to head to Shalour City to buy some fresh ingredients.
For the newcomers' very first meal at the ranch, Silas intended to conquer them completely with delicious food.
Riding Cyclizar into the city, Silas clearly felt curious gazes coming from all directions.
There was no helping it—Cyclizar was extremely rare in Kalos.
Those who didn't know better might even think it was a newly discovered Pokémon by the League!
When they arrived at the department store, Silas was stopped and had to explain himself several times.
Cyclizar stood upright, pushing the shopping cart, while Minccino sat inside it. One human and two Pokémon began their shopping spree.
"The Noibats like fruit and berries…" Silas recalled their habits and pointed across the stall. "This, this, and those too—one of each."
In one go, Silas bought more than a dozen kinds of common fruits along with several types of Berries, planning to make a deluxe fruit platter.
He also grabbed a two-liter bottle of MooMoo Milk from the nearby shelf.
After making the rounds, the shopping cart was completely full, forcing Minccino to climb onto Silas's shoulder.
Massaging its big ears gently, Silas asked the two little ones, "Anything you want to eat? Now's the time to say it!"
Minccino rubbed its little face against Silas's cheek and pointed toward the side.
"You like sweets that much, huh? How about I make you some Shalour City's specialty sablés?"
"Min! Min!"
Minccino nodded rapidly like a chick pecking at rice, wrapping its tiny arms around Silas's neck and chirping happily.
Silas then turned to Cyclizar and asked, "What about you, Cyclizar? Is there any dish you want to eat?"
(End of Chapter)