Chapter 243:
Following behind Takagi Megumi, Jirachi, Victini, and Mew also floated along.
If it were just Jirachi and Victini, it wouldn't have been a big deal.
But with Mew in the mix, Hayashi Kaede couldn't help but call out a warning.
"Don't go causing trouble in other people's battles or challenges!"
He wasn't sure if they actually heard him—within a blink, they had already vanished into the sky.
Still, since he'd at least said something, Mew probably wouldn't cause too much chaos.
Hayashi Kaede took a deep breath of the crisp morning air and walked toward the kitchen.
He then took out the Articuno feather that Mew had brought back.
It was a crystal-clear Ice Feather.
The feather was long—only slightly shorter than Hayashi Kaede's forearm. It was hard to imagine how massive its owner must have been.
It was at least twice as long as the feather from Kazephyr's Moltres.
That thought made Hayashi Kaede recall the official Pokédex data from his previous life, where Articuno's recorded height was only about 1.7 meters—less than two meters.
That couldn't be right now, could it?
This single feather alone was nearly half a meter long.
As soon as it landed in his hand, an icy sensation spread through his skin. The energy contained within it surged up his arm, and frost began to crystallize over his fingers.
"So much energy…"
Hayashi Kaede couldn't help but marvel. Even a single feather held this kind of power.
But that only made him more excited to see what kind of dish he could create with it next.
He hadn't forgotten that Alolan Vulpix kept saying it wanted to battle Rayquaza one day.
A bold goal—but having a target meant they should do their best to reach it.
"What should I make…"
He stared thoughtfully at the divine feather in his hand.
Although it looked large, once ground into powder, there wouldn't be much left.
Just like with Mew's eyelash—after grinding, you could barely see a trace of it.
However, this time, Hayashi Kaede didn't plan to turn it into Energy Cubes.
Since Alolan Vulpix was his only Ice-type Pokémon, he decided to make something it would actually enjoy eating.
When it came to Alolan Vulpix's favorite foods, there were two.
One was fish—its absolute favorite was Bass. Ever since it had tasted fish for the first time, it had been obsessed with the flavor, even swimming into the reservoir to catch them itself.
After catching one, it would carry the fish proudly in its mouth and run straight to Hayashi Kaede.
Sometimes, it even enlisted Brionne to help herd the fish, making it easier to catch a few extra.
If it couldn't finish them all, it would ask Milotic to use Life Dew on the fish to heal the bite marks, then place them in a bucket to raise.
In short, thanks to its efforts, the reservoir had long been emptied of other fish.
Its other favorite food was fruit salad—especially chilled fruit salad.
"Hmm… I'll go ask it."
Hayashi Kaede didn't think too long and decided to just ask directly.
After all, one's appetite depends of their mood and environment— hence what one wants to eat changes from moment to moment.
He soon found Alolan Vulpix playing happily in the garden.
"Vulpix?"
When it heard that a special dish was being made just for it, its eyes lit up instantly.
"So, what would you like to eat, sweetie?"
Hayashi Kaede scooped it up and gently stroked its soft fur.
"Vulpix!" (Fish! I want fish!)
Alolan Vulpix gave its answer without hesitation.
"Alright, alright…"
Hayashi Kaede flicked its forehead playfully. "Then go catch it yourself. Once you've caught one, bring it to the kitchen."
Setting it down, he watched as the little fox dashed off toward the reservoir.
Back in the kitchen, before grinding the Articuno Divine Feather, Hayashi Kaede called over Gardevoir.
He asked it to use Psychic to protect the area.
This Legendary Bird feather was different from Mew's eyelash—its energy was far more aggressive, and Hayashi Kaede was worried the grinding process might cause unexpected side effects.
Better to be safe.
Sure enough—
As soon as the feather was placed into the Berry Blender, a fierce wave of cold air burst from the opening.
The chill was so intense that Hayashi Kaede felt as if he'd been plunged into a frozen wasteland.
The room's temperature plummeted rapidly.
Even the blender began to protest, its operation slowing under the icy strain—but it kept grinding, albeit with difficulty.
Thankfully, the cold surge only erupted when the feather first cracked. After that, the grinding proceeded smoothly.
"Gardevoir?"
Gardevoir glanced at Hayashi Kaede with concern, worried the sudden chill might have harmed him.
Hayashi Kaede laughed.
Honestly, that burst of cold just now was no weaker than a Powder Snow attack from a semi–pseudo-Legendary Pokémon.
An ordinary Trainer would have been frozen solid.
But he was different—being a Super True New Human wasn't for show!
Hayashi Kaede patted his chest. "I'm fine. My body's tough!"
Even so, Gardevoir still checked him over carefully before finally relaxing.
When the cold surge hit earlier, it had been truly startled. But the distance had been too far to put up a Protect barrier in time.
"Vulpix… Vulpix…"
Just then, Alolan Vulpix came trotting back inside.
The moment it stepped into the kitchen, it shivered—the air was thick with Ice-type energy, sharp and biting.
It carried a plump Bass in its mouth, the fish's upper side already coated with a thin layer of frost.
Setting it down, Alolan Vulpix tilted its head in confusion.
"Vulpix?" (What's going on here?)
Hayashi Kaede smiled. "We're making a special dish to help you get stronger! This will be your first step toward defeating Rayquaza someday!"
✪ ω ✪ "Vul vul!"
Alolan Vulpix's eyes sparkled.
Such dense Ice energy, and it involved fish too—it was bound to be delicious!
"Vulpix!" (Can't wait!)
It was already wagging its tails eagerly in anticipation.
Click.
The Berry Blender came to a stop.
At the bottom of the container lay a small pile of ice-blue powder—the remnants of the once-mighty feather.
Though the feather had been large, the powder barely filled a handful.
Hayashi Kaede carefully swept the contents into a glass bottle with a fine brush and examined it closely.
[SSS+ Grade Ingredient — Made from…]