"Indee~"
(Do you have a solution, big brother?)
"Indee!"
(No!)
The Indeedee siblings shook their heads. Between them, they barely counted as having one and a half strategies.
They had originally thought Cyclizar would be a capable helper. Only now did they realize it was one of the sources of trouble.
They had just finished eating, and it was supposed to be leisure time.
Minccino wanted to watch cartoons. Cyclizar insisted it wanted to watch a different program.
And so, the two began arguing over control of the television.
"Min! Min!"
(I'm the younger sister! Big brothers should give in to little sisters!)
Minccino tugged firmly at the remote control with her tiny paws.
"Cyc!"
(You're the one who watches every day. I want to watch today!)
Cyclizar refused to let go, pulling at the other end of the remote. Its tail flicked impatiently from side to side.
On the sofa, Dolliv held two cups of chilled milkshake, looking left and right, completely unsure of whom to support.
Alcremie wanted to step in and mediate, but with its small and delicate body, it was already fortunate not to get hurt in the scuffle.
The younger sister Indeedee quickly used her psychic power to pull Alcremie to a safe spot.
At a complete loss, Alcremie turned to Indeedee for help.
"Cream~"
"Indee!"
Looks like we can only use the final method Silas taught us.
The younger Indeedee spoke, and her older brother nodded in agreement.
Thus, the remote control was confiscated.
Minccino was sent upstairs for a nap, and Cyclizar, under supervision, curled up in its own nest.
"Meow?"
Regular Meowth glanced up when the commotion ended.
It could not understand what was so entertaining about television. Its yarn ball was far more interesting.
With so many Pokémon around, things like this happened from time to time.
As long as they handled it according to Silas's method, nothing serious would occur.
The ranch returned to peace once more, though the Indeedee siblings found themselves missing Silas.
The younger sister shook her head firmly, clenched her tiny fists, and whispered to herself in her heart.
'I cannot disappoint Silas's expectations. I can definitely do this. Go, Indeedee.'
At the ranch, they were facing their own little challenges.
...
Meanwhile, Silas had no idea what was happening back home.
At this moment, he had been stopped by the girl in the school uniform. She was issuing him a battle challenge.
Her bright eyes were fixed intensely on the enormous Noivern resting in the snow.
"Big brother, are you a trainer? Could you have a Pokémon battle with me?"
Noivern turned its head and looked at the two Pokémon beside her.
Noivern's expression clearly said, 'Are you making me fight babies again?'
Silas noticed as well. He had intended to refuse.
He did not have any strange hobby of bullying inexperienced trainers.
The girl sensed his hesitation and stepped forward half a pace.
"Big brother, please battle with me. As long as you fight me, I'm willing to do anything."
Silas fell silent.
He had not expected her to be such a battle fanatic.
Well then, if she insisted, he would simply battle.
The two stood on opposite sides of the standard battle field provided by the Pokémon Center. A thick layer of snow covered the ground.
"Candice, let's begin."
Silas spoke calmly.
The energetic girl threw her Poké Ball with enthusiasm.
"Go, Sneasel. Show this big brother our unstoppable spirit."
"Sneas~"
The dark little Pokémon stood in the snow, its eyes brimming with fighting spirit.
Sneasel, one of the notorious rogue Pokémon.
Of course, if it was facing someone else, that was another matter.
Especially the Hisuian Sneasel, which was particularly troublesome, boasting twenty eight more points of speed than Garchomp and equipped with that flashy yet terrifying move Dire Claw.
Battling that thing was pure torment.
Silas shook off his wandering thoughts and raised his hand.
"Morpeko, this battle is yours."
Morpeko, who had been holding ice cream and watching the show, froze.
"Ah?"
It pointed at itself with a tiny paw, as if asking, you mean me? Are you sure you are not mistaken?
Silas gave it a firm, encouraging look.
Morpeko wore an expression of heroic sacrifice.
Before stepping onto the field, it gulped down the rest of its ice cream in one bite. No wasting food.
And so, the battle began.
Morpeko versus Sneasel.
"Sneasel, use Taunt."
Sneasel grinned mockingly and curled a finger at Morpeko.
"Morpe~"
Morpeko was completely unaffected. Instead, it pulled out a snack.
Crack.
It bit open the shell and began chewing leisurely.
For Morpeko, eating was more important than anything else in the world.
Sneasel's Taunt had absolutely no effect.
Candice thought to herself, what kind of training method allows a Pokémon to ignore Taunt? That's amazing.
Or perhaps Morpeko was simply too focused on eating.
"Stop eating, Morpeko," Silas called from behind. "Use Flatter on Sneasel."
Flatter, praise the opponent until they're confused but sharply raises their Special Attack.
Having studied under the school of enthusiastic compliments, Morpeko was no slouch when it came to praising others.
It hurriedly swallowed its food, wiped its mouth clumsily with its paws, and put on a slightly silly expression, though its eyes shone with confidence.
"Morpeko! Morpeko!"
("Your claws are so sharp! Your fur is so beautiful! Your…")
Compliments poured out like a rapid fire barrage toward Sneasel.
The mocking posture vanished, replaced by bashfulness and embarrassment.
"Sneas…?"
(Really…? I sharpen my claws every day. My trainer brushes my fur too.)
Sneasel spoke proudly.
The fierce aura it had displayed moments earlier completely disappeared. Instead, it began chatting with Morpeko.
Candice stood there dumbfounded. She had only been a trainer for less than a year. She had never seen anything like this.
The battle had not even truly begun, yet the two Pokémon were already becoming friends.
"Sneasel, we're in a battle," Candice protested. "Why are you chatting with the opponent?"
Sneasel glanced at its trainer, then at its new friend Morpeko.
"Sneas~"
(Just hit me lightly and I'll lie down~)
"Morpe?!"
(Really?!)
After receiving confirmation, Morpeko trotted forward and first handed Sneasel a small snack as compensation.
Without waiting for Silas's command, Morpeko bared its front teeth and gently nibbled the back of Sneasel's paw, leaving a faint little bite mark.
"Sneas!"
(Ah, it hurts! I'm defeated.)
Sneasel cried out dramatically and flopped onto the snow.
'If you are going to act, you must commit fully.'
The expressions of those watching were priceless.
Silas rubbed his forehead helplessly.
Candice stomped her foot in frustration.
Phione jumped in excitement before looking confused.
Noivern had already dozed off.
Kangaskhan tilted her head, puzzled.
No one had expected the battle to end in such a manner.
With the match over, Sneasel, Morpeko, and Phione ran off together to play and throw snowballs in the snow.
With Kangaskhan watching over them, Silas felt reassured. He chatted casually with Candice.
"Big Brother Silas, are you heading to Chocovine Town?"
"Yes."
"I heard there's an event related to the Sea Festival happening there right now. Every year at that time, a Pokémon called Phione appears."
"And I also heard that if you see it on that day, good luck will follow you."
Silas glanced toward Phione, who was happily throwing snowballs at Sneasel and Morpeko nearby.
If that was true, then perhaps good fortune had always been by his side.
(End of Chapter)