"Min?"
Squatting beside the television, Minccino pointed at the screen and looked toward Silas in confusion.
Why was Sister Diantha gone?
"That just now was an advertisement," Silas explained as he casually switched to another channel. "There's even animation on TV. Do you guys want to watch?"
"Min!"
"Smo!"
"Kang~"
"..."
All the Pokémon squatted neatly in front of the television, their eyes darting back and forth as they stared intently at the images on the screen.
Inside the TV, gentle and melodious music began to play, followed by four vivid, eye-catching characters appearing on the screen—The Little Pony Crosses the River.
The style of presentation was very similar to the fairy tales Silas used to watch back in the day.
The sound of rippling water mixed with the clopping of hooves, and a small white pony with flames burning along its body appeared in the picture.
A Fire Horse Pokémon, Ponyta.
On Ponyta's back was a sack filled to the brim with wheat.
"Neigh—neigh—"
Ponyta pawed the ground anxiously, standing by a small stream, hesitating and not daring to approach.
Soon after, a Rapidash and a Fletchling appeared in turn.
Silas glanced to both sides. The Pokémon were sitting quietly, all of their attention completely focused on the television.
With a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, Silas thought that Pokémon really weren't much different from children—they all loved cartoons.
He slowly stood up and walked straight into the kitchen.
After running out twice and installing both the air conditioner and the TV, it was already time to prepare lunch.
Besides, he had promised Minccino that he would make it a different kind of food.
While Silas was busy preparing lunch in the kitchen, differing opinions began to arise among the Pokémon because of what they were seeing on TV.
Minccino: "Min~"
(That river looks really deep. Ponyta is so small, if it goes in, it'll definitely drown. Scary!)
As soon as Minccino finished speaking, Cyclizar loudly retorted:
"Cyc, Cyc—"
(No, no, that river is very shallow. You could cross it easily.)
Centered around Minccino and Cyclizar, the Pokémon split into two factions, neither side able to convince the other.
In the end, Kangaskhan stepped in to mediate and suggested:
"Kang~"
(Let's go ask the Mudsdale brothers. They definitely know.)
A whole crowd of Pokémon rushed out of the house in a noisy swarm. Silas, who poked his head out from the kitchen, blinked.
It was almost time to eat—why did everyone suddenly run out?
The stove was still on, so he couldn't leave.
It probably wouldn't cause any trouble, he thought.
At the same time, by the small stream that ran through the ranch—
Every single Pokémon in the ranch had gathered here. Even Smoliv, who walked slowly, was present, being held in Minccino's palms.
The little one loudly cheered Minccino on!
The three Mudsdale lowered their heads together and looked at Minccino and Cyclizar.
"Mud?"
(Why did you guys come here?)
Minccino pointed with its little paw.
"Min~"
(Can you walk across this small river?)
"Mud~"
(No problem at all. We often bathe here.)
As it spoke, the leading Mudsdale stepped into the stream to demonstrate. The flowing water washed the mud from its body, leaving it clean and refreshed.
"Cyc~"
(See? I told you the river is shallow.)
"Min~ Min~!"
(Mudsdale are much taller than Ponyta, and this stream isn't deep anyway.)
…
Just as Silas finished placing lunch on the dining table, he saw Minccino and the others come rushing back in a flurry.
Before he could even ask, the Pokémon surrounded him.
"Min!"
"Cyc~"
"..."
They chirped and chattered as they explained, all wanting a definitive answer from him.
"Didn't you finish watching the animation?" Silas asked in return.
Kangaskhan replied:
"Kang!"
(They started arguing halfway through.)
Silas's gaze then fell on Minccino and Cyclizar, and he reached out to rub their heads.
"Ponyta went back to the stable and said to its mother, 'Mom, I don't dare cross the river anymore. Fletchling said the water is shallow, Pikachu said the water is too deep, and I'm afraid I won't make it across…'"
Gently stroking Minccino, who had hidden itself in his arms, Silas mimicked Rapidash's motherly voice.
"'Child, other people's words can only be references. Why don't you try it yourself? Fletchling can fly, Pikachu is small, and you are a Ponyta, why don't you go and give it a try yourself?'"
"After listening to its mother, Ponyta suddenly realized, 'Why don't I try it myself?'"
"In the end, Ponyta walked across the surface of the river and crossed it easily. The water was neither as shallow as Fletchling said nor as deep as Pikachu said. Only by bravely trying it yourself can you know the truth!"
Cyclizar was the first to raise its hand, wearing an expression of smug intelligence.
"Cyc~"
(I get it. Silas wants us to have our own opinions. I'll use electricity to threaten the Pokémon in the water—if they don't carry me across, I'll shock them.)
Silas: "..."
Supporting his forehead with one hand, Silas let out a helpless laugh. "You might as well say you should be careful of two-dimensional thinking."
After that brief complaint, Silas didn't continue discussing the topic. He called the Pokémon over to wash their hands—lunch was ready.
The house was full of little gluttons. Once eating was mentioned, they immediately forgot all about Ponyta crossing the river.
After washing their hands, they sat around the dining table, each with a portion of food they loved in front of them.
"Let's eat!"
Silas said, taking the first bite.
Kangaskhan and the others followed suit, chomping away enthusiastically.
In the afternoon, Silas let the Pokémon stay inside to watch TV.
He himself went into the kitchen to prepare afternoon tea and, at the same time, make a new dish for Minccino.
Once again, he mixed high-gluten flour with sugar, salt, yeast, eggs, and milk, kneading it into a dough. After that, he added softened butter and continued kneading until the dough was smooth on both sides, then set it aside to rest.
He then began preparing the molds for baking.
A small circle was placed inside a larger one, and batter was piped into the middle.
By gently shaking it left and right, the air inside the batter was released, making the final product look more appealing.
The molds were sent into the oven together. After setting the timer, all that remained was to wait.
During this time, Silas didn't forget to take out several berries from the refrigerator to make a few cups of fruit juice to enjoy later.
With a "ding-dong," the timer went off.
He took out the baked rings, removed them from the molds, and sprinkled a layer of powdered sugar on top. The pre-melted chocolate sauce was, of course, indispensable.
After all, how could donuts exist without chocolate sauce?
While they were still warm, he also dipped some in sugar sprinkles and shredded coconut to enhance the flavor.
"Kang?"
(Silas, what food are you making?)
A head peeked in from the kitchen doorway—it was Kangaskhan.
Without stopping his movements, Silas placed the finished donuts into the refrigerator to chill and set their shape, while answering Kangaskhan's question.
"Donuts. A kind of food that lets people feel the spirit of freedom."
"Kang?"
Kangaskhan didn't quite understand, but it sounded impressive.
Ten minutes later, everyone gathered in front of the TV again.
Silas brought out the fully set donuts, enjoying them together with the Pokémon under the cool air from the air conditioner.
Minccino hugged a donut almost as big as its own face and happily took bites.
Information about the dish appeared before Silas's eyes.
[Donut (C): A sugar-overloaded delicacy, a holy relic for sweet-toothed lovers.
Dish Effect: Donuts are really delicious…]
(End of Chapter)