Under the gaze of all the Pokémon, Cyclizar's face flushed bright red as it opened its mouth toward the generator.
Eh?!
Where's the electricity?!
Cyclizar scratched its head in confusion. In the past, as long as it did this, powerful lightning would burst out without fail.
Minccino waited for quite a while before letting out a doubtful sound.
"Min?" (Can you actually do it?)
Cyclizar retorted, red-faced, "Cyc!"
Of course I can! It's just that I haven't used Electric-type moves in a long time!
How could it forget how to use Electric-type moves?!
No, no, this won't do—I have to succeed.
Cyclizar forced itself to recall how it used to control lightning.
After a long moment, it placed its claws on the generator.
The very next instant, something inside its body—starting from its tail—underwent a change. Blue-violet electric currents coursed through its entire body, crackling with sharp pa-pa-pa sounds.
"Bzzz!"
"Min~"
The sudden appearance of electricity startled Minccino and the others, who hurriedly stepped back.
Only the three Mudbray brothers blinked their eyes in confusion, not understanding what Minccino and the others were afraid of.
The power had come back!
Even if it was just a little, it was more than enough.
Cyclizar's appearance changed slightly. Its skin turned an electric blue, and two lightning-shaped dragon horns formed on its head.
Crackling currents gathered entirely onto Cyclizar's claws, then were completely absorbed by the generator. Through mechanical conversion, the electricity was transformed into usable power and stored away.
The charge bar on the generator began rising at a jumping, almost absurd speed.
The quality of the lightning released by Cyclizar was extremely high.
1%… 5%… 20%… 55%… 87%… 99%
In the end, the charge bar was completely filled, with some excess electricity left over, unable to be absorbed.
"Cyc~"
Cyclizar withdrew its lightning, its body returning to its original form. It pointed one claw at the generator, then pointed at itself.
As if saying: See that? Your bro here—isn't he awesome?!
Led by Minccino, the little Pokémon stared at Cyclizar with sparkling eyes full of admiration.
They nodded vigorously, fully acknowledging Cyclizar's prowess.
This made Cyclizar feel incredibly pleased, its tail lifting high into the air.
"What are you all doing over there?"
After helping Kangaskhan install the refrigerator and oven in the kitchen, Silas stepped out of the cottage and saw the Pokémon gathered together. He asked curiously.
Minccino climbed onto a Mudbray's head and began gesturing wildly at Silas. Silas watched, utterly confused.
But when he noticed Cyclizar standing there with its head held high, wearing an expression that clearly screamed waiting for praise and head pats, Silas couldn't help but laugh.
He stepped forward and gave it a pat. "Alright, you little troublemaker—what did you do this time?"
Cyclizar snorted unhappily and bit onto Silas's pant leg.
I'm the god of the future, okay? Not a troublemaker!
And besides, wasn't the strawberry prank your idea in the first place?!
Dragging Cyclizar along, Silas walked forward to take a look, then let out a surprised sound.
"Why is the generator fully charged? Which of you did this?"
His gaze swept across Minccino and the others one by one.
If he remembered correctly, Minccino, the Mudbray brothers, and the Noibat trio couldn't learn Electric-type moves through leveling up, and Smoliv was even less likely.
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar jumped up, afraid Silas might miss it, eagerly claiming the credit.
Judging by the looks in the other Pokémon's eyes, the culprit was indeed Cyclizar.
But this little guy couldn't learn Electric-type moves through leveling up or inheritance either.
Could it be a TM? That wasn't impossible.
Placing a big hand on Cyclizar's head, Silas examined it carefully and said, "Cyclizar, can you show me that Electric-type move again?"
"Cyc!"
Seeing Silas's surprised expression, Cyclizar couldn't wait to demonstrate.
But no matter how hard it tried—putting in all its strength—it couldn't release even a single spark of electricity.
"Cyc… (.?︿?.)?"
Cyclizar lowered its head, aggrieved and dejected. It felt like a complete idiot.
The move it could use just moments ago—how could it forget it again?!
Seeing this, Silas comforted it. "It's okay, little guy. This electricity alone will last us a long time."
"I'll make you more special dishes in the future. I promise you'll be able to fully master that Electric-type move."
Silas could already make Grass Dumplings that boosted Grass-type energy and Mud Cakes for Ground-type Pokémon, so creating a dish that enhanced Electric-type energy wouldn't be a problem.
As long as Cyclizar mastered it completely, the ranch would never have to worry about power shortages again.
He had Kangaskhan help move the generator to the back room, where there was already a power line connection.
A level 1 ranch already came with installed wiring—it had just been unused due to a lack of electricity.
Plugging in the power, Silas led the Pokémon into the house.
He flipped the light switch. The dim living room instantly lit up, bright white light illuminating the entire space.
The Pokémon let out one astonished cry after another—now they wouldn't be afraid even after night fell.
Silas then plugged in the refrigerator and oven, placing some of the more perishable ingredients into the freezer compartment below.
Now that they had a refrigerator, when the weather got warmer, they could enjoy icy-cold treats to cool off.
When he had the chance, he could even make some jelly and freeze it in the lower compartment for the Pokémon to gnaw on.
Many foods no longer needed to worry about spoiling either.
After touring the house, Minccino climbed onto Silas's shoulder. "Min! Min!"
"You want to eat sablés?"
"Min~"
Minccino acted spoiled.
This time, Silas didn't refuse. "Alright, I'll make them tonight. It'll be a good chance to test whether the new oven works well."
With an oven, he could make far more than just sablés—his range of dishes had expanded tremendously.
All of that would require time to research later.
As for now?
He needed to prepare the dishes for tonight's bonfire feast. He had promised Kangaskhan and the others long ago—he couldn't break his word.
Glancing around the cottage, electricity was finally available, but one thing was still missing: a television.
Televisions were expensive. One that could receive Kalos regional channels cost forty to fifty thousand League Coins.
A TV capable of receiving nationwide channels would cost twice that.
Of course, Silas could make do with a basic model that only had a few channels.
But after thinking it over, he gave up on that idea. If he was going to buy one, he wanted a good one—a television might stay with him for a very, very long time.
For now, it was better to save up some money and see how much he earned once the strawberries, cabbages, and tulips were sold.
Then he could decide whether to buy a TV.
For now, this would do.
He had Kangaskhan take the Pokémon outside to play, tied on an apron, and entered the kitchen to begin preparing the food for the bonfire dinner.
The first item was the sablés he had failed to make last time. With an oven this time, he refused to believe he could fail again.
At the same time, in a high-rise building within Shalour City—
Diantha lay tiredly on her bed, finally done with her acting work.
Tomorrow, she had a full day off. She could go visit Silas's ranch.
She wondered how well that guy had prepared everything.
(End of Chapter)