"Clawitzer, wait for me. I will go down with you."
On the beach, Silas quickly stripped off his clothes and put on a pair of waterproof goggles. Turning back to the Heliolisk, he said, "Please help me watch the clothes. Do not let any wild Pokémon steal them."
"Helio~"
"Thank you. I will bring you some Poffins later."
After offering praise, Silas followed Clawitzer's urging and jumped into the sea.
The man and the shrimp Pokémon swam outward for a while before stopping. Directly beneath them lay a coral reef.
As the name suggested, a coral reef was a marine landform formed by layers of exoskeletons secreted by coral polyps. It was a natural gathering point for Pokémon.
"Let's go down and take a look."
Holding his breath, Silas grabbed one of Clawitzer's small pincers and dove together with it toward the seabed.
As far as the eye could see, the creatures living near the reef were mostly ordinary marine life. Pokémon were rare.
The only Pokémon that entered their field of vision were Magikarp and Corsola.
Magikarp needed no introduction. As for Corsola, it was known as the Coral Pokémon. The formation of coral reefs also had its contribution.
Corsola looked like a pink round ball with branching coral horns. It appeared adorable, often wearing a smile, giving people the impression that it was easy to get along with.
When they approached, the Corsola were not frightened and did not scatter.
Instead, after confirming that Silas and Clawitzer posed no danger, one of them pushed a sea urchin over and nudged it beneath Clawitzer's claw.
They wanted Clawitzer to help crack open the sea urchin. It was a delicacy beneath the sea.
Corsola themselves usually could not break open the hard shells. They had to borrow the strength of other Pokémon.
After helping them open several sea urchins, Clawitzer was quickly accepted by the group.
Watching the Corsola surrounded by schools of fish, Silas and Clawitzer moved on to explore other areas.
After making a full round, they still did not see a third species of Pokémon.
There was no helping it. The lingering pressure left behind by the Mega Malamar still remained. It would take a long time before this place became lively again.
Floating back to the surface, Silas took several breaths before asking, "Have you decided? Do you want to choose this place as your territory, Clawitzer?"
Raising its claw and tapping it lightly against the water's surface, making two crisp sounds, Clawitzer expressed that this place was good enough. There was no need to search further.
Silas also leaned toward choosing this area. Being close enough to the ranch was advantage number one.
Advantage number two was that this coral reef did not have the Galarian form of Corsola, which had first been discovered in the Galar region.
That form of Corsola had originally lived only in the waters of Galar, but as regional exchanges increased, their activity was no longer limited to Galar.
They were considered dangerous because Galarian Corsola could disguise themselves as stones and launch sudden attacks when touched.
Their attacks were silent. Even when their spikes pierced into a body, there would be no pain or visible wound. They would quietly use their branches to drain vitality.
"Alright, it is settled. You will live at this coral reef from now on. However…"
Silas's tone shifted, his gaze turning serious. "You must check in at the ranch every day. Once in the morning and once in the evening."
He did this to ensure Clawitzer's safety. He did not want it getting injured one day without him knowing.
Faced with Silas's proposal, Clawitzer nodded without hesitation. There was no resistance in its heart.
In its mind, the ranch would always be its home.
Even though it was moving out to live independently, it would still spend half its time at the ranch. After all, many of its friends were there.
With another matter resolved, Silas felt quite pleased. He asked Clawitzer to escort him back to shore.
Clawitzer then returned to the reef, intending to find a nest that belonged solely to it.
On the other side, just after Silas had changed back into his clothes, pairs of eager eyes stared at him.
"I did not forget!" With a flip of his wrist, several Poffins appeared in his hand. "Here. Your reward for the job."
He quickly returned to the ranch and entered the small ranch house.
On the sofa, Jigglypuff was studying seriously. Its large bright eyes were fixed tightly on a Rock Music Insights Handbook. With its tiny finger pointing at the page, it made soft popping sounds with its mouth. It was still practicing.
Quietly approaching and glancing at it for a moment, Silas turned and entered the kitchen.
Indeedee had already prepared the ingredients. It was just waiting for him to cook.
As usual, he first praised the younger sister Indeedee. She had just finished making the soup when a small white cat suddenly jumped onto the windowsill.
"Meow meow!"
(Silas! Silas!)
"Litten, why are you here?" He was surprised at first, but after hearing what it said, he removed his apron and prepared to go take a look.
It turned out that the Payapa Berry seed he had planted yesterday had undergone an unexpected change. Cinccino had sent Litten to call him over.
Jogging to the berry orchard, Silas no longer needed Litten to explain. The change was far from small.
The Payapa Berry seed planted yesterday had already grown into a lush gourd vine today, and small gourds were hanging from it.
Yes, it had grown that fast.
As he approached, it was no surprise that Cinccino and Popplio were already there.
Flapple hovered lazily in midair, flying back and forth to observe, while Applin craned their necks upward, their tiny eyes filled with big confusion.
A single day to grow into this. Such rapid growth made Silas form a guess in his heart.
Still, he needed to confirm it. He reached out and touched the vine.
A panel appeared before his eyes.
[Rainbow Gourd Vine (Special crop): A crop born under the influence of dual powers. The fruits it bears possess magical effects.
Note: According to the wish of the eater, the effect will be matched. Options include size manipulation, clairvoyance and enhanced hearing, copper head and iron arms, breathing fire, spraying water, invisibility, and a treasure gourd.]
"Alright, alright, alright! Even the Calabash Brothers have shown up now!"
Without realizing it, he had somehow become the grandfather.
Now that the gourd vine had grown, did that mean monsters would soon come to snatch it away?
He glanced up at the sky, but unfortunately there was nothing unusual.
With the security level of his ranch, even Groudon would have to think twice.
Soon, Silas's attention locked onto the first ability.
Was this not perfectly suited for the giant Dragonite?
With size manipulation, giant Dragonite could shrink itself and come live at the ranch.
He searched through the dense gourd vines and after quite a while finally found a gourd the size of a fist in a corner.
When his finger touched it, more detailed information appeared.
[Rainbow Gourd: Time until maturity: 7 days 7 hours 7 minutes 7 seconds.]
"So there really is one!"
His voice trembled with excitement. In just seven days, he would be able to bring giant Dragonite back to the ranch.
At some point, Cinccino had climbed onto his shoulder. It swept its fluffy tail lightly and let out a puzzled sound.
"Cin?" (Does Silas know what this is?)
Smack.
Silas kissed Cinccino on the forehead. The little one was practically his lucky star.
The panel had clearly stated that the vine was born under the influence of dual powers.
Mudsdale's Rototiller move counted as one. Cinccino's good fortune counted as the other. Without either of them, this special crop would never have appeared.
Cinccino did not fully understand. It simply enjoyed Silas's kiss.
After the initial excitement faded, Silas called over Flapple and the Applin, asking them to help count how many colored gourds were on the vine.
The result came quickly.
And it was completely beyond his expectations.
(End of Chapter)