The next morning, while Hayato Sora was still immersed in a pleasant dream, he suddenly felt something bouncing on his stomach, and his nose started to itch.
Half-asleep, he opened his eyes and saw a pair of big ears right in front of him—Cinccino's entire face had pressed close.
"Why are you up so early? Want to sleep a bit longer?"
Before Cinccino could respond, Hayato Sora lifted the blanket and pulled it inside.
With sleepy eyes, he glanced at the time. It was only a little after five, and sunrise was still about an hour away.
"Cinccino~"
Cinccino struggled slightly. It wasn't sleepy at all.
"Don't move," Hayato Sora said, giving it two gentle pats.
"It's still dark. Even if you go outside now, there's no one to play with."
"Be good. Sleep a little longer."
Hearing this, Cinccino obediently snuggled closer into Hayato Sora's arms.
Treating it like an extra pillow, Hayato Sora closed his eyes again, breathing in the faint fresh scent of its fur.
However, Cinccino kept turning left and right, unable to fall asleep.
Its round eyes stared at Hayato Sora.
Tiny hands began touching his face, even tugging at the short stubble on his chin, giggling like a child with bell-like laughter.
With his eyes closed, Hayato Sora kept dodging left and right.
Eventually, he lay flat on his back so it couldn't grab his beard anymore.
This little rascal…
They struggled like this for almost an entire hour.
Only when daylight began to brighten outside did Hayato Sora reluctantly climb out of bed.
He shot a resentful glance toward the desk, where Cinccino and Smoliv were happily chatting.
He made a firm decision.
From now on, he would never let this little guy go to bed early again.
It was torture.
Just after getting up, Hayato Sora opened the door and felt the cool morning air.
But then he heard several unfamiliar sounds.
Calling Kangaskhan along, he went to check.
What he saw made him pause.
Above the tulip flower field, several Pokémon were flying in circles in panic.
Three Noibat were chasing and driving them away, occasionally releasing Ultrasonic waves to attack or locate them.
Recognizing the fleeing Pokémon, Hayato Sora quickly called out to the Noibat.
"Stop! Don't attack them!"
Hearing Hayato Sora's voice, the three Noibat glanced at the unfamiliar Pokémon huddling together in fear.
They obediently flew back and landed on Hayato Sora's arms, lowering their heads and making soft "vuu-vuu" sounds.
Their emotions were low.
They blamed themselves.
Because they had failed the task Hayato Sora entrusted to them—they hadn't protected the ranch well enough and had allowed strangers to enter.
It was a serious failure in their duty.
They feared Hayato Sora might think they were useless.
After comforting them one by one, Hayato Sora asked about the situation.
It turned out those Pokémon had snuck into the flower field during the night while the Noibat weren't paying attention.
This morning, when the Noibat finished their usual patrol of the ranch before going to sleep, they discovered them.
That led to the scene Hayato Sora had just witnessed.
After reassuring the Noibat, Hayato Sora looked up at the Pokémon still lingering above the flower field.
They were tiny, fairy-like creatures, each holding a flower of a different color.
Judging from the species, the flowers had clearly been picked from his tulip field.
Under Hayato Sora's direct gaze, the tiny Pokémon shrank back nervously.
They hid themselves behind their flowers, as if that would conceal them.
But with several flowers floating alone in midair…
How could anyone fail to see them?
Hayato Sora gently patted Cinccino on his shoulder.
Now it was Cinccino's turn to step in.
First, they needed to calm the newcomers down.
"Cinccino~"
Accepting the mission, Cinccino happily ran over.
From a short distance away, it began communicating with the tiny Pokémon.
Soon, reassured by Cinccino's promises, the little Pokémon descended into the flower field.
Cinccino jumped in as well.
Before long, it led them out like a hawk escorting chicks, guiding them toward Hayato Sora.
At close range, the Pokémon hiding behind Cinccino looked exceptionally delicate and adorable.
Their name surfaced in Hayato Sora's mind.
Flabébé—the Single Bloom Pokémon.
Because they were still frightened, they only revealed their timid little eyes.
Hayato Sora asked Cinccino to find out why they had come to the ranch.
Through Cinccino's translation, Hayato Sora roughly understood.
His gaze toward the five Flabébé softened.
After all—
What bad things could a Flabébé without even its favorite flower possibly do?
From the moment they are born, Flabébé wander everywhere in search of their beloved flower.
This time, they had been blown here by a sudden powerful wind.
They had no ability to resist.
They drifted helplessly in the air for a long time before finally landing near the ranch.
While exploring, they discovered the tulip field.
Taking advantage of the moment when the Noibat were training, they quietly slipped inside.
And this time—
They had finally found flowers they loved.
"Is your home nearby?" Hayato Sora asked.
The Flabébé with a colorful flower shook its head sadly.
That wind had been incredibly strong.
Even an Onix had been lifted into the air.
Hearing that, Hayato Sora frowned.
If they had been blown such a long distance and didn't even know where home was…
It seemed the Flabébé would have to wander for a long time.
But when they mentioned the wind, a bold thought appeared in Hayato Sora's mind.
He cautiously asked,
"Did you happen to see a huge silver-white bird?"
The Flabébé widened their tiny eyes in shock.
"Bébé!"
"Well…" Hayato Sora pressed a hand to his forehead with a helpless smile.
"So it really was Lugia."
From their description, the wind had been powerful enough to sweep away even massive Pokémon like Onix.
Only one Pokémon he knew could cause such large-scale storms—
The Lugia that had been attracted here before.
In a way, Hayato Sora himself bore some responsibility.
Returning the Flabébé home was now impossible.
They might have come from the far side of the Kalos continent, or even from a distant island.
"So, Flabébé," Hayato Sora asked gently.
"Do you want to go home?"
"Bébé…"
The five Flabébé lowered their flowers sadly.
They didn't even know where home was anymore.
"In that case…" Hayato Sora stepped forward and waved them closer.
"How about this—you can stay at the ranch for now and help with work."
"When you become strong enough to cross the continent someday, you can leave and search for your home."
"Of course, while you work here, I'll take care of your food and shelter. You won't be in danger, and you won't go hungry again."
With five Flabébé, the large tulip field would finally have Pokémon to help maintain it.
It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Cinccino leaned over and whispered to the Flabébé that Hayato Sora could cook extremely delicious food.
Just hearing the description made the Flabébé swallow instinctively.
Their guard toward Hayato Sora gradually disappeared.
The five Flabébé floated forward, each holding a flower of a different color.
They removed the flower wreaths from their heads.
These were their most precious possessions.
Wreaths made from their pollen that possessed healing properties, capable of restoring most injuries.
Offering them meant they had accepted Hayato Sora.
Hayato Sora stretched out five fingers.
The Flabébé placed the wreaths on them one by one.
He gently teased them with his fingers, making the little Pokémon burst into cheerful giggles.
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