The leisurely and relaxed seven-day trip to Alola was drawing to a close, and today was the very last day.
After washing up, Silas gently picked up the still half-asleep Phione in his arms, pushed open the door, and stepped out of the room.
The Poké Poffin that had been placed on the tray outside the door was gone, replaced instead by a rare Berry. He picked up the tray and carried it back into the room.
They would be leaving tomorrow, so he planned to find some time in the evening to talk things over with the other party.
After all, this was a peerless luxury cat—missing such a chance would be something to regret for a lifetime.
A cat-type Pokémon hiding near the stairwell saw this and flicked its tail before quietly leaving, crumbs of Poké Poffin still clinging to its whiskers.
The tangy-spicy Poké Poffin suited its taste perfectly, increasing its fondness for that human just a little more.
The only thing troubling the cat was that after eating Poké Poffins for several consecutive days, its fur had become especially prone to spontaneous combustion.
After just a few days, a perfectly fine white cat had been forcibly burned into a black cat.
It couldn't even finish cleaning itself properly anymore.
Today was the final day in Alola. Everything that should have been played with had already been played, and everything that should have been eaten had already been eaten over the past few days.
After having breakfast with his mom and Serena, the family headed to a souvenir shop near the vacation area.
They planned to buy gifts for relatives and friends of items with distinctive Alolan characteristics.
Silas was fine; he didn't have many friends back at the ranch, so casually picking a few items would be enough.
His mom, on the other hand, lived in Vaniville Town, where neighbors were plentiful, and gifts were needed for everyone. It would take quite a while before she finished shopping.
So Silas took Serena to find a group of Pokémon to play with first. It was the same old spot—Kangaskhan and the others were all there.
"Meow~"
A regular Meowth ran over to greet him.
"Alola~ Meowth!"
Silas replied with a smile, reaching out to rub Meowth's soft, fluffy body. The texture was surprisingly nice.
Before long, Silas was surrounded by a group of Pokémon. He patted each one in turn, and only then were they satisfied enough to disperse and go play on their own.
He had just laid back on a beach chair when Serena came running over at full speed, holding a pitch-black Pokémon in her arms, shouting from far away.
"Big brother~ Big brother!"
"What's wrong?"
He sat up and looked in the direction of her voice.
"Look! This is a Pokémon I found on the beach. I want to take it home!"
The Pokémon had a black body covered in pink spikes—it was a Pyukumuku, a very common Pokémon on beaches.
"That won't do." Silas rubbed her head gently. "Serena, you're still underage, and Pyukumuku isn't suitable for girls."
He took the Pyukumuku from Serena's hands and gave it a firm squeeze.
Pyukumuku spat out its white internal organs, forming a pair of fists.
"Eek! That's so gross!"
Serena immediately hid behind Silas, shaking her head vigorously.
"I don't want it anymore. Big brother, you can have this Pokémon."
As soon as she said that, Serena ran off.
She didn't forget to call Minccino, Morpeko, and Popplio along with her—the three little troublemakers.
Grabbing hold of the Pyukumuku, Silas walked to the seaside and hurled it forcefully back into the ocean.
An entire morning passed amid Serena's constant cries of "Big brother~ Big brother~."
The little girl was especially energetic, and with Minccino and the other three added into the mix, Silas felt his head aching nonstop.
Fortunately, he only had to endure it for the morning. In the afternoon, his mom would be around, so he wouldn't need to keep such a close eye on her.
Taking advantage of the remaining time, he rode on Noivern to visit Principal Samson, Kukui, and the Alolan chef to bid them farewell, since he would be leaving Alola tomorrow.
That night, he had Rowlet keep watch in the room. At the slightest movement near the door, it was to wake him up immediately.
In his sleep, Silas felt someone tugging at his hair. When he opened his eyes, he saw Rowlet lightly pecking him while pulling at his hair.
Swatting it away helplessly, Silas said irritably, "Don't learn everything from Minccino. At this rate, all my hair will be pulled out by you guys sooner or later."
"Rowl?"
Rowlet released him and put on an innocent, adorable expression.
Carefully sitting up, Silas asked in a low voice, "There's movement outside. Did Litten come?"
"Rowl~"
Rowlet nodded. It had seen Litten earlier, which was why it had woken Silas.
"Mm-hmm! Thanks, Rowlet."
Ruffling its head firmly, Silas thanked it with a smile.
He slowly opened the door. The Poké Poffin on the tray was gone, replaced by a Occa Berry instead.
A special Berry that could reduce the power of Fire-type moves.
"Where did Litten run off to?"
Silas looked left and right but didn't see any sign of Litten.
"Rowl!"
Standing on Silas's shoulder, Rowlet's eyes gleamed as it gestured for him to follow.
The nights in Alola were noticeably cooler. Silas didn't forget to go back and put on a jacket before heading out together with Rowlet.
On the rooftop of the resort hotel, the "black cat" faced the sea breeze while savoring delicious Poké Poffins, feeling that its cat life was already complete.
Suddenly, Litten looked toward a certain direction. All the fur on its body bristled as it arched its back and hissed.
"Meow… meowrrr!"
"Rowl Rowl~"
Rowlet flew up and landed on the edge, waving at the hissing Litten in greeting.
Silas followed behind and lightly leapt onto the rooftop.
Noticing Litten's hostile posture, Silas released goodwill instead, waving from a distance.
"Hello there, Litten."
Seeing that it was him, Litten merely swept a calm glance in his direction.
It then relaxed, lying back down in its original spot and slowly savoring the Poké Poffin. The ravenous way it ate when alone vanished completely.
Knowing this cat's personality well, Silas didn't approach rashly.
Holding Rowlet in his arms and warming his hands under its wings, Silas began chatting with Litten from every possible angle.
He talked about his experiences over the past few days in Alola, talked about the ranch and all the Pokémon there, embellishing things however interestingly he could.
Gradually, out of the corner of his eye, Silas noticed Litten's ears quietly perk up.
Don't be fooled by its aloof appearance—this was something shaped by its living environment. If it didn't act this way, it would be bullied by other wild Pokémon.
Litten's personality was the classic cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside type—a sharp tongue with a soft heart.
Just look at when they first met: after eating his cat food, Litten had brought him rare Berries for several days in a row.
With the cool sea breeze blowing gently through the night, the distance between the human and the Pokémon slowly narrowed.
Gurgle~
Rowlet tilted its head and blinked.
It slipped out of Silas's embrace and flew off to the side.
A well-behaved, sensible little one.
The timing was just right. Silas took out a Poké Poffin from the box, handed it to Litten, and made his invitation.
"Litten, I'd like to invite you to join my ranch."
"Meow!"
Litten didn't turn around and leave. Instead, it questioned his reasons—meaning he was already halfway successful.
What remained was whether his reasoning could convince Litten to persuade itself.
Silas moved a little closer and placed the Poké Poffin in front of Litten.
"When I go back this time, I'm planning to make some big moves," Silas said slowly. "By then, the ranch will have a large number of crops. If you, Litten, can bring rare Berries every day, that would be incredible, wouldn't it?"
"Meow~"
Litten proudly lifted its head, wearing a small expression that clearly said, Human, you have good taste.
Those Berries were all obtained through exchanges with other wild Pokémon. Of course, if they refused, Litten didn't mind using its claws to 'discuss' the matter with them.
"That's wonderful. With you joining the ranch, Litten, I won't have to worry about the ranch's property being stolen ever again."
Taking advantage of the conversation, Silas moved even closer and was now sitting right beside Litten.
He gently placed his hand on Litten's back, feeling its body stiffen instantly.
Success! It hadn't swiped him with its claws.
(End of Chapter)