The white light came quickly and faded just as fast, completely merging into Litten's body.
"Meowrr!"
After a loud and powerful roar, the light of evolution fully dissipated, revealing a larger, white feline Pokémon in its place.
It shook the fluffy mane behind its neck, its white and orange tail sweeping through the air in a graceful arc. The former Litten stood proudly in front of Silas, lifting its head slightly as it presented itself, clearly waiting for praise.
Its personality had not changed at all. It was still his tsundere little cat.
No, that was not quite right anymore.
Now it should be called a tsundere big cat.
Torracat looked very similar to Litten, essentially a scaled up version of its previous form. Overall, the changes were not drastic. The markings on its forehead had become larger and more intricate, and its gaze seemed more resolute.
The most noticeable difference was the bell like organ around its neck, which it used to produce flames.
However, Silas's Torracat was different. It had two bell-like structures, which jingled together with a crisp ringing sound.
"So cool, Torracat," Silas praised.
But Torracat did not seem fully satisfied.
It took a few steps back, making sure it would not affect Silas.
Lowering its body, it extended its front paws forward. The bell at its neck began to glow with a warm light, accompanied by a more rapid ringing sound.
In the next moment, Torracat suddenly opened its mouth, its sharp teeth wrapped in blazing flames, and bit forward into the air with a fully formed Fire Fang.
It did not stop there.
Leaning its body back as if gathering strength, it then spat out a ball of fire. Before it even hit the ground, the flames expanded rapidly, forming a swirling vortex of fire about half a meter in diameter.
The vortex burned intensely for over ten seconds before slowly fading, leaving behind a scorched mark on the ground.
Another new move, Fire Spin.
Silas raised his hand, ready to praise his big cat, but Torracat was not finished yet. It still had one more move to demonstrate.
Taking on a battle stance, Torracat inhaled deeply, then suddenly raised its head and let out a powerful roar infused with energy, the sound lasting for about three seconds.
This was a status move, Roar.
In multi battles, it could force the opponent to switch out. In single battles, it could repel the opponent. When used properly, it could create unexpected advantages and instantly change the flow of battle.
Learning three moves immediately upon evolution made Silas visibly surprised.
Seeing this reaction, Torracat revealed a proud little expression.
It walked over with elegant steps and let out a soft "meow."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Silas picked Torracat up and hugged it closely, praising it nonstop.
"Torracat is amazing! You learned three new moves right after evolving. If you train well, you might even defeat Perrserker."
Torracat's tail stood straight up, and it rubbed its head against Silas's chest, clearly pleased with the praise.
Right now, it truly felt incredibly strong.
Bringing the newly evolved Torracat along, Silas headed toward the berry orchard.
The Chikorita siblibgs were chasing after Charcadet, while Meganium and Tropius rested together, occasionally glancing over.
As soon as they noticed Silas, all five Chikorita turned and ran toward him.
The fastest one, the big Chikorita, leaped high into the air and launched a full power Tackle straight at him.
Silas had no time to react before it slammed into his arms, wriggling around and acting spoiled.
Then came the second fastest one, delivering a slightly weaker Tackle.
And then the remaining three, each using normal strength Tackles.
Even Silas could not handle five consecutive Tackles.
Losing his balance, he fell to the ground with a solid thud.
Lying there, he felt one of the Chikorita licking his face with their soft tongues.
Soon, all five joined in, and in the blink of an eye his face was covered in drool. With several of them piled on top of him, it felt like a heavy weight pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
Grabbing the heaviest one, the big Chikorita, he moved it aside and struggled to sit up.
"I am fine, I am fine. All of you, get off me."
But as soon as he spoke, the Chikorita snuggled closer again, licking him playfully and refusing to leave.
Seeing this, the big Chikorita that had just been moved aside looked eager to jump in again.
Silas quickly stood up while holding onto the clingiest one, not giving it another chance. He tapped each of their heads lightly in mock annoyance.
Pulling the big Chikorita over, he even used it to wipe the drool off his face.
"Alright, all of you stand still properly. Let me check whether you are growing normally."
After creating health records for the Chikorita family, Silas did not forget to check Applin, Flapple, and Appletun as well.
The entire process took two hours, largely because the Chikorita siblings kept causing trouble. Otherwise, it would have been done in just one.
Leaving Charcadet behind to play, Silas went to the cave to check on the Noivern trio.
Despite their recent battle with Greninja, it had not affected their sleep at all. Their snores echoed one after another.
After making a full round, Silas had gathered the condition of all the Pokémon in the ranch.
From now on, updating these records monthly would allow him to clearly track their health.
With that task done, Silas rubbed his hands together and hurried back toward the house.
As soon as he stepped inside, Cinccino lightly jumped onto his shoulder, its eyes sparkling with mischief.
Before he could question it, it handed him a xtransceiver.
On the other side of the screen stood Serena, arms crossed, clearly angry.
This was bad.
He had forgotten to pick her up.
"Big brother~" Serena's voice came through, her tone slightly drawn out and carrying a hint of playful complaint.
Silas was very familiar with this tone. It meant she was waiting for him to coax her.
"Well, about that…" he scratched his head awkwardly, then coughed and spoke seriously. "Serena, remember when I told you about winter fishing? I came back and got busy with that. I accidentally forgot."
"Brother…"
"Tomorrow. I will come pick you up first thing tomorrow morning, alright? Ask mom to help you pack your luggage, clothes, and plushies."
Seeing his sincere attitude, Serena finally relented.
"I will forgive you for now. If it happens again, I will… I will ignore you for a whole hour."
After ending the call, Silas grabbed Cinccino, who was trying to escape, and tickled it as punishment.
It had not been loyal at all, just watching him get teased from the side.
This little mouse definitely needed proper punishment.
And while he was at it, he might as well reward himself too.
Silas pressed his face against Cinccino's soft belly, rubbing its big ears back and forth with both hands.
"Cin~" it protested.
Looking at the little Pokémon lying in his arms, pretending to resist while clearly enjoying it, Silas paused.
After a while, when nothing more happened, Cinccino opened one eye slightly and tilted its head in confusion.
"Cin?" it seemed to ask.
Why did he suddenly stop? It was already prepared.
Silas sighed.
The little mouse had grown up.
Before, it would shyly resist, but now it was even more proactive than him.
Still, this was a completely different kind of experience.
Wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth, Silas grinned.
"Little mouse, the big bad wolf is going to eat you."
"Cin~ Cin…" it responded playfully, rubbing its head against his hand.
The happy time of playing with the mouse was short lived.
Next came time to play with the sea lion, then Jigglypuff, then the cats, and finally the little Kangaskhan.
(End of Chapter)