Riding the momentum back home, he found Oranguru fanning itself with a leaf fan, using telekinesis to rinse oval, dark-striped green melons in the kitchen sink, then stacking them neatly in a fruit basket.
"Thanks for the hard work."
Lucas's eyes lit up. He ran to Oranguru's side, drummed his fingers lightly over the watermelons, listened to the ripe "thump-thump," and looked at the living room crowded with baskets full of melons, unable to help feeling moved.
Maybe… this is what they call watermelon freedom.
Even if he ended up stuck in the bathroom tomorrow, Lucas was determined to prepare a lavish watermelon feast for tonight's moon viewing.
He rolled up his sleeves, tied on an apron, and called to the Ceruledge training its swordplay outside. Time to shine.
First, finalize tonight's menu.
Since watermelon would be the star, he naturally wanted as many different watermelon foods and drinks as possible.
First came the classic watermelon juice—super simple.
Just scoop out the flesh, juice it, then strain out the pulp and seeds.
Of course, if you like the mouthfeel of pulp, you can leave some in.
Depending on taste, you can add a bit of Combee honey, or mix in a set ratio of Moomoo Milk or goat milk to make watermelon milk. Or brew some tea, remove the leaves, blend with watermelon juice, and make a "watermelon tea" like the ones many milk tea shops sold back before Lucas crossed over.
With Ceruledge around, once Lucas picked out the melons and set them before it, Ceruledge fully suppressed the heat from its blade and danced its keen violet greatsword around the kitchen. In no time the watermelons were peeled perfectly, leaving only the tantalizing red flesh within—and not a drop of juice lost.
Next, Ceruledge helped process nearly ten more melons. The red flesh lined across the kitchen table released that uniquely watermelon fragrance, making mouths water.
But that was only step one. Lucas fetched clean wooden tubs, fitted them with filtering cloth, then looked to the eager Oranguru and signaled it to begin.
Oranguru nodded slightly. With a flick of its fan, telekinesis wrapped the melon flesh, lifted it over the tubs, then compressed it inward. Juice streamed down through the filter, which caught the seeds, leaving the purest watermelon juice.
Thanks to Oranguru's exquisite control, not a single drop splashed on the floor, walls, or ceiling.
And so Lucas, Ceruledge, and Oranguru split the work: one picking, one cutting, one acting as the juicer.
In just two hours they had dozens of buckets of juice covering the kitchen floor.
Most items on the menu required watermelon juice—this was the fundamental prep, and it had to be done right.
Next, Lucas took out popsicle molds, poured in juice, added sticks, and handed them to the waiting Serperior and other Pokémon to take to the ice cellar, where Vulpix and the Sandslash couple would freeze them.
To make these, Lucas had specially bought several slush machines. When Serperior and the others returned from the ice cellar with ice blocks frozen in advance, Lucas demonstrated for Serperior and Oranguru how to use the machines.
Watermelon juice + ice + milk or yogurt blended into a granular slush—richer mouthfeel.
Just watermelon + ice—no milk or yogurt—pure cool refreshment for scorching summer days.
After trial batches of both, Lucas took out some chibi molds—Pikachu, Charmander, Togepi—adorably stylized Pokémon.
These were jelly molds, for watermelon jelly using juice as the main ingredient: pour in juice, sprinkle in gelatin or jelly powder, add a little water, and send them to the ice cellar to set.
It was so simple that Oranguru learned it at a glance and even assisted Lucas.
The final dish was one of the most common ways to eat watermelon.
Wash and chop watermelon and various fruits and Berries; add yogurt, honey, or salad dressing to taste; toss into a delicious fruit salad.
Thinking of the grass-eaters—Sawsbuck, Mudsdale, Skiddo, and Miltank—Lucas also prepped vegetables for a fruit-and-veg salad: slimming and tasty.
He figured this menu would be enough to wow his Pokémon and keep them happily munching.
Meanwhile, Alcremie seemed to be conspiring with Victini and the others to make a giant fruit cake, and even took several watermelons from Lucas. He let them be, looking forward to the surprise.
The preparations lasted until around seven in the evening. After a full day's work, Lucas, back aching, enjoyed a massage from Oranguru. Relaxed, he looked out the window.
Winter days are short, summer days are long.
Now the sky wasn't dark at all; the sun seemed barely set, still casting a warm glow.
He wasn't in a hurry to leave. Better to head out after full dark, with the moon hung high.
If you're going to picnic, you might as well pick the perfect moment.
According to Third Scar, who'd scouted the area, the spot had clear stream water and an open meadow with an unobstructed view of the whole sky. Lately, even some green-glowing bugs had gathered there.
Lucas figured those glowing insects were likely fireflies. Upon hearing this, he changed the original plan of gathering near the melon field to instead assemble there and head out together for a moon-viewing picnic feast in the wild.
Enjoying Oranguru's perfectly measured massage, he even dozed off. When Oranguru woke him, the sky was fully draped in night, stars glittering across the black canvas—it was already close to ten.
