"Bzzzz?"
The three Combee, hovering together as always, looked puzzled.
Roll? What does roll even mean?
They were far more concerned with the abundance of flowers here. The bloom wouldn't last forever, and they needed to gather as much nectar as possible for their "queen."
Charles Chen felt a small wave of exhaustion, but at the same time, the Combee's tireless work ethic inspired him.
Roll! Everyone should keep rolling!
He, too, should be working hard.
After bottling the honey in glass jars usually reserved for Miltank's fresh milk and storing them in a Poké Ball-like container, the Combee buzzed away to continue their harvest.
Meanwhile, Charles walked deeper into the garden, releasing every Pokémon he had brought along this time.
"Cha…"
Blaziken stepped out looking a little downcast.
Clearly, in today's battle, it had once again not been chosen. It had been hoping to show off its recent training results in front of Bounsweet and Popplio.
But now that it thought about it, those other Trainers' Pokémon had all seemed stronger than it.
Probably wouldn't have won anyway.
That thought softened the sting a bit.
The next second, however, two very distinct sounds rumbled from its stomach.
Grrr~ grrr~
"Hm?"
Charles followed the sound with his eyes and quickly understood. "Hold on, I'll get you something to eat right away."
"Cha~" (Yay~)
Blaziken immediately perked up. Charles glanced at the rest of the Pokémon he had brought along. Many of them looked a little tired, and all of them seemed to be watching him with quiet expectation.
Ah. Everyone must be hungry.
"Popplio…"
"Bounsweet…"
But as soon as Popplio and Bounsweet were out, they both quietly shuffled away from Dragonite — one clung to Charles' pant leg, the other scooted next to Gardevoir.
They had both seen Dragonite's sheer power in the arena. There weren't many Pokémon who could withstand even a single hit from it.
Charles noticed the scene and realized he hadn't introduced Dragonite to the others yet. He bent down to pick up Bounsweet. "Oh, right. This is the newest member of the ranch. Dragonite will be staying here for… quite a while."
Why "quite a while"?
Because Charles had no idea when Mewtwo might show up again to take Dragonite away.
After that, he asked Gardevoir to use her psychic power to bring Milotic from the reservoir. Then he quickly pulled out a steel frame and an iron plate, setting them up with practiced ease.
Tonight's dinner would be served right here in the open area he had set aside for barbecue feasts.
The menu was simple:
Pokémon would get energy cubes as their staple, paired with honey-fried eggs, honey-berry salad, and honey-glazed ribs as sides.
These ingredients were always stocked in his refrigerator. In the past, Charles had to make frequent trips to the local "WowMart" supermarket. When the manager, Peter Chi, found out, he arranged for regular deliveries.
Now, with Pidgeotto "courier service" up and running, things were even easier. Every morning, a Pidgeotto would fly to the store and bring back fresh groceries.
While Charles had Blaziken handle the cooking flames — calling it "fire temperature control training" — Alolan Vulpix gazed curiously at Dragonite.
"Vee-vee?"
Unlike Bounsweet and Popplio, Vulpix had been interested in Dragonite from the moment it appeared, especially that "plump" belly.
"Vee-vee-vee?" (Hello there?)
Born and raised on the ranch, Vulpix had a bold, confident personality — perhaps the result of never experiencing any real hardships, having been "born with a silver spoon" in its mouth.
Even in the face of a powerful-looking Pokémon like Dragonite, it showed no fear.
"Grooo~" (Hello, hello~)
Dragonite's face lit up when someone finally approached it. It crouched down to meet the small Vulpix's gaze.
It had noticed Popplio and Bounsweet's earlier avoidance. Even Alcremie had flinched when it first came in.
It wasn't that scary-looking, was it?
"Vee-vee-vee~?" (How did you get so big?)
Dragonite blinked, caught off guard. "Groo?"
"Grooo…" (Our species grows this large after evolving.)
It couldn't very well say, "My mom raised me this big."
"Vee-vee…" (I see.)
Vulpix glanced at its own paws. It remembered being smaller when it was first born — it had grown a bit since then.
So, when it evolved someday, it would be this big too. Just like big sister Serperior.
Looking at Dragonite's belly, an odd impulse sparked in its mind. "Vee-vee-vee?" (Can you lie down?)
"Groo?"
Dragonite tilted its head, unsure why the little one was asking, but since this was the first Pokémon in the ranch to willingly talk to it, it complied and lay down.
Its massive body covered a wide patch of grass.
Vulpix's eyes lit up. It hopped onto the round belly, pressing its paws into the soft surface. After testing the "bounce" to make sure it could hold its weight, it began happily jumping around.
"Vee-vee~" (So comfy!)
"Groo…"
Dragonite watched the little Vulpix and drifted into thought.
It normally disliked Ice- and Fairy-type Pokémon, but this one… it just couldn't bring itself to dislike.
Vulpix reminded it of its own childhood as a Dratini, when the island elders would say it was "so cute."
Thinking back, it was probably about the same size then as Vulpix was now.
Dragonite lifted its head slightly, narrowing its eyes in a fond, almost parental gaze at the little fox bouncing on its stomach.
"Boun?"
Still standing beside Gardevoir, Bounsweet felt a sudden tug of curiosity.
Maybe this big, strong Pokémon wasn't so scary after all.
Gardevoir smiled gently. "Voir?" (Want to play too?)
Bounsweet looked up at her, eyes sparkling, lips curving into a soft smile. "Boun~" (Yes…)
"Then go ahead."
With a warm smile, Gardevoir wrapped Bounsweet in psychic energy and gently set it onto Dragonite's belly.
The moment it landed, Vulpix grabbed it with both forepaws. In the mix of Bounsweet's startled squeak and Vulpix's delighted laugh, the two bounced together on Dragonite's soft, round belly.
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