"Try another move. Use... Water Pulse."
Froslass cast another attack.
A perfectly formed Water Pulse shot into the sky with remarkable fluidity.
This time, Froslass was absolutely certain.
Something had changed.
The speed at which it released its move had become noticeably faster.
And the improvement was far from insignificant.
"This..."
Rika stood frozen, her face filled with shock and disbelief.
A single pudding...
Could significantly increase the speed at which a Pokémon executed its moves?
Was this some kind of joke?
"Th... This... A pudding..."
Seeing that Rika had finally understood, Lin Feng quietly let out a sigh of relief before interrupting her.
"That's right. That's exactly what it does."
"And these three puddings are the rewards for clearing the Sky Challenge."
"One thing to remember. Since the effects of this food don't stack, the best way to use them is to let three different Pokémon each eat one."
"Ah... Right... Okay."
Rika nodded almost instinctively, as if she were following a doctor's instructions.
She looked at her Froslass once more.
Its expression was just as blank and bewildered as her own.
Lin Feng waved his hand.
"Alright, everyone. No need to crowd around anymore."
"Anyone who clears the final stage of the Sky Challenge will receive a custom-made dish for their Pokémon."
The crowd exchanged glances before gradually dispersing.
Still, everyone now had something to talk about.
Most of them didn't fully understand how important a boost in move execution speed really was.
But they had all witnessed the dramatic change in Rika's expression.
That alone told them everything they needed to know.
Even someone as powerful as one of the Elite Four had been completely stunned by that pudding.
In other words...
That dessert was incredibly valuable.
Even for an Elite Four trainer.
"So the final reward is really that incredible! Even Lady Rika was shocked!"
"Improving a Pokémon's move execution speed sounds amazing! I've decided! I'm clearing the final stage someday!"
"...You should probably start by getting some sleep."
"What a shame... the final stage is just too difficult..."
Watching what should have been the perfect conclusion to the first successful Sky Challenge, Lin Feng was about to say goodbye to Rika and head home.
Then he noticed...
She was still standing there motionless.
He paused.
It felt strange.
Sure, the Peace of Mind effect was exceptional.
But she was one of the Elite Four.
Why was she still standing there in a daze?
"Hello? Lady Rika?"
"...Hm."
Rika slowly turned toward him.
Her mind was still completely blank.
Only now did she truly understand...
How Lin Feng's Pokémon had become so powerful in such a short amount of time despite rarely engaging in battles.
Food...
Such miraculous food...
If one dish could do something like this...
Then what about two?
Three?
Or...
She didn't even dare continue the thought.
What if...
Every dish he created possessed a similarly unbelievable effect?
She didn't dare imagine it.
She truly didn't.
But...
If raising Pokémon could really be this easy...
Then what had all those years of traveling meant?
All the training she had endured through blizzards and frozen mountains?
At that moment, countless memories of hardship flooded back into her mind.
For some reason...
She suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
To her, becoming a trainer...
Traveling with her Pokémon...
Watching them grow stronger little by little through hard work...
That had always been the greatest source of happiness in her life.
It was everything.
Everything since the day she had set out on her journey.
Yet now...
Someone was telling her that none of it had been necessary.
A Pokémon could grow stronger simply by eating well.
It felt like being an ordinary student who woke up early every day to study, stayed up late doing practice problems, and worked harder than everyone else.
Meanwhile, the classmate sitting beside you spent every day playing games, ignored every lesson, and never studied.
Then one day you encountered a problem you couldn't solve.
After exhausting every possible method, you reluctantly asked that classmate for help.
They glanced at the question once...
And casually gave you the correct answer.
That crushing feeling of helplessness...
Could never truly be understood by someone who had never experienced it.
Lin Feng cleared his throat.
"Well... the reward ceremony is over. I'll be heading back now."
He had already sensed that something about Rika's mood was off, so he decided it would be best to leave.
Just then...
She stopped him.
"The Sky Challenge..."
"It can be attempted more than once, right?"
Lin Feng paused before nodding.
"Yes."
"You can challenge it again."
"But the rewards can only be earned once."
That was perfectly normal.
Many challengers cleared the first stage but became stuck on the second.
Some of them wanted to replay the earlier stages to strengthen themselves, so repeated attempts were allowed.
"..."
Rika silently nodded.
She recalled Froslass, then quietly left the town under Lin Feng's watchful gaze.
"How strange..."
"It feels like she's really depressed."
"But our battle ended in a one-to-one draw, didn't it?"
Lin Feng muttered to himself in confusion.
Not thinking much of it, he turned around and walked back toward the breeding ranch.
His thoughts quickly returned to Lugia.
The Legendary Pokémon that had defeated Salamence earlier.
Thinking about it now...
His theory had been correct.
Whenever he borrowed the power of a Legendary Pokémon and used it within that Legendary's territory, it would likely attract its attention.
Will it come looking for me?
Lin Feng found himself both excited and slightly nervous.
"Come to think of it..."
"What kind of Pokémon is Lugia, anyway?"
"Does it count as a fish?"
"If so... what does it like to eat?"
As he walked toward the ranch, his old habit surfaced once again.
Whenever he encountered a powerful Pokémon...
His first instinct was always to think about what kind of food he could make for it.
...
Several days passed.
Lugia never appeared.
That left Lin Feng wondering about it for quite some time.
Eventually, he came to a conclusion.
Perhaps Lugia simply didn't want to enter human territory and cause unnecessary trouble.
That seemed entirely possible.
After reaching that conclusion, he stopped worrying about it.
However...
Rika's challenge had made the Sky Challenge explode in popularity.
The reason was simple.
Many spectators had uploaded videos and written posts showing the changes that occurred after Froslass ate the pudding.
The internet erupted almost overnight.
Most of the people who had witnessed it in person were novice trainers and couldn't fully appreciate what had happened.
But once those videos reached the internet...
Experienced trainers immediately recognized the difference.
A pudding...
That could directly increase a Pokémon's move execution speed?
One that even improved the performance of an Elite Four Pokémon?
It was unbelievable.
Some people refused to believe it and planned to visit the ranch themselves to expose it as a fake.
Others argued the opposite.
Considering the Horizon League Champion's reputation...
Combined with the fact that an Elite Four member had personally verified the reward...
There was simply no way it could be fabricated.
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