There had never been any expectation that those girls would actually help anyway. As long as they did not cause trouble, that was already good enough.
Silas lowered his head and looked at the four Pokémon gathered at his feet. Then he raised his hand and gave a decisive wave. "Operation Ice Removal begins now!"
"Meow!"
"Meow woo~"
"Charca!" x2
The Perrserker immediately sprang into action, swinging its sharp steel claws rapidly like an icebreaker charging forward. It smashed through the thin layer of ice covering the ranch paths, cutting it into small chunks to make things easier for the others.
Behind it, Torracat lowered its body slightly, opened its mouth, and exhaled a wave of scorching heat. Using its Heat Wave move, it melted the broken ice efficiently.
The small chunks of ice dissolved almost instantly upon contact, turning into water that flowed along both sides of the path and seeped into the ground.
With just one blast of hot air, nearly eighty to ninety percent of the ice was melted, and even the ground was dried in the process.
The remaining bits were handled by the two Charcadet. The ordinary one punched out a swirling Flame Vortex, while the shiny one used Ember. Their coordination was seamless.
Working together, the four Pokémon quickly cleared a clean path all the way to the ranch entrance.
At that moment, Silas noticed the Delibird mailbox nearby. Somehow, a letter had been placed inside.
"You guys keep going. Just clear the main roads. When you are done, I will make you some hot cocoa."
After giving instructions, Silas opened the letter.
The moment he saw the sender's name, his face lit up with joy. It was from Pallet Town in the Kanto region, from Professor Oak's laboratory.
He skimmed through it quickly. The contents were about the summer camp.
Professor Oak first mentioned the schedule. The camp would begin next week and last for two weeks.
Silas quickly calculated in his head. One day of rest tomorrow, and the day after that he could send the two girls off.
That meant he would finally get some peace and quiet for a while, just in time to adjust his condition and prepare for the Champion Challenge at the beginning of November.
When he found Serena and Korrina and told them the news, both girls became extremely excited upon hearing they could go somewhere else to play.
They were already getting bored of the ranch anyway, so heading somewhere new meant they could continue their energetic mischief elsewhere.
Silas was just as happy to be rid of them for a while.
By the time they returned from the summer camp, he could send Serena back home directly. A perfectly arranged plan.
…
In the afternoon, Silas called Cyclizar and took Greninja with him to Lumiose City.
Before leaving, the two girls chattered endlessly, asking him to bring back delicious food from Lumiose City. They even made a list and handed it to him.
"I can bring them, but if you cause trouble for Indeedee while I am gone, I will give all the snacks to Morpeko instead."
"Big brother, we promise!"
The two girls answered in perfect unison, flashing their neat little rows of teeth in a flattering smile.
Silas mounted Cyclizar. As its body gradually warmed up, it stretched a bit before dashing toward Lumiose City. It did not take long for them to arrive.
Light snow drifted through the air in Lumiose City. The usual flocks of Fletchling that liked to perch on street lamps were nowhere to be seen, likely hiding from the cold.
Instead, there were quite a few Vanillite around. Perhaps because of them, the snowfall seemed to be gradually increasing.
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar let out an annoyed cry, shooing away the Vanillite that drifted too close. It clearly disliked the cold snow.
"Easy now." Silas patted it gently to calm it down. "Let's head to the south side."
They soon arrived at the southern research lab, where Professor Sycamore's assistant was already waiting at the entrance.
"Mr. Silas, please come with me. The professor is still in the middle of research."
"Alright, let's go in first."
Inside the lab, the warm and comfortable environment made Cyclizar let out a satisfied low hum.
Seeing Silas move forward, Cyclizar quickly followed, staying close beside him like a loyal bodyguard.
"Knock knock."
The assistant knocked on the door. "Professor, Mr. Silas has arrived."
"Got it! I will wrap things up shortly!" Sycamore's voice came from inside.
"Mr. Silas, the professor tends to lose track of time once he gets into research mode. Especially recently, with several new Mega Evolved Pokémon appearing across regions, it feels like he has regained his youthful passion."
"I understand."
Silas sat down in the reception area. The assistant brought him a cup of hot tea and also prepared food for Cyclizar. They waited together.
After about ten minutes, Professor Sycamore finally came out, still wearing his lab coat. His face looked tired, but his expression was extremely excited.
"Sophie, please get me a cup of coffee, thanks!"
Sophie was one of his assistants.
"Right away, Professor."
Sycamore sat down across from Silas. Before Silas could speak, he launched straight into it.
"Silas, just recently, a new Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution was discovered in the Galar region."
"Hm?" Silas looked puzzled. "Isn't Galar all about Dynamax?"
"That is not important." Sycamore took a big gulp of coffee. "The Pokémon is called Falinks, a Fighting type."
"You should know that this species usually moves in groups of six, with one leader and five followers."
"Their Mega Evolution strengthens their bond even further, forming an ultimate formation that combines both offense and defense."
Fearing his explanation might not be clear enough, Sycamore brought up an image showing the unified Mega Falinks.
"I suspect that regions like Alola, Paldea, and Galar may still have undiscovered Mega Evolutions."
"Do you think Mega Evolution could be combined with Dynamax or Terastallization on the same Pokémon?"
Finally finding someone to share his thoughts with, Sycamore could not stop talking.
"I am planning to personally travel to Galar to study Dynamax and see whether it can be combined with Mega Evolution."
Seeing the topic drifting further and further away, Silas had no choice but to pull him back.
"Professor, let's focus on testing Greninja's Mega Evolution first."
"Hahaha!" Sycamore laughed awkwardly, then turned to his assistant. "Sophie, is the testing field ready?"
"Yes, Professor. Everything is ready."
Silas and Greninja entered the testing area. As the light of Mega Evolution flared, Mega Greninja appeared.
They conducted a series of tests, mainly focusing on its six core stats.
These six attributes, HP, Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, were part of the League's standardized system for evaluating a Pokémon's combat potential.
Of course, base stats were not everything.
Some Pokémon, despite having average stats, could achieve remarkable results through unique abilities or move combinations.
After the tests concluded, they waited briefly for the data to be processed.
"As expected," Sycamore said, "Mega Greninja's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed have all been significantly enhanced."
"That is right, Professor," Silas added. "Its defenses have also improved slightly."
Working together with Sycamore, they completed all the tests. By the time Silas left, he had obtained the most detailed data available on Greninja, giving him a much deeper understanding of its capabilities.
However, aside from its ability, Mega Greninja's data remained undetectable, as if it were being obscured by some unknown force.
Not only Silas, but even Sycamore was completely baffled.
He suspected that the lack of sufficient data might be causing distortions, and that more information on Mega Greninja would be needed to determine its true ability.
(End of Chapter)