In an instant, Silas was surrounded by a group of little ones. Cinccino, Alcremie, Phione, and Popplio all crowded into his arms one after another, clinging to him and demanding hugs.
Even if they could not all fit, they still insisted on hanging onto him. They had missed him dearly.
Holding a bundle of these little "dumplings" in his arms, Silas lowered his head and rubbed against them affectionately, a gentle smile spreading across his face, his eyes curving with warmth.
No one could possibly resist a group of Pokémon surrounding you, acting cute, begging for hugs, and trying to snuggle close.
"Don't fight, don't fight."
Phione and Popplio were already competing for space in his arms. Phione pushed with its tiny hands, while Popplio refused to back down, nudging back with its nose.
When they heard Silas speak, both turned their heads toward him at the same time, but their little bodies still struggled for the best spot.
Looking around, Silas slowly made his way toward Kangaskhan, each step more difficult than the last.
Standing on tiptoe, he sighed helplessly. "Jigglypuff, can't you walk by yourself?"
"Jiggly!"
Jigglypuff shook its head vigorously. It was the slowest runner and failed to get a good position, so it simply hung onto him, its little bottom sitting on his foot.
With all these "little attachments" clinging to him, Silas could barely move, yet he was not annoyed in the slightest.
Instead, he slowed his pace and gently rubbed his chin against Cinccino's head. "While I was away, did you all behave?"
Clinging to his head, its fluffy tail sweeping like a duster, Cinccino puffed out its little chest proudly and let out a soft, sweet "Cin Cin~" sound.
It claimed that it had listened to Kangaskhan and the Indeedee siblings, and had even helped Meganium take care of the younger ones.
After Cinccino proudly showed off its achievements, Alcremie chimed in with cheerful cries, and the mischievous Phione and Popplio also started praising themselves. Even Jigglypuff, who was hugging his leg, joined in.
The group of little ones bragged endlessly, as if they wanted to praise themselves to the heavens.
Leaning back against Kangaskhan, Silas placed Cinccino on his stomach. With one hand free, he gently tapped each of their little noses.
"You all sure know how to talk," he said, raising an eyebrow with a teasing look in his eyes. "I'll be asking the Indeedee siblings later. If your stories don't match, your snacks will be cut in half for three days."
"Cin!"
"Lioo!"
"Jigglypuff!"
"..."
All five little ones shook their heads vigorously. Over the past few days, they and Cyclizar had not behaved well at all, and they were afraid of being exposed.
Seeing that Silas was not convinced, Cinccino glanced around, then suddenly had an idea.
"Cin Cin~" (It was Cyclizar who led us. He's the mastermind.)
The other four immediately nodded like pecking chickens.
Silas reached out, grabbed Cinccino's big ear, and flicked its forehead with a helpless look. Just then, he noticed several Pokémon appearing at the end of the path.
"Florges, over here!"
The five Florges approached him, and their gazes all landed on the small white deer that was currently competing with Morpeko for food.
Shaymin lifted its head in confusion, licked the milk stains from its lips, and quietly used its hoof to nudge the plate, pushing the gluttonous Morpeko aside.
"Flor?"
The red-flower Florges asked.
"That's right, that Pokémon is Shaymin."
"Flor! (⊙０⊙)" ×5
All five Florges showed expressions of surprise, especially the white-flower one. After receiving Silas's permission, it stepped forward and released its goodwill.
A soft white floral fragrance surrounded Florges, drifting gently toward Shaymin.
Shaymin raised its head and responded by releasing the fragrance of Gracidea flowers. It even pushed a berry coated in sweet honey toward Florges.
For Pokémon meeting for the first time, sharing food was a sign of acceptance and recognition.
Shaymin did not reject the Florges at all. On the contrary, it quite liked their floral scent.
Soon, the other four Florges also gathered around.
After observing for a while and seeing that everything was fine, Silas stepped forward, picked up Morpeko, whose cheeks were puffed out, and handed it to Kangaskhan to watch over.
Looking around, he noticed Cyclizar was nowhere to be seen. That guy had already run off.
After asking, he found out Cyclizar had gone to find the Meowth.
He then lined up the five little troublemakers along with Morpeko and asked sternly, "Alright, confess honestly. What bad things have you all been up to?"
Hearing this, the six little ones pushed each other, trying to get someone else to speak.
Just as Silas was about to call someone out, his xtransceiver suddenly lit up. He glanced at it and said, "I'll give you some time to discuss. I need to take this call."
As he turned and walked a short distance away, the Pokémon, led by Cinccino, began chattering noisily, arguing and shifting blame among themselves, putting on a perfect display of fragile "friendship."
Morpeko, however, was different. It looked resigned, as if accepting its fate, but still took out all the food from its cheek pouch and ate quickly. No matter what, it had to fill its stomach before getting scolded.
Casting them a glance, Silas walked aside and answered the call.
The screen split into two, revealing Steven and his shiny Metagross on the other side.
"Long time no see, Silas," Steven's voice came through the transceiver, while Metagross nodded slightly at the screen.
Leaning against a tree, Silas smiled and nodded. "It has been a while. I heard Devon has made new discoveries about outer space?"
"Yes," Steven nodded. "Within some meteorites from outer space, we've observed a strange substance. Several researchers believe it might be an unknown cosmic Pokémon."
"Cosmic Pokémon?"
Silas immediately thought of the most famous "alien" Pokémon.
"Let's leave that to the researchers," Steven said, rubbing his temples before shifting the topic. "About the Regi trio you mentioned in Hoenn last time, I've made some new discoveries."
"Oh? Did you find Regirock or Regice?"
"Neither," Steven shook his head. "It's a chamber related to awakening them."
"A few days ago, a Devon exploration team discovered several stone slabs with Braille inscriptions along Route 134."
"Through reconstruction, we located an underwater chamber."
As he spoke, Steven displayed photos for Silas to see.
"Using the move Dive, we entered the chamber, where ancient methods of unsealing the Regi trio were recorded."
"These are the Braille inscriptions."
The screen filled with countless tiny characters, like tadpoles.
"I had several ancient scholars translate them. To awaken the sealed Regi trio, you need the power of two Pokémon."
Steven pointed to a line circled in red.
"First comes the oldest. Last comes the largest.
First comes the largest, Last comes the oldest.
All things shall be opened."
"The oldest and the largest Pokémon…"
Silas murmured these clues and thought about the chamber's location. The answer quickly formed in his mind.
"Looks like you figured it out too. Let's say it together and see if we match."
"Alright."
Both raised their heads and spoke at the same time.
"Relicanth and Wailord."
(End of Chapter)