Chapter 247:
With its massive appetite, Blaziken quickly devoured all the barbecue.
After finishing the meal, it could clearly feel the energy inside its body surging restlessly, as if it wanted to unleash a move right then and there.
But it restrained itself—remembering what Hayashi Kaede had said.
Even so, the powerful rush of energy filling its body reignited its confidence. For a moment, it felt like it could take on anything.
It was even tempted to challenge its Trainer to another race—until it recalled that every time it evolved, it had done just that… and never won.
With a quiet sigh, it gave up the idea, rubbed its full belly, and sat down in satisfaction.
Hayashi Kaede glanced at Blaziken's status panel.
[Pokémon: Blaziken]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Speed Boost]
[Potential: Gold]
[IVs: ....]
[Level: 53–55 (Rising)]
[Moves: Sunny Day, Ember, Peck, Quick Attack, Flame Charge, Sand Attack, Aerial Ace, Sucker Punch, Brick Break, Dig, Agility, Detect, Flamethrower...]
As expected, its energy level had risen sharply, just like Alolan Vulpix's, and its potential had upgraded to Gold.
Now, Hayashi Kaede couldn't help wondering just how powerful its Sunny Day move would be.
I'll need to find an opportunity to test it, he thought.
But definitely not here—and not now.
He looked at Blaziken, who was wiping its mouth contentedly, and asked, "Full?"
"Blaziken!"
Blaziken nodded, its eyes gleaming softly under the faint moonlight.
For a moment, emotion welled up within it.
This new Trainer was really something…
He had fulfilled every promise he'd ever made.
Blaziken suddenly grabbed Hayashi Kaede's sleeve. Under Hayashi Kaede's puzzled gaze, it cried out softly, "Blaziken…"
Hayashi Kaede blinked, not quite catching what it meant—until the familiar system prompt echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host, for raising Blaziken's Happiness from 50 to 85. Reward: A-grade Fire Stone ×1, Mid-grade Fertilizer ×5 bags, Mid-grade Rare Candy ×1.]
If it had stopped there, Hayashi Kaede wouldn't have been surprised.
But then another notification followed:
[Congratulations, Host, for raising Blaziken's Friendship to 100. Reward: SSS-grade Fire Stone ×1 (A pure stone condensed from extremely refined Fire-type energy. Can sublimate genes and reverse potential for certain Pokémon.)]
SSS-grade Fire Stone…
That was the exact item needed to evolve Little Five into Flareon.
Of course, whether Little Five actually wanted to evolve was another question entirely.
Still, looking at Blaziken's teary eyes, Hayashi Kaede let out a long, quiet sigh of relief. He gently patted its shoulder.
"Good work."
"Blaziken!" (Mhm!)
Blaziken nodded firmly.
A little while later, the evening gathering came to an end. The sister Indeedee took Sprigatito back, while the brother Indeedee guided the Alcremies to their room.
Blaziken, full and satisfied, returned to its coop and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Serperior and Alolan Vulpix headed home together.
Hayashi Kaede and Gardevoir stayed behind to clean up—washing the grill, packing it into a Poké Ball for next time, and tidying up the plates and utensils.
With Gardevoir's Psychic assistance, everything was quickly taken care of.
Only one thing seemed odd.
"Strange… Why is one water jug missing?"
Normally, the little sister Indeedee handled the setup for lunch and dinner, but late-night snacks like this were usually prepared by Hayashi Kaede himself.
He distinctly remembered taking out two jugs of Grepa Berry wine—one for Gardevoir, and one for everyone else to share.
"Maybe the sister Indeedee put it away" he muttered, shaking his head. He didn't think too much of it.
After finishing up, Hayashi Kaede returned to the breeding house with Gardevoir.
As soon as they left the plantation, the surroundings grew dark and quiet.
The sky above was overcast, hinting that tomorrow might bring clouds or rain.
Milotic and Brionne watched calmly as Hayashi Kaede walked away, then closed their eyes and drifted to sleep.
Only the Pidgeot and Pidgeotto remained awake, keeping watch from the pine trees outside the plantation.
Their focus was mostly on the outer perimeter—after all, with Milotic guarding the inside, there wasn't much to worry about within.
Then—
The surface of the reservoir rippled faintly, as if something large had just passed beneath it.
"Pidgeot?"
One of the Pidgeot tilted its head in confusion, but the movement vanished as quickly as it appeared.
It blinked, peering down at the calm surface where only Milotic and Brionne rested.
After watching for a while longer and seeing nothing unusual, it turned away and resumed its patrol.
Only then did a deep shadow slowly rise to the surface—followed by a pair of blood-red eyes glowing beneath the water.
…
October 28th.
Dawn had just broken.
Hayashi Kaede was already at the entrance of the breeding house, waiting for his morning visitor.
Since Takagi Megumi had stayed for breakfast yesterday, Auntie Mei had promised to bring over several Chansey eggs today.
"Okay, okay, thank you, Auntie Mei…"
After seeing her off, Hayashi Kaede looked at the eggs in his hands with a warm smile.
That was the charm of the countryside—he'd eaten plenty of Chansey eggs during New Year before.
But of course, Chansey didn't lay eggs very often.
