At 3:05 PM, Kalos time.
Silas and Diantha returned to Shalour City, and he helped her down from Dragonite's back, steadying her as she landed.
"Not going to the ranch?" he asked.
"No," Diantha shook her head, her gaze drifting toward a car approaching in the distance. "I've been away from the studio for a couple of days, and a lot of work has piled up. I'll come visit after I finish handling everything."
"Alright."
He agreed with a smile, watching as she got into the car and left.
Silas then climbed back onto Dragonite's back and gave it a light pat. "Let's head home too, Dragonite."
"Draa~"
Dragonite let out a cheerful cry, its small wings stirring up a gentle breeze as it soared into the sky. It flew over Shalour City and, upon spotting the ranch below, descended directly toward it.
Nestled in Silas's arms, the little Shaymin shrank most of its body into his clothes, only its eyes peeking out as it timidly observed its surroundings. Its emerald-green gaze swept across everything below.
On the small pasture, three Mareep and two Flaaffy were grazing with their heads lowered, while a Mudsdale followed closely behind, watching over and protecting them.
Ever since the incident with the Mandibuzz, the Mudsdale brothers had made it a habit to stay nearby, ensuring no accidents would happen again.
Not far away, beside a lake, a large group of Pokémon were playing together, running happily between the water and the trees.
Across the lake, near the outer edge of the back mountain, stretched a vast garden. The moment Shaymin saw it, its ears twitched, and its eyes lit up instantly.
It gently tapped Silas with its tiny hooves, clearly excited. A whole field of Gracidea flowers had appeared here, and it had no idea before.
"We're almost there. This is my ranch, a paradise for Pokémon."
Silas lightly scratched Shaymin, feeling the little Pokémon relax in his arms. A warm smile appeared on his face.
"You can stay here as long as you want. There are all kinds of delicious food, even tastier than poffins. Cinccino, Litten, and the others will play with you too."
"Mii-mii~"
Shaymin's eyes sparkled even brighter. Food better than poffins and friends to play with? Even if Silas tried to send it away now, it would refuse to leave.
It leaned out of his arms, rubbing against him affectionately, letting out soft, coquettish cries.
This little sequence of actions made Silas adore it even more. He couldn't help but pet and squeeze it with both hands, clearly delighted.
Dragonite landed steadily in front of the ranch house. Hearing the commotion, several Pokémon ran out to greet them. Upon seeing Dragonite, they immediately rushed over.
Leading the charge was Cyclizar. Its green body shot forward like lightning, and before Silas could react, it leaped straight into his arms, knocking him backward until he fell onto the grass.
"Cyc!"
With its entire body pressing down on him, Cyclizar rubbed its face against his neck, its claws tugging at his clothes as it tried to stick out its big tongue.
Silas quickly held its face back to avoid getting slobbered all over.
"Miss me after just a few days?"
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar cried excitedly. Once Silas stood up, it ran circles around him, its four legs kicking energetically.
"Alright, alright," Silas laughed, giving its head a firm pat. "Next time for sure. You and Dragonite can take turns."
At that moment, Shaymin cautiously poked its head out from Silas's arms, observing Cyclizar with curious yet wary eyes.
Cyclizar also noticed Shaymin and immediately shifted into a more alert posture, grinning as it leaned closer.
Silas lightly tapped it. "Go call the Florges and the others for me."
Cyclizar shook its head, let out a "Cyc," and dashed off toward the garden, leaving a faint trail across the grass before quickly disappearing from sight.
Watching it go, Silas shook his head with a smile.
He then set Shaymin down and looked up to meet Kangaskhan, the Indeedee siblings, and the two Meowth.
"Meow~"
Perrserker jumped out of its Poké Ball and greeted the regular Meowth and Alolan Meowth, flashing a mouth full of steel teeth.
With the constant chorus of meows, the four feline Pokémon, including Litten, quickly began chatting among themselves.
Only when they stood together did it become obvious how much bigger Perrserker was, nearly twice the height of a regular Meowth, forcing the latter to look up.
The four cats soon ran off together, grabbing small bread pieces and nets for catching fish along the way.
"Got it, just don't stay out too late."
Before Silas even finished speaking, they had already run off into the distance. Litten even turned back to wave a paw at him as they headed off to catch the so-called "fish king."
The older brother Indeedee stepped forward to take the luggage and began organizing it, while theyounger sister Indeedee brought over a cup of black tea.
"Thanks."
Silas placed a hand on her head and took a small sip before introducing Shaymin.
"This is Shaymin, a Mythical Pokémon. It has the special ability to make barren land bloom with flowers."
"Indee~" Younger sister Indeedee greeted gently with a small wave and a soft smile.
"Mii!"
Sensing their kindness, Shaymin timidly greeted them back.
Silas then introduced Kangaskhan and the baby Kangaskhan sleeping in her pouch.
"Mii~"
Shaymin circled Kangaskhan and quickly warmed up, even climbing onto her shoulder and nuzzling her affectionately.
"Looks like Shaymin really likes you," Silas said.
Kangaskhan lowered her head gently and nudged Shaymin in return.
"Mi!"
Shaymin seemed delighted, even raising its little limbs to give Kangaskhan a practiced little massage.
"Kangaskhan, I'll leave Shaymin in your care for now."
"Kang!"
"And call me when the Florges gets back."
Surrounded by the Indeedee siblings, Silas entered the ranch house. He planned to prepare a fruit platter.
After being away for just a few days, the house hadn't changed much.
Except for one thing.
There were five small green leaves on the sofa.
The Chikorita were curled up asleep under a blanket, with only the leaves on their heads sticking out.
"Are Meganium and Tropius really okay leaving them with you?" Silas asked softly.
Older brother Indeedee replied, "Indeedee~" (They came to play with baby Kangaskhan. Since it fell asleep, they ended up falling asleep too. Tropius came by earlier to check on them.)
"Then let's not wake them. We'll move quietly."
Young Pokémon needed plenty of sleep to grow, so Silas and the two Indeedee tiptoed into the kitchen.
Before long, two luxurious fruit platters were prepared.
One was for Shaymin, and the other was for the Chikorita.
When Silas placed the platter in front of Shaymin, it immediately pounced on it like a starving tiger.
As it ate, it let out contented purring sounds. It absolutely loved the fruit platter.
"No need to rush, the whole plate is yours."
Just as he finished speaking, he noticed movement behind him.
Morpeko rushed in first, followed closely by Cinccino and Alcremie.
The little food thieves had arrived, and Shaymin silently sped up its eating.
(End of Chapter)