"Noi~ (≧▽≦)ノ"
"Noi Noi~ ヾ(≧▽≦*)o"
"Noi~ (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و"
The three little Noibat quickly surrounded him, their joy overflowing without the slightest attempt at concealment.
They handed the gleaming golden trophy to Silas.
The moment it landed in his hands, he felt its solid weight. On the cup's surface were three small claw marks—intentionally carved there by the Noibat themselves.
This was their very first honor, something of immense commemorative value.
Three pairs of gazes, six bright eyes, all focused on Silas at once. The Noibat were eagerly waiting for his praise.
Silas understood their psychology perfectly.
It was just like a child who had scored a perfect 100 on an exam—desperate to show it off and receive recognition from an adult.
Knowing this, there was no way Silas would dampen their enthusiasm.
He smiled and praised them sincerely, "Noibat, you were amazing!"
"Noi~"
Such a light and simple sentence, yet it made the Noibat feel as though they had just tasted honey—sweet to the core.
They crowded around Silas, leaning their heads in close, asking to be petted.
With both hands, Silas gently stroked the three little heads back and forth. It took quite a while before the Noibat finally calmed down.
Just then, Minccino came running over with Flabébé and the others. When the little one spotted the trophy resting on the grass, it let out an excited cry, providing maximum emotional validation.
"Min Min!"
(It's a champion's trophy! Noibat, you're so amazing—it's a perfect 100!)
The Flabébé began a celebratory dance, fluttering up and down in the air.
Surrounded by Silas's praise and the admiration and worship in Minccino and the others' eyes, the Noibat trio felt utterly elated.
Their little faces flushed faintly red from excessive excitement.
After getting permission from the Noibat, Minccino carefully carried the trophy away, with the Mareep and the Flabébé following behind one after another.
Silas stepped forward and stopped in front of the Noibat. "Here—this is the reward you earned for winning the championship."
A small red paper flower, cut by hand, was gently stuck onto the side of a Noibat's wing.
"Noi~!"
Winning the championship, being praised by their companions, and even receiving a little red flower—
The Noibat trio felt so happy they could practically die of bliss. On their way back to the cave, they floated along in a daze the entire time.
Once the Noibat had also left, the Cyclizar, who had been pretending nothing was going on, crept over and tugged at Silas's pant leg with its mouth, pawing at him insistently.
Meeting Cyclizar's eyes, Silas could almost hear it saying, "What about mine? What about mine?"
"I didn't forget you."
Silas reached out to comfort it, signaling for it to let go—his pants were about to be pulled right off.
He stuck a little red flower onto Cyclizar's forehead, then sent it off to rest nearby, since he still had more road paving to do.
Today's goal was to finish paving all the main paths that were frequently used on the ranch.
From the front gate to the ranch house; from the house to the stables and the sheep area; to the cave; and to the lake.
For the convenience of future ranch development, Silas had also built a wooden bridge across the river to connect both banks.
The happiest Pokémon by far was Minccino. With the little wooden bridge, it could now run over to the opposite side to play.
Going back and forth was incredibly convenient—no more having to circle half the lake just to reach the other side.
As soon as the wooden bridge was completed, Minccino ran over to ask Silas first. After receiving his approval, it immediately called out to the other Pokémon.
In a flurry of chasing and laughter, they all rushed onto the bridge.
They lay on the edge to look at the flowing water below, then bounced up and down on the planks.
The bridge was extremely sturdy. Even with five Wooloo, Minccino, and Morpeko stepping on it together, it didn't wobble at all.
"Mud?"
Seeing this, one of the Mudsdale nearby grew eager to give it a try as well.
It had just lifted one hoof when Silas quickly stopped it.
"You guys absolutely can't walk on it!"
"Mud?"
"The materials used for the bridge are pretty ordinary. It can't handle your weight. How about we just go around it instead?"
"Mud ~"
Mudsdale walked closer and gently nudged Silas with its nose.
It exposed its hairless neck, clearly asking him to pet it.
As Silas stroked Mudsdale's body, his hand brushed over some rough, uneven clumps.
"Huh? Mudsdale, why is your hair all tangled together?"
Lifting aside Mudsdale's long mane, he saw quite a few knotted hairballs.
He checked the other two as well—they were exactly the same.
Every time Mudsdale bathed, it was definitely just a quick rinse with water, done half-heartedly.
Understanding the cause of the tangled curls, Silas said helplessly, "You haven't even played in the mud today. I'll give you a proper wash."
"Mud…"
Mudsdale was clearly reluctant and tried to escape.
Silas called Kangaskhan over to help keep an eye on the Mudsdale. He himself returned to the house to grab the bathing tools, then led them to the stream near where it flowed into the sea.
He started by rinsing their legs, especially the area above the knees.
Too much mud buildup would affect Mudsdale's balance while running.
As the Mudsdale stood there stiff and unmoving, Silas applied Pokémon-specific body wash.
"Min~!"
Minccino hopped excitedly, eager to help. It had wanted to wash the Mudsdale clean for a long time already.
If Silas hadn't reminded it before that it shouldn't impose its own likes and dislikes onto other Pokémon, it would've done it ages ago.
Now that Silas was doing it too, Minccino finally got its chance.
Its eyes burned with enthusiasm, practically on fire, as it prepared to go all out.
This time, it was determined to scrub the Mudsdale brothers spotless inside and out.
Silas assigned Minccino to wash the body, while he himself picked up a brush, dipped it in shampoo, and began scrubbing Mudsdale's mane and tail.
Unlike other horse Pokémon, a Mudsdale's fur was exceptionally thick and abundant. Cleaning it was both time-consuming and exhausting. Even after brushing once, hidden clumps of dried mud could still be found tangled deep within.
One human and one mouse worked together, giving the Mudsdale a thorough, all-around cleaning.
By the time all three Mudsdale were finally cleaned, several hours had passed, and the sun was gradually sinking toward the west.
"Min!"
Standing at a distance and watching the Mudsdale shake their bodies on the grass, Minccino felt utterly exhausted—but its mood was exceptionally wonderful.
This was the kind of Mudsdale it had always wanted to see.
"It's getting late. Don't go playing in the mud again. Eat dinner later and then go to sleep properly."
Putting away the tools, Silas called out to the Mudsdale.
"Mud~"
The Mudsdale twisted its body awkwardly, feeling strangely bare and insecure.
Seeing Silas about to head back, the Mudsdale clopped its hooves and followed closely behind, step by step.
Trailing after him like a little lackey.
This was one of the ways Mudsdale expressed trust and reliance—by choosing to follow voluntarily and regarding Silas as the leader of the herd.
Back at the house, Silas lifted the yawning Minccino down from Mudsdale's back.
He rubbed its fluffy big ears, habitually gave its soft little belly a gentle rua, and teased it with his finger.
"Today really wouldn't have worked without Minccino's help!"
Minccino wrapped its tiny paws around his finger, let out a cute little whimper, and could barely keep its eyes open.
"Min~"
"So sleepy already?"
Chuckling, Silas gently patted it. "You can't sleep yet. Eat dinner first, then you can sleep."
Minccino wanting to sleep early was a rare sight indeed.
Silas called a Meowth over to help watch over Minccino, then quickly went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
During the meal, Minccino was already so sleepy it could barely function. After only a couple of bites, it fell asleep completely—no amount of shaking could wake it. It was out cold.
Without Minccino, the main pillar of energy, the other Pokémon also began feeling drowsy not long after finishing dinner.
After exchanging good nights with all the Pokémon, they each went off to sleep.
It was a rare night of going to bed early.
(End of Chapter)