Today truly was a rare stretch of fine weather after several days.
The sun was gently veiled behind a few drifting clouds, and the soft sunlight that fell upon the land was warm without being scorching. After completing their daily chores, the Pokémon scattered outside, playing and frolicking freely across the ranch grounds.
Only the four little troublemakers were missing from the lively scene.
"Cyc!"
From afar came Cyclizar's voice as it ran back from the direction of the cave.
"Thanks for your hard work, Cyclizar."
"Cyc~"
Cyclizar rubbed against Silas's pant leg, then placed its paws on him, enjoying the gentle strokes of his hand.
Today was also a rare moment of leisure for Silas.
All the crops that could be harvested had already been gathered. The remaining tasks were only small-batch harvests, which Meowth and the others could easily handle.
The next large-scale harvest would have to wait until the wheat and corn ripened.
[Wheat: Not yet mature. 20 days remaining until harvest.]
[Corn: Not yet mature. 15 days remaining until harvest.]
One required fifteen days. The other, twenty.
Silas found himself thinking—since the ranch wasn't particularly busy right now, should he take the opportunity to go out for a while?
His gaze swept across the grounds and settled on Phione, who was playing not far away with Clauncher and Morpeko.
Just as he was hesitating, the Xtransceiver on his wrist suddenly lit up with a "ding-ling-ling" sound.
He answered the call, and Diantha's face appeared on the screen.
"Long time no see, Diantha."
"Yes! It's been a while. I finally finished part of my work and can rest for two days."
Diantha's voice sounded light, her expression relaxed in a way that hadn't been there before.
"Have you been very busy?"
"Not too bad. I just wanted to clear my schedule in advance so I can attend the Expo with you. I finished everything I needed to do early."
"I didn't expect you to get a Xtransceiver too. It'll be much more convenient for us to stay in touch from now on."
They chatted casually for a while. Joy flickered in Diantha's eyes, and the fatigue on her face seemed to ease.
"Oh, right—the Expo this year is set for May 31st. Silas, don't forget."
"Got it. I'll remember."
Just as Diantha seemed about to say more, her assistant appeared beside her and whispered something into her ear.
Her tone immediately shifted, carrying a trace of apology.
"Sorry, Silas. We'll have to stop here for today. There's an issue with the release of my new movie."
"I'll keep an eye out for someone who can compose music for you. And I really liked the gift you sent."
The call ended in a hurry.
Silas stood there for a moment, feeling a faint sense of emptiness.
But then his mind was made up.
There were still more than ten days before the Expo—plenty of time for a short trip.
Once he decided, Silas wasted no time. He turned and headed toward the house to pack his things. He would depart tomorrow.
As he passed by Phione, he scooped it up into his arms and gently pinched its little cheeks.
"This time we're going to your hometown and meet those rather irresponsible parents of yours."
"Phion~!"
Phione's eyes lit up instantly. It rubbed the top of its head against his palm, clearly delighted.
At noon, gathered around the dining table, Silas announced his decision to all the Pokémon.
The reaction was immediate chaos.
Everyone wanted to go with him.
The last trip had been a vacation, and they had all stayed in one place—he had been able to take everyone and still manage. But this time he was going out on business. There was no way he could bring them all.
First to be ruled out: Minccino and the other three little troublemakers.
Cyclizar would also stay behind.
"Cyc?"
"You need to help take care of the ranch Pokémon. The Indeedee siblings might not be able to handle everything alone."
Silas rubbed Cyclizar's head firmly while explaining patiently.
When persuasion alone didn't seem enough, he brought out his trump card.
"I'll bring you back two little red flowers."
"Cyc!"
(You should've said so earlier! Hehe!)
With Cyclizar staying behind, Kangaskhan was naturally coming along.
Relicanth and Veluza couldn't be forgotten either.
And they needed a flying unit.
When Silas announced the news to the three Noivern, they immediately began fighting without a word.
After an intense yet "friendly" exchange, the eldest Noivern narrowly secured final victory.
Kangaskhan, Phione, Relicanth, Veluza, and Noivern—these were the Pokémon chosen for the trip.
After a moment's thought, Silas added Morpeko to the list.
That made six Pokémon, just right and it would also lighten the workload for the Indeedee siblings.
Bringing Morpeko along would allow him to supervise its training at any time.
A ten-kilometer sprint wasn't difficult to arrange. He could buy a treadmill-style generator.
Not only could Morpeko use it for exercise, it would also generate electricity which is useful in the wild.
He was practically a genius.
As for Morpeko, its emotions went through a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree reversal.
At first, when it learned Silas was taking it along, it leaped three feet into the air.
It ran over to Minccino and Dolliv to show off, making the other little Pokémon grind their teeth in envy and collectively turn their heads away in refusal to look at it.
But then it learned that even while traveling, it would still have to train.
And Silas was even planning to buy it a treadmill generator.
Its tail, which had been proudly raised high, drooped down with a soft "plop." Its ears sagged. It lay flat on the ground, muttering "Morpe~ Morpe~" in a pitiful tone—chewing sounds mixed in between.
Even in despair, Morpeko never stopped eating.
It looked exactly like a child whose holiday homework had suddenly doubled.
The sky was falling.
Morpeko made one last attempt to bargain.
It swiftly climbed up Silas's pant leg and onto his shoulder.
Rubbing its fluffy body against his neck, tugging at him with tiny paws, it began to act cute in his arms.
"Morpe-ko~"
(Silas, Silas, it's dangerous outside. After training I won't have any strength left to battle. Can we just train after we get back? Please?)
"It's fine. In battle we have Noivern, Kangaskhan, and Veluza. Whether it's land, sea, or air, you won't be much help anyway."
Seeing that argument fail, Morpeko instantly changed strategy and whispered in an extremely tiny voice:
"Morpe~" (Th-then can we at least cut the training in half?)
It grabbed Silas's face and turned it toward itself, imitating the way Minccino used to act cute, hoping to "reduce its sentence."
Unfortunately for it, Silas had already made up his mind.
"Reducing the training isn't impossible but then your snacks will be cut in half."
Anything but food would have been negotiable.
The moment snacks were mentioned, Morpeko's resolve hardened instantly. It shook its head vigorously, declaring that the current training volume was perfectly fine, and hooked its tiny paw around Silas's pinky finger, afraid he might change his mind.
In an instant, it switched from a "droopy, devastated child" back to an "energetic, positive good kid," hopping down from Silas's shoulder and running off enthusiastically.
Watching Morpeko's ability to bend and stretch entirely for the sake of food, Silas couldn't help but laugh.
When it came to food, Morpeko's scheming mind worked at full capacity.
The younger Indeedee quickly used telekinesis to restrain Morpeko.
It hadn't finished today's training yet—no escaping!
With a mournful face, Morpeko was dragged away by the younger Indeedee.
Silas's gaze swept across the rest of the Pokémon.
He would be leaving tomorrow.
And despite knowing it was only for a short while, he couldn't help but feel that he would miss them.
(End of Chapter)