Chapter 406: Summer Ice Sculpture Competition!

"Sacred Fire."

Lei Guan Wang seemed lost in thought.

This name; it seemed to have heard it in the distant past.

But that was truly a trivial matter, not worth mentioning amidst the long years, something heard and immediately forgotten.

It was indeed somewhat difficult for it to recall such minute and insignificant details.

Including Moltres, the three Fire-type Pokémon hearing the name of the flame, pondered silently.

Sacred Fire indeed; just now when Moltres itself had released flames, it had sensed a certain profoundly sacred atmosphere from those colorful, variegated flames.

Luo Mu spoke again: "Legend has it that as the source of the Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh possesses extremely miraculous powers; some say that those who see it will obtain eternal happiness."

"And approximately one hundred and fifty years ago, Ho-Oh resurrected three Pokémon that had been burned to death inside a tower, granting them new life."

"The names of those three Pokémon are Suicune, Raikou, and Entei; among them, we have already seen Suicune and Entei, while Raikou bears a certain resemblance in appearance to Meng Lei Gu."

Hearing this.

Lei Guan Wang nodded with some surprise, "Resurrecting life... if it truly possesses such power, then that is indeed quite formidable."

As the focus of all the Pokémon present, Moltres lowered its head, eyes slightly closed, observing that cluster of colorful fire seeds within its body which, though shrunk considerably after the outburst, was still much larger than when first seen, its state of mind rather complex.

Could this flame actually originate from such a powerful Pokémon? Luo Mu stepped forward a few paces, carefully examining Moltres.

"If the flame truly comes from Ho-Oh, then why the consciousness existing within Moltres's flames would hand it over to you is also a question..."

As Luo Mu finished speaking, Lei Guan Wang also joined the ranks of those observing Moltres.

That Sacred Fire was indeed mysterious and extraordinary.

Even a Fire-type Pokémon of Cangyan Cangyan Rengui's strength could actually be burned by it.

Finally, realizing that no further conclusions could be reached through discussion for the time being, Luo Mu, for Moltres's sake as well as for the safety of the farm's Pokémon and the farm itself, established two rules.

First, Victini should temporarily cease enhancing and charging Moltres, to avoid situations like the one that just occurred.

Second, since Moltres was currently unable to control the fire seed suspected to be the Sacred Fire, it should try its best not to trigger it; it would be better to consider the matter only after a solution or result had been found later on.

The next day.

Luo Mu summoned Serperior and Combee, and under the witness of the Eevee sisters who had become slightly clingy, announced something.

"Serperior, from now on, I leave Combee's temperament cultivation lessons to you."

Serperior and Combee looked at each other simultaneously.

Compared to the longing in Combee's eyes, Serperior felt not only helpless but also quite headache-inducing.

Teach Combee how to cultivate the temperament of a queen?

Did this even need teaching? Ever since it, Serperior, had hatched from its Pokémon Egg, it had possessed this innate regal temperament!

But this was an extremely legitimate request from Luo Mu, so legitimate that Serperior could not find a single flaw in it.

Combee, bearing the heavy responsibility of the farm's future honey production, indeed needed to undergo training.

It understood the reasoning, but Serperior averted its gaze from Combee's clear eyes, letting them fall upon those two Eevees.

Seeing the way they cooperated to act cute, Serperior felt as if it were looking at seductive consorts who ruined nations and harmed people, while Luo Mu was that debauched tyrant.

It had to be said, the level of these two little ones was quite high.

The older sister was clever and witty, full of tricky ideas, while the younger sister was frail and powerless, looking utterly pitiful.

The combined power of the two could no longer be described by addition; at the very least, multiplication was required.

Although feeling a bit jealous, Serperior's temper had indeed restrained somewhat recently; perhaps it was moved by the story of the Eevee sisters suffering hardships outside and relying on each other for survival, so regarding the two Eevees' behavior of seeking love and attention, it simply turned a blind eye and let it pass.

In any case, its status was forever secure.

After petting the two Eevees for a while, Luo Mu did not forget the other important matter besides making Serperior Combee's teacher.

From the bottles and jars filling a small table nearby, Luo Mu picked out two jars of medicinal powder, each barely enough to fill the jar lid, and called out to the Shiny Eevee and Combee: "Just right, I've already produced the finished product here, and it's been verified by wild Pokémon; since you are all here, let's test the efficacy together."

Luo Mu arranged the small jars, specially distinguished by color, one by one in front of the Shiny Eevee and Combee.

In front of the Shiny Eevee was a jar with a blue body, while in front of Combee was one with a yellow body.

