Early the next morning.
Before the sun had even risen, the sky outside was still gray and dim.
Yet Korrina had already arrived outside the ranch gate with Riolu. After calling for quite a while, Kangaskhan finally walked over lazily and helped open the gate.
The energetic Korrina looked at Kangaskhan.
"Is Serena still sleeping?"
"Roo roo~"
Kangaskhan pointed toward the house entrance.
Serena was standing there in her pajamas, waving happily at them.
Serena had gone to bed early last night, so she woke up as soon as she heard Korrina's voice.
The two girls happily held hands, whispering and giggling together before sneaking upstairs and pushing open Hayato Sora's bedroom door.
Half-asleep, Hayato Sora vaguely heard their voices and was startled awake.
He sat up and looked around before patting his chest.
"Phew… so it was just a nightmare."
"Big brother~"
"Brother Hayato Sora~"
"Serena, Korrina—you're both here!"
"Chi~!"
The small Cinccino jumped onto the bed to show its presence.
With a helpless sigh, Hayato Sora asked the girls to wait downstairs while he quickly got dressed and washed up.
After just one day, he was already starting to feel exhausted.
He silently hoped his mom would finish her competition soon and come pick Serena up.
What kind of person wakes up before six in the morning just to run into someone's bedroom and scare them?
Shaking his head helplessly, Hayato Sora brought the prepared breakfast to the table.
"You have to finish all of this."
Korrina grabbed a slice of bread.
"Don't worry, Brother Hayato Sora! I have a huge appetite!"
Serena glanced at her silently, took two slices of bread for herself, and pushed the rest toward Korrina.
Korrina didn't mind at all.
She had once won an eating contest against a Munchlax.
This amount of food was nothing.
"Wow! This is so delicious!"
After taking a bite, Korrina's face lit up with surprise.
"It's strawberry jam!"
After breakfast, Hayato Sora took the Pokémon out to do the ranch's daily chores.
Every day he needed to check the crops' growth and remove any plants that lacked nutrients or had begun to rot.
He had just finished inspecting the fields with Cyclizar when he saw Korrina and Serena running toward him from a distance.
He steadied Korrina, who almost stumbled from stopping too quickly.
"What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Brother Hayato Sora, let's play hide-and-seek!"
"Big brother, come play with us! Cinccino and Smoliv want to play too!"
Serena looked at him with hopeful eyes.
The two little Pokémon on her shoulders had the exact same expression.
"Hide-and-seek, huh?"
Hayato Sora glanced into the distance.
The Mudsdale were working hard using Stomping Tantrum-like plowing moves to till the soil.
The Flabébé were flying through the tulip fields collecting nectar.
And Cyclizar was herding the chickens along the riverside.
Letting everyone relax a little sounded pretty good.
He looked at the two girls.
"Alright—but only after I finish today's ranch work."
"Yay!"
The two little girls cheered.
Korrina immediately looked full of fighting spirit.
"Brother Hayato Sora, we'll help you!"
An hour later, in front of the ranch's two-story house.
Hayato Sora, Serena, and Korrina stood in a circle with all the Pokémon.
"Everyone ready?"
"Big brother, start!"
"Chi~!"
"Graaa!"
"Vzz vzz…"
The Pokémon responded eagerly, staring at the stick Hayato Sora held in his hand.
For hide-and-seek, someone had to be the seeker.
Hayato Sora explained the rules first.
"The hiding area is on this side of the river. No going to the other side."
The opposite bank was an undeveloped part of the ranch.
The Pokémon all nodded to show they understood.
Without hesitation, Hayato Sora tossed the stick high into the air.
Everyone tilted their heads upward to watch.
The stick landed upright on the ground. Because one end had a leaf attached, it slowly tilted to one side.
The direction it pointed—
Cinccino.
Cinccino quickly ran forward and blew air at the stick, trying to make it fall the other way.
Korrina copied the idea and started blowing from the opposite side.
The stick wobbled left and right from the gusts.
After a long moment, it finally fell—
Pointing straight at Hayato Sora.
Korrina, Serena, and the Pokémon all turned to look at him.
"Everyone run! Brother Hayato Sora is going to catch us!"
Korrina shouted as she grabbed Serena's hand and ran.
The Pokémon immediately scattered in chaos.
Smoliv accidentally bumped into Hayato Sora's leg.
Hayato Sora steadied the little Pokémon and gestured for it to run.
"I'll count to thirty, so don't panic!"
Turning around, he covered his eyes with his hand and began counting.
"Smoliv?"
Smoliv blinked curiously.
Instead of running away, it waddled over to Hayato Sora and copied him, covering its eyes with the leaf on its head.
Seeing this, Cinccino quickly rushed over, picked up Smoliv, and dashed toward the house.
They had to hide quickly—
They absolutely couldn't be the first ones caught.
"28… 29… 30."
When he finished counting, Hayato Sora turned around and opened his eyes.
All the Pokémon had already hidden somewhere around the ranch.
Hayato Sora grinned.
Given how well he knew them, their hiding places were practically obvious.
He walked straight behind the silo.
There, Kangaskhan had squeezed itself awkwardly into the narrow space.
Hayato Sora poked its waist.
"Kangaskhan—found you."
"Roo!"
(Hayato Sora is amazing! You found me immediately!)
But finding Kangaskhan was only the beginning.
In a short time, Hayato Sora discovered the rest of the Pokémon in various places:
Cyclizar hiding in the chicken coop
The three Mudsdale brothers lying in the mud pit, completely covered in mud
The Flabébé pretending to be flowers in the flower field
The three Noibat hanging upside down in the orchard trees
After being discovered, the Pokémon all walked out with drooping heads and lined up together.
Now only Serena, Korrina, Cinccino, Smoliv, and Riolu remained.
Hayato Sora first ran to the house.
After scanning the living room, he went straight upstairs into the bedroom.
On the windowsill flowerpot—
Smoliv had buried most of its body in the soil, leaving only the leaf on its head sticking out.
"Smoliv, found you."
"Olive~"
Smoliv stood up happily and ran to Hayato Sora.
He picked it up and placed it on his shoulder.
The little Pokémon kept glancing toward the bed.
Hayato Sora walked over and lifted the blanket.
Sure enough—
Cinccino was hiding underneath.
Now only Korrina, Serena, and Riolu were left.
With the Pokémon following behind him, Hayato Sora walked straight toward the beach.
On the sand was a sandcastle.
Korrina and Serena were hiding inside.
Now only Riolu remained.
After thinking for a moment, Hayato Sora headed toward the ranch gate.
With Riolu's personality, it wouldn't run somewhere unfamiliar.
Sure enough—
Riolu was standing beside the fence near the ranch entrance.
Because of the viewing angle earlier, Hayato Sora hadn't noticed it before.
As he walked closer, he suddenly sensed something unusual.
His brows slowly furrowed.
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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