Pokemon Paldea [170-171] (Patreon)

Chapter 170: The Evolution of Happiness

“Special Orange Peel Honey Puffin ~ Cream Ice Cream Style”

Katy’s gaze fell on the puffin, which looked like a work of art, and she fell silent.

So far, most of the pastry chefs had already presented their creations for tasting. The highest score so far was by the pastry chef partnered with Slurpuff, who received 85 out of 100 points.

The other two chefs, partnered with Steenee and Kirlia respectively, scored 83 and 81, ranking second and third.

Now, could Lucas’s puffin surpass those scores? It would be judged not only on appearance but also on flavor and texture—a comprehensive evaluation. Even though Katy was familiar with Lucas, she would judge fairly.

Katy picked up her utensils and gently pressed against the shell of the puffin. The crispness, different from ordinary puffins, made her pause for a moment.

This is…

Miss Joy, always wearing a friendly smile, looked at the beautifully presented puffin and couldn’t wait. “So pretty! I wonder how it tastes. I’ll start now!”

Hidden behind her crystalline mask, Geeta gently inhaled the subtle fragrance in the air. It was a scent different from cooked food: subtle, lasting, and elegant, making one linger in its aftertaste.

Cynthia felt today was full of pleasant surprises. She had taken a break from her archaeological work and, after hearing about the dessert association’s invitation from her butler Jervis, came to Paldea, which was almost twelve hours away in time difference from Sinnoh.

Since she was attending as an elder member of the Sinnoh Dessert Association, she used the alias “Ms. C,” just like “Ms. G” beside her, to participate anonymously.

After tasting so many types of puffins, this one topped with a mound of tempting cream ice cream was a first. The texture and flavor aroused Cynthia’s curiosity.

Cutting a small piece with the cream ice cream on top, Cynthia eagerly tasted it.

The moment it entered her mouth, she first felt the cold, slightly shivering sensation of the cream ice cream, along with its dense texture.

As she chewed, the crispness, different from an ordinary puffin, filled her mouth. Normally, a puffin made of cream ice cream, honey, and candied orange peel would be overwhelmingly sweet. But the subtle tartness of Payapa Berry cleverly neutralized the excessive sweetness, adding depth and layering to the flavor.

Cynthia’s eyes sparkled with delight, and she kept taking bite after bite, unable to stop.

The dense, crisp, sweet, and rich flavors exploded on her tongue. Premium ingredients, combined with this ingenious combination, made Lucas’s puffin leave a deep impression on the four judges, unmatched by the previous pastries.

Miss Joy was so enraptured by the flavor that she was briefly at a loss for words.

Usually outwardly stern, Geeta, now wearing a mask and white lace gloves, held her cheeks, momentarily surrendering to her senses and enjoying the extraordinary taste.

Katy was the most shocked. She stared at Lucas as if he were a monster. She knew Lucas best; just three days ago, she had taught him the basics of making puffins.

How had he, in just three days, created something that could be called a signature dessert even at Patisserie Soapberry!?

After a brief silence, the four judges gave their scores:

Miss Joy: 23.5 points.

Katy: 23.5 points.

Ms. G: 24 points.

Ms. C: 25 points.

Total: 96 points, ranking first.

Perhaps the shock from Lucas’s performance raised the bar for the judges, as none of the next dozen pastry chefs scored higher than 80 points—even the previous third place didn't surpass it.

This meant that Lucas, Milcery, and Dragonite were the undisputed champions.

On the makeshift award stage, after interviewing the third and second place chefs, the host handed the mic to Lucas and asked, “Mr. Lucas, your Orange Peel Honey Puffin ~ Cream Ice Cream Style received unanimous praise from the judges. How did you come up with such a creative dessert?”

Taking the mic, Lucas smiled, unfazed by all the attention. “I think I owe it to my partners. Their unique traits inspired this dessert. Also, it’s all about persistence and hard work!”

Milcery on Lucas’s shoulder and Dragonite at his side cheered happily.

The host was a bit surprised by Lucas’s answer, which credited his Pokémon rather than himself, but maintained a professional smile and invited, “Now, may I invite Ms. C from the Sinnoh Dessert Association to award the first prize to Mr. Lucas!”

Cynthia, after receiving the red velvet box with the prize, elegantly walked to the stage and handed it to Lucas. With a pleasant voice, she said, “Congratulations. Also, the cream ice cream pairs perfectly with the puffin.”

Lucas took the box and smiled. “Thank you for the compliment, Ms. C.”

Cynthia nodded slightly and glanced at Milcery on Lucas’s shoulder. “Open it. You must have joined the competition for this little one, right?”

Cynthia’s keen observation surprised Lucas, but he had intended to do so anyway. He opened the red velvet box, revealing a wild berry candy topper resembling a blueberry.

