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Luther carefully flipped through the materials that Professor Rowan had given him. Sure enough, as the professor had said, there were far too many known forms of Alcremie, and the conditions for evolving into a specific form were unclear. Most of the information was based purely on individual trainers' personal experiences.
The only confirmed fact was that sweets promoted Milcery's evolution. The problem was that no one knew what kind of sweets Milcery liked. They would have to find a cake shop in Twilight Sea Town and let Milcery choose.
After leaving the forest and stepping onto the main road, Luther encountered numerous Pokémon Trainers along the way.
With the Lily of the Valley Conference just a month and a half away, nearly all qualified trainers were converging on the coastal areas of Lily of the Valley Island.
Based on Mai's recommendation, Luther chose Twilight Sea Town, a port town that had seen relatively fewer visitors compared to other ports last year.
Luther had no intention of sparring with other Pokémon Trainers before the tournament began. Following Candice and Hakuya's advice, he believed it was best to maintain an air of mystery at this stage.
Although the Pokémon League officially provided Data access to all trainers, allowing them to research their opponents, much crucial information couldn't be found in the official records.
A trainer's battle style, personality, and training priorities were all things that had to be gathered through observation outside the arena.
As a coastal town, Twilight Sea Town teemed with Water-type Pokémon near its harbor. Sailors could often be seen feeding the Pokémon from their ships.
Enjoying the salty sea breeze while waiting in line, Luther registered his identity information and booked a flight to Lily of the Valley Island for over two weeks later.
He had already planned what to do with the extra time, but before that, Luther intended to resolve the Milcery issue first.
After wandering through the city streets far from the harbor for quite some time, Luther and Mai finally found a cake shop with excellent public reviews using their navigation app.
As they entered, a staff member warmly greeted Luther.
Upon learning that Luther was looking for decorative sugar ornaments, the staff member led him to a glass display case in the corner of the shop.
Inside, a dazzling array of sugar ornaments was showcased: colorful flowers, fruits, plants, and various other designs.
Assuming Luther wanted to decorate a cake, the staff member thoughtfully asked about the recipient and the occasion.
Mai smiled and explained to the staff member that they actually needed the sugar ornaments to decorate Pokémon.
The shop assistant was momentarily stunned by the answer, but she quickly recovered. After all, Pokémon Contest participants were always known for their creativity, and decorating Pokémon with candy might just be the latest trend.
Luther held Milcery up, letting her carefully admire the candy decorations displayed in the glass cabinet.
Milcery pressed against the glass, her curious gaze sweeping back and forth across the dazzling array of candy decorations, seemingly struggling to choose.
After hesitating for a long time, Milcery first pointed to a strawberry candy decoration, then a blueberry one. Just as Luther leaned down to examine the candies, Milcery suddenly pointed to three or four more in quick succession.
Luther pinched Milcery's cheek, saying exasperatedly, "You can only pick one."
Hearing this, Milcery immediately wrapped her arms around Luther's neck and began to whine.
"Whining won't work."
Milcery leaped up and planted a quick kiss on Luther's cheek.
Luther sighed helplessly. "Fine, you can have two."
Milcery decisively chose the strawberry candy decoration first, then continued to agonize over the remaining dazzling array of options.
After a long time, just as Luther was about to help Milcery decide, she pointed to a red ribbon candy decoration. Confirming her choice, Luther immediately placed the order and paid.
Clutching her newly acquired candy decoration, Milcery snuggled contentedly against Luther's shoulder, completely satisfied.
"Does having a candy decoration mean it can evolve now?" Mai asked curiously.
"Of course not. It still needs to accumulate experience. The candy decoration just allows Milcery to become a unique Alcremie," Luther explained.
Mai glanced at the sleeping Silcoon in her arms. "Silcoon's probably about to evolve into Beautifly. That means Milcery won't have a suitable training partner anymore. What are you planning to do?"
Luther, who had been teasing Milcery, gestured for Mai to look around.
Twilight Sea Town was bustling with Pokémon Trainers who had come to participate in or spectate at the tournament.
"With so many Pokémon Trainers around, you're worried about finding a suitable opponent?" Luther said. "Besides, it doesn't matter if they know Milcery's information, or whether she wins or loses. The important thing is for Milcery to gain Battle Experience."
"If we can't find a relatively weak opponent, we could borrow Pokémon from Professor Rowan's Research Lab. That's a good option too."
Having finally reached town, Luther decided to indulge in a small luxury and find a restaurant.
The Pokémon outside their Poké Balls unanimously agreed. A change of pace would be nice.
While Chansey's Nutrient Eggs were nutritious and she varied her cooking methods, eating them too often could get monotonous.
Mai used her phone to check nearby restaurants with good reviews, while Luther took another look at Milcery's data.
"Mai, is your phone ringing?"
Mai waved her phone. "I'm checking reviews. How could I miss a call?"
Luther and Mai exchanged a glance, then pulled out their Pokédexes, which were resonating.
Just as Luther was about to check the Pokédex's location feature, he heard a muffled "thump-thump-thump."
He turned toward a nearby restaurant. Through the clear glass window, a Primeape sat on the floor, devouring Pokémon food. A man and a woman waved at Luther and Mai, holding forks and Pokédexes in their hands.
Mao and Etorre had come to Twilight Sea Town too! What a coincidence!
Entering the restaurant, they approached Mao's table. The Primeape, who had been gobbling down its food, finally noticed their arrival.
Kirlia smiled and greeted the Primeape, who happily pushed its massive bowl of food toward her.
Kirlia glanced at the half-eaten, messy pile of Pokémon food and politely declined, explaining that Luther would order for her later and that the Primeape should enjoy its meal.
With that, she released her Psychic Power, allowing Marill, who had been eager to join Primeape in enjoying the feast, to move again.
"I never expected to run into you guys here," Mao said with a grin, signaling a waiter to bring Luther a menu. "The drinks and desserts are great, and the main courses are decent too. You don't have to worry about ordering anything bad."
Mao pinched Etorre's cheek. "Luther's here and you don't even say hello? Eat up! Stuff yourself!"
Etorre seemed used to Mao's teasing, continuing to shovel food into his mouth even with his cheek being pinched.
"Luther hates small talk anyway," Mai interjected. "His surprise when he saw us was greeting enough... Hey, what are you doing?!"
Mao speared the half-eaten, uncut piece of steak Etorre had left on his plate and popped it into his mouth.
"You make a good point," Mao said. "Since we're all friends here, there's nothing wrong with me eating your steak right in front of you, right?"
(End of Chapter)