After returning home, there was no need for Silas to rush around taking care of everything himself. The Pokémon naturally stepped in to help.
The Indeedee siblings were already in the kitchen preparing food. Cyclizar led Tropius, Meganium, and Grovyle toward the berry orchard to stay there for the night. At the same time, it could show Tropius and Meganium the strength and scale of the ranch, easing any lingering worries in their hearts. It wanted them to understand clearly that coming here to help was truly a top tier job.
After settling Tropius and the others, Cyclizar hurried back to the house. It ran straight into Silas at the doorway, who was planning to take advantage of the time before dinner to check on the Pokémon around the ranch.
Upon hearing this, Cyclizar eagerly insisted on going along. Litten followed step by step as well.
Silas first went to the greenhouse where the Flabébé lived. Through the small window on the door, he could see five Flabébé sleeping soundly, their tiny bodies rising and falling peacefully.
He tiptoed away quietly and headed toward the stable.
The Mudsdale brothers and the Mareep herd were all inside.
The moment Silas poked his head in to look, one of the Mareep suddenly turned its head toward him.
"Maa…"
"Shh." Silas whispered softly. "Don't wake everyone else. Sneak out quietly."
"Maa ah…"
The Mareep stopped making noise and carefully tiptoed out of the stable.
Silas stroked its soft wool, and the Mareep licked his palm, leaving a ticklish sensation.
Then the Mareep flopped onto its back and exposed its belly. Silas reached down to scratch it, and the little goat let out a satisfied purring sound.
"Alright, go back to sleep now. Don't wake the others."
"Maa!"
This time, the Mareep walked back into the stable, turning its head to look at him every few steps. It lay back down in its original spot. The other Pokémon inside did not notice anything unusual.
Seeing that, Silas nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave.
He did not want to wake the little ones. If they were stirred up now, no one would get any sleep tonight. There would be plenty of time tomorrow.
After confirming that Mudsdale and the Mareep were in good condition, Silas headed to the lakeside.
He released Relicanth and Veluza into the water. As for Clauncher, the little fellow was nowhere to be found, probably curled up asleep in some hidden corner.
Silas circled the lake once but could not find it. Eventually he gave up.
He planned to visit the cave tomorrow. For now, he returned to the house with his two small shadows trailing behind him.
The timing was perfect. The younger sister Indeedee brought over a bowl of seafood noodles and smiled, urging him to eat quickly.
"Indee~"
(Silas, hurry and eat. Once you finish, go to sleep. Don't wake those little ones~)
"Alright."
Silas nodded and devoured the noodles in no time, even drinking every last drop of the broth.
The older Indeedee handed him a change of clothes, signaling that he should wash up first.
After cleaning up, Silas lay down on the bed.
Minccino had its backside sticking up as it curled into the innermost corner by the wall, sleeping with its head tilted adorably to the side.
Next to it was Dollic, whose sleeping posture could not have been more proper. It lay neatly on its back with a small blanket carefully covering its belly.
Compared to Popplio, Minccino was already relatively well behaved.
Popplio constantly shifted positions. One moment it lay sprawled out like a Staryu, the next it curled into a tight ball, and not long after that it lay flat on its back in a star shape.
Silas resisted the urge to tease them and decided to rest first and replenish his energy.
He adjusted Popplio's position slightly and pulled the blanket over himself.
The moment his head touched the pillow, exhaustion overtook him. He drifted into sleep almost instantly.
Traveling outside could never compare to the comfort of home.
It seemed he might have forgotten something.
At the same time, on the windowsill, Litten glared at him angrily.
If not for how exhausted he looked, Litten would have rushed in and bitten him.
Instead, it could only lie there alone, sulking. It spent the entire night grinding its teeth and sharpening its claws in frustration.
…
The next morning, Minccino reached out with its eyes still closed, trying to grab Dolliv.
It groped to the left but found nothing. To the right, it touched something unusually large.
Curious, Minccino kept feeling around. Having just woken up, it still had not opened its eyes.
In his sleep, Silas felt a small hand touching his face, pinching his mouth, poking at his nose, and tugging at his hair. Annoyed, he swatted at it.
"Stop it. Let me sleep a little longer."
The sudden voice completely dispelled Minccino's drowsiness.
It opened its eyes wide and shouted in delight.
"Min! Min!"
(Sister, sister, there's an extra person in the bed. No wait, Silas is back! Silas, you're back!)
Immediately, Silas felt a heavy weight land on his stomach as Minccino leapt up in excitement and threw itself onto him.
It was not just Minccino. Dolliv and Popplio were awakened as well.
Fortunately, Morpeko and Phione were not upstairs. They were sleeping downstairs with Kangaskhan.
Even so, the three of them chattering noisily was enough to wake Silas completely.
"What are you doing? Why are you making such a racket this early? I can't even sleep in."
As he spoke, Silas reached out, pulled Minccino over, and pressed it onto the bed, burying his face in its soft little belly.
Fragrant and fluffy, this tiny mouse seemed born to be pampered by its Trainer. While traveling, Silas had missed Minccino terribly.
Minccino also enjoyed it, letting out comfortable little squeaks.
Of course, Silas did not forget Dolliv and Popplio. He played and rolled around with them on the bed for quite a while.
After satisfying them, Silas could not hold on any longer.
He told Minccino to go play and lay back down for a second round of sleep.
As soon as he lay down, he began snoring softly.
The three little ones tiptoed out quietly. First they shared the news with the Meowth and the others, then with Alcremie and the Flabébé. They even made sure to inform Diancie deep within the Diamond Domain.
A large group of Pokémon gathered around Minccino and followed it upstairs. They saw Silas fast asleep.
"Everyone, don't disturb Silas's rest. Let's go back downstairs."
Diancie spoke gently.
The other Pokémon exchanged glances and nodded in unison. They carefully placed their gifts beside Silas before quietly leaving.
With the Indeedee siblings managing the ranch and no little ones disturbing him, Silas slept incredibly comfortably.
When he finally sat up and stretched lazily, his gaze fell on the items arranged around him.
His expression darkened slightly. Fortunately, they were gifts and not flowers, otherwise it would have been impossible to explain.
The Pokémon had clearly put thought into their presents. Silas smiled warmly and carefully put them away.
After changing clothes, he went downstairs.
There was not a single Pokémon in the house. During the morning, everyone was usually busy.
He reheated the breakfast in the pot and drank three large bowls of porridge along with three big steamed buns, filling his stomach thoroughly.
Now that he was back, he could not leave all the work to the Indeedee siblings. He needed to help as well.
However, today he had a very important task. Tropius and Meganium, the new additions to the ranch, did not yet have a home of their own.
Build: [Berry Orchard]
League Coins: 50,000
Wood: 1,000
Clay: 500
Iron Ingot: 1
Effect: Used for growing berries, significantly increasing growth speed and yield rate. It can also serve as a residence for Pokémon, especially ideal for Grass type Pokémon.
The required wood and clay were already in stock. Fifty thousand League Coins was not a large amount.
The two additional effects were extremely impressive. Not building it would simply be a waste.
Silas called Cyclizar over to help transport the wood. It would all be used shortly.
They arrived beside the second berry grove. After marking out the designated area, Silas silently declared in his heart.
"Begin construction."
(End of Chapter)