“Wild berry candy...” Lucas paused, not immediately giving it to Milcery. Instead, he cautiously asked, “Do you like this candy? If not, we can find another.”

“Milcery~~”

Milcery reached out without hesitation for the wild berry candy.

To Milcery, any candy won together with Lucas, Dragonite, and their farm friends was precious, no matter the type.

“I see.”

Lucas smiled and placed the wild berry candy on Milcery’s head. At that moment, an excited Dragonite, unable to contain itself, hugged Lucas and Milcery, spinning around joyfully, as Cynthia and the other judges looked on in surprise.

Lucas and Milcery’s faces were full of joy. Milcery’s happy laughter made others smile knowingly.

Just then, a pure, holy light enveloped Milcery’s body. Gasps of surprise arose as Dragonite stopped spinning and, like Lucas, watched curiously as Milcery began to change.

Everyone wondered—

What kind of Alcremie would it evolve into?

Chapter 171: From Now On, This Fish Pond Is Under My Care

Cynthia remembered that Alcremie could have dozens of different forms, depending on decorations and other factors.

Since the dessert association awarded a wild berry candy, the evolved Alcremie would surely be a blueberry Alcremie. As for the exact flavor, even Cynthia was curious.

As the white light faded, Cynthia, eyes watching closely from behind her Togepi mask, saw the answer in Lucas’s arms.

The Alcremie’s body was still made totally of whipped cream, like Milcery before, but now it was a pure, snow-white color with delicate, sky-blue stripes outlining its form, sapphire-like eyes, and two blueberry-like decorations on its head—completely harmonious.

“Blueberry Alcremie—Salted Cream flavor.”

Holding the newly evolved Alcremie, Lucas was quite surprised.

The most common Alcremie flavors are vanilla, ruby, or caramel. Salted Cream is rare, as its cream is not only rich and creamy but also has a hint of saltiness.

As Alcremie evolved, the rich, happy scent of fresh cream spread under the sugar maple tree. Cynthia blurted out, “It’s really happy.”

Legend says Alcremie’s cream tastes better the happier it is—the happier an Alcremie, the richer and more delicious the cream it produces.

That’s why pastry chefs dream of partnering with Alcremie and, after becoming partners, treat them with great care.

Cynthia could sense that this Alcremie was truly happy.

“Thank you for the compliment, Ms. C.”

Lucas smiled politely and thanked her.

The joint dessert competition held by the two major regional associations concluded. Lucas’s winning Orange Peel Honey Puffin ~ Cream Ice Cream Style attracted the attention of many dessert lovers. Some were already asking if he would open a dessert shop.

After sincerely thanking Katy for teaching him how to make puffins, Lucas watched her rematch against Arven.

The result was good, of course.

Driven by the lure of food, Skwovet unleashed amazing power. Katy also adjusted her lineup based on Arven’s strength. With two Pokémon, Arven earned his first badge and began his journey to the second gym.

Lucas didn’t linger in Cortondo Town. After exchanging puffin-making tips with Katy and receiving some desserts as gifts, he rode Dragonite home fully loaded.

This time, Alcremie evolved smoothly, becoming a rare and pretty Salted Cream flavor, and Lucas also learned how to make puffins. He felt these three days had been well spent.

The only thing that puzzled him was the masked Ms. C. If Geeta, as League Chairwoman and Champion, needed to hide to avoid being caught slacking off by Larry, then…

What about this Ms. C from Sinnoh? Why did she wear a mask? Surely she couldn’t be Sinnoh’s champion, Cynthia?

But Lucas was just a bit curious and didn’t try to figure it out. A few days later, he forgot all about it.

…

The next day.

“This way—be careful not to let the fry get past the barrier net.”

Lucas, wearing a hard hat, directed the small truck dumping fish into Thunder Lake.

Given the fish density and the lake’s size, he hadn’t needed a big truck—this small one held all he needed.

As Lucas was working, many idle Pokémon on the farm gathered around, watching curiously.

The happiest were, of course, the Politoed and its Poliwhirl brothers.

Though they’re still classed as tadpoles, their diets also include these fish, so having them as neighbors (and emergency rations) made them very happy.

Even Ceruledge paused sword practice, its ghostly eyes fixed on the fish, already imagining cooking grilled fish for Lucas while wearing its beloved yellow duck apron.

Thinking about Lucas eating grilled fish with a satisfied expression, even Ceruledge’s usually expressionless, armored face showed anticipation.

Ceruledge resolved to patrol Thunder Lake daily after sword practice to prevent wild Pokémon from sneaking in and stealing fish—or Swampert from stealing from the farm.

Soon, the fish were all in the lake. The rest was up to Lucas.

