On April 8th, Year 198 of the League Calendar, outside Lumiose City International Airport.
Just as they walked out, Serena suddenly hugged Silas's leg and looked up at him with pleading eyes.
"Big brother, I want to go play at your ranch. Take me to the ranch, okay?"
As she spoke, Serena twisted her body and acted cute, clinging to him coquettishly.
Her voice was soft and sweet, making it very hard for Silas to refuse.
Just when he was about to give in, his mom walked over and grabbed Serena by the ear.
"You can't go. You still have to go to school. If you don't do well on your final exams, you're not going anywhere."
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Serena immediately put on a pitiful expression, and Silas felt a pang of sympathy when he saw her like that.
He picked Serena up and wiped away her tears. "How about this, if you do well on your finals, big brother will take you to the ranch to play."
"Yay!"
The moment Silas said that, Serena's mood instantly brightened. She giggled, wrapped her arms around his neck, and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
Well, looks like he got tricked by this little girl again.
He scraped her nose lightly with his finger and said helplessly, "If I had known, I wouldn't have saved you back then."
"Big brother~ We have a deal!"
Serena laughed mischievously and wriggled in his arms, wanting to be put down.
Watching his mom and Serena board the car headed for Vaniville Town, Silas wasn't in a hurry to head back. He wasn't pressed for time anyway.
Since he was already in Lumiose City, he definitely had to visit Diantha and deliver the gifts as well.
Lumiose City could be said to be the most prosperous city in the Kalos region, with skyscrapers everywhere.
However, after walking around for a while, Silas noticed something different.
Some areas of the city had been deliberately enclosed, and he didn't know what they were for.
Curious, he went into a nearby café, ordered a cappuccino, and asked the owner about it.
"You mean the Wild Zones?"
"They're areas set aside for wild Pokémon to live in. I heard they're a pilot project for the transformation of Lumiose City."
"Right now, only rookie Trainers can enter them, and there are quite a few rare Pokémon inside!"
As they talked, the owner brought over the cappuccino. "Please enjoy."
"Thank you."
Silas thanked him, picked up the coffee, and took a sip. It tasted quite good.
"Min?"
Minccino poked its head out curiously from his shoulder and sniffed it with its nose.
The bitter smell made it frown deeply.
"Want a taste?"
"Min~"
Minccino shook its head decisively. It definitely didn't taste good—no way it would fall for that trick.
After drinking the coffee to refresh himself and learning what he wanted to know, Silas hailed a taxi by the roadside and headed to the city center.
He got off in front of a tall building not far from the Lumiose Gym—Diantha's studio was located there.
Five minutes later, Silas came back down with a disappointed expression.
He had come at the wrong time. Diantha had gone to film a movie for the past two days, so she wasn't at the studio. He had come for nothing.
Walking along the streets of Lumiose City, Minccino on his shoulder curiously looked around at everything.
He was originally planning to head back, but Minccino wanted to stroll around. "Min~"
Pointing excitedly with its little hand, Minccino tugged on Silas's hair and made him look.
"I see it, I see it." He helplessly knocked on its head, lifted Minccino into his arms, and walked toward the shop.
It was a hair salon.
And hair salons inevitably had a certain type of Pokémon.
The Poodle Pokémon, Furfrou.
What attracted Minccino's curiosity was a star-shaped Furfrou that looked especially cute and eye-catching.
"Welcome to the Salon Suite!"
The hairdresser greeted them enthusiastically, his eyes instantly focusing on Minccino.
"What a cute Pokémon! It would be even prettier with a little grooming."
"Min!?"
(Really!?)
"Such a narcissist." Silas poked Minccino's forehead with his finger, but still put it down.
Of course, it wasn't just Minccino. He also released Morpeko, regular Meowth, and Galarian Meowth.
"Help groom their fur as well."
"No problem!"
The hairdresser was enthusiastic—four Pokémon meant a big business.
There was also a long chain of Poké Balls on Silas's waist. Other fluffy Pokémon like Litten and Alolan Meowth were inside.
Since they didn't like being touched, Silas didn't release them to avoid causing trouble.
The four little ones lay down and enjoyed the full fur-care treatment, making satisfied "purr-purr" sounds.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Silas felt that his slightly long hair was a bit annoying.
Cutting it shorter would also prevent Minccino and the others from constantly tugging at it.
After the haircut, Silas waited and waited, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
When he woke up, he saw four cute and adorable Pokémon staring at him.
As soon as they saw him wake up, they all pounced into his arms together.
He stroked them with his hands—after professional grooming, they really felt different.
Holding Minccino in his arms felt like holding a cloud, light and gentle.
His fingertips glided through its fur like silk, unbelievably smooth. The fur on its tail, the key area of grooming, had become especially fluffy.
He buried his face into Minccino's little belly and took a deep sniff—today it smelled especially good, with a faint berry fragrance.
Morpeko's three-colored fur had been neatly groomed, clearly separated, making it a dream for people with OCD.
The black and brown parts were shiny and glossy, while the yellowish parts were fluffy and warm, with a downy feel to the touch.
Paired with its bright eyes, it looked especially spirited. If its buck teeth grew out a bit more, it would be perfect.
Regular Meowth's light-yellow fur had been neatly arranged, every strand radiating a healthy sheen.
When he ran his hand through it, the fur flowed along with his movements, giving a very special touch.
Galarian Meowth had a thick coat of fur, and since it had been playing in fields and on beaches before, it looked quite dirty.
Silas had helped clean them before, but could only remove the surface impurities.
Now, after professional grooming, the dark brown fur shimmered with silvery highlights, and the fluffiness was just right.
It was like wearing a luxurious coat, with the edges neatly trimmed, looking especially neat. It felt smoother than silk, making one unable to resist giving it a good petting.
The four little ones surrounded him, rubbing against him in his arms.
The different fur textures made Silas extremely satisfied. Looking at them, his eyes sparkled—this money was well spent.
Minccino and the others were satisfied, and Silas was also enjoying himself.
Although it would only last a few days—once they returned to the ranch and ran around for a few days, the effect would disappear—
At least he had enjoyed it, giving each of them a thorough rub.
After paying, Silas didn't put them back into their Poké Balls and kept them by his side.
He also bought a full set of grooming tools and supplies for Pokémon. Alolan Meowth and Litten would have to be groomed personally by him.
One on his shoulder, one in his arms, with two Meowths walking beside him—he couldn't wait to show off his cute little companions to others.
Along the way, they attracted a lot of attention from passersby. Some people even ran over to take photos, giving Silas plenty of emotional satisfaction.
His mindset was basically the same as a fisherman who had just caught a huge fish and was strolling around showing it off.
After wandering around for quite a while, he finally recalled the Meowths. When he was about to take out a Poké Ball in the suburbs, Cyclizar jumped out first.
Smiling at Cyclizar's jealous expression, Silas still climbed onto it, pointed in a direction, and only then headed back to the ranch.
(End of Chapter)