Chapter 81:
"Alcremie…"
"Alcremie~…"
Soon every Alcremie caught the scent on him and toddled over, eyes full of curiosity.
"Bounsweet!?"
Bounsweet popped its head out of the reservoir and called to Kaede. After all these days together, it no longer bore any grudge — it truly thought of Hayashi Kaede as its Trainer. What puzzled it was that the previous Trainer hadn't smelled like this — whatever this new scent was, it made Bounsweet want to nuzzle.
"All right! Cake is ready — let's move to the Plantation and eat together!"
Kaede carefully set down the "little matcha" cake he'd been holding and called to everyone. Of course he wouldn't sell this giant cake; it was for all his Pokémon to share. Birthdays or not, most of his Pokémon didn't even know their birth dates — rules be damned. If they wanted to eat, they should eat.
"Gardevoir." (You go ahead; I'll tidy things here and give these little ones a bit of psychic aid, then I'll catch up.)
Gardevoir, who'd been quiet until now, spoke and regarded the warm scene with gentle calm. After so much wandering, she treasured these quiet, cozy moments.
"All right — thanks, Gardevoir~"
Kaede grinned and glanced at her status screen as if remembering something.
Pokémon: Gardevoir
Gender: Female
Ability: Telepathy
Aptitude: Gold
IVs: HP (31), Attack (18), Defense (26), Sp. Atk (31), Sp. Def (31), Speed (31)
Level: 79
Moves: Growl, Psychic, Mystical Fire, Double Team, Misty Terrain, Disarming Voice, Psychic Fangs, Draining Kiss, Moonblast, Future Sight…
Note: A shiny Gardevoir that—by some factor—has unusually strong resistance to abnormal status effects.
Friendship: 60 (finds you interesting and somewhat depends on you)
Happiness: 40 (So nice~)
"By the way, I meant to give you something nice but kept forgetting. Here — now I will."
Kaede put the cake down, reached into a storage sphere, and produced a Rare Candy. This was the only top-tier Rare Candy he had left — the one obtained during the Mew incident — and he'd kept it because almost no Pokémon could handle its energy in one go. But Gardevoir being level 79 was the perfect time.
"Gardevoir?" (What's this?)
Gardevoir blinked at the candy. She couldn't read it at a glance — curious. Kaede laughed and held the cake, "This should help you resist the curse faster." Then, with the group, he headed for the Plantation, leaving Gardevoir to examine the candy with her psychic senses. She still couldn't get a clear read, so she smiled, thinking maybe she'd been too cautious from so much time in the wild, and swallowed the candy.
"Gardevoir?"
Energy surged through her body; she felt its effects and wondered if she'd broken past a barrier inside herself…
At the Plantation:
When Kaede walked in carrying the huge cake, Torchic was first to dash over. Its normally narrow eyes widened at the towering dessert.
"Torchic!" (So fragrant! So big!)
A late-night snack?!
"Hold on, hold on!" Kaede nudged Torchic away with his foot. "Wait until we have a place to eat." Torchic chirped and stuck close behind him. Then it noticed, behind Kaede and Bounsweet, the dozen or so floating, ice-cream–like Pokémon bobbing in the air — the Alcremie.
Bounsweet called, "Bounsweet…" (They give really good cream~)
"Torchic?" (Really?)
At the promise of food, Torchic grew even more interested. But the Alcremie seemed uninterested in Torchic itself and instead began piping cream at it, smearing its face with white frosting. One glob landed in its beak — Torchic's eyes lit. It was delicious. Now it wanted the big cake in Kaede's hands even more. That cake looked enormous!
Servine, with Alolan Vulpix following behind, watched the silly little chick with mild disdain.
Kaede set the cake on the cattle-shed counter near the cut-hay area so it wouldn't fall, then pulled out a small table and some plates. He reserved part of the cake — packing some into a storage sphere for Pidgeot to eat later — then cut the rest into many portions.
Popplio waddled over when Bounsweet called. Even the sleepy Caterpie, tempted by the aroma, woke up and wriggled toward them as fast as it could, afraid of missing out.
"Miltank~" (So fragrant!)
Of course the Miltank flock couldn't be left out — this cake would be a big treat for them.
"Don't worry — there's enough for everyone…" Kaede said, smiling as he handed out portions, listening to the system ping with small Happiness rewards. He carried a large plate to the reservoir and presented it to Milotic, who shimmered under the moonlight. There was no way she could come ashore without trampling the Plantation, so Kaede carefully used psychic gestures to help her nibble while floating.
"Milotic~"
Milotic poked her head up happily and — unsure how to bite at first — curled her tongue around a piece and ate it. A few mouthfuls later she'd finished and looked up.
"More?" Kaede asked. Milotic nodded. "Milotic~" (I want more…)
Seeing everyone enjoy the Alcremie -made cream cakes filled the Alcremie themselves with joy. They looked around — maybe this place wasn't so bad after all.