At seven o'clock in the evening, the movie came to an end.
The lights in the screening hall suddenly switched on, and the excitement that everyone had been holding back was finally released. Voices rose everywhere as people eagerly discussed the film with their companions.
Silas and his group were no exception.
Korrina's little face was flushed red with excitement as she kept praising Diantha and Gardevoir in the movie, saying that both of their performances were amazing.
Coupled with their already outstanding appearances, the combination of the two produced an extraordinary chemical reaction.
"Big Sister Diantha is so beautiful! Gardevoir is beautiful too!"
"Big Brother, can we watch it a second time?"
Korrina, who had completely transformed into Diantha's biggest fangirl, clutched Silas's arm and shook it as she pleaded.
"That won't work." Silas shook his head and refused. "I've already been away for quite a long time. There are only the Mudbrays watching over the ranch, and I really can't put my mind at ease."
"All right then!" Korrina was disappointed for a brief moment, but she immediately bounced back to her energetic self, completely incapable of falling into emotional overthinking.
She excitedly shared with Silas everything she had just seen in the movie, even saying that she wanted to ask Big Sister Diantha for an autograph—it would definitely make Serena insanely jealous.
After taking Korrina to a nearby restaurant for a meal, Silas finally escorted her home safely.
When they parted, Silas wore a tired smile on his face.
There was really nothing he could do—this little girl, Korrina, seemed to have no concept of fatigue at all.
Her mouth kept chattering nonstop, and Silas had to respond every now and then. How could he not be tired?
Even Minccino, the most energetic Pokémon on the ranch, had drooped its ears. The other Pokémon had already retreated into their Poké Balls early on, and even the clingy little Cyclizar was no exception.
Watching Korrina head home, Minccino finally felt relieved.
"Min, Min~"
(Terrifying human… I wasn't even a match for her.)
"Minccino, are you okay?"
Silas waved his hand in front of Minccino's eyes and asked about its condition.
Minccino shook its head, rubbed its eyes, and let out a long yawn—it was sleepy.
Picking Minccino up and releasing Cyclizar, Silas pointed in the direction of home.
Yet in his heart, he couldn't help worrying about the ranch—how things had been during the few hours he was gone, whether the Mudbray had eaten properly, and so on.
Cyclizar seemed to sense Silas's thoughts, and its running speed unconsciously increased by a few notches.
When passing by the John's and Penny's Miltank Ranch, Silas took the money stored there along with a note left by Gario.
It was pitch-dark and he couldn't see clearly, so he decided to read it after returning home.
Riding Cyclizar back to the ranch, Silas walked a few steps inside and, from afar, spotted three clusters of flickering lights, bright and dim in turns.
Just as he was feeling puzzled, the three Mudbray noticed Silas's silhouette and excitedly ran toward him. The three beams of light drew closer and closer.
"Mud! Mud!"
From a distance, Silas could already hear the Mudbray's somewhat urgent cries for help.
His heart skipped a beat, and he thought that something serious must have happened.
But when he finally saw the three's current state, his expression turned rather strange.
"Mud! Mud!"
One of the three brothers tugged at Silas, asking him to take a look at the light flickering over their bodies—it was disturbing their sleep.
"This is… the light of evolution."
Once he got closer and examined it carefully, Silas immediately noticed what was going on.
This was a light that only appeared during a Pokémon's evolution, a blessing originating from the Creator Pokémon itself.
The Mudbray tilted their heads in confusion. "Mud?"
Looking at their bewildered expressions, Silas pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling both amused and exasperated.
What countless other Pokémon desperately wished for—evolution—was something the Mudbray were actively resisting.
Even so, the evolutionary light could not be completely suppressed, which showed just how deep and solid the three's accumulated energy was.
Squatting down, Silas patiently explained everything to them.
He told them that evolving would allow them to become tall and strong Mudsdale.
Hearing this, the Mudbray brother's eyes instantly lit up.
If they became Mudsdale, they would be able to use much stronger plowing moves and help Silas even more.
If that was the case, then they wanted to evolve—they wanted to help Silas.
"Are you sure?" Silas asked again, because not all Pokémon desired evolution.
"Mud!" ×3
The three Mudbray nodded vigorously, showing that they had made up their minds.
Reaching out to gently stroke them one by one, Silas spoke softly. "Then don't suppress that power inside you anymore. Try to actively embrace it."
Immediately after, the Mudbrays stopped restraining the energy within their bodies. Vast, incomparable Ground-type energy surged outward like crashing waves.
"Mud! Bray!"
The white light enveloping the three grew dazzling and brilliant, like small suns dispelling the darkness as it completely swallowed them.
At this moment, the power they had accumulated day after day finally burst forth in full, and under the blessing of the Creator Pokémon, their life forms completed a leap to a higher level.
"Min?"
Minccino widened its eyes, watching with envy, yet also with a hint of worry.
Silas reached out and patted it, comforting it gently. "There's no need to worry. The Mudbray's accumulation is more than enough to complete their evolution."
Pumpkin porridge every day, mud cakes and mud biscuits every couple of days—the Mudbrays had long since stored up an enormous amount of energy within their bodies.
Buzz!
The earth trembled, resonated, almost as if it were offering its congratulations.
Ripples of Ground-type energy spread outward in rings, instantly enveloping the entire ranch.
The instinctive activation of the move Rototiller accompanied their evolution, subtly nourishing and transforming the land of the ranch.
At the very center of everything, the light surrounding the three brothers merged back into their bodies, and their forms began to change.
They grew taller and larger, with thick black hair sprouting atop their heads and extending down their backs.
Between the thick, braided black hair, distinctive orange patterns appeared as accents.
What truly stood out, however, were their sturdy four limbs—resembling heavy boots—so powerful that a casual kick could easily turn a large cargo truck into scrap metal.
Their once-adorably blank gazes had become resolute after evolution, giving off a calm, unshakable presence no matter what they faced.
"Mud~!" x3
Having just completed their evolution, the three robust Mudsdale charged toward Silas. Even the mere act of running caused the ground to quake, as if a small earthquake were happening.
Now Silas finally understood why certain roads in Alola prohibited Mudsdale from entering.
They were literal road killers.
The force of their hooves striking the ground while running was enough to smash massive craters into asphalt roads.
Surrounded all at once by three huge "babies," Silas curiously patted and squeezed them from left to right, continuously asking about how they felt.
The three Mudsdale replied that they felt great—their bodies felt much lighter now, and they could unleash Rototiller with far greater power than before.
"You've grown so big now. Your shed can't fit you anymore."
Silas said apologetically, "There isn't enough time today, so you'll have to make do for one night. Tomorrow, I'll expand it properly for you."
The Mudsdale brothers rubbed against Silas one by one, indicating that it was fine.
Only then did Silas let them go rest. He also sent the other Pokémon off to rest as well, before finally returning to the cabin and opening Gario's note.
At the same time, he didn't forget to record the day's gains.
League Calendar, Year 198, Spring, February 12
Income: 3,400 (1,000 from strawberries, cabbage, and mung beans; 2,400 from three bottles of tulip nectar)
Expenses: 1,536 (movie tickets, meals, and various other costs)
Remaining funds: 104,936
(End of Chapter)