"Ho ho ho ho ho!"
Seeing the usually serious and mature Indeedee nod in agreement, Old Man Sato let out a series of chuckles.
The two Indeedees turned to look at him.
Old Man Sato: "Alright, alright, looks like I don't have to worry anymore. In that case, I entrust these two to your care from now on."
Naoki nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, I'll take good care of them."
Old Man Sato spoke to the two Indeedees: "Go on then!"
The siblings exchanged a glance, the sister happily moved to Naoki's side, while the brother silently followed behind her.
Seeing this scene, Naoki smiled, reaching out to pat the sister's head.
"Ai yi～"
As Naoki placed his hand on the brother Indeedee's head, he could clearly feel the Pokémon's body stiffen.
"So downcast, how about a smile?" Naoki said with a smile.
Hearing this, the brother Indeedee was slightly startled, then looked up.
Just now, when the other was introducing the ranch, although he didn't show any reaction on the surface, he was actually listening carefully and using his horn to sense the other's mood.
He felt very proud when talking about the ranch.
He must be proud of how well he has managed such a large ranch, the brother Indeedee thought.
And when discussing the Pokémon on the ranch, he sensed a strong sense of joy.
He really liked these Pokémon, and this liking was purely about liking them, unrelated to their strength or weakness.
In the autumn sunlight, the human's smile was like a gentle breeze, seemingly able to blow into one's heart.
The Indeedee's face showed no expression, it simply looked quietly at the other.
It thought, it would always remember this day.
It and its sister met this human.
A moment later, it responded: "Ai yi..."
The Translation Nuts they had in the morning were all gone, so Naoki couldn't understand what the Indeedee was saying anymore.
But judging from the tone, it didn't seem to be saying something like "I was born not to smile".
Seeing them getting along well, Old Man Sato sighed in relief.
He hadn't misjudged the person!
He took a piece of paper from his suit pocket and handed it over: "This is the phone number for the estate. If you need any help, feel free to call."
Naoki thought he wouldn't have anything needing help, but then thought again, the Indeedees' parents were there, they might miss their parents.
So he reached out and took it: "Alright, thank you very much!"
Old Man Sato smiled and then, leaning on his cane, waved goodbye to the Indeedee siblings with his other hand: "See you later, little ones!"
Naoki and the Indeedees watched as Old Man Sato got in a car, watching the black luxury car drive away into the distance.
Naoki originally thought the Indeedees might be downcast and in need of some comforting words.
But when he turned his head, he saw the sister Indeedee looking at him with bright eyes, and the brother Indeedee also looking up at him.
There was no sign of reluctance or sadness at all.
The words Naoki wanted to say were stuck in his mouth, he was stunned for a moment, and then laughed: "I thought you guys would be sad and need some comfort."
"Ai yi～"
"Ai yi..."
The sister Indeedee showed a smile, while the brother Indeedee sighed a bit helplessly.
Things like this... how do you say it?
They had known from a young age that they would have a new human family someday, so from way back, they had always been anticipating it.
Naoki ate a piece of Translation Nut and chatted with the Indeedees on this topic for a while.
He roughly understood their meaning,
Just like those Pokémon the Pokémon League prepares for new Trainers, they also look forward to their Trainer, imagining what they would be like.
And as for Naoki's ability to understand Pokémon speak, the two Indeedees were very surprised.
The brother Indeedee showed a flustered expression for the first time, starting to recall if he had said anything he shouldn't have.
It seemed like he only mentioned not giving too much affection to humans since it was the first meeting…
The brother Indeedee asked anxiously: "Ai yi?" (Did you just hear us talking?)
He was afraid the other might dislike him for it.
Naoki blinked, correcting: "Don't use 'you', that's a formal term, we are equals."
The sister Indeedee: "Ai yi?" (But that's how mom and dad taught us? They said the humans who take care of us would be our new master, and we should help him well.)
Naoki listened patiently to their words, organized his thoughts a bit, and then replied:
"Instead of 'master', I think 'family' better describes the relationship between us. Just like a normal human family, emotions are mutual, you help me with chores, and in return, I'll take care of you."
"Ai yi?" (Is that so?) The sister Indeedee looked puzzled.
"Yes." Naoki then looked at the brother waiting for an answer and asked: "Do you think I'm someone who would abandon a Pokémon just because they're weak?"
The brother Indeedee was stunned for a moment and then honestly shook his head.
From his observation, it didn't seem like it.
Naoki smiled: "Isn't that good then?"
Saying that, he caught a glimpse of Pawmo, Glaceon, Cyclizar, Koraidon, Dragonite, and other Pokémon sneakily watching from a corner.
Naoki waved them over.
"This Dragonite was clumsy before, only learning a few moves as it grew this big, while other Dragonites its age usually could learn many moves by this time," Naoki said, "It should be considered weak, right?"
Dragonite: "..." However, it's not that weak.
Upon hearing this, the two Indeedees looked at the chubby Dragonite.
Naoki continued: "But later, after coming to this ranch, it gradually grew stronger and has now learned many, many moves."
"Roar!" Dragonite looked proud.
"And this Pawmo." Naoki looked at the Pawmo in a bright red cloak: "It was once a very weak Pawmi, so weak that even a hen could defeat it."
Pawmo nodded continuously and even cooperated with Naoki, telling the Indeedees about its past:
"Pamo Pamo!" (Exactly, back then, I was caught by Naoki when I was stealing food from the ranch. I was really scared then, but Naoki didn't hurt me. He adopted me and let me stay here to work! Naoki is the best human in the world!)
Naoki: "And now, that once-weak Pawmi has transformed into a powerful Pokémon capable of controlling electricity at will and flying using electricity."
"Pamo!" That's right!
Pawmo's eyes were determined, showcasing a superhero-style take-off to the Indeedees.
The clean red cloak behind it flapped in the wind, thanks to Naoki.
Fly, it's flying?!
The two Indeedees widened their eyes in disbelief.
They exchanged glances, roughly understanding what Naoki was trying to convey.
Naoki smiled, his gaze sweeping over the other Pokémon, reaching out to poke the large nose of the approaching Dratini:
"If you want to know more, you can talk to them later."
This way, the two Indeedees could quickly integrate into the ranch.