"Alright, alright, the organizers really know how to play this."
Silas muttered inwardly, and when he looked up, he saw Jigglypuff and Cinccino hopping toward him, each hugging a championship trophy.
The three bands had been declared joint first place, and it was clear the organizers did not want to offend anyone.
Looking at how happy the six little ones were, Silas shook his head and decided not to argue about it.
As long as the little guys were happy, that was all that mattered. Being tied for first place also saved him the trouble of having to comfort anyone.
If you are happy, I am happy, everyone is happy.
The six Pokémon clutched their trophies with pure joy. After celebrating for a while, they gathered around Silas and together handed the trophies to him.
"Cin~ Cin!"
"For me?"
"Cin~ Cin~ " (That's right, Silas is the very best manager. Without you, we would not have been able to win.)
"Jiggly~"
"Toxtri" x2
"Brion!"
"We couldn't do it without you, Silas!"
The other five Pokémon all nodded in agreement. Silas was also a member of the band.
Squatting down, Silas scratched Jigglypuff gently. The little one threw itself into his arms, raising the trophy high.
Taking the two trophies, Silas felt their weight in his hands. It was not just the weight of the trophies themselves, but also the recognition from the Pokémon.
However, soon after, a troubled expression appeared on his face. There was no place to put them anymore.
With more and more Pokémon at the ranch, the rooms were no longer enough. The Toxtricity brothers were even renting the storage room now.
If there was not even enough space to live, there was no way he could dedicate a separate room just to display trophies and badges.
Putting the trophies down, Silas looked over all the Pokémon.
"Do you feel crowded in the house now?"
"Cin~"
Cinccino nodded. Ever since Popplio evolved, its sleeping habits had become terrible. It took up a lot of space, and several times Cinccino had almost been squeezed off the bed.
"Brion~"
Brionne immediately protested, and the two Pokémon began pushing each other as if they were about to fight.
Silas covered his forehead helplessly and stepped forward, grabbing one in each hand to separate them.
It seemed that expanding the ranch house was indeed necessary. The little ones were growing up and needed their own rooms.
For now, it was just an idea. He still needed to think it through carefully.
At the moment, however, there was something more important.
Fan autographs.
The Ranch Band and the Electro Rock Band each had their own line forming, stretching into small queues. Their outstanding performances had already earned Cinccino and Jigglypuff their first batch of fans.
Standing at the very front of the line was none other than Steven.
No wonder Silas could not find him earlier.
Watching Steven take out a stack of photos of Diancie from various angles, then clasp his hands together and respectfully present them while asking for an autograph, Silas felt speechless.
Diancie covered her mouth in surprise. She had not expected someone to collect her photos so seriously and then request an autograph so formally.
For a moment, she did not know what to do. Instinctively, she glanced toward Silas, seeking his help.
Silas held back a laugh and nodded at her, silently encouraging her with his lips.
With Silas beside her, Diancie felt genuine comfort and reassurance.
She signed her name in elegant script on the blank space of the photos and handed them back to Steven with both hands.
"Mr. Steven, thank you for waiting. Is this alright?"
"No problem at all, no problem."
Steven carefully placed the signed photo into a prepared frame. This was Diancie's first public autograph, incredibly meaningful. He planned to treasure it and even pass it down to the next generation.
"Princess, may I take a photo with you?"
With the demeanor of a noble young master, Steven extended his invitation.
"Of course, Mr. Steven. Should we do it here?"
Still not very familiar with such interactions, Diancie asked every time.
"Here is fine."
After speaking, Steven clapped his hands. Two photographers carrying cameras squeezed in and began taking pictures of the pair.
The final activity, the autograph session, lasted for an hour before coming to an end. The concert concluded perfectly.
By the time Silas returned to the hotel, the six little ones were completely exhausted. Each of them collapsed onto the bed, unwilling to move at all.
Watching idols give autographs on television seemed lively and fun, but only when you became the one signing did you realize how tiring it was. Right now, all they wanted was to rest.
Silas covered them with blankets to prevent them from catching a cold, then quietly tiptoed out of the bedroom.
"Charca!" (Silas, you have a call.)
"Thanks."
Rubbing its head, Silas picked up the shiny Charcadet and held it in his arms. When he saw who was calling, a happy smile appeared on his face.
He answered the transciever, and before he could speak, he heard Diantha's sweet voice.
"Did you miss me, Silas?"
"No."
"You're lying." Diantha glared at him, slightly annoyed. "You have to say you missed me."
"I missed you, I missed you, I've been thinking about you the whole time."
Silas spoke as if he were coaxing a child.
After a bit of affectionate teasing through the screen, Diantha finally got to the main point.
"Cinccino and the others' video has been uploaded online. They're really popular now. You should interact more online. You can convert a lot of fans this way."
Silas thought about it seriously, then shook his head. "Forget it. I'm already busy enough offline. I'll skip the online stuff."
"That's true. You wouldn't be able to handle it alone anyway." On the other end, Diantha pushed away Tyrantrum's large head and suggested, "How about this, you create two band accounts and link them to my studio. I'll have my assistant manage them."
"Sounds fine to me. You decide."
Feeding the shiny Charcadet some poffins, Silas replied casually.
"Then register two accounts first, and remember to get them verified by the League."
"Let's not talk about that for now. I have something I want to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
"I'm planning to expand the ranch house. Do you have any ideas?"
"Instead of expanding, why not tear it down and rebuild it? Add two more floors so all the Pokémon can live inside."
"If we are going to rebuild it, then we might as well build a four story villa. What do you think?"
The two discussed the idea and eventually reached an agreement.
They would build a villa.
Then came the next question. How big should the villa be? How should the interior be planned?
Silas had his system, and as long as materials were sufficient, he could construct it quickly.
However, the interior layout still needed to be designed by him. A four story villa meant ensuring every Pokémon had its own room, which required careful planning.
"I'll handle the design for the rooms," Diantha said. "We can ask construction company to come and measure. They are experts in renovating old houses."
One problem after another was resolved during their discussion, and the ranch villa construction plan was officially set in motion.
Silas first asked Diantha to customize the furniture. Other things could wait, but a five meter wide bed was urgently needed.
As for the rest of the furniture, Silas had no specific requirements and left everything to Diantha, allowing her to feel involved.
Choosing furniture for their future home, Diantha naturally did not refuse. She even planned to take half a day to visit Lumiose City's furniture district to customize everything.
Once the four story ranch villa was completed, it would become their marital home, a place they would live in for a lifetime.
After talking on the xtransciever for nearly an hour, Silas finally ended the call.
The Charcadet in his arms had fallen asleep at some point, likely bored from waiting with no one to play with.
Placing shiny Charcadet on the bed, Silas made sure to tuck in the blanket for the little ones who had kicked theirs off, then quietly left the room.
He mounted Cyclizar, with Charcadet sitting in his arms, and held the Mightiest Mark as he began searching.
He arrived at the great waterfall area of Couriway Town. Following a faint, guiding sensation, he continued deeper until he finally stopped in front of a rapidly flowing waterfall.
(End of Chapter)