The next day, Silas was still immersed in a sweet dream when he suddenly felt something bouncing lightly on his stomach, while his nose grew itchy at the same time.
Still half-asleep, he opened his eyes in a daze and only saw a pair of oversized ears, with Minccino's entire face pressed right up close.
"Why are you up so early? Want to sleep a little longer?" he muttered.
Before Minccino could respond, Silas lifted an arm and pulled the little Pokémon into the covers with him.
With sleepy eyes, he glanced at the time. It was only a little past five in the morning—there was still about an hour before sunrise.
"Min~"
Minccino struggled slightly. It wasn't sleepy at all right now.
"Don't move, don't move!" Silas patted it twice and said, "It's not light out yet. Even if you go outside now, there won't be anyone to play with you."
"Be good. Sleep a bit longer."
Hearing this, Minccino obediently burrowed deeper into Silas's arms.
Silas treated it like an extra pillow, breathing in the fresh, faint fragrance coming from Minccino's fur as he closed his eyes again.
But Minccino kept turning left and right, unable to fall asleep no matter what. Its round eyes were wide open as it stared at Silas.
Its tiny hands wandered all over Silas's face, even tugging at the little stubble growing on his chin, letting out clear, bell-like giggles like a small child.
With his eyes closed, Silas dodged left and right, until he finally lay flat on his back just to stop it from pulling his beard.
This little rascal was way too energetic.
They fussed like this for a full hour. Only when the sky outside the window finally brightened did Silas reluctantly crawl out of bed.
He cast a resentful look toward the desk, where Minccino was cheerfully chatting away with Smoliv.
That settled it—he absolutely could not let this little one go to bed early anymore. It was pure torture for a human.
Just as he got up and pushed open the door, feeling the chill of the early morning air, Silas heard a few unusual sounds.
Calling Kangaskhan over, they headed in that direction.
And then, he saw the scene before him.
Above the tulip field, several Pokémon were circling frantically in the air, flying about in panic.
Three Noibat were chasing them away, releasing ultrasonic waves from time to time, either to strike or to lock onto them.
Recognizing the Pokémon that were fleeing in disarray, Silas called out to the Noibat, telling them to stop and not to attack anymore.
Upon hearing Silas's voice, the three Noibat glanced at the unfamiliar Pokémon huddled together, trembling with fear.
They obediently flew back to Silas, perching on his arms, lowering their heads and letting out soft "zzzz" sounds.
Their emotions were clearly low, guilt weighing on them.
They hadn't completed the task Silas had given them. They hadn't even managed to properly protect the ranch, letting unfamiliar Pokémon sneak in.
To them, this was a major dereliction of duty. They were afraid Silas would think they were useless, unable to even handle something like this.
After comforting each Noibat in turn, Silas asked about what had happened.
It turned out that those Pokémon had taken advantage of the night, when the Noibat weren't paying attention, to hide in the flower fields.
Early that morning, while the Noibat were doing their routine patrol of the ranch before going back to sleep, they discovered them.
That was how the scene Silas had just witnessed came about.
After soothing the Noibat, Silas looked up at the Pokémon hovering above the flower field, reluctant to leave.
They had tiny, fairy-like bodies, each clutching a flower of a different color. Judging by the species, the flowers had been picked from his tulip field.
Faced with Silas's completely unabashed gaze, the little fairies shrank back, hiding themselves behind the flowers, trying to evade his eyes in this "hiding their head on sand" kind of way.
But with a few flowers floating alone in midair, how could anyone not see them?
Silas patted Minccino, who was perched on his shoulder. It was time for this little one to step in and calm them down first.
"Min~"
Minccino accepted the mission and scampered over eagerly, starting to communicate with the little fairies from a short distance away.
Very quickly, reassured by Minccino's promises, the little fairies descended into the flower field.
Minccino also dove inside. Before long, like an eagle grabbing chicks, it led the little fairies out of the field and over to Silas.
Observing the Pokémon hiding behind Minccino up close, Silas found them exquisitely delicate and adorable.
Their name surfaced in his mind—Flabébé, the Single Bloom Pokémon, a small and lovely species.
At the moment, because they were frightened, they only dared to peek out with a pair of timid little eyes.
Silas gestured for Minccino to ask why they had come to the ranch.
Through Minccino's translation, Silas roughly understood the situation, and the look in his eyes toward the five Flabébé softened a little.
A Flabébé that didn't even have its cherished flower—what bad thing could it possibly do?
From the moment they are born, the five Flabébé wander everywhere in search of the flower they truly love.
This time, they had been swept here by a sudden, powerful gust of wind. With no ability to resist, they had been carried through the air again and again, finally landing near the ranch.
While exploring, they discovered the ranch's tulip field. Taking advantage of the three Noibat being busy with training, they quietly slipped into the flowers, and this time, they finally found the blooms they loved.
"Is your home nearby?" Silas asked.
The five Flabébé looked dejected and shook their heads. That gust of wind had been far too strong—so strong that even a Onix had been blown into the air.
Understanding what the Flabébé meant, Silas frowned.
The distance was far, and they didn't even know where their home was. It seemed the Flabébé would have to wander for now.
But when the topic turned to that powerful wind, a bold thought occurred to Silas.
He tentatively asked, "Did you happen to see a huge silver-white bird as well?"
The Flabébé's tiny eyes widened in shock. "Be-be~!"
"Well then," Silas said, rubbing his forehead and laughing helplessly, "so it really was Lugia."
From the Flabébé's description, it was clear that the wind that had blown them away was immense—so strong that even massive Pokémon like Onix couldn't avoid being affected.
The only thing capable of generating such a large-scale gale could be the Lugia that had been drawn here earlier.
Tracing it back to the source, Silas realized he bore some responsibility as well.
Sending the Flabébé back home was no longer possible. They might have come from the far end of the Kalos region, or even from islands much farther away.
"So, Flabébé, do you still want to go home?" Silas asked.
"Bébé~"
The five Flabébé manipulated their flowers, their moods sinking all at once. They didn't know where home was anymore.
"How about this, then." Silas stepped forward and beckoned to them, explaining, "You can stay here at the ranch and work for the time being. Once you've grown strong enough to cross the continent, you can leave and search for your homeland again."
"Of course, while you work for me, I'll take care of your food and lodging. I won't let you encounter danger, and I won't let you go hungry."
With five Flabébé around, the vast tulip fields would finally have Pokémon to help tend them.
It was a mutually beneficial partnership.
Minccino seized the opportunity to lean in and whisper to the Flabébé, telling them that Silas could cook incredibly delicious food.
Just hearing Minccino's description made the Flabébé swallow involuntarily. When they looked at Silas again, their wariness was gone.
The five Flabébé, each controlling a flower of a different color, floated over in front of Silas and removed the floral wreaths from their heads.
These were their most precious possessions—crowns made from pollen, with healing effects that could restore most injuries.
This was the Flabébé's way of accepting Silas.
Silas extended his five fingers, letting the Flabébé place the wreaths on them, then gently teased them with his fingers, making the Flabébé burst into giggles of laughter.
(End of Chapter)