They contained salty seasoning medicinal powder and spicy seasoning medicinal powder respectively, ground after Luo Mu replaced a few ingredients based on Joy Lin's prescription to make the medicinal effects gentler.

Then, as if performing a magic trick, Luo Mu brought out two bowls of tofu pudding without any seasoning added.

Compared to the Eevee sisters and Combee who were curious about what Luo Mu wanted to do, the look in Serperior's eyes as it gazed at Luo Mu held several extra portions of an indescribable, strange emotion.

This idiot, could he be thinking of sprinkling the medicinal powder onto the tofu pudding?

Facts proved that Serperior had guessed correctly.

In front of all the Pokémon, Luo Mu directly sprinkled both types of flavored medicinal powder entirely into the bowls of tofu pudding before him, then pushed them toward the Shiny Eevee and Combee.

"Salty tofu pudding and spicy tofu pudding, please enjoy."

This was Luo Mu's expedient measure after careful consideration, before the medicinal liquids within the shell of sister Torkoal had been produced one by one.

Directly consuming the medicinal powder was possible, but based on Peony's feedback, the taste was extremely hard to look at.

It could be said that the most painful time of day for that Flareon was when consuming the medicinal water brewed from powders carrying three basic flavors plus all sorts of strange herbal tastes.

Luo Mu had no hobby of torturing his own Pokémon; he would rather take a bit more trouble and take a detour, ensuring the medicinal efficacy would not be lost while allowing Eevee and Combee to have a better medication experience.

Arven's behavior in the game gave Luo Mu ample inspiration.

Emulating how he made sandwiches, he simply treated the Secret Herbs as a type of seasoning; the final results were these two bowls of "spicy tofu pudding" and "salty tofu pudding," whose flavors would be perfectly fine even if sold outside.

Perhaps it was the first time tasting such food; Combee hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to trust Luo Mu, lowering its head to taste its own portion of spicy tofu pudding.

Due to the addition of the Secret Herb: Spicy Seasoning, after eating only a few bites, Combee suddenly felt its body become hot, the circulation of energy within speeding up, and the accumulated nutrition transforming into its own nourishment at an extremely rapid rate.

It's just that the taste is really so spicy! On the other side, the Shiny Eevee did not start eating immediately, but instead looked at its older sister with large, watery eyes, as if asking whether it should share with her.

Eevee shook its head, licked its younger sister's cheek with its pink little tongue, then nudged its head forward, urging its sister to finish the tofu pudding quickly while the medicinal effect was at its peak.

Seeing the determined look on its older sister's face, the Shiny Eevee could only lower its head and begin eating in small bites; considering the appetites of the two small Pokémon, the amount of tofu pudding Luo Mu had prepared was truly the most miniature portion, and moreover, the main character was the medicinal powder seasoning he had made, not the tofu pudding itself.

After just a few bites, the bottom of the bowl became visible.

Sticking out its tongue, the Shiny Eevee, who felt the tofu pudding was unbearably salty, also noticed a certain change occurring within its body—

This sensation was mysterious; while its body itself showed no major reaction, the weakness that had plagued it like a shadow since hatching had diminished slightly.

At this moment, new reactions emerged from Combee's side.

Once the internal heat subsided, it instinctively fluttered its pair of delicate, gossamer-thin wings.

The next instant.

A gust of wind swept through the entire room, causing the neatly hung curtains on both sides to sway gently, and even the flyer on Luo Mu's desk drifted down to the floor.

Both Luo Mu and the other Pokémon present felt this current of air.

Picking up the flyer that had fallen to the ground, Luo Mu's gaze lingered for a moment on the two characters "Ice Sculpture," before he turned to look at Combee with a face full of delight.

"You learned Gust?"

Serperior also swayed the tip of its tail, looking at Combee with slight surprise.

To gain such obvious progress from just one bowl of tofu pudding? It remembered that the only move Combee knew previously was Bug Bite.

"Bibi!"

Combee, equally delighted to have learned a new move, responded with a happy cry.

"Eevee, Eevee!"

The Eevee sisters also sent their congratulations, issuing cries of celebration.

Luo Mu held Combee, whose three little faces were now beaming with smiles, in his arms to examine it carefully, finally reaching a conclusion.

Although in the games Combee could learn moves like Gust, Sweet Scent, Bug Bite, and Struggle Bug immediately upon hatching, in reality, a Pokémon mastering a move required not only a process but also sufficient energy reserves matching the move's power.

