"There's prepared food in the fridge. If you get hungry, you can eat it directly."
In front of the cottage, Silas explained things to the Meowth.
"If you can't reach something, you can ask Kangaskhan for help."
"And I'll have to trouble you with the weeding work in the fruit grove."
"Meow!"
"Kang~"
"..."
The Pokémon all responded to Silas, telling him to leave with peace of mind—they were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.
"Alright then, I'll be back by the afternoon at the latest."
It wasn't his first time going out, so Silas wasn't particularly worried.
After giving his reminders, Silas mounted Cyclizar, with Minccino and Morpeko held in his arms. These two little ones were also going along to welcome a new companion.
Before setting off, Silas once again checked his shoulder bag—money, empty Poké Balls, and snacks that Pokémon liked were all there.
After confirming everything was in order, Silas patted Cyclizar, signaling that it could depart.
Along the way, his ears were filled with Minccino's endless stream of curiosity and the nonstop crunching sounds of Morpeko chewing on snacks.
He really should have known better than to bring the two of them along.
Shaking his head, Silas directed Cyclizar to turn into a side fork in the road. This path led straight to Hain's Ranch.
Hain's Ranch was a grassland ranch located on the latter half of Route 12's plains, neighboring the territory of Pyroar.
Once he purchased the Mareep, he could conveniently go pay a visit to the Pyroar family as well—it had been quite a while since he'd last seen them.
Cyclizar was extremely fast as it traveled along the grassy road.
Before long, a ranch appeared ahead.
Looking into the distance, one could see groups of Pokémon running freely inside the ranch.
Only when they drew closer did their forms become clear.
It was a herd of Ponyta.
At the front was a Rapidash, its entire body wreathed in blazing flames and shining brilliantly—the leader of this Ponyta herd.
It noticed them and took the initiative to run over.
"Neigh~"
Rapidash revealed an almost human-like expression, teasing Cyclizar and challenging it to a contest of speed.
Well!
That was perfectly in line with Rapidash's personality—whenever it encountered something that moved quickly, it would always step forward to compete.
It had clearly taken Cyclizar as its opponent.
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar responded loudly, its speed gradually increasing as faint arcs of electricity began to coil around its black tires.
With the ranch ahead as its target, Cyclizar transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot forward, leaving Rapidash far behind.
Rapidash froze for a moment, then broke away from the herd and, separated only by a fence, sprinted at full speed in pursuit of Cyclizar.
The entire process didn't give Silas any chance to refuse—he could only cling tightly to Cyclizar to avoid being flung off.
Meanwhile, Minccino and Morpeko were loving the chaos.
Facing the gale head-on, they opened their mouths wide in exhilaration, praising Cyclizar while also reminding Silas that Rapidash was catching up.
Cyclizar accelerated even further. Two Pokémon renowned for their speed—one transformed into lightning, the other into flame.
Both pushed their speed to the limit, racing side by side.
At the same time, the air was filled with Silas's continuous cries of, "Aaaahhhh—!"
He had practically taken flight.
...
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Silas smacked Cyclizar hard on the head several times, his heart still pounding violently. What had just happened was truly terrifying.
"Cyclizar, you now owe me one little red flower."
"Cyc~!"
(Don't do that!)
Cyclizar drooped its head dejectedly, glaring resentfully at the Rapidash beside it.
This was all its fault!
Rapidash bared its teeth and stuck out its tongue at Cyclizar, thoroughly enjoying Rancher Hain's affectionate pats.
Hain's gaze fell upon the Cyclizar lying weakly on the ground, his eyes shining with amazement.
"Silas, your Pokémon—its name is Cyclizar, right?"
"That's right. A guy who never lets me rest easy."
"Hahaha~ Rapidash is the same."
"Did you know? Rapidash was the champion of the last racing meet. For your Cyclizar to be able to outrun Rapidash…"
Hain raised his thumb in wholehearted praise.
Based on its performance just now, Cyclizar would easily place in the top three at a racing meet.
Hearing the praise, Cyclizar raised its tail and rubbed against Silas in a fawning manner, indicating that it knew it was wrong and wanted a little red flower.
Rolling his eyes at the shameless Cyclizar, Silas followed Hain into the interior of the ranch.
Minccino and Morpeko looked around curiously, brimming with enthusiasm for this different ranch, tugging at Silas's hair and peppering him with questions nonstop.
"That's a Doduo. Don't get too close, okay? Be careful, or it'll peck your head."
"Min~"
Minccino immediately halted, then dashed back in a flash.
'So scary~'
Hain's Ranch was vast, with a huge grassland where all kinds of Pokémon lived.
There were the Ponyta herd, a Doduo flock, a few Blitzle, and Silas's goal for this trip—the Mareep herd.
Their leader looked like a bipedal Pokémon with a white, fluffy belly and yellow skin.
"Amp~"
"That's Ampharos. He's an old partner of mine," Hain introduced.
Ampharos—the final evolution of Mareep, a pure Electric-type Pokémon.
"The Mareep you want to buy are the offspring of one of Ampharos's descendants."
Understanding dawned on Silas. He took some snacks from his bag and offered them to Ampharos, first earning the goodwill of this tribe elder.
Ampharos accepted the small biscuits, took a bite, and let out a pleased sound as it squinted its eyes in enjoyment.
Not far away, a large group of Flaaffy and Mareep gathered upon hearing the sound. Soon, the air was filled with "baa baa baa" cries as they all begged for snacks.
Silas naturally didn't refuse, even asking Minccino and Morpeko to help distribute them.
No little sheep could resist delicious snacks.
If his "cheat" could display favorability, the Mareep herd's impression of him had already reached the Friendly level, establishing a foundation of trust.
Seeing how easily Silas had gained the favor of Ampharos and the others, the last trace of worry in Hain's heart dissipated.
This way, the little Mareeps would be able to integrate into Silas's ranch as soon as possible.
Waving goodbye to the greedy little sheeps, the two walked toward the nearby nursery.
Newborn Pokémon were the most fragile and had to be isolated and fed separately to ensure their health.
There were no other Pokémon in the nursery—only two Flaaffy and a group of new hatched Mareep.
Curled up beside the Flaaffy, they played and tumbled about together.
Except for one lamb whose wool on its head resembled… well, something less flattering—it was curled up alone in the corner, fast asleep.
"Mr. Hain, how many little lambs are there in total?" Silas asked.
"Five. They were all born in the same litter."
Five lambs? That was just right.
Silas withdrew his gaze from the Mareep. "Mr. Hain, how about you sell all five of these lambs to me?"
"You want all of them?"
"Yes." He nodded. "They get along so well. I don't want to separate them."
One sheep was work, two sheep were still work.
Five would just be livelier—and it wouldn't cost him much more.
For Hain, this was also a good deal.
With Silas buying them all in one go, he wouldn't need to look for other buyers, saving him a lot of trouble.
A win-win-win situation. Naturally, Hain had no reason to refuse and agreed on the spot.
After paying, Silas went inside to spend some time with the five little lambs, getting closer and building rapport.
(End of Chapter)