Night had fallen, and the ranch was quiet. The Pokémon had all returned to their little houses and were sleeping soundly.
At that moment, however, a shadow quietly slipped out of the ranch cabin.
Judging from the oddly dog-like swagger, it was unmistakably Cyclizar.
Chatot flew down from beneath the eaves and landed on top of its head.
"Gah-aw~" Let's go, let's go.
Chatot pointed toward the beach, where another Pokémon was waiting to meet them.
But before they could leave, several Noibat flew over from nearby, curiously asking what they were planning to do.
Chatot explained that they were going to subjugate a powerful bird Pokémon. That Pokémon had detained Chatot's flock and was even demanding that Chatot become its bride.
"Gah-aw…" Don't tell Hayato Sora. We'll go and come right back—very quickly.
The Noibat looked a little scared and said softly, "Vii~"
If you sneak out like this, Hayato Sora will worry.
Cyclizar shifted into its battle-ready posture, blue-purple lightning crackling across its body.
It assured the Noibat that once they dealt with that bird Pokémon, they would definitely be back before dawn.
Cyclizar even showed off its power. After all, it was the God of the Future!
What was a mere bird Pokémon to it? There was no way it could withstand even a single round against Cyclizar.
The Noibat gazed at Cyclizar with admiration. If only they could possess such powerful strength.
After Cyclizar repeatedly promised they would return safely, the Noibat finally agreed—somewhat dazedly—to keep the secret for now.
Cyclizar and the others arrived at the beach, where a Pelipper was waiting.
Under Chatot's lead, the three Pokémon took flight and headed out over the sea.
"BOOM—!"
A sudden crash of thunder jolted Hayato Sora awake.
"Raaah!"
Kangaskhan also woke up. Trainer and Pokémon walked together to the window.
A violent gust of wind suddenly churned the clouds into dark, ink-like masses that rolled in from the direction of the ocean.
Then came the rain—drops like bullets striking the glass with rapid crackling sounds. The air inside the room instantly turned damp and cold.
Before Hayato Sora could even look away, the rain intensified along with the lightning. Outside the window, everything was a gray blur beneath a torrential downpour that looked like a waterfall.
"This rain came way too suddenly," Hayato Sora muttered, shaking his head. "Good thing I harvested the strawberries and cabbages earlier."
"Fuff!"
The Smoliv sitting in the flowerpot shrank back fearfully. It was terrified.
A large hand gently rested on its body. Hayato Sora softly comforted it, then picked Smoliv up and placed it on the bed, into the arms of the still-sleeping Cinccino.
That little one could sleep through anything—no matter how noisy things got around her.
After asking Kangaskhan to watch over them, Hayato Sora put on a raincoat and stepped outside.
Before leaving, he had noticed a dark figure lying beside the fireplace—Cyclizar still appeared to be asleep.
He first went to the Mudbray shed, where the three Mudbray were curled up together.
After comforting them, the Mudbray decided they preferred to stay where they were.
Hayato Sora didn't force them. With rain this heavy, getting soaked and catching a cold would be awful.
"Achoo!"
Unable to stop himself, Hayato Sora sneezed and tightened his coat as he headed toward the tulip field hut.
Through the small window, he could see five Flabébé huddled together inside.
After checking around the structure, he found no signs of leaks. It seemed his handiwork wasn't bad after all.
He knocked lightly on the little house and opened his coat, signaling for the Flabébé to come inside.
After several days together, the Flabébé were no longer wary of him. One by one, they lined up, each hugging their favorite flower, and slipped beneath his coat.
After bringing the Flabébé back to the cabin, Hayato Sora ran over to check the chicken coop.
The flock was safe and sound.
He had no idea how long the sudden rainstorm would last, so he filled the feed trough and water trough before leaving, shutting the small door to prevent them from running outside.
Once everything was done, Hayato Sora jogged toward the cave. Along the way, he couldn't help sneezing several more times.
The rain was so heavy he could barely see the road and had to rely entirely on memory.
When the Noibat saw Hayato Sora arrive, they quickly surrounded him.
He checked them one by one, touching their bodies to make sure they were still dry. Only then did Hayato Sora finally relax.
Opening his coat, he let the Noibat cling inside and carried them back to the cabin.
Inside, all the Pokémon were awake. They sat around the fireplace, silent.
Seeing this scene, Hayato Sora assumed they had gotten into an argument.
He let the Noibat out, took off his raincoat, and tossed it by the door. His body shivered slightly as he looked toward Kangaskhan and the others.
"What's going on? Did you guys have a fight?"
"Raaah~"
Kangaskhan stepped aside and lifted the small blanket covering Cyclizar.
Underneath was only a pillow.
Cyclizar was nowhere to be seen.
"Cyclizar's gone?" Hayato Sora frowned. "Wasn't it lying here just now?"
"That little rascal… where did it run off to?"
"Let's search for it together. When we find it, I'm giving it a good scolding."
Cyclizar had been getting more and more reckless lately. With rain pouring down like this outside, it still dared to run around.
Hearing this, the three Noibat shrank together.
They clung to the ceiling, whispering among themselves about whether they should tell Hayato Sora.
In the end, they agreed—they had to tell him.
The three Noibat flew over to Hayato Sora. One perched on his head while the other two landed on his shoulders.
"Vii! Vii!"
"Noi!"
"Noibat!"
After understanding what they meant, Hayato Sora felt as though the sky was collapsing.
Cyclizar had secretly slipped out with Chatot before the rain began, and now no one knew where they had gone.
From the Noibat, Hayato Sora only learned one thing.
They had gone to subjugate a bird Pokémon.
Where exactly it was—or what kind of Pokémon it was—none of them knew.
"You guys…"
Hayato Sora tapped a finger against a Noibat's head. The scolding he wanted to give them wouldn't come out.
The Noibat lowered their heads in shame, not daring to look him in the eye.
If they had told him earlier, he might have been able to chase them down.
But now, with the rain falling so heavily, it was impossible.
All he could do was hope Cyclizar and Chatot had found somewhere to shelter from the rain.
Maybe once the storm stopped, they would return on their own.
Hayato Sora went to the kitchen and boiled a pot of ginger soup to warm everyone up.
Each Pokémon drank a bowl. He instructed them to stay inside the cabin and not run around.
This time, Hayato Sora called Kangaskhan to accompany him. Trainer and Pokémon left the cabin together, planning to search the nearby area.
Maybe Cyclizar and Chatot were already on their way back.
Simply waiting here was something Hayato Sora couldn't do.
Before he left, Cinccino and the Noibat blocked his path, insisting on coming along.
After all, one more Pokémon meant one more helping hand.
But Hayato Sora still refused.
With bodies that small, they would definitely catch a cold after standing in the rain for even a short while.
When that happened, would he be searching for Cyclizar—or taking care of sick Pokémon?
Compared to that, it was better for Cinccino and the others to stay in the cabin and wait.
Not causing trouble was already the greatest help they could give.
After giving them a warning, Hayato Sora put an oversized raincoat on Kangaskhan.
Then the two of them rushed back into the curtain of rain.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
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