Silas was sick, very sick.
He lay in bed for an entire day and night, his mind trapped in a constant haze.
He couldn't even speak; his throat felt as though it were being scorched by fire.
When he did manage to make a sound, it was hoarse and rough, as if it had been ground down by coarse sand—painful to hear even for others.
What was fortunate, however, was that the Pokémon could still live well even without him.
Together, they managed the ranch beautifully, and this filled Silas with quiet satisfaction.
He lifted a hand to scratch under Minccino's chin, then motioned for Cyclizar to add more firewood to the fireplace.
As the bright flames illuminated his body, he could clearly feel himself relaxing.
The chill in his body seemed to be driven away bit by bit.
Silas regained a little of his vitality.
Knock, knock, knock…
A slightly hurried knocking sound came from the door. It opened a crack, and the Mudbray brothers and the five Flabébé filed in one after another.
Silas gently waved them over, and the Pokémon happily rushed toward him, gathering around his side.
"Mud~"
"Bé…"
The five Flabébé struggled together to lift a small glass bottle. Inside was golden, freshly collected nectar.
"Thank you so much!" Silas said with a smile as he reached out to gently rub them. "After drinking the nectar you gathered yesterday, I already feel much better."
"Bébé~"
The Flabébé affectionately rubbed against his palm, indicating that as long as Silas could recover, they were more than willing to gather nectar every single day.
The three Mudbray shoved their big heads forward, eager to show that they had helped too.
They hoped Silas would recover quickly so he could go outside and play with them again.
Silas patted them one by one. Being loved by so many Pokémon made him genuinely happy.
At that moment, Kangaskhan emerged from the kitchen.
In both hands, it carried a huge bowl of soup.
"Kang."
Eat.
Having followed Silas for the longest time and often watched him cook, Kangaskhan had learned to prepare some simple dishes—like boiling noodles.
It was a very plain bowl of clear noodle soup, with just a thin layer of oil floating on the surface.
Silas didn't even need to lift a finger. Minccino eagerly took on the task, feeding him spoon by spoon—he only needed to open his mouth.
Ordinary, bland, hot noodle soup.
Yet Silas finished the entire bowl.
This meal was more delicious than anything he had ever eaten before.
Warmth surged from inside his body, driving away the lingering cold.
"I'm done eating," Silas said, mustering some strength.
He looked around at all the Pokémon. "It's really great to have you all."
...
The next day, Silas felt mostly recovered. His body temperature returned to normal, and his spirits gradually stabilized.
Even so, the Pokémon still refused to let him do anything.
They only allowed him to sit quietly and watch, and even arranged for Minccino to stay by his side at all times to look after him.
Amused yet touched, Silas didn't refuse their kindness.
As he took a walk around the ranch, Minccino followed him closely every step of the way.
Eventually, Silas stopped again in front of the house and asked one of the Flabébé to call Chatot, Cyclizar, and the Noibat trio over.
Even if he couldn't work, there was nothing stopping him from understanding what had happened that day.
Especially Chatot and Cyclizar—sneaking out and getting injured only added to their offenses.
"Noibat, you go first," Silas said, pointing at them. "Start from the beginning."
The three Noibat drooped their heads and stood obediently in a row, waiting for Silas's questioning.
They spoke one after another, recounting the events of that night.
From their explanation, Silas gained a fairly complete understanding of what had happened.
He first sternly criticized the three Noibat, making sure they fully recognized their mistakes.
After they admitted fault, Silas softened his tone and comforted them.
He explained that it wasn't that they weren't allowed to go out—it was for safety's sake, and also to avoid making their family worry.
After dealing with the Noibat trio and sending them aside, Silas turned his gaze toward the corner.
There, trying their best to make themselves invisible, were Cyclizar and Chatot.
Silas's expression turned serious. "Explain yourselves honestly. What exactly were you doing that day?"
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar poked Chatot, signaling for it to speak.
Chatot shook its feathers, knowing there was no escaping this today.
So it recounted everything—beginning to end—without hiding a single detail.
Its attitude in admitting fault was sincere.
As Chatot spoke, Cyclizar occasionally interrupted to add details, and incidentally tried to shift a bit of the blame away from itself.
"Smack!"
A hand chop landed squarely on Cyclizar's head. "Don't interrupt. Let Chatot finish."
The other Pokémon immediately cast unfriendly looks its way. Cyclizar hurriedly squatted down, covering its mouth with its claws.
"I understand the situation now, more or less," Silas said, nodding as he fell into thought.
He extracted the key information from Chatot's account.
"At first, Chatot led its flock along the coast to look for a place to settle. Then Zapdos suddenly appeared, seized your nest, and even toyed with you. Is that right?"
"Cha-tot!" Chatot replied indignantly.
"You sought help from many Pokémon but still couldn't defeat Zapdos, and eventually you turned to Cyclizar. But why did you believe Cyclizar could stand up to Zapdos?"
This was what Silas couldn't understand.
No matter how weak Zapdos might be, it was still a legendary Pokémon, a divine beast.
It existed beyond the realm of ordinary Pokémon and possessed a degree of control over nature itself.
And Cyclizar?
This little guy wasn't even a year old yet.
It was raised primarily as a ride Pokémon—how strong could its combat ability really be?
It probably couldn't even beat a swarm of Pikachu, let alone Zapdos.
Fight Zapdos—with what, exactly?
Silas's gaze locked onto Cyclizar.
The fact that Cyclizar had managed to chomp off a Zapdos crest feather meant it hadn't fallen into a complete disadvantage during the battle.
He was extremely curious—how did Cyclizar manage to do that?
Meeting Silas's gaze, Cyclizar proudly puffed out its chest.
"Cy! Cli! Zaaa—" (Bow before me! Worship me! I am the God of the Future—mere Zapdos—)
Before Cyclizar could finish, Silas raised his hand and smacked it on the forehead, cutting it off.
"Speak properly."
Cyclizar pouted. This so-called God of the Future had no dignity at all.
"Cyc!"
Still, Cyclizar obediently explained everything, then ran a short distance away.
Ever since its battle with Zapdos, Cyclizar had felt the power of the future gradually returning.
It could now control blue lightning.
Blue-violet lightning flickered across its body, its dragon tail pointing high toward the sky.
In an instant, dark clouds gathered, lightning brewed within them, and rain poured down in sheets, watering the vegetable fields ahead.
"Rain Dance? No—there's also Thunder involved."
Silas observed closely. Then he saw Cyclizar wrapped in lightning, levitating into midair as a familiar yet unfamiliar silhouette appeared behind it.
"Cyc!" (The power is back!)
Cyclizar roared excitedly. As it transformed, it sprinted at high speed, turning into a mysterious, unknown bolt of lightning that pierced through the clouds, shattering the rainclouds with overwhelming force.
Miraidon — Signature Move: Electro Drift.
"Kang!"
Beside Silas, Kangaskhan narrowed its eyes. That move was something even it might not be able to withstand.
"Cy! Cy! Cli? Zaar?!" (Silas! Silas! Am I cool or what? You believe me now, right?")
Having exhausted itself, Cyclizar excitedly howled and rushed back to Silas, eagerly seeking praise.
Looking at the Cyclizar in front of him, Silas found it hard to connect it with Miraidon at all.
Wasn't this just a big dog that loved eating sandwiches, begged for head pats, and liked biting pant legs?
(End of Chapter)