"The last one to see Clauncher was Veluza. Was it together with Litten at the time?"
"Vel~"
After clarifying the situation, Silas immediately headed toward the orchard.
Before leaving, he instructed Minccino and the others to follow the small stream all the way to the seaside and search along the way.
Upon arriving at the orchard, Silas called out loudly, "Litten~"
He had barely shouted once when Litten leapt down from a tree, landing neatly on Silas's shoulder.
"Meow?"
Silas gave it a casual stroke and asked, "Litten, after lunch did Clauncher come over to find you?"
Without hesitation, Litten replied that they had made an appointment yesterday to conduct sparring training in the orchard today.
"Meow!"
Of course, Silas knew about it—he had arranged that training session himself.
Litten was practicing its evasion skills, while Clauncher was training its control over its large claw.
Scratching gently under Litten's chin, Silas continued, "During training, did you notice anything unusual about Clauncher?"
Enjoying the petting, Litten's throat rumbled with a satisfied purr. It closed its eyes and began recalling the details.
"Meow meow meow, meow meow, meow meow meow…"
It spoke so much in one go that it had to pause and catch its breath several times.
Silas listened quietly. Only after Litten finished did he summarize, "You felt that when Clauncher was attacking, both its strength and speed had decreased significantly, and its accuracy was off too, right?"
"Meow-meow~"
"Alright. I think I know roughly where Clauncher has gone."
All the signs pointed to one conclusion—Clauncher had shed its claw.
Clauncher's large claw could regenerate, but before regrowth, it would quietly hide away and live in seclusion for a period of time.
It must have hidden somewhere in a corner of the ranch.
Since Minccino and the others had already gone downstream to search, Silas picked up Litten and headed upstream instead.
When they reached the edge of the ranch, the terrain still retained its wild, untamed appearance.
Suddenly, in the muddy sand beside the stream, a round water pit appeared. A pair of blue antennae poked above the surface.
"Meow~"
"It's Clauncher."
Silas nodded.
He stepped forward, crouched down, and lightly tapped the edge of the water pit.
"Clauncher, why did you run all the way here? Minccino and everyone else are very worried about you."
A red shrimp head slowly emerged from the water.
When it saw Silas, a flicker of panic flashed through its eyes, but it soon drooped its head dejectedly.
With its smaller claw, it lightly patted the water's surface, as if trying to conceal its embarrassment.
"Cher…"
(My claw fell off…)
Clauncher's voice was muffled. It lifted its smaller claw and waved it weakly. Its blue whiskers drooped, lacking their usual vigor.
Clearly, it had hidden here because losing its claw made it feel like it had "lost face."
Silas reached out, gently lifting Clauncher into his arms and speaking softly to comfort it.
"There's no need to worry. You're just changing claws. It won't take long before you grow a brand-new one, a bigger and stronger than before too."
"Cher?" (Really?)
Clauncher tilted its head in confusion.
"Of course it's true. When have I ever lied to you?"
Clauncher had never truly integrated into its original wild group, so it was normal that it didn't fully understand its species' traits.
"Cher~"
(I believe you, Silas. Let's go back so Sister Minccino won't worry.)
"Alright!"
"Oh, by the way, where's the claw that fell off?"
Clauncher shook its head, indicating that it had been so frightened at the time that it only wanted to hide somewhere. It hadn't paid attention to what happened to the claw.
"Hmm… then it was probably washed downstream into the sea."
There went a top-tier ingredient.
Well… as long as Clauncher was fine, that was what mattered most.
Gesturing for Litten to lead the way, the trio—one human, one shrimp, and one cat—headed back together.
…
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, all the Pokémon had been mobilized.
Just moments earlier, Minccino and the others had discovered Clauncher's solitary large claw at the river mouth where the stream met the sea.
After a round of frantic brainstorming among the little ones, they had reached a dreadful conclusion—
Clauncher had been attacked.
A malicious Pokémon had harmed their companion and intruded upon the ranch.
Cyclizar and the three Noivern were furious upon hearing the news.
Clauncher had joined the ranch. That meant it was a companion—a member of the family.
They would never allow their family to be harmed.
When Silas returned, he was met with a crowd of emotionally charged Pokémon.
They looked ready to storm out at any moment to hunt down the "culprit."
Blue-purple electricity crackled over Cyclizar's body, and a low growl rumbled from its throat.
The three Noivern unfurled their broad bat-like wings. Their massive ears trembled as they released powerful ultrasonic waves outward. Their sharp, violent gazes seemed capable of slicing through the air itself.
In the center stood Minccino, clutching Clauncher's severed large claw in both little paws. Its eyes were red, and it sniffled from time to time.
The moment it saw Silas, Minccino ran over while crying.
"Min~"
(Silas, Clauncher was attacked by a bad guy…)
At that moment, Clauncher, perched atop Silas's head, popped its head out and poked Minccino gently with its small claw.
"Cher!"
(I'm fine, Sister Minccino.)
That single cry stunned all the Pokémon.
The electricity around Cyclizar dissipated instantly. The Noivern leaned closer to inspect carefully.
Yes. It was definitely Clauncher.
In Silas's arms, Minccino looked up, its small mouth hanging wide open, too shocked to react.
After several seconds, it finally let out a delighted cry.
"Min!"
(Clauncher!!!)
Minccino threw the large claw aside and climbed onto Silas's shoulder. It leaned close to Clauncher, reaching out with its paw to touch it.
Warm. Moving. Alive.
"Min~"
(That's wonderful! Clauncher, you're okay! I thought… I thought I'd never see you again.)
Clauncher gently patted Minccino with its small claw, as if soothing it in return.
Soon, everyone noticed the empty space where Clauncher's large claw used to be. Before anyone could ask, Silas took the initiative to explain.
"Don't worry, everyone. Clauncher shedding its claw is a normal part of its species' growth—just like how some Pokémon molt their skin or shed scales. It doesn't cause it any harm."
Clauncher was deeply moved by how much everyone cared about it. It didn't want to cause them worry.
It raised its small claw and gestured, indicating that losing one claw did not hurt it at all.
Before long, a new claw would grow—larger and stronger than ever.
Silas handed the still-sobbing Minccino over to the younger sister Indeedee to be comforted, then gestured for everyone to return to their respective tasks.
He himself carried Clauncher back into the house and placed it inside the aquarium tank in the living room.
For the next few days, Clauncher would live indoors with them until its claw regenerated.
At times like this, Clauncher needed a sense of security. Otherwise, it might sneak off to hide again.
After settling Clauncher in and asking Minccino to stay and chat with it, Silas finally headed into the kitchen.
He picked up the shed large claw. He had thought it was already lost to the sea forever, yet somehow Minccino and the others had managed to retrieve it.
[Shiny Clauncher's Large Claw: A top-tier ingredient. A large claw shed during the growth of a Shiny Clauncher. Due to insufficient nutrition during development, the claw meat is slightly tough, yet it remains a delicious delicacy.]
A top-tier ingredient.
Perfect for nourishing Clauncher's body.
Silas began bustling about in the kitchen, with the older brother Indeedee assisting at his side. Before long, a fragrant and exquisite dish was ready to be served.
(End of Chapter)