Sigh.
This has to be a lie!
A lie, right?!
Aren't I a genius?
So why?
Why?
Why did I end up losing to Minccino?!
With Minccino's voice, sounding both angelic and devilish at the same time—echoing around its ears, Cyclizar staggered and collapsed onto the grass.
It couldn't understand it.
It was the Great "Iron Serpent," the god of the future.
And yet now, it couldn't even beat a small, weak Minccino.
Lying there on the grass, it accepted the judgment of Kangaskhan and the others.
The final raw strawberry was stuffed into Cyclizar's mouth. The sour and astringent taste instantly flooded its mouth, making it furrow its brow hard.
But strangely enough, its expression was unusually relaxed.
This was a feeling it hadn't experienced in a very, very long time—warmth, the kind that came from family.
"Huh? Cyclizar, don't cry." Silas noticed something was wrong and saw tears slipping from the corners of its eyes. He hurried over.
"I'll teach Minccino and the others a lesson for you."
As he spoke, Silas pretended to give them a light smack and shot Minccino and the others a look, signaling them to apologize.
In his eyes, Cyclizar was still just a child.
Minccino also sensed that something was off. It gently stroked Cyclizar with its fluffy little paws, brushed against it with its tail, and apologized to it sincerely.
"Min~"
Kangaskhan and the Mudbray brothers gathered around as well, asking after Cyclizar with concern.
A feeling of being cared for and loved by family wrapped around Cyclizar completely.
Not knowing how to express itself, it could only pounce on Silas, knocking him over, then gently curl its tail around Minccino and place it on its back.
It used its actions to show that it was fine.
The little incident came quickly and ended just as fast. After Silas and the Pokémon finished roughhousing together, he remembered the main task for the day.
He asked who wanted to go with him to cut pasture grass.
Kangaskhan, Minccino, and the Mudbray all responded enthusiastically, saying they wanted to go together. As long as they could be with Silas, doing anything at all made them happy.
Cyclizar let out a growl urging Silas to climb onto its back.
And so, Silas led the Pokémon to the other side of the ranch to cut pasture grass.
That was a patch he had casually sown when he first started planting crops.
According to his original plan, he had intended to raise one or two Skiddo.
Unfortunately, plans never keep up with changes.
Before he ever raised a Skiddo, he ended up raising three Mudbray first.
Then Cyclizar, Smoliv, and Noibat joined the ranch one after another.
With so many Pokémon joining all at once, raising a Skiddo had to be postponed indefinitely, and this pasture field was left unused.
Just a few days ago, Kangaskhan and the others had even been playing hide-and-seek here.
Who would've thought it would get a chance for "waste reuse" today?
Cutting pasture grass wasn't just simple harvesting. One had to leave stubble, and the cut should ideally be angled upward to make regrowth easier.
Silas explained this to Kangaskhan and Cyclizar. The two little ones nodded and went off to try it themselves.
Carefully, they used their claws to cut a row of grass, then turned back to look at Silas.
Silas returned them a look of affirmation.
One person and two Pokémon harvested grass at the front, bundling it directly into bales and piling them onto the Mudbray, who carried them back to the cottage trip by trip.
Since the grass was going to be made into Grass Dumplings, there was no need to dry it completely. Letting it air out for a short while and catch some wind was enough.
This task was handed over to Minccino. The little one used its tail to push the grass bales apart, and with a strong flick of its large tail, it could spread out the stacked grass evenly.
With all the Pokémon working together, the pasture grass was completely harvested. Only short main stalks about five centimeters above the ground remained in the field, ready to grow back later.
Mm!
Sustainable overfishing.
There definitely wasn't enough time today to make Grass Dumplings. Fresh pasture grass contained too much moisture—air-drying it for a full day would be best to reach optimal quality.
By the time Silas and the others returned, it was already noon—time for lunch.
They couldn't afford to delay. Silas still had to make a trip to Shalour City in the afternoon.
He also had an appointment with Diantha, who was coming to visit his ranch. He wasn't sure when she would arrive, and he still needed to buy some ingredients.
This time, he could buy a bit more. He planned to purchase a generator, along with a refrigerator and an oven.
After about a month, the ranch was finally going to have electricity.
When Silas shared this news with Kangaskhan and the others, they became even more excited than he was.
The ranch was getting better and better—this was the result of everyone's efforts together.
Ten minutes later, Silas rode Cyclizar into Shalour City department store. Minccino, carrying the expectations of the other Pokémon, kept urging him along.
Holding Minccino in his arms and gently comforting it, Silas and the two Pokémon arrived on the third floor of the department store.
After walking around for a bit, Silas settled on a generator suitable for the ranch.
It was a generator with an energy storage function.
If an Electric-type Pokémon input electricity into it beforehand, it could be used continuously. Once fully charged, it could last for more than half a year.
What troubled Silas now was the source of electricity.
He didn't have a single Electric-type Pokémon.
It seemed he'd have to make a trip to the power plant and borrow an Electric-type Pokémon—preferably an Electivire.
A single Electivire could provide a city with an entire year's worth of electricity. One charge would be enough to fully fill the generator.
Other Electric-type Pokémon were far less efficient.
While Silas was thinking, Cyclizar beside him scratched its claws.
A lightbulb seemed to light up beside its big head.
It understood—Silas was worrying about electricity.
Cyclizar shifted into its battle form, scratched at Silas with its claws, and proudly lifted its head.
As if to say: Don't worry, Silas. I'm the Great Iron Serpent.
It's just electricity—leave it to me.
But in Silas's eyes, it looked like Cyclizar was just getting impatient and urging him to hurry up.
Alright!
The electricity issue could wait for later.
First, they'd bring the energy-storage generator back. There was still a whole group of little cuties waiting for them to return victorious.
Besides the generator, Silas also bought a double-layer refrigerator—fresh storage on the top, freezing on the bottom.
Even a small drum-style generator cost five thousand League Coins. The energy-storage type he chose cost over ten thousand.
Adding the refrigerator and oven, he spent a total of fifteen thousand League Coins.
After also buying some ingredients, Silas led the delivery staff back to the ranch.
He asked Cyclizar to call Kangaskhan and the Mudbrays over so they could carefully carry the three large items back together.
This time, even Noibat, who usually didn't like moving around during the day, and Smoliv, who had been sunbathing, gathered around, curiously inspecting the generator.
Its silver-white exterior radiated a sense of advanced technology. On top was an iron-colored ring—the device used to absorb electricity.
"Smo~?"
"Min…"
"Noi~!"
"Mud! Mud!"
The little ones circled the generator curiously, discussing how it should be used.
Soon, the conversation turned to the fact that none of them knew Electric-type moves and couldn't help Silas.
At that moment, their great hero—the god of the future, Cyclizar, stepped forward.
It patted its chest confidently, declaring that it could use Electric-type moves.
And so, a whole crowd of Pokémon gathered around Cyclizar, asking it to help charge the generator.
Cyclizar waved a big hand proudly and declared:
"Cy! Cli! Zar! All of you step back—I'm about to show off!
(End of Chapter)