At dusk, bathed in the lingering glow of the setting sun, Silas returned home.
Noivern had only just touched down when, from afar, his Kangaskhan and Cyclizar noticed him and came running straight toward him.
Before Silas could even steady himself, he was knocked flat to the ground.
Cyclizar stretched out its tongue and happily licked Silas's face, brimming with joy and excitement.
"Alright, alright, easy there—you're getting your saliva all over my face," Silas said helplessly as he pushed Cyclizar's large head aside.
Before he could react any further, Kangaskhan scooped him up in one swift motion and held him tightly in its arms.
On the beach not far away, Minccino, Morpeko, Mareep, and Flabébé all came running toward him together.
They surrounded Silas, clustering around him as they eagerly expressed how much they had missed him.
After comforting each of them one by one, Silas picked up the Poké Poffin box.
"I brought you all some tasty Poké Poffins again today!"
As soon as he finished speaking, every Pokémon's attention was instantly drawn to him.
The Poké Poffins Silas had brought yesterday were incredibly delicious.
Especially Lazy Mareep who had been lazily lingering at the very back—suddenly caught the scent of the Poké Poffins. Its eyes lit up in an instant.
A burst of energy erupted from its body as it squeezed its way little by little toward the front.
"Maa~"
Mareep nudged Silas, then stretched out its tongue and licked him ingratiatingly.
"Today you only get one piece. Don't even think about sneaking extra," Silas said.
"Min~"
At that moment, Minccino, standing on Cyclizar's back, began tattling.
That afternoon, Lazy Mareep had eaten all the snacks Cyclizar had helped buy, not leaving any for the others.
In the end, it was his mom who bought them another portion, otherwise they would have gone hungry.
"You, honestly…" Silas said as he gently pushed Lazy Mareep onto its back, placing a hand on its small belly.
It was round and bulging.
"Very good. Your Poké Poffin is confiscated for now."
"Maa…" Lazy Mareep protested, glaring unhappily at Minccino.
Before it could do anything else, Happy Mareep and the Mudsdale teamed up to drag Lazy Mareep away.
Faint sobbing sounds could still be heard from behind.
Ignoring the commotion, Silas clapped his hands toward Noivern.
"Alcremie, come and meet everyone."
"Cree!"
A cute cry rang out. Once a Milcery, it had already evolved into Alcremie right away after choosing a sweet item combined with the Ultra-Fragrant Sweet Poke Poffin, and now under the watchful gazes of the Pokémon, Alcremie gracefully hopped down and stood beside Silas.
It waved its little hand, greeting the others.
"Cree~"
(Hello everyone! My name is Alcremie. Please take care of me!)
Minccino jumped down, its fluffy little face blooming with a bright smile as it enthusiastically greeted the newcomer.
A new companion—yay!
"Min!"
"Cree~"
The two little cuties got to know each other, holding hands and spinning around in circles.
Morpeko crept closer and sniffed Alcremie curiously.
"Morpe!!! (￣￢￣)"
(It's delicious cream—slurp, slurp!)
Morpeko stuck out its tongue and gave Alcremie a lick. The tasty cream made it squint in bliss.
Without its front teeth, Morpeko loved cream more than anything these days.
Immediately afterward, its enthusiasm surged.
"Cree?"
Tickled by the licking, Alcremie hid behind Minccino, peeking out with only its head exposed as it asked curiously.
"Morpe~ Morpeko…"
Morpeko nodded vigorously, expressing just how much it loved cream.
Hearing this, Alcremie looked to Silas for permission, then released a large amount of freshly whipped cream into Morpeko's ice-water cup.
"Don't eat too much. In a few days, when we go back, I'll make you a fruit milkshake," Silas said.
He lifted the hand that had just been resting on Alcremie and brought it to his nose. A creamy fragrance lingered there—sweet and pleasant.
Silas then distributed the Poké Poffins he had brought back to all the Pokémon.
The Ultra-Fragrant Sweet Poké Poffins were hugely popular. Silas didn't forget to share them with his mom and Serena as well.
