Stable
After filling the water trough, Hayato Sora didn't leave immediately.
"Mudsdale, does producing this kind of clay consume much energy?"
He pointed to the bucket of mud at his feet.
Unlike normal soil, the clay mixed with Mudsdale's saliva had turned snow-white.
Even a layman could tell that ceramics made from this kind of clay would be especially beautiful—and certainly expensive.
"Brrr~ So thirsty!"
The third Mudsdale plunged its head into the trough and gulped water noisily. The other two quickly crowded around as well.
A moment later, the trough that had just been filled was empty again.
Hayato Sora sighed with a helpless smile.
After asking repeatedly, he finally figured things out.
Producing this pottery clay didn't harm Mudsdale at all—it simply required them to drink large amounts of water.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Time to sleep."
Hayato Sora stopped them from continuing to produce clay and urged them to rest. It was already late.
"Brrr!"
Walking out of the stable, Hayato Sora checked on Flabébé before going to bed.
The five little ones were sleeping soundly, drool dripping onto their flowers.
Near the cave, the three Noibat flew over and greeted him enthusiastically.
Out of habit, Hayato Sora glanced at the bird nest under the eaves.
He wondered how Chatot and the others were doing now.
Had they been eating well? Sleeping well?
Sure enough, he still worried about them.
Returning to the house, he saw Cyclizar counting eggs.
Five had already been collected.
After reminding Cyclizar to sleep, Hayato Sora returned to the bedroom.
Seeing him come back, Cinccino and the others ended their conversation and prepared for bed.
After glancing at Smoliv and Kangaskhan, Hayato Sora lay down while holding Cinccino.
"Good night."
"Cincci~"
"Flabé~"
"Kanga~"
"Graao—"
The Next Morning
After breakfast, a group of Pokémon—led by Cinccino—cheerfully rushed out of the house to play outside.
Hayato Sora called out reminders from behind them as their cries drifted back like a passing breeze.
Shaking his head, Hayato Sora gestured for Kangaskhan to join them so it could keep an eye on everyone.
"Kanga?"
"It's fine. There's nothing urgent at the ranch today. Go have fun."
Kangaskhan happily hugged Hayato Sora.
After helping him wash the dishes, it ran off to catch up with the others.
Once all the Pokémon had left, Hayato Sora looked down at Cyclizar, who was still lingering at his feet.
He nudged it lightly.
"Why aren't you going to play with them?"
"Graao!"
Cyclizar lifted its head proudly, looking elegant—like it was saying, I'm a grown-up. I don't waste time playing.
"Alright then."
Hayato Sora crouched down and patted its head before climbing onto its back.
"Come with me for a walk around the fields."
"Graaooo!"
Cyclizar roared happily and carried Hayato Sora on a leisurely ride through the farmland, its tail spinning behind it like a windmill.
They first arrived at the berry orchard.
The trees were growing well—thick trunks and vibrant green leaves.
"Hmm?"
Hayato Sora signaled Cyclizar to stop.
The two stood beneath one of the trees.
Looking up, Hayato Sora spotted small yellow blossoms hidden among the leaves.
"They've already started blooming… Looks like we'll harvest our first batch of Berries soon."
At this growth rate, the harvest should come within a month, around early March.
If one tree had bloomed, the others probably weren't far behind.
Hayato Sora and Cyclizar inspected each tree one by one.
At the Beach
Meanwhile, at the shoreline…
Cinccino, Kangaskhan, and the others had built a huge sandcastle big enough to play house in.
Laughter filled the beach.
After getting tired, the Pokémon all lay down on Kangaskhan's soft belly.
Suddenly, Kangaskhan sensed something.
It abruptly opened its eyes and looked toward the sea.
Cinccino fell onto the sand but quickly shook its ears and jumped into Kangaskhan's pouch, poking out its head.
"Cincci?"
(Big Sister Kangaskhan, is it dangerous? Flabébé, you should hide too!)
"Kanga…"
(A group of unfamiliar Pokémon is approaching from the sea.)
Flabébé immediately flew into the pouch as well.
Looking toward the ocean, they saw a small black dot appear on the distant white horizon.
It grew larger… and larger…
Soon, a beautiful, distant singing voice drifted across the sea.
Cinccino's large ears twitched.
The tense expression on its face relaxed immediately.
It waved happily toward the sea.
"Cincci!"
(It's Little Lapras! Little Lapras is back! It came to visit us!)
"Lapraaa~"
(Big Sister Cinccino! Big Sister Kangaskhan! I came to see you!)
A slightly smaller Lapras soon rushed onto the beach, waving its flippers excitedly.
It was overjoyed.
It hadn't expected its friends to already be waiting for it.
Cinccino and Little Lapras happily hugged each other.
A fluffy little face rubbed against a smooth, watery one.
For cute Pokémon, touching cheeks was their way of greeting each other.
After chatting excitedly for a while, an older-looking Lapras from the back of the group called out.
Little Lapras scratched its head awkwardly.
It had been so happy to see its friends that it had almost forgotten the important matter.
It pointed toward the center of the Lapras group, where another Lapras was being surrounded and protected.
"Kanga?"
(Is it sick?)
"Lapras…"
(We were attacked by a terrifying Gyarados in the nearby sea…)
Kangaskhan's mouth twitched slightly before it quickly regained composure.
"Kanga!"
(Come with me. Let's go find Hayato Sora. He'll definitely have a solution.)
"Lapraaa!"
(Yes! Hayato Sora is an amazing human!)
Under Kangaskhan's guidance, the Lapras herd swam upstream.
They entered the freshwater area through the mouth of a small river and followed the stream straight to the ranch.
"Thirteen trees have bloomed… and they're all Pecha Berry trees. Looks like this variety grows faster."
Just as Hayato Sora finished checking the orchard and walked out of the grove with Cyclizar—
He suddenly saw a large group of Pokémon ahead.
He rubbed his eyes.
Then he even pinched Cyclizar.
They were still there.
That whole group of Lapras was real.
"Cyclizar, let's go take a look."
Ignoring Cyclizar's resentful glare, Hayato Sora happily climbed onto its back again.
As they approached the lake, Hayato Sora noticed Kangaskhan and the others nearby, so he slowed down.
When he jumped off Cyclizar, Cinccino immediately ran over and leapt into his arms, quickly explaining the situation.
"Cincci! Cincci!"
Kangaskhan added some details from the side.
Hayato Sora nodded repeatedly.
He now understood the general situation.
Good thing it's not a monster invasion…
Walking toward the Lapras herd, Hayato Sora faced their cautious gazes.
He nodded to Little Lapras before looking toward the Lapras leader.
These were Little Lapras's family.
Since they had come to ask for help, he couldn't just ignore them.
But first—
He needed to understand the condition.
"Could you show me the injured Lapras?"
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
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789