Gyarados: "ROOAAR!"
Miraidon: BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Dozens of bolts of lightning tore down from between the clouds, striking the Gyarados that had just surfaced with perfect accuracy, not missing a single one.
The Gyarados were electrocuted until their entire bodies went numb and tingly, their muscles locking up as they stiffened and stood bolt upright in the water.
Seeing this scene, Silas wore a rather strange expression.
These Gyarados had truly brought this upon themselves. The rain they had summoned to gain an advantage had instead become Miraidon's greatest support, ensuring that its Thunder attack would never miss.
For a moment, the Gyarados were crying out in misery, like ants scrambling on a hot pan.
"Rai~"
Miraidon slowly descended, emerging from within the clouds as its cold, electronic eyes swept over the Gyarados below.
A group of Gyarados that normally looked ferociously intimidating had become unbelievably obedient after being struck by lightning.
Upon seeing Miraidon, they all lowered their once-proud heads.
Scared—absolutely terrified!
Barbaracle, which had been commanded to approach, moved forward somewhat timidly, while the nearby Veluza shrank back and tucked its head in.
Getting shocked even once must hurt a lot, right?
Casting a glance at the humans moving away, Veluza hurriedly followed after them, afraid of being caught in the aftermath.
Silas stepped forward and gave a pat, not sparing his praise in the slightest. "Well done, Miraidon."
Miraidon let out a smug little laugh and pointed its alloy claw toward the Gyarados, asking him what should be done with these fellows.
Silas's gaze landed on the group of Gyarados, and he let out a sly chuckle—wasn't this a batch of top-quality ingredients delivering themselves right to his doorstep?
Ten minutes later, looking at the pile of deep-blue dragon scales stacked beside him—each piece as large as a washbasin—Silas waved his hand at the Gyarados.
In the blink of an eye, the Gyarados scattered in all directions, fleeing toward the deep sea as if their lives depended on it.
Mommy, that was terrifying—baby was scared to death!
Never coming here again, ever!
Each of these dragon scales nearby contained rich dragon-type energy.
Fish-scale jelly made from them would definitely be something special. The three little Noibat were in for a real treat.
After dealing with the Gyarados, Silas turned his attention to the other side.
The battle over there was also nearing its end.
After all, it was only a single Gyarados—no match for Siebold.
His attention then shifted to Veluza, which was following closely behind him step by step, and he asked curiously, "Veluza, why did you end up fighting with the Gyarados?"
The clever Veluza blew a few bubbles. "Veee~"
After observing for a while and with the help of Cyclizar's reactions, Silas more or less figured it out.
"You were protecting an egg, right?"
"Vee!"
Veluza nodded vigorously.
Just as Silas was communicating with Veluza, Siebold returned atop his Blastoise, a Poké Ball held in his palm.
"Silas, everything alright on your side?"
Silas shook his head. "The Gyarados have all returned to the deep sea. What about you—did you catch that Gyarados?"
Siebold replied, "This Gyarados knows the rare moves Dragon Dance and Outrage. It's very much worth training."
"Congratulations, Siebold. You've gained another powerful partner."
Silas could already imagine how that Gyarados would perform in battle.
Dragon Dance for boosting stats, followed by Outrage, combined with the Moxie ability—once it snowballed, it could easily sweep an entire team.
No wonder even someone as picky as Siebold had been tempted.
With their mission completed, the two prepared to return.
Before leaving, Silas extended an invitation to Veluza, inviting it to visit the ranch as a guest.
Veluza gave a soft response, then with a series of gurgling sounds dove into the sea, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Guided by an indistinct calling, it swam rapidly in a certain direction—
the very direction where Silas's ranch was located.
By the time the two reached shore, it wasn't even noon yet.
Under Siebold's enthusiastic invitation, Silas had no choice but to visit his restaurant.
Using the scales of other fish Pokémon, Silas prepared a serving of fish-scale gelatin.
Siebold exclaimed in amazement again and again, never imagining that such unassuming fish scales could be turned into a delicacy.
Paired with dipping sauce, the flavor was surprisingly excellent.
At any rate, Siebold ate with great enjoyment.
After tasting it, a decision formed in Siebold's heart.
He looked at Silas seriously and said, "Teacher, may I ask if you have any intention of selling the recipe for this fish-scale jelly?"
"If you want to make it, just take it," Silas waved his hand indifferently. "No need to make a fuss."
"No, no." Siebold shook his head and slowly explained his thoughts.
He wanted to turn this dish into a signature recruitment dish for his seafood restaurant.
"I see!" Silas nodded in understanding, thought for a moment, then said, "Then let's say… one League Coin."
"This…" Siebold froze instead. He had already prepared himself to pay a hefty price.
Silas's words completely caught him off guard.
After a moment's thought, Siebold said helplessly, "How about this instead, Teacher—I'll give you 10% of the profits from this fish-scale jelly dish. What do you think?"
"Isn't that a bit much? It's fine as long as I get free meals whenever I come to eat…"
The two were already friends, and in the end it was just a recipe.
"Ten percent," Siebold said firmly, his tone unwavering.
Before leaving, Silas handed the fish-scale jelly recipe to Siebold along with his bank card number. Just like that, in a daze, he ended up with an extra fixed monthly dividend.
Shaking his head, Silas didn't dwell on it too much.
He released Cyclizar and carried a large bulging bag in his hand, stuffed full of dragon scales.
Upon arriving at the Shalour Gym, Serena and Minccino ran straight toward him.
"So? Did you have fun playing with Korrina?" he asked.
"Yes, yes!" Serena nodded vigorously, the smile on her face especially sincere.
"Big brother, can Korrina come to the ranch as a guest tomorrow?" Serena looked up at him expectantly.
"No problem. I'll make lots of delicious food for you," Silas replied with a smile.
"Yay!" Serena excitedly ran off to tell Korrina the good news.
The two girls chattered away, happily setting a time together.
Silas picked up the exhausted Minccino. The little fellow clung tightly to him and let out a deep yawn.
One Korrina alone was already more than it could handle—add Serena on top of that, and it was completely done for.
He pinched its ears and scratched under its chin. "You've worked hard, Minccino."
"Min!"
Minccino burrowed into Silas's arms, adjusted into a comfortable position, and began to purr softly.
At five in the afternoon, Silas finally returned to the ranch, utterly worn out.
He peeled the stickers off his face and let out a long sigh.
"Ah… if I'd known, I wouldn't have taken those two little girls to the amusement park. I was nearly worked to death."
In contrast, Serena was lying on the sofa hugging Minccino, and before long she had fallen asleep.
Once the excitement wore off, she slept faster than anyone.
After washing his face and pulling himself together, Silas headed into the kitchen to begin processing the Gyarados scales he had brought back.
Including Noivern's Outrage scales, there were a total of nine—just enough to make one dish.
He placed a basin of simmered fish-scale broth into the freezer. Once it fully set, it would be ready to eat.
"Noi~"
Upon learning that this dish was specially made for them, the three little Noibat stationed themselves right beside the refrigerator.
Cyclizar ran over with a bottle of fruit juice, glanced curiously at the three little ones, and had no idea what they were up to.
After gulping down a cup, it dashed off refreshingly to play.
"You three little guys, don't rush it. It'll take several hours to fully set!" Silas said helplessly.
However, the Noibat paid no attention to anything outside their little world. Not a single one moved even a bit—they were determined to guard the dragon-scale jelly until it was finished.
They wanted to be the first to eat it, then become as strong as "Cyclizar," so that they could protect everyone.
(End of Chapter)