Lucas paid the remaining 20,000 Pokédollars, bought several dozen kilos of fish feed for storage, and waved happily as the little truck left.

Lucas was delighted. “From today on, I’m a fish pond owner too!”

He intended to stay by the lake to check if the fish were adapting, but suddenly Dolliv ran over in a panic.

“Dolli~! Dolli~!”

Clearly something big had happened. Dolliv tugged Lucas’s pants, trying to pull him somewhere.

Lucas was startled. Had something happened? Wild Pokémon intruders? Bad people?

A thousand worries flashed through his mind, and he became serious, calling his Pokémon to follow Dolliv to a fenced area in the farm’s fields.

It was the area where he’d planted the secret seasoning seeds.

Led by Serperior, all the Eldegoss, Comfey, Sawsbuck, and Mudsdale stared gravely at the new sprouts in the field.

Lucas was stunned.

He looked at Dolliv, who was also on high alert, then at the fish spear he’d grabbed, and felt a bit foolish.

None of his worst fears had come true. The Grass types were just alarmed because the rare seeds had finally sprouted.

In their experience, normal seeds germinated in a few days with proper care. But these special seeds had been dormant for over half a month—they’d thought they were dead. So, when they sprouted, it was a shock.

Lucas put down the spear, rubbing his forehead. “They just take a long time to sprout, that’s all.”

Chapter 172: The Farm Security Squad is Born!

Though the Scarlet/Violet Book records that secret seasonings were brought back from Area Zero and tested for cultivation all over Paldea, Lucas knew almost none were found in markets. Most people thought they were just urban legends or scams.

In the game, when trying to heal Mabosstiff, Arven found no trace of the seasonings in the market, so he had to seek out the Titan Pokémon to find possible plants.

From his own experience, Lucas concluded: secret seasonings need harsh environments and immense energy to grow. Cultivating them to maturity would take huge amounts of time, effort, and resources—not something that could be done quickly.

Lucas squatted by the field, curious about the tiny sprouts. Honestly, they looked so ordinary that if someone stepped on them in the wild, they might not even notice. And with such slow growth, it was a disaster.

After thinking it over, Lucas decided the patch of rare crops needed protection. The farm’s Pokémon generally wouldn’t damage the plants, but wild Pokémon or careless visitors might. If these rare crops were ruined, it would be hard to find more seeds—he’d probably have to go into Area Zero to get more.

Lucas called over Growlithe and Dachsbun, who wagged their tails excitedly.

“From now on, help Luxray guard this field. Don’t let any wild Pokémon damage it. Protecting the farm is in your paws, okay?”

“Woof woof!!”

Growlithe and Dachsbun felt their instincts awaken. Just the words “guard the farm” filled them with energy.

Their tails wagged so hard they almost turned into propellers.

Luxray quietly padded over and sat down properly.

Growlithe and Dachsbun glanced at Luxray, then imitated it, sitting upright with tongues out, waiting for Lucas’s orders.

Lucas chuckled at their earnestness. “Then, Luxray, please train our two new security squad members!”

Luxray looked at the two little ones. Even if they would eventually grow bigger than him, they were still kids who needed care.

Since it was Lucas’s request, Luxray would do his best to teach them the importance and skills of guarding the farm.

Security squad!!!

Growlithe and Dachsbun exchanged excited glances. They remembered another Growlithe friend who had told them about life at police dog school—how impressive and dashing police Growlithes were.

But their true idol was right here: Luxray, who patrolled the farm, chased out wild Pokémon, and helped anyone in need.

To Growlithe and Dachsbun, Luxray was a true guardian.

Super cool!

Luxray purred and signaled for Growlithe and Dachsbun to follow. It was time to teach them how to defend the farm.

The two little dogs bounced along behind Luxray, full of joy.

Feeling he’d helped lighten Luxray’s workload, Lucas dismissed the gathering Pokémon. After the scare, he felt a bit tired.

He planned to take a nap, but passing the kitchen, he noticed the egg box was empty—not a single egg left.

That wouldn’t do. On a farm, eggs were as essential as meat and vegetables.

Eggs were an ingredient in many dishes—especially desserts.

He could buy more eggs in town, but as a farmer, shouldn’t he be producing his own?

After this trip, Lucas considered building a chicken coop for laying hens on the farm.

For now, he decided to go buy some eggs, just in case.

…

When Lucas and Dragonite returned with two large tubs of eggs, it was already getting dark.

During the trip, Lucas also visited Grandma Touko.

During their chat, she mentioned her son would be returning to Paldea soon.

Ever since Perrin mentioned that Hisuian Growlithe eggs were extremely rare, Lucas had been curious where her son had gotten them. Perrin had asked Lucas to inquire if he had the chance.

Lucas asked Grandma Touko to let him know when her son returned to Paldea—he had something important to discuss.