[Handmade Fish King Fish Ball (B+): Carefully selected boneless fish is repeatedly pounded by hand until it develops elasticity, then shaped into round balls and cooked into a traditional delicacy. The fish retains its natural freshness while gaining a chewy, springy texture.
Dish Effect: After consumption, cat-type Pokémon have a chance to gain +1 to all attributes.]
A strengthening effect exclusive to cat-type Pokémon.
Silas raised his head and looked toward the four feline Pokémon at home.
First, he checked on Litten. It had already devoured an entire bowl of fish balls in no time.
Noticing Silas staring at it, Litten tilted its head in confusion and let out a soft "meow."
Was it not supposed to help it evolve faster? It did not feel anything at all.
"That should not be the case…" Just as Silas was puzzled, regular Meowth beside him suddenly let out a loud cry.
Its defense, speed, attack, and all six of its stats had increased.
Each stat had only risen by one point, but when all six were combined, the improvement was quite noticeable.
"So it does work after all." Silas beckoned Meowth over and pinched its round cheeks. "It is just that Litten's luck is too bad."
Seeing Meowth's change, Litten's pupils shrank dramatically.
It fished out the last fish ball from its bowl and immediately started acting spoiled toward the younger sister Indeedee, asking for another serving. The little cat was clearly unwilling to accept this outcome.
Silas quickly understood that the probability for the effect to trigger was quite low.
After all, it was only a B-grade dish, yet it provided a permanent enhancement, so having such a limitation was perfectly normal.
"Silas, your cooking skills are top-notch…" John gave a thumbs-up, offering the highest praise.
After quickly filling his stomach, John called his Gogoat and rushed back out to continue fishing.
His obsession with fishing was truly something else. Judging by his enthusiasm, one might think he had already caught countless fish.
In reality, he sat there the entire afternoon until nightfall and still ended up empty-handed.
Waving goodbye to John, Silas carried a little Chikorita in his arms. He gently patted it with both hands as its eyelids drooped, clearly on the verge of sleep.
He walked over to the berry orchard and returned the clingy Chikorita to Meganium, taking the opportunity to check on the apple Pokémon as well.
They hung from the trees, disguised as apples, all fast asleep.
After counting them, there were exactly twelve, no more, no less, seven Applin and five Flapple.
As for the remaining five Appletun, they were in the fruit forest, taking care of the trees there.
After completing a round of inspection, Silas arrived at the garden.
Shaymin was surrounded by the Florges, blending seamlessly into the flowerbeds. Without looking carefully, one would not even notice them.
On the nearby path, two Psyduck lay in strange positions, occasionally smacking their lips as if dreaming about something delicious.
After finishing his patrol of the ranch, Silas returned to the cabin.
He greeted the energetic Rowlet, let it out of the house, and quietly tiptoed upstairs.
As he passed the staircase, Alolan Meowth glanced at him.
"Go to sleep early."
"Meow!"
Alolan Meowth obediently closed its eyes.
Back in his room, the bed was a chaotic mess of little ones sleeping in all sorts of odd positions.
Silas carefully placed each of them back in their proper spots, then held Cinccino in his arms, resting his hands on its soft and warm belly.
Feeling his presence, Cinccino snuggled closer into his embrace, its fluffy tail serving as a shared pillow.
After adjusting into a comfortable position, Silas inhaled the faint scent of grass and flowers lingering on the little one, and all the fatigue in his body gradually faded away.
It had undoubtedly been a busy day, yet the companionship of his Pokémon made it feel especially fulfilling.
Surrounded by them, Silas soon drifted off into a deep sleep.
The next day, while Silas was working in the fields with the Mudsdale, an unexpected visitor arrived after a long absence, Siebold.
Phione hurried over to inform him, as it had been the first to spot the guest while playing by the beach earlier.
"Got it, we are heading back."
After washing his hands clean, Silas lifted Phione onto his shoulder. Before leaving, he did not forget to give instructions.
"You three, use your Rotottiler one more time later, and Popplio, do not forget to use Rain Dance to replenish water."
"Mud!" x3
"Lioo~"
The four Pokémon agreed, and Popplio quickly summoned a small rain cloud.
Walking back along the dry path, younger sister Indeedee was already hosting Siebold and his Blastoise.
Cinccino and the others were being very considerate, bringing out snacks and dried berries to share.
After patting their little heads, Silas took the teapot from Kangaskhan.
"Alright, you all go play."
"Cin~"
"Phion!"
"Crem~"
The little ones each grabbed some snacks and ran off in a flash.
Morpeko, however, was too greedy and tried to stuff its pouch full before leaving.
Before it could succeed, it was lifted away by Arboliva.
Taking a sip of red tea, Siebold leaned lazily against his chair.
"It is still more comfortable here at your place. You even have so many Pokémon."
"You are welcome anytime. I have gone to your restaurant several times, but you were never there."
"Now that you have become an Elite Four member, you are distancing yourself from your good brother, huh?"
"Silas, do you want to become an Elite Four member? Let me tell you, the benefits are amazing. Annual salary in the tens of millions, and top-tier access to League facilities at huge discounts…"
Siebold suddenly started trying to sell the idea, clearly afraid that Silas would not challenge the Elite Four.
"Blastoise~"
Blastoise chimed in, helping to persuade him.
It was the classic mindset of fearing a friend's hardship but also fearing their success. Siebold was exactly like that now.
If only he himself suffered, that would make him foolish. But if everyone suffered together, that would maintain fairness.
To be fair, the League's treatmeant for the Elite Four was quite good.
If Silas had not already learned about it from Diantha beforehand, he might have been tempted.
But now?
Elite Four? Not even a dog would take that job.
"Siebold, stop trying to convince me." Silas waved his hand and tossed a piece of cranberry jerky into his mouth. "I talked it over with Diantha a few days ago, and I have decided to directly challenge the Champion."
With a smile, Silas narrowed his eyes and delivered a rather piercing remark.
"When I battle you, I will definitely go all out."
"Wait, do you really have to do your brother like that? Leave me some dignity."
"That is not possible. You might end up getting swept six to zero." Silas smiled brightly, clearly in a good mood as he watched Siebold's flustered reaction.
He pushed the remaining half plate of cranberry jerky toward Blastoise, which opened its mouth wide and devoured everything in one bite. It clearly loved the snack.
With his persuasion plan completely failing, Siebold slumped weakly in his chair, complaining nonstop about how unreliable the older generation was.
Ever since he became one of the Elite Four and the foremost Water-type specialist of the Kalos League, he had not had a single proper rest.
From top to bottom, all kinds of League matters required his attention. Some days, he barely got three hours of sleep.
Today, he had only managed to return to Shalour City under the excuse of inspecting the local gym, taking the chance to visit Silas.
Of course, it was not just a simple visit.
He had hoped to trick Silas into challenging the Elite Four and sharing the workload, but that plan was clearly dead in the water.
After chatting for a while and drinking tea together, Siebold's transceiver kept ringing.
He did not even stay for lunch, coming and going in a hurry.
Watching him leave in such a state, Silas felt even more certain that not becoming an Elite Four member was the right decision.
With that settled, his next goal was clear.
To aim for the Kalos Champion and challenge the final gym.
(End of Chapter)