"Good night, Silas."
"Good night, good night."
After exchanging goodnights with Diantha, Silas finished a simple wash-up and lay down on the bed. He spent a little time teasing Litten, then urged the two cats to sleep properly and lie still. Dragonite had already returned to its Poké Ball on its own.
The room quickly fell quiet, with only a few steady breathing sounds remaining.
At some unknown moment, a Pokémon appeared outside the window.
The small Shaymin pressed its face against the glass, its emerald-green eyes wide open as it tried desperately to confirm whether Silas had truly returned. From this angle, it could just see his side profile. It looked exactly the same.
Shaymin took two small steps back, stretched out its tiny paws, and gently pushed the window open. Like a sneaky little thief, it slipped inside quietly. It wanted to see his face clearly, it did not want to get its hopes up for nothing again.
A cold breeze suddenly drifted into the room. Still half asleep, Silas instinctively pulled the blanket tighter around himself.
His hand wandered across the bed and soon found "Litten," pulling it into his arms.
The little hedgehog struggled for a moment, but seeing that it could not break free, it simply relaxed. Nestled in that familiar embrace, it slowly closed its eyes and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep alongside him.
When the first rays of morning sunlight shone onto his face, Silas groggily opened his eyes.
Out of habit, he reached out to scratch "Litten" in his arms. The moment his hand made contact, he immediately realized something was off.
The texture felt prickly, not soft. There was also a distinct grassy fragrance under the blanket.
This was completely different from Litten's usual warm, fluffy feel with a faint scent of sunshine.
"Litten" shifted slightly in his arms, nudging closer, the ticklish sensation making Silas lazily pat it.
"Stop it… let me sleep a little longer," he muttered, still not fully awake.
"Meow!"
A confused meow sounded from above his head, instantly snapping Silas awake.
He turned his head sharply. Litten was lying on his pillow, its white tail swaying unconsciously.
If Litten is here… then what is in my arms?
Carefully lifting a corner of the blanket, Silas looked down.
There, curled up into a tiny ball, was an adorable Pokémon. Its green fur was slightly messy, and it looked incredibly comfortable. From time to time, it even smacked its lips, clearly enjoying a sweet dream.
As Silas lifted the blanket, Litten poked its head in to take a look. Its fur puffed up as it let out an indignant "meow."
Its amber eyes widened into perfect circles, its fluffy white tail standing upright like a flagpole. One paw lifted, revealing sharp, gleaming claws.
"Shh, don't," Silas immediately understood what Litten was thinking and gently shook his head.
"Meow…" Litten gave a slightly jealous cry, then lowered its head and licked its paw before reluctantly retracting its claws.
Even though it could not attack the intruder that had stolen its spot, that did not mean Litten had no other ways to deal with it.
It bent down and skillfully slipped under the blanket, stepping lightly across Silas's chest before settling beside the green fluffball.
Then it slowly shifted inward, inch by inch, squeezing Shaymin toward the edge of the bed.
Its soft body brushed against Silas's arm as it glanced up at him, its amber eyes filled with smug satisfaction.
Silas chuckled and lightly flicked Litten's nose, then reached out to pick up Shaymin and move it to the other side.
But before he could act, Shaymin woke up on its own.
The unfamiliar environment made its leaf-like fur instantly stiffen into sharp spines. This was Shaymin's natural defensive reaction in its Land Forme. The green grass covering its upper body could harden or soften at will.
Its small body trembled slightly from nervousness, causing the spines on its back to quiver as well, making it look a whole lot bigger. From its mouth came soft, harmless squeaks.
Curled up in the corner of the bed, it stayed completely still, peeking at the human and the cat through barely opened eyes.
"Meow?" Litten moved a little closer, extending a paw to poke at it repeatedly, its expression filled with curiosity.
Shaymin quickly curled into a tight ball, not even daring to look, completely resigned, like a prickly green yarn ball.
Seeing how timid it was, Litten paused mid-swipe, tilting its head and letting out a puzzled "meow."
Then it changed tactics, gently pushing Shaymin instead, just like it would when playing with a ball of yarn, rolling it around the bed.
Watching this scene, Silas did not know whether to laugh or sigh. He reached out and pulled Litten back into his arms, holding down its paws to stop it from bullying Shaymin.
For a mythical Pokémon, its courage was surprisingly small.
"Meow!"
"I know, let me ask first."
After calming down the slightly sulky Litten, Silas pinched both sides of its cheeks at once. Litten immediately began to purr contentedly.
Seeing that there was no more danger, Shaymin slowly uncurled its body.
"Mii?"
"Little guy, when did you sneak into the room?"
Shaymin glanced nervously at Litten. This one felt strangely familiar.
And every time it looked at Litten, it felt an instinctive fear deep within its body, as if it could not muster even the slightest resistance.
This reminded Shaymin of its childhood, when it had followed Silas around. Back then, there had been a large white tiger by his side.
That temperament was exactly the same.
In Shaymin's mind, that great white tiger had been incredibly powerful. It had personally seen it defeat a massive ice Pokémon the size of a mountain.
So the two-legged creature in front of it, who looked eighty to ninety percent like Silas, must be Silas's descendant.
Shaymin suddenly showed a look of realization.
Its emerald eyes lit up instantly, and even its fear toward Litten lessened.
"Mii~"
It cautiously stepped forward, gently tugging at Silas's pant leg with its tiny paws.
"What are you saying?"
Silas could not understand Shaymin's language, so he turned to Litten beside him.
"Meow~"
"Mii mii… mii!"
"Meow…"
With Litten translating, Silas gradually understood.
This Shaymin had mistaken him for someone else. According to its description, that person was older, more mature, essentially a middle-aged version of Silas.
"Mii…"
Shaymin moved toward the window. The Gracidea flower on its side bloomed, and it transformed into its Sky Forme.
It raised a small hoof and pointed outside, signaling for Silas to follow.
"Wait a bit, let's have breakfast first before heading out."
Silas took out some delicious poffins. As soon as Shaymin smelled the familiar scent again, its stomach began to growl.
While Litten, Shaymin, Dragonite, and Perrserker were eating breakfast, Silas went to call Diantha. The two met in the dining area, eating something simple as Silas explained what had happened that morning.
When Diantha heard that he had woken up to find Shaymin in his bed, she froze mid-bite, a piece of toast still in her mouth.
"So you're saying… you slept with a Shaymin in your arms all night?"
Silas nodded.
Hearing that, Diantha lowered her head and continued eating without another word.
Sometimes, the gap between people was even greater than the gap between humans and Pokémon.
Some people encountered mythical Pokémon every day, while others could not even catch a glimpse of one.
"You haven't answered me yet. Do you want to go to the Flower Paradise later?"
Silas poked her lightly.
Just as he spoke, an extra figure appeared beside them at some unknown moment.
(End of Chapter)