Given how much Blaziken could eat, it was no surprise that the grilled meat disappeared quickly.
When the barbecue finally ended, Blaziken felt a rush of power surging within its body, as if a move was on the verge of bursting out. Yet it held itself back. It remembered what Lin Feng told it earlier.
Still, that roaring energy gave it confidence. It felt like it could do so much more. For a moment, it even considered running off to find its trainer and ask to enter another battle. But then a memory stopped it. Before every evolution, it always raced against its trainer. Every time, it lost. The thought dampened its enthusiasm, and instead, Blaziken rubbed its full belly with a satisfied sigh.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng checked Blaziken's updated stats.
Pokémon: Blaziken
Gender: Male
Ability: Speed Boost
Potential: Gold
Power Level: 53-55 (rising)
Moves: Sunny Day, Ember, Peck, Quick Attack, Flare Blitz, Sandstorm, Aerial Slash, Sucker Punch, Brick Break, Dig, Agility, Detect, Flamethrower…
Just as he expected, the energy inside Blaziken had skyrocketed, much like how Alolan Vulpix's had earlier. Its potential had risen to gold.
He still didn't know how powerful Sunny Day truly was when applied in combat.
"I need a chance to test this," Lin Feng murmured to himself.
But not now, and not here. He needed the right time.
He watched Blaziken wipe its beak clean and asked gently, "You full?"
"Cha!"
Blaziken nodded, gazing at him through the faint moonlight.
Suddenly, emotion welled up inside it. This trainer of his was incredible. He kept every promise. Without warning, Blaziken grabbed onto Lin Feng's shirt and cried softly, "Chamoo…"
Lin Feng blinked, unsure what it was trying to express.
Then the system chime echoed in his mind.
Congratulations. Blaziken's intimacy increased from 50 to 85. Reward: One A-grade Fire Stone, five bags of Intermediate Kira Berries, one Medium Rare Candy.
Lin Feng was slightly confused, but the next message hit harder.
Congratulations. Blaziken's affection reached 100. Reward: One SSS-grade Fire Stone. A highly refined fire-type gem capable of enhancing genes and unlocking Pokémon potential.
An SSS-grade Fire Stone. With this, he had everything needed for A-Wu's evolution into Flareon. Whether A-Wu wanted to evolve was another matter.
Blaziken's eyes shimmered with tears. Lin Feng let out a quiet breath and patted its shoulder.
"Keep it up."
"Chamoo!"
Blaziken nodded firmly, full of determination.
As the gathering finally ended, Hattrem escorted Sprigatito home, Eldegoss led the Milcery group back to their rooms, and Blaziken returned to its coop, falling asleep quickly. Serperior and Alolan Vulpix headed home as well.
Lin Feng and Gardevoir stayed behind to clean up. Washing the grill, storing tools inside the Poké Ball space, collecting plates and utensils. With Gardevoir's psychic help, the work finished quickly.
But something felt off.
"Strange. Why is one honey wine jug missing?"
For ordinary meals, Hattrem usually handled tableware. Midnight snacks, however, were usually prepared by Lin Feng himself. He clearly remembered taking out two jugs of honey wine. One for Gardevoir, and the other to share depending on the occasion.
"Maybe Hattrem put it away," he muttered, shrugging the thought off.
After tidying up, they returned to the nursery. Once Lin Feng, the last one, left the plantation, everything fell into darkness. Even the sky was shrouded in clouds, hinting at rain tomorrow.
Milotic and Brionne watched Lin Feng disappear inside, then slowly drifted to sleep. Only Pidgeot and Pidove remained awake atop the pines, standing guard. Their watch was directed outward; with Milotic inside, nothing internal concerned them.
The water's surface rippled faintly. Something deep and dark moved below.
"Hm?"
A Pidove chirped in confusion, but the disturbance vanished. It blinked, staring at the reservoir. Only Milotic and Brionne floated peacefully. After a moment, it convinced itself it imagined things and resumed its outward watch.
Yet the moment it looked away, a shadow reappeared beneath the water.
Eyes opened. Red. Crimson. Hungry.
October 28
Morning came.
Lin Feng woke early and stood at the nursery entrance. A guest would arrive today. Yesterday he invited Quinn Shu for breakfast, and this morning Aunt May delivered fresh Chansey eggs in return.