Just like that, the fourth day in Alola quietly slipped by. Before going to bed after dinner, Silas thought for a moment and placed a Poké Poffin at the doorway.
In the middle of the night, a cat-like Pokémon, its previously scorched fur now gone, walked over with elegant steps. Its entire body was covered in snow-white fur, glossy and smooth.
It was a shiny Litten!
Dropping the berry it had been holding at the door, Litten picked up the Poké Poffin and leapt onto the roof, nibbling at it in small bites.
...
The next morning, Silas opened his eyes.
"Alola! Alcremie."
"Cree~"
Alcremie waved its little hand.
After waking the two little ones in the blankets, Silas finished washing up and pushed the door open.
As expected, another berry had been placed at the doorway.
Today's offering was a Kee Berry—bitter and spicy.
Putting away the empty plate beside it, Silas smiled knowingly.
After eating a simple breakfast, Silas brought all his Pokémon along to find Kangaskhan.
Today was an important day.
By the time he arrived at the place where the Pokémon were temporarily staying, they had already formed a circle, all of them craning their necks in curiosity.
When they saw Silas approaching, the Pokémon made way for him.
At the center of the circle was an egg—Phione's egg.
As Silas's finger touched its surface, information fed back instantly.
[Phione's Egg: Time until hatching: 3 hours 23 minutes 33 seconds]
"There are still a little over three hours left. Go eat first," Silas said.
After sending the Pokémon off to eat, Silas picked up a Poké Poffin and offered it to Kangaskhan.
"Kang~"
Kangaskhan shook its head, its gaze never leaving the Pokémon egg.
"Eat a little, at least to fill your stomach," Silas said gently.
He understood Kangaskhan's feelings. It had been holding onto this egg for nearly a month—now it was finally about to hatch.
The Pokémon quickly wolfed down their breakfast, then gathered back together without any prompting.
They waited… and waited… until Serena also came running over.
"Big brother~"
"Shh!"
Silas gestured for silence, signaling Serena not to make any noise, and motioned for her to walk over carefully.
"The egg is about to hatch. Come watch with us."
Covering her mouth to suppress an excited cry, Serena nodded vigorously.
Time ticked by, second by second. Silas watched as the countdown on the panel finally reached zero.
In the next instant, a brilliant white light burst forth from the Pokémon egg.
The light completely enveloped it.
Seeing this, Silas, Serena, Kangaskhan, and the others all held their breath.
In just a few short seconds, a new Pokémon appeared before everyone's eyes.
Its entire body was sea-blue in color, with a small, delicate build and a round head. Atop its head was a crown formed by a floating sac, from which extended a long, ribbon-like tentacle.
The Pokémon stood less than thirty centimeters tall.
With a small mouth, big eyes framed by blue eye rings, flipper-like arms, and a distinctive red oval gemstone embedded in its chest—
The Pokémon before them was Phione, known as the "Grandchild of the Sea," the most inconspicuous among the Mythical Pokémon.
"Phio~ Phio!"
Its cry was ethereal, carrying the sound of ocean waves.
Silas extended a finger and smiled. "Welcome to this world, Phione."
"Phio!"
It was a human it liked.
Even while still inside the egg, Phione had sensed this human's presence.
Finding its target, it leapt straight into Silas's arms, calling out "Phio, phio" as it expressed its affection.
Silas gently stroked it with his finger. Phione's body felt cool to the touch.
Holding it during summer would probably feel incredibly comfortable.
After snuggling with Silas for a while, Phione went around greeting the other Pokémon one by one.
Mama Kangaskhan, big sister Minccino, Uncle Cyclizar, big brother Morpeko… everyone was here.
At the same time, deep beneath the azure sea—
The sleeping Manaphy awakened, sensing the birth of its child.
That meant its Coconut Milk Soup could be delivered now, right?!
Hurry, hurry, hurry—I can't wait anymore.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Milcery evolving was not mentioned in this chapter I just added a small part because the author skipped it. Was too busy to further add to it so just added a small sentence mentioning its evolution.