After the celebratory feast, Clauncher showed a particular fondness for the dish Steamed Giant Claw.
TN: Dish Effect: After shrimp- and crab-type Pokémon consume it, their claws receive all-around enhancement. Other Pokémon that consume it gain a slight increase in hand dexterity.]
With the enhancement effect brought about by the cooking, its massive claw grew noticeably stronger, and a metallic sheen occasionally flashed across its surface.
Silas and everyone else at the ranch had treated it incredibly well.
Not only had they befriended it, they had even helped improve its strength.
From now on, it would never be bullied by other Pokémon again.
That night, Silas quietly made his way to the lake with a flashlight in hand.
Since Clauncher had only just arrived at the ranch, he was worried it might not sleep well in an unfamiliar place.
But his concerns proved unnecessary.
Clauncher was sprawled atop a broad lotus leaf, sleeping peacefully. Soft snores drifted into the night air, and a sweet smile curled at the corner of its mouth.
"Min!"
Minccino called out happily.
Silas quickly made a "shh" gesture, then nodded toward the lightly surfaced Veluza in the water. Only then did he tiptoe away.
The next morning, bright and early,
after breakfast and before beginning his work, Silas went to check on Clauncher again.
Taking out a Poffin to feed it, he asked, "Did you sleep well last night, Clauncher?"
"Cla~ (chew chew)."
With its eyes half-closed in contentment, Clauncher lightly tapped Silas with its pincer.
"You want to help out too?"
Clauncher felt that simply eating and living at the ranch without contributing wasn't right—it wanted to help Silas as well.
"Mm."
Gently tapping its shell, Silas smiled warmly and said, "Right now, your most important task is to grow up properly and build up your strength."
The shiny Clauncher before him was only half the size of a standard one due to malnutrition in the wild.
If it had been at full size, there was no way it could have been reeled in by Minccino with a single fishing line.
"Cla…"
Clauncher looked a little dejected but forced itself to nod in understanding.
Seeing the little one's disappointed expression, Silas thought for a moment.
"I actually do have a task that's suitable for you. Clauncher, would you like to take it on?"
"Cla-cla~!"
Taking Clauncher along, Silas found Litten in the orchard where it was catching insects and called it over to an open space nearby.
"Clauncher, you'll use Water Gun to attack Litten in a moment!"
"Litten, remember to dodge. Once you can avoid the Water Gun successfully, we'll move on to the next stage of training."
Silas hadn't forgotten Litten's desire to grow stronger.
Both the cat and the shrimp's eyes sparkled at the plan—Silas was so clever!
After arranging things for the two little ones, Silas called over Meowth, Cyclizar, Dolliv, and several others who were ready to work, leading them to the hop fields.
Green vines had climbed all over the supporting trellises, dotted with scattered yellow-green blossoms. Flabébé fluttered about among the rows, gathering nectar from the hop flowers.
"Alright everyone, let's get started! Pull out all the weeds don't let them steal nutrients from the hops."
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar confidently patted its chest, as if to say, Leave it to me, Silas—you can rest easy.
The three Meowth were equally full of energy.
Dolliv, Morpeko, Minccino, and the other little ones also joined in the weeding work.
They pulled the weeds out by hand or used hoes and sickles, clearing every unwanted plant growing near the hops. The weeds were piled into a corner, where they would be left under the sun to dry out and wither away.
The five little Mareep wanted to help as well, but Kangaskhan stopped them.
With their thick wool coats, charging into the fields would damage the crops. Letting them help would cause more harm than good.
When dealing with planted crops, only careful, low-impact methods could be used to remove weeds bit by bit. Most of the morning was spent laboring in the fields.
The sun climbed higher and higher. Seeing that only a small section remained, Silas encouraged the Pokémon while quickening the pace slightly.
Once they finished, they could rest.
They cleared two hop fields in the morning. In the afternoon, there were two more fields waiting. The entire day was spent working among the rows.
Even delivering agricultural products in the afternoon had to be entrusted to Cyclizar to handle alone.
After a full day of labor, Silas ate dinner and went to bed early, falling into a deep sleep almost immediately.
Not long after he drifted off, three figures, one large and two small descended from the sky.
"Noi."
(You two go call Silas. Don't waste time.)
Noivern flapped its large wings and lightly swatted the two Noibat.
Under Noivern's imposing presence, the two little Noibat grudgingly agreed, though inwardly they were plotting revenge once they evolved.
These past few days had been miserable—they had served as Noivern's punching bags every single night.
One Noibat peeked through the window, then glanced down at its own tiny body.
Better to call Rowlet for help instead!
…
In his sleep, Silas suddenly felt as if a massive stone were pressing down on his chest. His nose itched as well.
"Achoo!"
Unable to hold back, he sneezed. The Pokémon sitting on his chest lost its balance and rolled off the bed with a dull thud, a bump instantly swelling on its head.
"Rowlet, what happened to you?"
Looking at the round, ball-claped owl crouching on the floor, Silas asked in confusion.
"Rowl…"
Rowlet turned away pitifully.
With no other choice, Silas picked Rowlet up and held it in his arms, gently rubbing its chest to comfort it.
"Don't cry, don't cry. You fell off the bed, right? I'll rub it better for you."
Outside, the impatient Noibat knocked hard against the window.
Silas noticed them and opened the window. "Did something happen at the ranch?"
The two Noibat hurried over, chattering anxiously.
Silas roughly understood what they were trying to say.
Earlier, the elder Carbink had come to inform them that a Carbink searching outside for their Carbink Minister had been attacked by a Sableye on its way back. It was currently hiding in a safe cave within their former nest.
They wanted to ask Noivern for help to drive off the Sableye and safely bring back the Carbink Minister.
Having finally located the Sableye, the Noibat were eager to set off at once.
Considering how they had snuck off last time, they had come to inform Silas before departing this time.
There was no reason for Silas to stop them—this wasn't a matter of play.
He asked Noivern to watch over them and reminded the two Noibat to prioritize their own safety above all else.
Then the three Pokémon slipped into the night and disappeared from sight.
"Yawn…"
Letting out a long yawn, Silas hugged Rowlet and lay back down.
It was only a few Sableye. There was no need for him to worry. He trusted Noivern and the Noibat to handle it perfectly.
Planning to catch a bit more sleep, he didn't forget to glance at the two little "piglets" before drifting off, tucking their small blankets around them.
Despite all the noise just now, neither Morpeko nor Minccino had woken up—clearly they had been exhausted from the day's work.
Meanwhile, Noivern and the others arrived at the entrance of the Carbink's former nest.
The darkness did not hinder them—instead, it served as perfect camouflage.
High-frequency ultrasonic waves blasted into the cave. Noivern quickly located the Sableye within.
"Noi~ Noi!"
Directing the two Noibat to approach from different angles, the little Noibat eagerly released ultrasonic pulses from time to time to detect and lock onto their target.
Soon, deep within the cave, they found the Pokémon they had been searching for—a sneaky-looking Sableye.
Noibat: "Take my Dragon Rush dive attack!"
(End of Chapter)