Over the course of the following week, everything at the ranch proceeded as usual. The crops planted across the fields—coffee beans, mung beans, strawberries, and the like—were all harvested and sold without incident.
Even the tulips gradually began to wither. The once-blooming, vividly colored flowers slowly dried up, forming capsule-like seed pods that contained tulip seeds within. The green leaves gradually yellowed, the above-ground portions completely dying off, while their nutrients condensed into bulb-like forms buried beneath the soil, waiting patiently to sprout again when the time was right the following year.
The withering of the tulip fields caused the five Flabébé to cry for a long time. They believed it was their fault—that they had failed to take proper care of the flowers—and so they waited early outside Silas's door, apologizing to him over and over again. Silas first went with them to inspect the current condition of the flower fields. As he gently comforted the heartbroken Flabébé, he patiently explained the situation to them.
"Don't worry, this isn't because of you."
He softly reassured them, lifting all five Flabébé into his palms and teasing them gently.
"If it weren't for you, these flowers would've withered long ago. You're all great contributors—I haven't even rewarded you yet!"
As he spoke, Silas took five small, miniature red flowers out of his pocket and carefully stuck one onto each Flabébé's chest.
"Bébé?"
The Flabébé were stunned, their tiny hands twisting together nervously. These… were for them?
"Yes, yes! I prepared these especially for you," Silas said with a smile, nodding.
Hearing that, the Flabébé immediately brightened up. Angelic smiles bloomed across their little faces as they fluttered around Silas, holding onto their small red flowers as they danced through the air. After giving Silas a kiss on the cheek one by one, they hurried back to their little house beside the flower fields, carefully placing the red flowers inside their rooms and sticking them up on the wall.
They, too, now had a small shared wish made together with Silas.
"Cyc~"
Watching the Flabébé's moods turn from gloomy to sunny, Silas lowered his head only to see Cyclizar tugging at his clothes, looking up at him with an expression full of longing.
"You want one too?"
Cyclizar nodded vigorously.
"Cyc!"
"That won't do," Silas said, shaking his head. "You haven't really done anything outstanding lately. That wouldn't be fair to the other Pokémon."
Dejected, Cyclizar lowered its head and flopped flat onto the grass, completely motionless. Seeing it put on that familiar "dead fish" act again, Silas gave it a light kick.
"You want one? It's not impossible."
"Cyc?"
"If you help dig out all the tulip bulbs buried underground, I'll reward you with one small red flower."
Cyclizar immediately sprang up and shifted into its battle form, brimming with fighting spirit, vigorously expressing that everything could be left to it—it guaranteed mission success. Even though the task was assigned to Cyclizar, Silas still picked up his tools and joined in to help. It was the perfect opportunity to collect all the bulbs and let the farmland rest for a while, allowing it to recover properly.
Once the work began, it wasn't just Silas and Cyclizar lending a hand. Hearing the news, the other Pokémon came over to help as well. Silas assigned tasks accordingly so that the work could proceed faster.
Meowth led Minccino and Morpeko in collecting the seed pods containing the seeds, while Cyclizar and Mudsdale followed behind them, uprooting the withered tulips completely and gathering the bulbs. Even the little Mareeps insisted on helping, using their hooves to dig around in search of buried bulbs.
The flower fields quickly turned into a scene of bustling activity. At that moment, a cry of surprise from Minccino drew Silas's attention. He saw Happy Sheep carrying Minccino on its back, rushing toward him in a hurry.
"Min!"
Before Happy Sheep could even stop, Minccino leapt high into the air and was caught by Silas's outstretched hand, excitedly presenting the bulb it was holding. Unlike the usual brown or dark brown bulbs, the one clutched in Minccino's paws was a silver-white, flattened, round bulb.
[Silver Chalice Tulip: A special crop. Plant it in a 3×3 area (no other crops may exist within the area). After a certain period of time, it will produce sparkling Relic Silver Coins.]
(Relic Silver: In the Pokémon Black and White games, one coin sells for 5000.)
This was the second type of special crop, following the Golden Potato. Looking at the panel description, Silas was reminded of a certain game with magical plants—pea shooters that spat peas as attacks, cherry bombs that exploded, and squash plants that could crush enemies with a single glare. Among them was a magical plant whose effects were strikingly similar to those of the Silver Chalice Tulip.
"Well done. This little red flower is for you."
Pinching Minccino's big ears affectionately, Silas handed over the last remaining small red flower he had on him.
"Min!"
Minccino happily accepted the red flower. After thinking for a moment, it took the initiative to hang it on Happy Sheep instead. It already had one, so this one should go to Happy Sheep. At the same time, Minccino explained the use of the small red flowers to Happy Sheep: once you collected ten of them, you could go to Silas and exchange them for a small wish.
"Maa!"
Happy Sheep shook its head vigorously—this gift was far too precious, and it absolutely could not accept it.
"Min~"
"Maa-Maa~"
Not far away, Cyclizar caught sight of the two Pokémon politely pushing the gift back and forth, and it almost rushed over to snatch the red flower for itself. Dragon-level jealousy… Turning its frustration into motivation, Cyclizar dug even harder, searching for the buried tulip bulbs with renewed vigor. Once it finished all this work, it too would earn a small red flower—there was no need to envy the others.
Carefully putting away the special crop bulb, Silas figured that, barring any surprises, he wouldn't see its effects until next year. Then again… he could build a greenhouse on the ranch. Using it to grow flowers would be no problem at all—there'd be no need to follow seasonal timing strictly. That way, during autumn and winter, the Flabébé wouldn't have to feel sad just because all the flowers had withered.
Yes! He'd build it once he got back.
With everyone working together, all the bulbs and seed pods were quickly collected. Silas carefully inspected them one by one, discarding any bulbs that were cracked, moldy, or rotten. The remaining healthy ones were shaken free of dirt, trimmed of excess stems and leaves, and placed in a cool, well-ventilated area to dry. As for the seed pods, each was cracked open to extract the plump seeds inside, which were then stored in sealed glass jars. A bit of dried chili was added to prevent pests, Cyclizar helped tighten the lids, and the jars were placed in a cool, dark spot for storage.
Properly processed this way, tulip seeds could be stored for two to three years without spoiling, as long as they were kept dry.
"Cyc!"
Seeing Silas finish his work, Cyclizar—who had been waiting impatiently nearby—hurried over, placing its claws on Silas with an ingratiating look on its face. Silas shoved it away, saliva splashing everywhere.
"Cyc~"
Cyclizar blinked, full of anticipation.
"Cyclizar, did you forget? You still owe me a small red flower from that time you went speeding around."
He poked the would-be freeloader with a finger.
"This one counts as repayment."
"Cyc—!"
All that excitement for nothing—Cyclizar immediately drooped its head. But moments later, its mood brightened again. It reached out repeatedly, pawing at Silas, asking if there was anything else it could help with—Cyclizar could do anything, after all. Crossing his legs, Silas leaned back against Cyclizar and lay down on the grass, planning out the remaining tasks for the week in his mind.
Since he planned to let the fields rest, the fertilizer he had left at home definitely wouldn't be enough. He'd need to make another trip to Shalour City to buy more fertilizer. Shouting toward the house, Morpeko came waddling out, swaying side to side, still holding a small clock in its hands. After patting its head and telling it to go back to watching TV, Silas had already climbed onto Cyclizar.
A man of action through and through, Silas glanced at the time—it was only a little past ten. He'd go buy the fertilizer now, come back, and start tending the fields again in the afternoon.
(End of Chapter)