This time, nearly the entire farm of Pokémon turned out, though Lucas split them into two rotations so some could guard the farm. They would swap later, and resupply the watermelon dishes as needed.
The perfect picnic spot Third Scar found was about a ten-plus-minute walk from the melon fields.
When Lucas and the Pokémon arrived, laden with food, they were stunned by the beauty.
On the tranquil, gentle grass, the night sky unfurled like a painting before Lucas and Luxray and the others.
It happened to be a cloudless night. The vast starry sky was reflected in the eyes of the two Shuckle who had come along, as if the entire universe had appeared before them.
Applin stared up blankly; the stars sparkled like countless diamonds set in the black sky. A sudden desire rose in its heart to fly up and see the beauty from closer.
But it couldn't fly yet, so it asked Tropius to carry it into the air.
A bright moon hung high, scattering gentle silver light. Moonshine bathed the grass and nearby stream, making each blade of grass glisten and the water ripple like a silver ribbon.
Mimikyu, Alcremie, Dachsbun, and Comfey closed their eyes and basked in the moonlight. As Fairy types, they share a deep bond with the moon and can even use Moonblast, borrowing lunar power to attack.
As Third Scar said, fireflies by the stream flashed faint light, dancing under the night sky like fallen stars.
These tiny glows mingled with the stars and moon, forming a breathtaking tableau.
Victini and the Combee stared wide-eyed, unwilling to miss a moment of the dreamlike scene.
A night breeze drifted by, sweeping away some of Lucas's summer heat.
Seeing his Pokémon disperse into their own activities, he smiled and, with Oranguru, Serperior, and Swampert, spread out a huge picnic cloth. He pulled from his space pack the slush machines and the semi-finished or completed watermelon desserts and drinks, calling the sky-gazers over to enjoy.
Victini, Applin, Tropius, and Vulpix—the little ones—clustered around Lucas, Serperior, and Oranguru, watching them slowly hand-crank the slush machines, fidgeting with impatience.
The Shuckle siblings peeked from behind them, clearly interested in the watermelon drinks as well.
Just as the restless little ones were about to act up, a single glare from Serperior made Applin and Tropius shrink like quail and wait obediently.
Victini and Vulpix were startled by Lucas's mild gaze, remembered who fed them, and didn't dare misbehave.
The Shuckle sister and brother were the best-behaved—wide-eyed but not pushy—so well-mannered it was almost heartbreaking.
Annoyed by the eager stares, Lucas pulled out a few watermelon popsicles from the molds and set out some watermelon jelly for them, shooing them off to play.
After all, hand-cranking slushies for dozens of Pokémon isn't quick. Unlike popsicles and jelly, these can't be fully prepped in advance—best made on-site.
It was bad enough that you couldn't buy electric slush machines in Lost Platos. Even in the whole of Paldea, not a single electric slush machine—he had gone all the way to Mesagoza and searched the biggest mall top to bottom, and nothing!
He knew the Pokémon world's tech tree was skewed, but this skewed? He almost lost it.
He should've bought some multifunction blenders. Those can do slushies and milkshakes.
When his arm got tired, he took a sip of sweet, cooling watermelon juice and watched the Pokémon romping on the grass, a smile on his face he didn't even realize was there.
After he cranked out another bowl of slush, Alcremie came over with its signature "I want to try something" smile.
These days Alcremie still helped Lucas, but it devoted more time to honing its own pastry skills.
Thinking it might surprise him, Lucas stepped aside to let Alcremie perform.
Alcremie added sugar, Moomoo Milk, and a few drops of Tamato Berry juice to the machine, cranked for a while, poured the slightly yellowish slush into a bowl, covered it with a layer of cream, and topped it with a strawberry.
The hint was obvious: sweet with a touch of tart, like a strawberry.
"This is… cream slush?"
Lucas widened his eyes, curious.
"Mahf~"
Alcremie nodded, sniffed the aroma, eyes sparkling, and offered the bowl to Lucas to taste first.
Curious about this cream slush with a hint of tart Tamato, Lucas scooped cream and slush together and popped it into his mouth.
In an instant, a simple yet striking flavor bomb exploded!
First the sweet cream fused with the icy slush captured his palate. As it melted from the warmth of his mouth, a perfectly balanced sweet-tart flavor merged with the cream—neither cloying nor sour—just right.
Delighted, Lucas praised Alcremie without restraint: "So good! Your sense for flavor pairings keeps getting better!"
Beaming, Alcremie took back the bowl and spoon and dashed off to share the new treat with its friends.
A little ways off, by a tree line against the mountain, there was utter quiet—except for a relentless chopping sound.
No wild Pokémon stirred in this silent grove. The reason: a Pokémon wielding a pink-violet blade was sparring with imagined foes, carving strike after strike into a rock face already scored with countless cuts—each blow biting deep.
It was Iron Valiant, who had lost to Ceruledge and chosen solitary training to someday face it again.
After its defeat, Iron Valiant found a secluded place near the farm where Ceruledge resided to hone its sword arts freely.
