Chapter 435:
"Try a different move. Use... Water Pulse!"
Froslass executed the move a second time, a smooth orb of Water Pulse swiftly soaring into the sky.
This time, Froslass was convinced. It felt as if some kind of assistance had been added to its move execution, making it faster.
And the degree of improvement was not insignificant.
"This..."
Rosaline's face was now filled with shock and disbelief.
A piece of pudding could give a Pokémon such a significant boost in move execution speed?
Was this some kind of joke?
"This... this... pudding..."
Seeing that Elite Four member Rosaline recognized its value, Kaede breathed a sigh of relief. Noting her stunned expression and slightly agape mouth, he cut in,
"Mhm, that's the effect. And these three pieces are the Sky Challenge reward. A reminder: since food effects aren't stackable, the optimal way for you, Elite Rosaline, would be to have two other different Pokémon consume them~"
"Ah... oh, right. Okay."
Rosaline blinked, then nodded as if following a doctor's instructions. She looked back at her Froslass, only to find its expression wasn't much different from her own—both utterly bewildered.
Kaede waved his hand. "Alright, alright, everyone, no need to crowd around. In short, any challenger who reaches the final stage of the Sky Challenge will get a special dish prepared for their Pokémon by me."
The onlookers glanced at each other, then began to disperse, making plans among themselves.
But now they had a topic of conversation.
While most didn't fully grasp how significant the increased move speed was, what they could directly perceive was the change in Rosaline's expression.
It clearly indicated a level of astonishment at the pudding Kaede had given.
Meaning, that pudding was something incredibly valuable even to an Elite Four-level Trainer.
"Looks like the final challenge reward is extremely generous! Even Rosaline was that shocked!"
"Boosting a Pokémon's move execution speed... sounds super high-end just hearing about it. I've decided, I'm going to clear the Sky Challenge's final stage too!"
"...You should probably go get some sleep first..."
"What a shame, that last stage is so hard..."
...
Watching what seemed like a perfectly concluded first Sky Challenge clear, Kaede intended to say goodbye to Rosaline and head home.
But seeing her still standing there in a daze, he paused, feeling a bit puzzled.
Sure, the "Calm Mind" effect was top-tier, but she was an Elite Four member. Why was she spacing out for so long?
"Hey? Hey, Rosaline?"
"...Hm."
Rosaline turned to look at Kaede, her mind still a blank slate.
Now, she finally understood why Kaede's Pokémon could be nurtured to such a level in such a short time, even without constant battles.
Such miraculous cooking...
One effect like this was already unbelievable. What about two types? Three?
One could boldly speculate: if all the food he made had effects like this... she didn't dare to think further.
But...
But...
If a Pokémon's growth could be this simple... then... what did all her years of journeying, training with her Pokémon in icy blizzards, amount to?
Memories of her past growth, all the hardships she and her Pokémon endured, flooded her mind at this moment. An inexplicable urge to cry welled up.
For her, becoming a Trainer, embarking on a journey with her Pokémon, training hard—the greatest joy was watching her Pokémon grow step by step.
That was everything. Everything since she began her journey.
And now, someone was telling her it wasn't necessary.
Eating and drinking could make Pokémon grow too.
It was like being a mediocre student in class, studying hard, getting up early to memorize vocabulary, staying up late doing practice problems, while your desk-mate played all day, didn't listen in class, and gamed. One day, you encounter a problem you can't solve, rack your brains but still can't figure it out, so you go ask them. And they just glance at it and solve it.
That sudden sense of the world's unfairness—those who haven't experienced it can't understand.
"Ahem, rewards delivered. I'll head back now." Kaede also sensed Rosaline's unusual mood and quickly prepared to make his escape.
But she called out to him.
"This Sky Challenge... you can't attempt it a second time, right?"
Kaede's steps halted. "Well, you can, but the reward is only given once..."
It was normal. Some people, after clearing the first stage, might get stuck on the second and want to re-challenge the first for consolidation, so that format was allowed.
"..." She nodded silently, recalled Froslass, and then, under Kaede's watchful eye, quietly left the town.
"How strange. Feels like she got discouraged or something? Wasn't the battle result a 1v1 draw?"
Kaede muttered, puzzled.
He didn't dwell on it, turning to walk towards the Breeding House.
His attention was still partly on the Lugia that had given Salamence a beating.
As expected, his guess was right. Borrowing a Legendary Pokémon's power and applying it within their domain would very likely attract their attention.
"Will it come looking?"
Kaede felt both anticipation and a touch of fear.
"Speaking of which, what kind of Pokémon is Lugia, anyway? A fish? What would it like to eat?"
Kaede's old habit kicked in again as he walk towards the Breeding House.
...…
As it turned out, several days passed without any sign of Lugia.
This had kept Kaede unnecessarily on edge for a while.
Later, he reasoned that maybe Lugia didn't come up because this was human territory, and it wanted to avoid causing trouble?
That was very possible.
Once he clarified that in his mind, he stopped worrying about it.
Rosaline's visit and challenge, however, did add some heat to the Sky Challenge's reputation. Mainly, some observant individuals had recorded the changes in her Froslass after eating the pudding and posted it online with text and video.
It blew up almost instantly.
While most who were there that day were novice Trainers who didn't grasp the significance, once it was online, naturally there were skilled Trainers who recognized the implications.
A pudding that could directly increase a Pokémon's move execution speed?!
And it worked even on an Elite Four Trainer's Pokémon?
That was terrifying!
Some disbelievers wanted to come and debunk it, while others felt that with the Pokémon League Conference champion title and an Elite Four member's endorsement, it couldn't possibly be fake.