They traveled along Route 13, passed by the Kalos Power Plant, went through Coumarine City, and after roughly an hour, finally returned to the ranch.
"We're home!"
"Cyc~"
(Little red flowers… two of them!)
The Cyclizar reminded Silas, reaching out with a claw to tug at him.
"Don't rush," Silas said as he patted it reassuringly. "Let's go inside first. We still have a big cleanup to do later."
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar replied in a somewhat sulky tone, following behind Silas as the man and Pokémon crossed the ranch gate together.
After being away for a full week with no one to tend the place, weeds had grown wildly throughout the ranch. A thin layer of dust covered the paths, and Pyroar's footprints could still be seen back and forth across the ground.
"Min!"
Minccino grew impatient and scratched at Silas, having already jumped down from his shoulder. Its fluffy tail swept across the ground like a broom, clearing the path.
"Hey, hey, hey—don't do that!"
Silas quickly reached out and scooped Minccino up into his arms. Its fur had just been groomed; he couldn't let it get dirty after only a few days of being soft and fragrant.
"Min~"
Minccino struggled, trying to jump back down.
"We'll have Noivern blow a gust of wind later to clean the roads," Silas coaxed gently. "How about you help me clean the house instead?"
Minccino responded with a soft sound and nodded in agreement.
Fortunately, before leaving, Silas and the Pokémon had already laid down proper paths, making it especially convenient to move around the ranch now.
After making a round, they arrived in front of the ranch house.
Three little Litleo were chasing each other and playing on the lawn, while not far away, the Pyroar couple was leaning against each other. The male Pyroar was grooming the female's fur, looking thoroughly ingratiating.
"Ahem!"
Hearing the sound, the Pyroar looked over.
When it noticed Silas standing on the path, the Pyroar awkwardly greeted him, standing up and letting out a low roar.
"You guys carry on. I didn't see anything," Silas waved his hand and turned around, heading toward the cave.
"Min…"
(I didn't see anything either…) Minccino covered its eyes with its tiny hands, peeking through the gaps between its fingers.
"Kids shouldn't look at this kind of thing. You'll get eye problems," Silas said, covering Minccino's eyes as he walked straight on, leaving them plenty of space.
Just after they left, the female Pyroar angrily swiped her paw at the male, stood up, and headed toward the ranch exit.
The little Litleo that had been playing nearby immediately toddled after her.
When Silas reached the cave entrance, Noivern and the two little Noibat had already run out on their own.
Noivern rubbed against Silas, then let out a burst of ultrasonic calls into the cave, summoning the Carbink inside.
As for the little Noibat, after letting Silas pet them for a moment, they hurried back into the cave.
Seven days away—Sableye should be here, right?
They wanted to evolve too…
Silas waited at the entrance for a short while, and soon several Carbink came hopping out from deeper within the cave.
Seeing Noivern, the Carbink gathered around it, presenting the gemstones they had collected to their leader.
Noivern lowered its head to inspect them. It clearly liked the glittering gemstones very much.
"Noi~"
(Put them all in my nest.)
"Bink!"
(Okay, boss!)
Silas stopped one Carbink and asked it to guide him to where Diancie was sleeping. The rest followed behind Noivern toward its nest.
After a week away, the Carbink underground kingdom had changed quite a bit.
The paths had grown wider, and the cave walls were inlaid with gemstones and jewels of all kinds, glowing softly.
"Huh?"
Silas exclaimed in surprise and moved closer.
No matter the type, every gemstone's glow carried a faint pink hue, and the deeper he went, the stronger the influence became.
By the time he approached the place where Diancie was sleeping, the gemstones embedded in the cave walls were all pink diamonds, and nothing else.
"Mr. Silas, you're back," said the elder Carbink.
"Mm." Silas greeted it, then stepped closer to the pink diamond that Diancie had transformed into.
When his finger touched the pink diamond, feedback appeared on the panel at the same time.
[Diancie (Undergoing Metamorphosis): Current Progress 51%]
"Fifty percent in seven days? Then by the 14th or 15th, Diancie should finish transforming."
Estimating the timing, things looked good. He then asked the elder Carbink about Diancie's changes over the past week.
There hadn't been much change—Diancie's metamorphosis was progressing steadily.
Silas also asked whether the Carbink sent out to look for the Minister of Diamonds had found anything yet. They hadn't.
TN: I don't get what this is. It always lead me to Carbink or Diancie.
After Diancie completed her transformation, she would still need training. Having a Minister of Diamonds would save a lot of trouble.
After understanding the situation, Silas headed toward Noivern's nest.
Passing through a connecting corridor, he was greeted by a sight of gemstones piled into small hills. Noivern lay lazily atop them, while several Carbink polished its scales with their bodies, making them gleam brilliantly.
Seeing Silas approach, Noivern lifted its head slightly.
After reminding Noivern that they would clean up together later, Silas prepared to leave.
This kind of behavior between the Carbink and Noivern was similar to the relationship between Dondozo and Tatsugiri.
The Carbink recognized Noivern as their tribe leader. The former provided gemstones and jewels that Noivern liked, while the latter provided protection.
This way of coexisting was a mutual choice. Over time, it could even alter the habits of their species.
It was possible that, in the distant future, the Pokédex entries for Noivern and Carbink might include something like this:
Carbink will revere Noivern as they revere Diancie, providing gemstones for Noivern — Carbink Pokédex.
Adult Noivern will seek out Carbink tribes underground, offering martial protection — Noivern Pokédex.
Of course, that would be a very long process.
After checking on Diancie, Silas returned to the area in front of the ranch house. Only the male Pyroar remained there.
Noticing Silas approach, the Pyroar glanced at him and ignored him.
Silas felt rather awkward as well and rubbed his nose.
Of all things, he had just happened to witness the Pyroar couple being affectionate.
"Pyroar, don't leave too early later. I brought gifts for your whole family."
"Roar~"
The Pyroar turned around and shot him a sidelong glance.
Seeing this, Silas knew he had to pull out his trump card.
He began by tossing out the Poké Balls at his waist one by one. Kangaskhan and the others returned to familiar territory and were visibly delighted.
Without needing Silas's help, they immediately got busy, each helping with the cleanup.
Litten jumped up onto the roof, standing high above and keeping an eye on Pyroar.
Popplio, Meowth, and the others, under Kangaskhan's lead, cleaned the ranch house.
Seeing that he couldn't really help, Silas headed into the kitchen instead.
Alcremie followed him, hopping up onto the cabinet and stretching out a hand toward him.
"Creme!"
"Wait a bit," Silas said, gently pinching Alcremie's creamy, milky-scented cheeks.
He needed to prepare a special dish for Pyroar first. He'd use the cream later when making pastries for Minccino and the others.
From his spatial satchel, he took out Alolan deep-sea oysters—an essential item for married men!
They were highly sought-after in Alola; Silas had gone early in the morning just to manage to buy three.
He placed the cleaned oysters into the steamer, sprinkled on seasonings, and added a small amount of chili powder ground from fallen Fiery Chili Peppers.
After handling the oysters, Silas began making delicious Poffins.
"Alcremie, give me some matcha-flavored cream."
"Cree~"
Alcremie happily responded, squeezing out green matcha cream with its little hands.
"Well done, Alcremie."
Silas smiled and praised it, making Alcremie spin around happily on the spot.
Half an hour later, Silas set the finished Poffins aside and opened the steamer, only to be choked by the aroma.
The overpowering spiciness made even Alcremie step back several paces, and cooking information appeared before Silas's eyes.
(End of Chapter)