League Year 198, July 15.
Silas arrived at a city known as the place where land rests and the sea begins, Lilycove City.
"Cin?"
Cinccino on his shoulder looked around in surprise, its bright eyes filled with curiosity toward this unfamiliar city.
"Let's get something to eat first." Silas reached up and gently pinched its ear before heading toward the Pokémon Center, releasing the Pokémon he had brought along.
This time, because he was searching for the strange place described by Chatot, Silas had brought along all the Pokémon from the ranch that could fly, as well as Cyclizar for traveling.
The Noivern were simply too large, so Silas had to find an unoccupied corner before releasing them.
"Draa!" x3
The overlapping dragon roars still attracted the attention of nearby Trainers.
Anyone who looked could not help but marvel at the enormous size of the three Noivern.
If other Pokémon had such massive builds, it might not necessarily be intimidating, like Snorlax or Gardevoir, but Noivern were a different matter. They were known as fierce Pokémon.
A larger body meant strength far beyond that of their own kind. For a moment, no Trainer felt like stepping forward to challenge them.
Silas was more than happy about that. He took out rich, aromatic Poffins from his spatial satchel and fed them.
These were specially adjusted to suit each Noivern's individual taste, and they loved them.
In just a few bites, they finished an entire basin, letting out satisfied burps. Afterward, they sprawled lazily on the ground, occasionally grabbing a piece of fruit and tossing it into their mouths, looking completely relaxed.
"Behave yourselves. No causing trouble," Silas warned them. "Otherwise, when the meteor shower comes at the end of the month, you will stay behind and guard the house."
"Noi, Noi!" x3 (We absolutely will not cause trouble. We promise!)
Compared to the city, the three of them much preferred soaring through a primeval forest.
If any one of them missed the meteor shower at the end of the month, the other two would laugh at that one for a lifetime.
Seeing that they agreed, Silas put up a sign before leaving that read, "Fierce dragons inside. Do not approach."
After thinking for a moment, he released Cyclizar. "Cyclizar, I will trouble you to help keep an eye on the three of them."
"Cyc?"
"It is hard to trust them to stay put, but you are different. You are reliable."
After a round of praise from Silas, Cyclizar became excited and nodded eagerly in agreement.
With Cyclizar watching, even if something unexpected happened, it could be handled in time.
He passed by Tropius, which was resting nearby after eating its fill and preparing to take a nap.
Oh right, there was one more thing.
Less than a day after they had left, Meganium became pregnant and laid five Pokémon Eggs all at once.
In less than a month, the ranch would welcome a group of baby Chikorita.
When Tropius heard the news, it was told not to get too excited. Right now, it could hardly wait to finish its task and rush back to the ranch at top speed.
Near the Pokémon Center, Silas found a mall and casually enjoyed a local specialty meal. With only two Pokémon by his side to take care of, he felt incredibly relaxed.
In truth, there was really only one to care for. Rowlet inside his backpack was fast asleep.
Only after feeding Cinccino until it was full did Silas begin eating properly himself.
Four dishes and a soup were completely cleaned off by him, not a single bite wasted.
The restaurant truly tasted excellent, well worth the one hour he had spent waiting in line.
"Cinccino, it is time to go back."
He called out toward the small Pokémon play area not far away. Surrounded by a group of baby Pokémon, Cinccino ran toward him.
In its paws, it held a poster and a free meal voucher. The little one explained excitedly, "Cin~"
It turned out that earlier, a staff member had invited them to draw a lottery. The first prize was a free meal, and Cinccino had immediately drawn it.
"You little rascal." Silas rubbed its fluffy fur and shook his head with a laugh. He had not expected to get a free meal.
"And what is this poster about?"
At the mention of it, Cinccino became even more energetic. It unfolded the poster and pointed at it with shining eyes.
"Cin! Cin! (Silas, look! It is a Pokémon Contest. I want to participate too!)
On the poster was a magnificent Milotic performing beautifully on stage. Meeting Cinccino's expectant gaze, Silas found himself hesitating.
"To participate in a Pokémon Contest, we need to prepare a performance. We have not prepared anything at all." He reached out and patted its head. "And the competition starts tomorrow. There is no way we can get ready in time."
A Pokémon Contest was different from a regular battle. It was a competition meant to showcase a Pokémon's charm.
Moves needed to be combined in creative ways to create dazzling scenes that would earn points from the judges.
Usually, every movement was carefully designed by Coordinators. With their current level of preparation, they probably would not even pass the preliminary round.
Cinccino's ears drooped, but it was unwilling to give up.
It had only ever watched Pokémon Contests on television. Now that it finally had the chance to see one in person, it wanted to try.
It tugged at Silas's clothes and swayed back and forth in a spoiled manner, its tiny paw pointing at the Newcomer Division label on the poster, reminding Silas that they could participate in that category first.
Everyone in that division was new. They were all starting from the same line. Whether they had prepared or not did not matter so much.
Silas examined it carefully. The Newcomer Division had only recently been introduced to expand the influence of Pokémon Contests.
Participants were mostly interested Trainers, energetic kids, or residents with spare time. It was essentially an amateur division among amateurs.
Seeing this, Silas regained some confidence. Compared to that description, they were not exactly amateurs.
Unable to resist Cinccino's pleading, Silas flicked its forehead lightly. "All right, we will give it a try. Cinccino, let us start preparing."
"Cin!" (No problem. Let us work hard together, Silas!)
Cinccino pumped its tiny fists enthusiastically.
After leaving the restaurant, Silas did not return immediately.
He first went to the contest venue to register at the front desk.
Before leaving, he stopped by a nearby shop and bought some props for the performance: sparkling ribbons, glowing petal stickers, and small devices that could create smoke effects.
When he returned to the Pokémon Center, all four dragon Pokémon had behaved properly.
For the entire afternoon, he went nowhere else. Instead, he stayed in the plaza behind the Pokémon Center, practicing with Cinccino.
First was the selection of moves. Given Cinccino's appearance, it was best to choose cute and charming moves, ones that would amplify its natural appeal.
Charm was absolutely essential, and Swift could serve as decoration.
Very quickly, Silas finalized the design. The performance movements were fairly simple, with the focus placed on showcasing Cinccino's cuteness and softness.
"Cin!" (Silas, let us start practicing!)
Even though it was their first time and the actions were simple, Cinccino was filled with fighting spirit.
"First, try to throw Swift evenly into the sky."
Cinccino flicked its tail, sending several bright yellow stars shooting upward. After reaching their highest point, they rapidly descended.
"Now use Echoed Voice to shatter the Swift."
Thanks to the abundant special dishes at the ranch, even though Cinccino did not participate in battles, its mastery of moves was above average.
With ease, it used Echoed Voice to shatter the falling stars. A cascade of sparkling starlight rained down, and beneath it, Cinccino began to dance and sing, striking all sorts of adorable and charming poses.
As expected, his little mouse was the cutest of all. Just watching made Silas want to scoop it into his arms and give it an intense round of affectionate rubbing.
And that was exactly what he did.
The practice was forcibly interrupted as Silas hugged Cinccino tightly and rubbed it without restraint.
Cinccino cast him a look of utter disdain.
(End of Chapter)