"Let us give a round of applause to celebrate the birth of the new champion!"
Taking the microphone, Gym Leader Ramos spoke with fervor.
At once, thunderous applause erupted from below the stage. The championship won by the three Mudsdale was truly well-deserved. Even the other ranch owners acknowledged it, joining in the applause without hesitation. All three judges had given perfect scores—this was by no means a matter of luck alone.
The Mudsdale had been raised and trained exceptionally well; even Elite Drasna was visibly astonished. It could be described as a near-perfect level of training, especially Mudsdale's control over Ground-type energy, which was downright unbelievable.
If Silas had not spoken up in time to stop it just now, the consequences would have been unimaginable—a massive sandstorm would have devastated everything here.
"Wahaha, a perfect-score champion!"
"Big brother, you're amazing!"
Serena looked on with pure admiration, her eyes sparkling brightly.
On the stage, Silas accepted the heavy trophy from Gym Leader Ramos's hands. After delivering his acceptance speech, he stepped down. The champion's reward consisted not only of the trophy, but also a mysterious grand prize. Silas soon found Elite Four Drasna.
"So, Silas, have you decided which reward you want?" Drasna asked gently.
There was more than one champion's reward—several rare Pokémon items were available, and he could choose one of them. Laid out before Silas were: a Magma Oscillator that could allow Magmar to evolve once more, a golden crown, and a silver bell. After giving them a quick glance, Silas withdrew his gaze. For him, these items were of little use at the moment. Looking at Drasna, Silas said, "Elite Drasna, may I exchange this reward for a method to train Noibat?"
If he remembered correctly, one of Elite Drasna's main Pokémon was an extraordinarily powerful Noivern. It had shone brilliantly in this tournament, and Silas had even watched its battle footage.
"You also raise Noibat?" Drasna asked softly, her eyes often half-closed.
"Yes," Silas replied.
He briefly described the situation of the three Noibat under his care. As if he didn't know—those three little fellows secretly trained every night, wanting to grow stronger and then shock him with their progress.
After listening to Silas's explanation, Drasna grew more serious. Her eyes opened slightly, though her tone remained gentle. "Three diligent little cuties."
She lowered her head in thought, then took out a palm-sized black-and-purple dragon scale from her spatial bag. "This is a reverse scale shed by my Noivern a few years ago. There's still a trace of Dragon-type energy left inside. It should have some effect on your Noibat."
Silas accepted the scale solemnly with both hands. It felt icy cold to the touch, with a somewhat rough texture.
[Noivern's Reverse Scale: A reverse scale shed by a Noivern that has grown to the peak of its species' potential. It contains the purest Dragon-type energy.]
"Thank you very much, Elite Drasna," Silas said, bowing deeply. This was an incredibly precious gift. Even if a Noibat simply wore it, its strength would gradually improve. If Silas personally used it to create a special dish, the enhancement would be even greater.
Drasna waved her hand lightly. "You don't need to thank me yet. When I have time, I'll personally come to inspect the results of your training."
"I won't disappoint you," Silas replied.
Carefully stowing the reverse scale into his satchel, he was already eager to return and share the good news with his three Noibat. After bidding farewell to Drasna and exchanging a few words with the other ranch owners, Silas decided to leave.
After taking just a few steps, Silas suddenly stopped.
He heard it again—Serena's voice.
From within the crowd, a small figure darted toward him at lightning speed. Upon seeing who it was, Silas's face lit up with surprise, and he spread his arms wide in welcome. The next instant, he was solidly rammed in the chest by a little girl.
"Oof—Serena, did you get chubbier again?" Silas joked as he scooped her up in his arms.
"Not at all! It's the clothes!" Serena glared at him, puffing out her cheeks as she complained nonstop, her little hands patting at him repeatedly. "I saw big brother a long time ago—how come you only noticed me now? I was calling you from down there just now, and you didn't even look at me once!"
As she spoke, Serena grew more and more aggrieved, bursting into tears, sniffling as she rubbed her face all over his clothes.
"My fault, my fault," Silas hurriedly comforted her, wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
"Min Min~"
Minccino poked its head out from Silas's shoulder and gently brushed Serena's cheek with its tail, helping to console her as well.
"It's a Minccino!" Serena exclaimed in delight. Instantly stopping her tears, she grabbed Minccino and hugged it tightly to her chest, burying her face into its fluffy little belly. "Big brother didn't lie to me! Minccino smells so nice—so good!"
Noticing someone approaching from behind, Silas gently pinched Minccino's ear and said, "Minccino, could you help me take care of Serena for a bit?"
"Big brother, don't worry! I'll become good friends with Minccino," Serena said, leaning in to whisper softly into Minccino's ear.
As for Silas, he turned his gaze to the newcomer.
His mother in this life, a skilled Rhyhorn rider.
"Mom~"
Silas stood still and naturally opened his arms. The next moment, he was enveloped in a warm, gentle embrace.
After a short while…
"Have you lost weight? And you're tanner too! Didn't you buy a ranch? How did you still manage to slim yourself down? Are you eating properly?" his mother scolded.
"I am!" Silas spread his hands helplessly. "The last time I weighed myself, I'd actually gained five pounds."
But in his mother's eyes, Silas was definitely thinner.
"By the way, Mom, why are you guys here?" Silas asked.
Vaniville Town wasn't close to Coumarine City, you had to cross most of Kalos to get there.
"I have a competition in Coumarine City this week. Since you were nearby too, I thought I'd bring Serena along to see you," his mother said, gently scratching Minccino's little belly as she took the utterly lifeless-looking Minccino from Serena's arms. "I didn't expect to run into you here."
Serena stomped her foot, cheeks puffed up like an angry Qwilfish. "Mom~!"
Silas laughed and picked Serena up. "Want to come to my ranch? I guarantee it'll shock you both!"
"I want to go!" Serena raised both hands enthusiastically, her face full of anticipation as she looked at her mother.
"Only for one day. Tomorrow I have to go back to training—I'm aiming for a good ranking this time," his mother replied.
On Route 12, Silas and Serena rode atop Cyclizar, with his mother following behind on her Rhyhorn. After traveling along the main road, the group switched to Mudsdale. The three Mudsdale moved through the mountain paths as if walking on flat ground. Thanks to their frequent travels over the past few days, a small trail had already formed—one that the Mudsdale had trampled out step by step.
Five minutes later, the group returned to the ranch.
"Please, come in!" Silas pushed open the door and invited them inside.
Hugging Minccino, Serena dashed in first, filled with curiosity about everything around her. Hearing the commotion, the three Noibat flew over. Upon seeing Silas, they circled around him affectionately, nuzzling against him.
Silas reached out to catch them one by one, teasing them playfully as he said, "Thanks to you three little guys today, I've found a way to help boost your strength."
(End of Chapter)