After sending Clawitzer and Litten back to the ranch first, Silas escorted all the stranded Water type Pokémon away, then brought Meganium with him to find Jigglypuff.
The moment Jigglypuff saw Silas approaching, it immediately stopped singing and ran over to hug his leg, plopping its little bottom right onto the top of his foot.
"Jigglypuff!"
(I am so tired. My throat is so dry. I want Silas to hold me!)
Silas lifted his foot slightly to bounce it, then scooped Jigglypuff up in his arms. "Is Malamar still refusing to say anything?"
"Jiggly!"
Wrapping its arms around Silas's neck, Jigglypuff adjusted itself into a comfortable position and pointed a tiny finger toward the Malamar nearby that looked on the verge of losing its mind.
Malamar's entire body was covered in Jigglypuff's doodles. It looked completely drained, dark circles hanging under its eyes, its condition miserable to the extreme.
"Helio?!"
(Are you talking or not? Are you talking or not?)
Each time Silas asked a question, the Heliolisk leader would deliver a shock.
(Are you talking or not?)
"Ma-!"
"Stop!"
Silas gestured for the Heliolisk leader to halt the electrical treatment. He wanted to hear what Malamar had to say.
With its head tentacles hanging down in disarray, Malamar widened its bloodshot eyes.
"Mal! Mal! Mal!"
(You tortured me for one hour and three minutes and all you kept asking was whether I would talk or not.)
Malamar suddenly raised its voice, practically shouting with the last of its strength.
"Mal! Mal! Mal!"
(You have to actually ask something! You never asked anything. Every time one of you came over, you just shocked me. What am I supposed to say? What? What!)
Silas fell silent.
"So they shocked you for an hour without asking anything?"
"Mal!"
(They did not ask anything! Every time I tried to open my mouth, they increased the voltage!)
Silas turned his head to look at the three Heliolisks. "You did not ask anything?"
The Heliolisk leader stopped discharging electricity and tilted its head in confusion. (Ask what?)
Looking at Malamar and then at the Heliolisks, Silas could not suppress the smile tugging at his lips.
Malamar had simply been hung there and subjected to a full hour of electrical therapy for no reason.
And it endured it without making a sound.
Truly… sigh.
"First question. Where did you come from?"
After eating an Oran Berry and recovering a bit of strength, Malamar had just opened its mouth to answer when its body spasmed again.
"Mal!"
(I am talking! I never said I would not talk. Why are you shocking me again?)
A Heliolisk poked its head out from behind. "Helio!" (Too slow. You were hesitating!)
At that moment, Malamar genuinely wanted to die. It wished it could simply end it all.
If it did not speak, it got shocked. If it spoke, it got shocked. If it spoke too slowly, it still got shocked.
They might as well blast it to death with one electric cannon shot.
"Heliolisks, stop shocking it for now."
Silas called the Heliolisks over to his side without even scolding them.
When the Heliolisk leader saw that Malamar still was not answering, it stepped forward and glared, spreading the frill around its neck.
Malamar flinched reflexively. Not daring to hesitate any longer, it hurriedly answered.
"Mal Mal Mal!"
Malamar spoke at lightning speed, terrified that if it slowed down by even a second it would be shocked again. Its eyes were filled with grievance.
"Mm hmm." Silas nodded. "You say you are a local Pokémon from Azure Bay. Then where did you get this stone?"
Malamar did not hide anything. It explained that after being bullied by Jigglypuff and the others, it had left and found an excellent place to live. There, it completed its evolution. Later, it was drawn by a strange resonance and discovered the stone.
After that, it had somehow Mega Evolved in a daze, acting purely on instinct and using its newly gained powers to control other Pokémon.
Once Malamar finished speaking, Silas carefully observed it.
The large squid in front of him indeed bore some resemblance to the mischievous Inkay that used to cause trouble in the ranch's waters.
He asked about a few past incidents between them, and it was confirmed that this was the very same Inkay that had loved playing pranks in the ranch's sea area.
He had not expected it to evolve so quickly, nor to independently grasp the power of Mega Evolution.
Even though it was technically an acquaintance, procedures still had to be followed. Silas handed it over to Officer Jenny.
As for the Mega Stone, that was his war trophy.
Given the crimes Malamar had committed, it was highly likely to end up in Pokémon prison. The exact severity of its sentence, however, was difficult to determine.
Escorted away by a Scyther wearing a police cap, Malamar left with a look of immense relief on its face.
Compared to going to jail, it would much rather that than ever see those Heliolisks again. Leaving this place that had felt like hell to it was already a blessing.
The moment Silas stepped back into the ranch, he was surrounded by Pokémon led by Cinccino, all crowding around him to express their concern.
"I am fine. Cyclizar and Clawitzer will protect me."
"Cyc!"
Upon hearing this, Cyclizar immediately lifted its head proudly, striking a pose at a forty five degree angle toward the sky, waiting for admiration and praise from Cinccino and the others.
After quite a while of hearing nothing, Cyclizar hesitated about whether to sneak a glance. Silas placed a hand on its head.
"Do not look. Cinccino and the others went to find Clawitzer to celebrate its evolution."
"Cyc…"
Cyclizar's head drooped. It flicked its tail awkwardly. How embarrassing.
"Go release the chicken flock. They have not had their free time yet today."
Silas patted Cyclizar's back and sent it off to work.
Cyclizar readily agreed and hurried away, eager to relieve its embarrassment through labor.
Silas walked straight to the ranch cabin. Veluza was swimming leisurely in the aquarium placed in the living room.
On the other side of the glass stood a curious baby Kangaskhan, secretly trying to climb into the tank.
But each time it poked its head out, an invisible force pressed it back down. It was Veluza's psychic power.
Thud.
Silas knocked firmly on the little Kangaskhan's head and deliberately put on a stern face. "You are getting more and more mischievous. The moment no adult is watching, you want to play in the water."
Covering its head with its tiny arms, the little Kangaskhan looked up at Silas with watery eyes, appearing on the verge of tears.
"You can play with Veluza, but you cannot play in the water."
It was still too small. It was safe inside the house now, but if one day it snuck out and fell into water, that would be disastrous.
After lecturing it, Silas pulled the little Kangaskhan into his arms to comfort it and turned on the television for it to watch.
He then returned to Veluza's side to observe it carefully.
Veluza's condition had recovered about seventy to eighty percent. The only flaw was the sharp spike on its lower body that had been broken off in the collision. Whether it could regenerate was still unknown.
"Vel~"
Veluza seemed to sense Silas's thoughts. It poked its head out of the water and spat out a string of tiny droplets.
"You are saying that because of this incident, you completed another tempering of your psychic power?"
"Vel!"
"Alright. Do you feel any discomfort anywhere?"
Even though Veluza insisted it was fine, Silas asked again out of concern.
Veluza still shook its head. Silas could only let it stay in the cabin for a few more days for observation.
After feeding Veluza several pieces of Poffins, Silas walked into the kitchen to prepare lunch.
Having just finished eating and finally sitting down on the sofa to rest, Cinccino jumped into his arms and gently scratched at his chest with its little paws.
"Cin!"
Near his ear, Cinccino conveyed Clawitzer's thoughts.
After listening, Silas pondered for a moment, then squeezed Cinccino's fluffy body with both hands. "Let me sleep for a while first. Tomorrow I will ask Clawitzer directly and see what it thinks."
Seeing that Silas agreed, Cinccino swished its tail and obediently lay down on him to rest together.
Before long, Silas was surrounded by Pokémon on all sides.
Everyone was there.
Not a single one was missing.
(End of Chapter)
TN: Poor Malamar though its mega evolution is kinda cool.