Just like a newly born Fire-type Pokémon; even if its inherited egg moves included the powerful physical Fire-type attack Flare Blitz, it would lack the energy and constitution to use it.

To use it, one had to temper both the body and energy reserves to a certain degree first.

After drinking that bowl of mini tofu pudding, Combee directly digested most of the nutrients it had accumulated previously; it was like leveling up and meeting the release conditions, allowing it to master the move Gust.

Looking at it this way, the spicy seasoning could completely serve as a beggar's version of Rare Candy!

If food made with spicy seasoning, such as skewered meat skewers, were given to Luxray and the others to eat, their strength would likely see a small increase.

But behind such convenience, there often existed some kind of price.

Accelerated metabolism was not entirely a good thing; touching Combee's slightly feverish body, Luo Mu quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he had controlled the "dosage" well, and with the dilution from the tofu pudding, the efficacy remained within a range that Combee's still-fragile body could withstand.

Regarding side effects, since the "dosage" was well-controlled, there should similarly be no major issues.

But to be on the safe side, Luo Mu still asked Serperior, whose observational skills were more meticulous, to take care of Combee and monitor its condition.

Compared to the obvious reactions from the spicy seasoning on Combee's side, the performance of the salty seasoning on the Shiny Eevee was much milder.

Its physical signs showed almost no obvious changes; if not for Eevee Sister's dancing and gesticulating performance, along with Serperior's reminder, Luo Mu would probably have needed the translation services of Moltres, Oranguru, or Calyrex to know about the Shiny Eevee's changes.

The weakness that had accompanied it like a bone-embedding curse since hatching had been partially dispelled.

Although not by much, this was enough to make Eevee Sister dance and gesticulate with excitement.

After all, this meant there was hope for treating his younger sister's congenital frailty and acquired malnutrition!

The excited Eevee, starting from Luo Mu, left a happy kiss on the cheeks of Combee, Serperior, and its younger sister.

It felt that gathering the courage that night to bring its sister into the farm and accept Luo Mu's invitation was truly wonderful! The Eevee sisters curled up and fell asleep in the new little nest Luo Mu had bought for them behind him.

Since Serperior needed to teach Combee what the Way of the Queen was, it could only temporarily return to its own room to sleep tonight.

Under Mimikyu's curious expression, Luo Mu gently turned on the desk lamp and pulled out that flyer to read through it carefully.

"Q?" (Are we going to participate?)

Mimikyu's tail swayed slightly, seeming very expectant.

"Yes."

Luo Mu nodded, his gaze falling upon the flyer.

It was a flyer promoting an Ice Sculpture Competition that the 【World Ice Sculpture Association】 planned to hold on the mountainside of Glaseado Mountain.

The promotional content could be summarized in a few words: the organizers were broadly inviting enthusiasts from the Paldea region to register and compete.

This time, there was no one like Geeta coming to issue him a mission with rewards; although playing with ice sculptures in the mid-summer heat of August seemed somewhat strange, and the reward itself held more commemorative significance than actual value, Luo Mu's interest was genuinely quite high.

The rules of the Ice Sculpture Competition were very simple.

There was no limit on the number of Pokémon a contestant could bring; two was fine, five was acceptable, and ten was also permissible.

Pokémon and Trainers would collaborate to create ice blocks, then proceed to carve them, with professional judges finally providing the scores.

According to the introduction on the flyer, participating in such activities could effectively foster affection with Pokémon, cultivate compatibility between Pokémon, and develop cooperative abilities; several suitable Pokémon candidates from the farm already floated in Luo Mu's mind.

Just among those capable of creating ice blocks, there were Regice, Calyrex Ice Rider, and Calyrex riding Calyrex Ice Rider.

Their speed in creating ice blocks would absolutely be faster, larger, and higher than any other contestant.

Adding a Vulpix just to make up the numbers but emphasizing participation posed no problem at all.

There were also quite a few Pokémon candidates suitable for carving ice sculptures.

The Sandslash couple, who were naturally Ice-type, also possessed Steel typing and a pair of sharp hooks.

Cang Yan Ren Gui, wielding a sharp sword of pale blue flames, could also provide fire for processing.

This Mimikyu beside him, who looked cute and adorable but could actually extend extremely sharp Shadow Claws from beneath its skirt... Swampert could help smash the ice blocks, Serperior had Leaf Blade, and both Luxray and Dragonite possessed sharp claws and fangs.

Everyone was very suitable for participating in this event; even if they couldn't achieve a very high ranking among the crowd of professionals, Luo Mu thought it would surely become a very beautiful summer memory.

(End of Chapter)