"Don't move, okay!"
Silas smiled gently as he pressed down on the injured Lapras, spraying powerful healing medicine onto its bloody wound.
Immediately, the injured Lapras let out a pained cry, its entire body trembling as intense pain surged through it.
This scene gave Minccino, who was watching from the side, quite a scare—its small body shrank back instinctively.
Getting hurt hurts so much… and treatment hurts even more. I won't run around recklessly ever again!
The five Flabébé all hid together behind Minccino, not daring to look at all. Their tiny bodies trembled with fear.
As for Kangaskhan and Cyclizar, they kept their eyes fixed on the restless Lapras group. If any of them dared to step forward and interfere with Silas, they would act immediately.
"Lapras!"
The Lapras leader roared at the group, and the agitation among the pod gradually subsided.
Silas gave it a grateful look and nodded in thanks.
His hands never slowed. After spraying the medicine, he quickly wrapped the wound, using a special waterproof gauze.
As a Water-type Pokémon, Lapras could leave the water for a short time, but it couldn't stay away from it for too long.
Waterproof gauze was the best choice—this was the latest invention from the Devon Corporation. Not cheap stuff, either.
Let's hear a "thank you," alright?
"Hoo…" Letting out a breath, Silas smiled and gave a reassuring pat. "Rest for a day and the wound will heal. Don't move around too much today."
"Lap~"
The injured Lapras rubbed against him gratefully, then stretched out its soft pink tongue and gave Silas a lick.
Wiping the saliva off his face with his sleeve, Silas helplessly pushed it away. "Alright, alright. Go explain things to your family so they don't worry."
After seeing the injured Lapras off, Silas had just put away his medical kit and was about to leave when the Lapras leader swam over and let out a low call toward him.
"Lapras~"
Silas looked puzzled and spread out his palm.
Lowering its head, the Lapras leader spat out what it had been holding in its mouth. A wet object dropped into his hand.
"This… is my reward?"
The Lapras leader nodded.
"Then I'll accept it." Silas chose to take it. No matter what it was, to Lapras, it was surely something precious.
And honestly, just receiving a Pokémon's gratitude already made him very satisfied.
After rinsing it with water, Silas finally saw what it truly was.
It was a droplet-shaped gemstone, a perfect creation of nature. Its surface was crystal-clear, refracting mesmerizing light under the sun, while inside it seemed as though an entire ocean was flowing endlessly.
At first glance, it might seem like nothing more than a beautiful gem.
But in truth, this was a Mystic Water, an item that boosted the power of Water-type moves—highly favored by trainers who specialized in Water Pokémon.
He hadn't expected Lapras to give him such a valuable gift. Looks like he would need to prepare a proper feast to treat them in return.
After thinking for a moment, Silas came up with a good idea.
He waved toward Kangaskhan, Minccino, and the others not far away.
The little ones ran over, calling out inquisitively.
Even Little Lapras was among them.
"I have a mission for you all!"
"Min~"
"Kang~"
Being able to help Silas made both Kangaskhan and Minccino visibly excited as they looked at him expectantly.
Patting Kangaskhan and scratching Minccino, Silas said, "Help me catch some seafood. We're having seafood risotto for lunch today."
"Cyc!" A sudden voice rang out as Cyclizar shifted into a battle-ready stance, raising its claws high to volunteer for the task, clearly saying, Leave it to me—I guarantee success!
"Aren't you supposed to drive the chickens out to get some fresh air?" Silas asked, stroking Cyclizar.
"Cyc!" (We can do that in the afternoon.)
"Alright then. You can all go together."
"Lap~!"
Little Lapras eagerly joined in. The four Pokémon quickly headed toward the coast to look for edible seafood.
Watching them leave, Silas began preparing the other ingredients needed for the seafood risotto.
Vegetables were an essential part—simmering them together would add a unique layer of flavor.
While Silas was preparing the side ingredients, Smoliv came wobbling over. He picked her up and set her on the counter.
Smoliv quietly observed, the leaf atop her head swaying back and forth with her body.
When she saw Silas about to pour olive oil into the pot, Smoliv's eyes lit up and she rubbed against him eagerly.
After patting her a couple of times, Silas understood what she was trying to say.
"You want to give me olive oil, right?"
"Smo!"
Smoliv shook her body vigorously, trying to fling down the fruit atop her head that stored oil.
Silas held her gently, understanding her intention, and explained, "The oil you produce right now is still very bitter and not suitable for eating."
"When you evolve into Arboliva, the oil you make will be fragrant and delicious. How about you give it to me then?"
"Smo!"
Smoliv looked a little down for a moment, but when she heard Silas say that he would eat her oil in the future, she quickly became happy again.
She gestured for Silas to put her under the sunlight—she wanted to soak up lots of sun, evolve as soon as possible, and give Silas super tasty oil.
Just as Silas finished preparing the ingredients and seasonings for the seafood risotto, he heard Kangaskhan and the others calling from outside the house.
Wiping his hands, Silas walked out with a smile.
Before he could even get a clear look, Cyclizar stood upright on its hind legs, holding a huge pile of seafood right up to his face, grinning widely.
It looked as if it were saying, Silas, am I awesome or what? Hurry up and praise me!
But before Silas could speak, Minccino, who followed closely behind, jumped up unhappily to tattle, waving its little paws wildly.
"Min! Min!"
(Cyclizar cheated! We were all catching fish, but it used electricity to stun them—and scared all the fish we were trying to catch away!)
Minccino puffed up angrily, its tail whipping back and forth across Cyclizar like a bolt of lightning.
Looking at the pile of seafood on the ground, the red prawns were still twitching even in death. The clams had their shells open, sticking out their tongues. Fist-sized squids were curled up tightly, faint electric arcs still visible on their bodies.
Massaging Minccino's ears and rubbing its belly, Silas spent quite a while calming it down.
After sending Minccino off to play with Kangaskhan and the others, he finally turned to Cyclizar.
Cyclizar lowered its head and quietly backed away—it also realized that it might have done something wrong.
"Cyclizar, when you use moves, you can't let them affect Minccino and the others. It was fine this time, but what about next time?"
"Cyc!" (Silas, I know I was wrong!)
"Good that you know. Go play now—lunch will be ready soon."
He removed the shrimp heads, shells, and veins; cleaned and scored the squid after removing the innards; soaked the clams in saltwater to spit out sand; and removed the meat from other shellfish.
Once the prepared ingredients went into the pot, it didn't take long before an enticing aroma wafted out of the kitchen—and drifted straight toward the Lapras group.
So… so fragrant! I want to eat.
Before long, the doors and windows were filled with heads as Pokémon after Pokémon craned their necks to peek inside.
Silas lifted the lid and tasted it himself—the flavor was excellent.
At the same time, information about this dish appeared before his eyes.
(End of Chapter)