Late at night, the long-awaited rain finally arrived.
Holding Cinccino in his left arm and Morpeko in his right, Hayato Sora was sleeping soundly when the continuous sound of rain outside the window woke him up.
Just as he moved slightly, Cinccino rubbed its eyes and sat up.
"Li-li?"
"It's still dark. It's just raining heavily."
Hayato Sora gently pushed Cinccino back under the blanket and softly patted it.
"Go back to sleep. Be good."
"Li… li-li…"
Its voice gradually faded until it turned into soft snores.
Meanwhile, Morpeko hadn't woken up at all.
Its mouth moved as if chewing, clearly dreaming about delicious food. A small line of drool even hung from the corner of its mouth.
Hayato Sora gently rubbed its head before walking toward the window.
Smoliv sat in its flowerpot by the windowsill, pressing its face against the glass while staring outside.
Raindrops tapped wildly against the window, leaving streaks like a child's messy drawings.
"Are you cold, little one?"
Hayato Sora picked Smoliv up with a smile.
"Flu-flu~"
Smoliv shook its head.
The room was warm.
What it was worried about was something else.
Without sunshine during rainy days, its evolution time would be delayed.
That was why Smoliv seemed so uneasy.
Hayato Sora placed the flowerpot beside the bed and gently stroked it.
"Don't worry. A bad mood will make the oil you produce turn bitter."
"Flu?!"
Smoliv looked shocked.
Then it quickly broke into a bright smile.
"Yes, that's right. Always keep smiling."
Hayato Sora nodded.
"Now go back to sleep."
Rainy days were perfect for sleeping.
With his gentle reassurance, Smoliv soon grew drowsy and fell asleep.
The three Pokémon in the room were now sleeping soundly.
Hayato Sora quietly slipped out of the room and softly closed the door.
"Meow?"
"Shh."
"Meow~"
The ordinary Meowth outside the door lowered its voice.
"Cinccino and the others are sleeping. Don't wake them."
As he spoke, Hayato Sora crouched down.
The three Meowth sleeping in the hallway looked up at him.
"Are you cold? And don't sneak outside to play in the rain."
The Alolan Meowth shook its head.
The house was warm—it wasn't cold at all.
Hayato Sora touched their fur.
Only after feeling how warm they were did he feel reassured.
But after thinking about it again, he still felt a little uneasy.
So he grabbed a small cotton blanket from the nearby wardrobe and draped it over them.
Rainy weather often caused sudden drops in temperature.
Better safe than sorry.
The Meowth curled up under the blanket, feeling warm and cared for.
It was the warmth of being loved.
Hayato Sora pushed open another door.
This was Kangaskhan's room.
The room had almost no decorations.
Only a large cushion filled the space.
When Hayato Sora entered, Kangaskhan finally looked away from the incubator.
"Roo-roo(Noivern cry)!"
Kangaskhan excitedly shared the news.
The Pokémon Egg had moved again.
Hayato Sora crouched beside it, observing together.
Soon enough, the egg immersed in nutrient solution trembled slightly, sending small ripples through the liquid.
Unlike before, when it only moved once and stopped—
Now it moved periodically.
It seemed that with the arrival of the rainstorm, the egg had become more active.
When Hayato Sora touched the egg, the familiar system information appeared again.
[Manaphy Egg — Hatching Acceleration in Progress]
A small acceleration icon had appeared beside the egg's status.
That was probably the reason for the egg's increased activity.
The sudden rainfall had brought large amounts of Water-type energy into the environment.
The environmental change had accelerated the egg's hatching.
After all—
Legendary Pokémon eggs were naturally special.
After observing for a while and confirming there were no abnormalities, Hayato Sora quietly left the room and closed the door.
He was certain Kangaskhan could stare at that egg all day long.
When he reached the first floor, Cyclizar was sleeping obediently in its nest.
Still, Hayato Sora didn't quite trust it.
He called Cyclizar upstairs to sleep in the room instead.
After all, that guy had a criminal record.
Then he put on a raincoat and brought the Flabébé inside the house.
Before returning, he went to check on the Mareep and Mudsdale.
The newly built sheep house was sturdy.
Inside, the little lambs slept soundly, completely unaware of the storm outside.
The three Mudsdale were about the same.
All of them were sleeping peacefully.
On the way back, Hayato Sora stopped by the cave.
Even though they couldn't train outside due to the rain, the Noibat were still exercising inside the cave.
After confirming everyone was safe, Hayato Sora finally returned to the house.
He wiped the rainwater from his body and lay down on the bed, hugging Cinccino again.
Rainy days were perfect for sleeping in.
Being surrounded by so many beloved Pokémon made life feel incredibly comfortable.
The rhythmic sound of rain outside gradually turned into a lullaby.
Before long, Hayato Sora fell asleep again.
When he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
It was nearly lunchtime.
Yet the rain outside hadn't weakened at all.
If anything, it had become heavier.
"Yaaawn…"
Hayato Sora stretched and reached under the blanket.
He pulled Cinccino into his arms and gave it a big squeeze before planting a kiss on its head.
Today, it smelled faintly of pear blossoms.
"Li-li~"
Cinccino giggled as its belly was tickled, wriggling deeper into Hayato Sora's arms.
After playing with Cinccino for a while, Hayato Sora finally got out of bed under Morpeko's urging.
"Alright, alright. I'll make food right now."
Morpeko's cheek pouches were completely empty.
Even the terrible roasted coffee beans were gone.
It was about to enter Hangry Mode.
Hayato Sora scooped up Morpeko and rushed downstairs.
He opened the fridge and handed it a few Oran Berries to hold it over.
Only then did he start preparing lunch.
Burgers, fried eggs, and a large Berry-and-milk platter.
After quickly finishing their brunch, Hayato Sora pushed open the door.
The rain from the night before had turned the ground into thick mud.
Puddles were everywhere.
"Actually… Cyclizar, you should stay home."
He stopped Cyclizar from following him out and removed the raincoat draped over it.
"I'll feed the chickens myself. Just keep an eye on the popcorn in the oven—don't let it burn."
"Grao~!"
Cyclizar accepted the task happily and ran straight to the kitchen, sitting in front of the oven like a guard.
Putting on his raincoat, Hayato Sora stopped Kangaskhan and the others from following.
He didn't want mud getting tracked all over the house.
Even Cyclizar wasn't allowed outside.
Under the longing gazes of the Pokémon, Hayato Sora dashed into the rain alone.
Each step sank deep into the muddy ground.
At that moment, Hayato Sora made a firm decision.
Once the rain stopped—
He would immediately build stone pathways across the ranch.
Otherwise, once summer storms arrived, he wouldn't even be able to leave the house.
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