After seeing the Phione off, Silas decided to stay on the island for one more night.
The purpose of this trip had been accomplished. Manaphy had eaten its fill and rolled off to sleep.
Counting the days, he had already been out for three days.
It would still take some time to return, and if there were delays along the way, the trip would stretch even longer.
With nothing better to do, he urged Morpeko to keep running to charge up its internal battery.
Then he looked to the side at Tropius and Meganium, who were practically glued to each other.
He began considering how to coax the two of them back to his ranch.
Mrs. Meganium, surely you would want make family somewhere better...
Mr. Tropius, surely you would not want Meganium to be lonely here...
Ahem.
It seemed he would have to start from the topic of children.
Silas prepared another platter of mixed berries and walked over with it.
"Meganium, Tropius, this extra berry platter is for you."
He casually sat down beside them. Kangaskhan came along as well.
He would definitely need its cooperation in a moment.
"Meganium~"
Meganium thanked him sweetly. Silas had helped them a great deal.
At this point, Silas finally understood why Grovyle had run so far away earlier.
These two Pokémon were simply too lovey dovey.
They even fed each other while eating berries.
Meganium used its Vine Whip to pick up a syrup coated berry and deliver it to Tropius's mouth.
Tropius opened its mouth and ate it, its eyes filled with happiness.
Endure. For the sake of the ranch.
When they had nearly finished eating, Silas shot Kangaskhan a meaningful glance.
Kangaskhan immediately pulled Meganium aside to discuss parenting knowledge, even using the little Phione sleeping in its pouch as an example.
Taking advantage of the moment, Silas leaned closer to Tropius.
"Tropius, have you and Meganium ever thought about leaving this island?"
Tropius looked puzzled.
"Trop?"
(Why would we leave? There is more than enough food on this island for both of us.)
Silas did not rush to refute it. Instead, he guided the conversation patiently.
"When are you planning to have children?"
"Trop…"
"One child might be fine. But if you have several, the berries on this island will not be enough."
"If you wait until then to think about leaving, it will not be so easy."
"Tropius, you would not want your wife and children to go hungry with you, would you?"
Hearing this, Tropius shuddered.
It seemed to see a vision before its eyes of a group of hungry little ones crying for food, the island's berries completely eaten, and itself having to fly long distances every single day to gather more fruit.
"Tropius!"
(Thank you, Silas, for the reminder!)
Tropius thanked him earnestly.
In the past it had only needed to worry about feeding itself. Now it was different. It had to shoulder the responsibility of supporting a family.
With that, Tropius prepared to go speak with Meganium.
They would move to a larger island with more abundant food.
Silas quickly stopped it. He had not finished yet.
"Tropius, do you have somewhere specific in mind?"
"Tropius."
(No. I was planning to check out a nearby large island first.)
"I suggest you do not. The competition on nearby islands is even more intense than here."
On islands that had never been developed or visited by humans, competition among wild Pokémon was fierce.
Food was limited. Every extra bite you took meant another Pokémon would go hungry.
If Tropius went there, it might not fare well at all.
Silas explained the situation clearly, and Tropius understood.
It stood there with its long neck drooping, wings slightly folded inward, anxiety filling its eyes.
For a moment it did not know what to do.
Silas knew the timing was perfect. He gently patted Tropius, signaling it to calm down.
"I actually have a good place in mind. Would you like to consider it?"
Tropius tilted its head.
"Well, to be honest, I am a ranch owner."
Silas began promoting himself and introduced his ranch along the way.
"My ranch currently has nearly a hundred berry trees, and I plan to plant even more."
When Silas mentioned the hundred berry trees, Tropius was so shocked it could hardly speak.
How much food was that?
With so many berry trees, surely he could take just one bite from each and throw them away. It sounded unbelievably extravagant.
"With that many trees, I definitely cannot manage them all by myself," Silas continued while the iron was hot. "I would like to hire you and Meganium to help take care of the orchard. I will provide food and lodging."
Tropius blinked in confusion.
"Tropius?"
(Why us?)
It truly did not think they were particularly special.
"Have you noticed that the berry and fruit trees in areas where you frequently appear tend to bear more fruit? And Meganium's breath has the magical ability to heal plant life."
"With both of you helping, not only would the orchard's yield increase, but the trees would also avoid becoming malnourished and withering."
Tropius had never realized they were so capable.
Food and lodging included. How could its heart not waver?
"Tropius…"
It did not make a rash decision. It intended to ask Meganium first.
Silas let it go, confident that Kangaskhan had likely already approached Meganium.
If possible, he also wanted to bring Grovyle back to the ranch.
Grovyle's final evolution, Sceptile, stored nutrients in the seeds on its back that could invigorate trees, making it one of the best choices for caring for special berry trees.
But given the current situation, the chances of it agreeing were low.
It had only recently lost in a battle of love against Tropius. To turn around and work alongside its former rival would be difficult, unless Grovyle found its own true love.
Even knowing it was unlikely, Silas still decided to ask about Grovyle's plans.
As expected, Grovyle refused the invitation to the ranch.
It said it wanted to leave and search for true love in the wider world.
"Have you decided where to go?"
Grovyle shook its head. It planned to leave this island first and figure things out later.
"By the way, I have not asked yet. How did you end up here?"
Meganium and Tropius clearly had lived on this island for a long time. Grovyle, however, had only arrived recently. His earlier conversation with Tropius had already hinted at that.
A look of admiration instantly appeared in Grovyle's eyes.
"Grovyle~"
(It was the Chatot leader. Last time I was swept away by ocean waves, it swooped down and rescued me. It even brought me to this island to recover from my injuries.)
Silas froze in shock.
Was it the Chatot he was thinking of?
Unsure, he pressed further.
"Was there a large golden bird with Chatot?"
Grovyle nodded excitedly.
"Grovyle?"
(How do you know? Do you also know the Chatot leader?)
"Not only do I know it."
He had never expected to hear news of Chatot here.
It seemed that Chatot truly had gone to the Hoenn region.
Silas explained his relationship with Chatot and Zapdos, even taking out the family photo he carried with him to show Grovyle.
Grovyle leaned in to stare at the photo, eyes wide.
"Grovyle?"
(It really is the leader, and that golden bird too!)
With this shared connection, much of the unfamiliarity between them disappeared.
After thinking for a moment, Silas made a suggestion.
"How about coming to Kalos with me? Kalos is vast and rich in resources, with countless Pokémon. You will definitely find your true love there."
(End of Chapter)