"Thank you, Aunt May," Lin Feng said sincerely as he saw her off.
Warmth filled his chest as he held the eggs. This was the charm of living here. During New Year, he ate many of these special eggs.
Chansey took two to three days to produce one egg. Three eggs likely took over a week to collect.
Ingredient: Chansey Egg
Grade: C
Rich in nutrients, though lower in energy content than high-grade materials.
It didn't matter. The flavor and quality were leagues above ordinary eggs from the market.
Sometimes Lin Feng considered raising chickens himself, building a coop and gathering eggs every morning. Though chickens in this world were free-range and produced good eggs naturally, nothing beat the Pokémon raised by his own care.
He wondered if Hattrem could handle egg-collecting duties.
"If I really raise chickens, maybe Blaziken can run exercise drills with them every day. The eggs will taste even better."
Thinking of Blaziken again, Lin Feng chuckled to himself.
"Eldegoss?"
Eldegoss beside him looked up questioningly.
"It's nothing. Just a funny idea," Lin Feng smiled.
He didn't stay long and headed for the kitchen. Three eggs meant one thing. Breakfast today would be steamed egg custard.
Good eggs meant good fortune.
He placed the eggs down and returned to his room. Alcremie was already awake, following Hattrem to its morning work post. As Lin Feng opened the door, Serperior stirred, raising its head.
Alolan Vulpix and the Eevee litter were still curled up, sleeping blissfully. A-San, Alolan Vulpix and Sprigatito slept like tiny cats, tails tucked. A-Wu slept sideways. A-Jiu sprawled on its back, belly up and exposed to the cold air.
Lin Feng's face darkened slightly.
That sleeping posture was too risky. Catching a chill was no joke. Pokémon could get sick too. The stronger they were, the rarer illness became. But A-Jiu was still a newborn Eevee.
He gently nudged Serperior upright, tucked a blanket over the Eevee and sighed softly. As temperatures dropped, even Serperior seemed sleepier lately. Normally it woke with him. Now it often rose later.
Cold-blooded creatures. Winter approaching. Maybe it needed warmth.
"Do you feel cold at night?" Lin Feng asked telepathically, touching Serperior's cool scales.
Serperior hesitated, then nodded.
Lin Feng hummed, deep in thought. Most trainers stored Serperior in a Poké Ball during winter, where temperature automatically regulated. But Serperior disliked staying inside Poké Balls.
"Should I buy a heater? Or let Blaziken sleep inside too?"
He quickly discarded the second idea. The house was full already. There was no room for a fire-type Pokémon.
"I'll ask Captain Hoopa later to help set up an air conditioner. And a heater. Solar powered, or something an Electric-type can charge."
Serperior nuzzled his hand gratefully.
Lin Feng gently stroked its head. Serperior was always softest in the early morning when no one else was around.
Soon after, Serperior moved to the center of the plantation and conjured Grassy Terrain. Leaves had begun turning yellow, the mark of autumn deepening.
Lin Feng reduced energy cube sales recently, storing berries for winter instead, ensuring everyone had food even during harsh weather. Grass feed grew slower now, but he harvested daily, compressing the grass into energy balls. Any excess was frozen for Miltank to eat through winter.
Morning sunlight filtered through pale clouds as Serperior finished its terrain. It slithered back to Lin Feng and gestured toward open soil.
"What should we plant here?"
Lin Feng followed its gaze. That plot once held radishes, cabbage and carrots. Earlier harvests were eaten clean. Only bare soil remained. Salamence, Dragonite and Goodra loved radish soup too much to leave any behind.
"Radishes again," Lin Feng decided.
With Psychic assistance, planting was fast. Dig, sow seeds, sprinkle Kira Berry fertilizer. Milotic watered them gracefully. In less than ten minutes, the plot was complete.
Lin Feng returned to the kitchen, cracked the Chansey eggs one by one, whisked them with honey water and placed them into the steamer.
Minutes later, a soft fragrance filled the room. He opened the lid.
Inside sat a dish of golden, silky steamed egg custard, trembling slightly beneath the rising steam.
Warm. Gentle. Comforting.
A new morning had begun.