Only two days had passed since Silas left, yet Pokémon Town had already changed quite a bit.
At the entrance of the town, Magearna had led a group of Pokémon to renovate the area. A neat layer of bluestone had been laid along the road, and rows of unknown flowers had been planted on both sides.
From a distance, it was also easy to see that the number of buildings inside the town had increased considerably.
As soon as Silas arrived, the Poké Balls on his waist opened one after another.
Cinccino pinned the honorary mayor badge proudly to its chest. Holding a small guide flag, it marched at the very front while a large group of Pokémon followed behind. It began introducing Pokémon Town to the newcomers as if it were a professional tour guide.
Leaving this job to Cinccino, Silas went to find Volcanion and Magearna, who had just arrived, and explained the situation to them.
"Mage Mage!"
Magearna showed a heartbroken expression.
"Humans really cannot be trusted," Volcanion said calmly. "Honorary Pokémon excluded."
"Well, since you both agree, I will go ask Gengar and the others later."
After walking around Pokémon Town for a while, Silas eventually stopped in front of the Exploration Team Headquarters.
Looking around at the gathered Pokémon, there was actually no need to ask anything.
Their eyes had already given him the answer.
Including Gengar, all fifteen Pokémon had fallen in love with this peaceful paradise that belonged entirely to Pokémon.
"It seems you all like this place very much," Silas said with a smile. "Then, as the president of the Exploration Team Association, I officially invite you to join the exploration teams."
Silas's idea was very simple.
He planned to divide the fifteen Pokémon into five exploration teams.
Since they were already carrying Zygarde's long term commission, adding exploration missions on top of that would allow them to accomplish two things at once.
After completing missions, the rewards they earned could be used within Pokémon Town to enjoy its services. This would allow them to recover and prepare themselves fully for the next mission.
After explaining his idea to the Pokémon, they only thought about it for a short moment before all agreeing.
"Alright then. First, you need to choose your teammates."
The five teams were quickly formed.
The Bug Team: Beedrill, Heracross, and Pinsir.
The Ghost Team: Shiny Gengar, Sableye, and Banette.
The Steel Team…
The Fire and Electric Team…
The Pidgeot, Glalie, and Alakazam Team.
The remaining arrangements were left for them to discuss with Meowstic and Chesnaught. Once again, Silas successfully became a hands off manager.
After leaving the Exploration Team Headquarters, Silas returned to the center of Pokémon Town and said goodbye to Magearna and the others.
Unexpectedly, he ran into Litleo, Scraggy, and Stunky.
He remembered that they had gone out earlier to complete an exploration mission.
Had they already finished it?
Since it was the very first mission issued by the Exploration Team, Silas walked over to check.
He saw Litleo opening its bag and taking out several items.
"Oh?"
Silas leaned closer.
"You really gained quite a lot from this trip. A Revival Herb that can fully restore a Pokémon's stamina, a Heal Root that cures abnormal conditions, and some Medicinal Herbs that restore a small amount of energy."
"Roar!"
When Litleo saw that it was Silas, it excitedly ran over and circled around him together with the other two.
"It looks like you all really enjoy your new lives."
The three Pokémon nodded vigorously at the same time.
Silas smiled and said, "Then you all have to work hard. Today five new exploration teams were formed, and they are very powerful Pokémon."
As soon as they heard that, the three Pokémon led by Litleo immediately showed expressions of immense pressure.
After saying goodbye to them, Silas found Cinccino and the others and recalled all of his Pokémon.
After bidding farewell to Magearna, Silas began his journey home.
Giant Dragonite carried him through the clouds.
They flew across mountains and passed over city after city.
Only when the vast blue ocean came into view did Dragonite begin slowing down, gradually descending until it finally landed on the grass in front of the ranch house.
The moment they landed, the Poké Balls on Silas's waist opened again.
Back home, Cinccino and the others immediately ran around happily.
The Noivern shook their bodies and returned to the cave, clearly missing the attentive service of the Carbink.
"Alright, Dragonite, you can go play too."
Giant Dragonite gave a soft cry. It gently rubbed its large head against Silas's shoulder before flying off to chase after Cinccino and the others.
Silas entered the ranch house.
The elder brother Indeedee handed him a cup of hot tea.
"Indee."
"Thank you. I was just feeling thirsty."
Silas took a sip and then sat down on the sofa, letting out a heartfelt sigh.
"There really is nothing more comfortable than being at home."
After drinking about half the cup, Silas noticed that the elder brother Indeedee seemed hesitant, as if it wanted to say something but could not decide how.
"Is there something else?"
"Indee Indee." (A few days ago, a strange Pokémon suddenly intruded into the ranch. It almost hurt Lazy Mareep.)
"Were any of you injured?"
Silas immediately sat up straight, his first concern being the safety of the ranch Pokémon.
"Indee."
Indeedee shook its head and briefly explained the whole incident. It focused especially on describing the strange Pokémon.
"Blood red eyes, surrounded by an aura that other Pokémon hate, and it keeps attacking unless it is completely defeated?"
Hearing this description made Silas feel extremely familiar.
Was this not exactly what a Shadow Pokémon was like?
"So a Shadow Pokémon actually invaded the ranch?"
Silas secretly felt relieved.
"Thankfully you and Mudsdale brothers were here to guard the place. Otherwise the consequences could have been unimaginable…"
If things had gone badly, the Pokémon in the ranch might have been wiped out while he was away.
This incident also served as a reminder to Silas.
From now on, whenever he left the ranch, he had to ensure that enough strong Pokémon remained behind to defend it.
This time they had been lucky, but he did not dare gamble on luck again.
After finishing the last sip of tea in his cup, Silas stood up.
"Come on. Take me to see it."
Indeedee led the way.
Soon they arrived at the edge of the ranch.
To prevent the strange Pokémon from infecting others, the elder brother Indeedee had chosen this isolated area for containment.
Inside a cage built from large stones, a bird like Pokémon was trapped. Its wings were bound tightly by vine whips, preventing it from moving.
The Shadow Pokémon in front of Silas resembled a vulture.
A sinister purple black aura surrounded its body, and its eyes glowed blood red, making its appearance even more terrifying.
"A Mandibuzz?"
As expected, it really was a Shadow Pokémon. With those eyes and that corrupted power, Silas was certain he could not be mistaken.
At the same time, another question quietly surfaced in his mind.
Where exactly did Shadow Pokémon come from?
Were they born naturally in the wild, or were they artificially created?
For now, he could not determine the answer.
But the most important task before him was to purify the Shadow Mandibuzz.
Fortunately, the Sweet Flavor Century Soup dish he had researched several months ago could finally be put to use.
Silas left with Indeedee to prepare the necessary ingredients.
The Coconut Crab Soup required two key materials.
Sunshine Coconuts and Klawf Crab Sticks.
The crab sticks could be found by visiting a few nearby cities, but the Sunshine Coconuts were far more difficult to obtain.
They only grew on an island near Manaphy's temple, a special place where those unique coconuts were produced.
Silas asked Indeedee to call back Phione, Dragonite, and Cyclizar.
When the small Phione returned, Silas caught it gently and held it in his arms, teasing it with his finger.
"Little one, do you remember the island where we found Tropius and Meganium?"
"Phion! Phion!" (I remember, Silas! It is not far from the Sea Temple.)
"I have something I need your help with."
While Dragonite carried Phione toward the island to gather the Sunshine Coconuts, Silas mounted Cyclizar and rushed toward Lumiose City as fast as possible to purchase Klawf Crab Sticks.
(End of Chapter)