It usually took two or three days to produce just one, so these three eggs must have taken at least ten days.
[C-grade Ingredient – Chansey Egg. Eggs produced by Chansey for consumption, rich in nutrition.]
The ingredient grade wasn't high, but that was only because Chansey's own energy level wasn't particularly high.
Still, Hayashi Kaede wasn't disappointed—Chansey eggs were far better than any regular ones you could buy.
Sometimes, he wondered if he should raise a few hens himself—build a little chicken coop and collect fresh eggs every morning.
Even though the chickens here were all naturally raised and free-range, he was sure the ones he raised personally would be even better.
He just wasn't sure if the sister Indeedee could handle the added chore of collecting eggs every day.
By the way… if we raise chickens, Blaziken could take them running every morning. That way, their eggs would probably be even higher quality, he thought with a grin.
"Indeedee?"
The brother Indeedee beside him tilted its head curiously.
"Nothing, nothing" Hayashi Kaede said, waving a hand. "Just thought of something funny."
The brother Indeedee nodded and said no more.
Hayashi Kaede didn't linger. He headed to the kitchen—after all, since Auntie Mei had given him these eggs, he might as well make steamed eggs for everyone's breakfast.
"Chansey, Chansey, heralding an auspicious day~"
After storing the eggs properly, Hayashi Kaede went back to his room.
The Alcremie were already awake and following the sister Indeedee to their posts.
Serperior also opened its eyes the moment the door creaked open.
As for Alolan Vulpix and the Eevees, they were still fast asleep—curled up on the bed like little furballs.
Little Three, Alolan Vulpix, and Sprigatito slept neatly on their stomachs.
Little Five lay on its side.
And Little Nine… was sprawled flat on its back, belly completely exposed.
Hayashi Kaede's expression darkened immediately.
How can you sleep like that? You'll catch a cold!
Pokémon could get sick too—stronger ones just had better resistance.
But Little Nine was still a newborn Eevee!
Carefully, Hayashi Kaede adjusted its sleeping position and tucked the blanket back over it. Then he turned to Serperior.
Lately, as the weather cooled, Serperior had been sleeping in longer.
It used to wake up with him every morning, but now it often stirred a bit later.
Could it be because snakes are cold-blooded and need to hibernate?
Curious, he reached out through Aura. "Do you feel cold at night?"
"Serperior?"
The Grass Snake tilted its head slightly, gliding noiselessly across the floor.
Hayashi Kaede glanced at the still-sleeping Pokémon and gestured toward the door. "Let's talk outside."
They soon arrived at the plantation.
Late autumn was a strange season—just yesterday it had been sunny, but today was overcast and chilly. Dew beaded on the cabbages in neat rows.
Without the Eevees or Alolan Vulpix playing about, and with Jirachi and Mew still asleep, the plantation felt unusually quiet.
"Do you feel cold at night?" Hayashi Kaede asked again, pressing a hand to Serperior's smooth body. It was cool to the touch—but that was normal for it.
"Serperior…"
After a pause, Serperior nodded.
"I see…" Hayashi Kaede murmured thoughtfully.
Most Trainers recalled their Serperior into Poké Balls once winter arrived—the high-end ones could regulate temperature automatically.
But Serperior didn't like staying inside its ball.
Maybe I should buy an air conditioner… or have Blaziken sleep in the room too?
The second idea was dismissed immediately—the room was already too cramped.
"I'll have Team Leader Hoopa install an air conditioner when they visit later," he decided. "And maybe a heater too—something that can run on solar power or be charged by Electric-type Pokémon."
"Serperior…"
Serperior rubbed its head affectionately against his hand.
Hayashi Kaede chuckled and patted its head.
Early mornings were when Serperior was at its gentlest—no one else was around, after all.
After a few pats, Serperior slithered to the center of the plantation and used Grassy Terrain.
As autumn deepened, the berry leaves were yellowing and wilting.
Recently, Hayashi Kaede had slowed the sale of Energy Cubes to focus on collecting berries for winter storage.
The pasture grass had also stopped growing as quickly—but he wasn't worried. He'd been harvesting and freezing Wild Grass Dumplings daily so the Miltank would have plenty to eat through the winter.
Soon, the emerald glow of Grassy Terrain spread across the plantation, and Serperior returned to his side.
"Serperior?" (What should we plant in the empty plots?)
Following its gaze, Hayashi Kaede saw the patches where daikon radishes, napa cabbages, and carrots had been.
He'd intentionally planted them in batches so there'd always be a fresh supply of vegetables for his Pokémon.
But the earliest radishes had long since been eaten—mostly by Salamence, Dragonite, and Goodra, who adored daikon soup for its cooling effect.
"Let's plant more daikon radishes."
With the dragons' appetites in mind, Hayashi Kaede didn't hesitate.
Thanks to Psychic assistance, planting was now quick and easy: psychic power to dig holes, drop seeds, sprinkle Fertilizer, and Milotic to water.
The entire process took less than ten minutes.
Once done, Hayashi Kaede went back to the kitchen, cracked the Chansey eggs, beat them with a little honey water, and placed the bowls in the steamer.
After five minutes, a delicious aroma filled the room.
When he lifted the lid, a tray of golden, fluffy steamed eggs gleamed in the morning light.