Wild Pokémon had once lived in this forest.
But after Iron Valiant arrived, they gradually vanished.
It wasn't that Iron Valiant attacked them. It had no interest in cutting down the weak—unless attacked or provoked.
Just as before, when it had been training in a cave near a city and a Tyranitar showed hostility and intent to attack; Iron Valiant cut it down until it lost the will to fight, then left.
This time, it merely trained in the forest's depths, and the wilds fled from fear of its power.
That suited Iron Valiant just fine. No distractions.
As it swung the pink-violet blade, its normally placid heart was roiled by thoughts of a certain opponent.
Its species—no, at least this individual—was coded at birth to seek the pinnacle of swordmanship.
At that pinnacle, there's no room for defeat.
On that day, defeated, it should have lost its purpose to go on. But Ceruledge bid it return another time, re-inscribing purpose into its running code.
Since then, Iron Valiant spent every moment not recharging power simulating Ceruledge from its database as an imagined opponent, drilling relentlessly.
But the more it rehearsed, the more agitated it became. It had calculated a technique that could defeat Ceruledge with absolute certainty—yet now it felt reluctant to move.
If it truly did defeat Ceruledge, would that mean this defeated individual would again lose the purpose sustaining its existence?
A strange emotion—"greed"—sprouted in its heart.
With a resonant hum, Iron Valiant split a boulder with a single stroke, then paused, sensing activity not far away.
Considering a bit of live practice, it focused its high-precision "data eyes" like cameras, zooming on the source.
When it saw clearly, it froze.
A Pokémon in shadowy violet armor, twin flaming swords in hand, was slicing green, dark-striped ovals. From its features, Iron Valiant could tell it was the very opponent that had defeated it.
Glancing at its own blade, it stalled for a rare moment. Then it began to walk toward that direction.
Under the beautiful summer night sky, Lucas finally had a moment's rest after everyone had tasted the hand-cranked bīngshā and shābīng.
Cradling a specially selected watermelon, he found Vulpix and set the melon in the cool stream, asking it to use Icy Wind to chill the melon and surrounding water—fast-tracking an ice-cold watermelon.
He then asked Ceruledge to split it in two.
He handed one half to Oranguru, who had been helping him for a good while.
Holding a spoon, Lucas glanced at Serperior sternly tutoring Applin and Tropius in Grass-type moves, smiled, scooped a big spoon of nearly seedless flesh, and popped it into his mouth.
In an instant, the purest essence of watermelon burst across his tongue, and he couldn't help but show his enjoyment.
Looking up at the sky, he sighed, "Processed desserts and drinks are great, but the original flavor of watermelon is the most satisfying."
Oranguru, not using psychic powers but slowly spooning it up, nodded in agreement. culinary craft yields many ways to prepare food, but to Pokémon, the pure, original flavors have their own special charm.
After enough stargazing, Lucas lowered his gaze to the stream. Politoed played with the Poliwag in the water. Four Miltank and one slightly chubby Miltank rolled on the grass. Victini, like a kid who'd never seen such wonders, danced gleefully among the fireflies.
It had kept that up for an hour.
Clearly, Victini hadn't seen so many—or perhaps any—fireflies back in Eindoak.
"To say it hasn't seen the world… honestly, I've never seen this many fireflies with my own eyes either."
Before crossing over, in the big city, forget fireflies—even butterflies were rare. And even if there were, the grind of office worker left no time or energy to appreciate nature's beauty.
The city's night skies were always overcast. On rare clear nights, the stars were still sparse.
Maybe because it was getting later, the fireflies grew more numerous, filling the grasses by the stream.
Under the stars, the firefly swarm became a second, slowly flowing stream—the Milky Way mirrored on earth.
From afar came a light, graceful summer melody; perhaps a few red bugs were performing in some patch of grass, pouring their hearts out into the night.
"So beautiful…"
In the tranquil night, Lucas sighed. The day's fatigue was fully healed.
Luxray padded over and lay down beside him, silently keeping him company.
Lucas's gaze followed Victini flitting among the fireflies.
In the stream, Psyduck and Slowpoke, usually blankly staring, both looked skyward, entranced by the glow. Marill, Azurill, and Goomy lay in the water, feeling the night breeze, lost in the firefly spectacle.
Time seemed to stop. Sharing the same sky and planet with Lucas, the Pokémon savored a view they could never tire of and the serenity of the moment.
Luxray looked up. Energy flowed in its golden eyes; gifted with x-ray sight and superb vision, it saw a more colorful, vivid night sky.
It remembered Lucas mentioning a certain Pokémon.
They were called Minior.
A dark figure writhed in the sky like a dragon. Even at a distance, Luxray sensed its overwhelming pressure.
But Luxray was unafraid. It glanced softly at Lucas, who listened to the free summer concert and admired the view, and its eyes grew determined.
Just as promised when they first met—
Someday, it would reach those distant legends in the sky.
...
Bonus chapter at 100 PS