Chapter 342: Unlocking a New Recipe: Icy Radish Candy
Chapter 342: Unlocking a New Recipe: Icy Radish Candy
With the coronation ceremony concluded, it was time to return to their own throne.
Spirit Specter, the Ghost-type horse Pokemon, held its head high with an air of arrogance as it prepared to head back to its stable at the ranch for a tasty treat of black carrots.
Seeing that Spirit Specter was about to leave, Naoki barely had time to exchange a few words with the excited Irving before bidding them farewell and hurrying after the proud Pokemon.
"Heading back?" Naoki asked.
Spirit Specter nodded slightly.
"Alright," Naoki agreed, leading the Pokemon towards the exit of the racing event, where Adecu and their group of Pokemon awaited them.
Adecu and the others stared at the golden trophy on Spirit Specter's head, their eyes widening in surprise.
"Wh-What's that about?" Adecu blurted out.
"That's its crown," Naoki explained.
Golurk, standing beside Adecu, twitched his mouth, letting out a soft, "Ah-gah..." clearly thinking it was a trophy, not a crown.
Adecu couldn't hold back a snort of laughter.
Spirit Specter, ever so arrogant, glanced at Adecu with disdain and continued on its way, chest held high.
Hmph! Foolish humans!
Adecu was left scratching his head, feeling oddly disconcerted as if the Pokemon had just looked down on him.
Naoki turned to the Misdreavus, a playful smile on his face, and asked, "Did you have fun today?"
"Bo-ni!" Misdreavus nodded vigorously, its little head bobbing up and down. It had enjoyed itself immensely, delighted that no one had been scared of it. It loved this place!
"I'm glad to hear that," Naoki said with a warm smile. "Next time, I'll take you to the back mountains for the Harvest Festival."
"Bo-nii~" Misdreavus couldn't contain its excitement.
And with that, it was time to head home.
On the journey back to the ranch, Spirit Specter remained outside of its Poke Ball, proudly wearing its trophy-crown as if it were surveying its domain.
Naoki and Adecu walked behind the majestic Pokemon.
Both could tell what the Pokemon was feeling—it was showing off.
"I wonder if Spirit Specter thinks that trophy is its crown," Adecu mused, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he tried not to laugh out loud.
"Well, it certainly seems that way," Naoki admitted.
Adecu chuckled, "It suits it, though."
Naoki's thoughts turned to the Swift Swim Pokemon back home, wondering how it would react to Spirit Specter's new accessory.
Soon enough, they arrived at the ranch, and Spirit Specter made a beeline for its stable.
The Swift Swim Pokemon, which had been sulking in its stable, lifted its head and immediately spotted the golden crown atop Spirit Specter's head.
!!!
Its eyes widened in shock.
Spirit Specter shot it a sideways glance before strutting into its stable and lowering its head to munch on the black carrots within.
Swift Swim's gaze remained fixed on the trophy, following its movement as it bobbed with each step Spirit Specter took.
That thing... It was a crown!
From Swift Swim's perspective, it was clear that Spirit Specter had emerged victorious at the racing event, becoming the strongest horse Pokemon in the world.
And that crown was proof of its coronation as the king of horse Pokemon! Swift Swim's heart swelled with a mix of envy, jealousy, and admiration.
Its breathing became heavy, and icy mist puffed from its nostrils with each exhale.
That crown should have been mine!
Spirit Specter paid no heed to Swift Swim's mounting emotions.
Just as Naoki anticipated a confrontation between the two horse Pokemon over the "crown," Swift Swim suddenly turned and fixed its gaze on him.
With a look of pure resentment, it huffed and turned its back, presenting its rear end to him.
"...Naoki," feeling slightly exasperated.
He knew it!
Adecu struggled to hold back his laughter. Life with Naoki was never dull, that was for sure.
Every day brought new interactions with their diverse group of Pokemon—some happy, some playful, some jealous, some laid-back, and others throwing little temper tantrums...
Such were the joys and challenges of having a large group of captured Pokemon! But for a trainer, these were the kind of problems one could only dream of having.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Adecu asked, a smile playing on his lips.
Naoki sighed, knowing from experience that he would now have to appease Swift Swim.
However, given the Pokemon's temperament, it wouldn't be an easy task.
Naoki fell into deep thought.
His mind turned to Swift Swim's favorite treat—icy radishes—and the sugar cubes he had seen trainers feed their horse Pokemon during the racing event.
Sugar cubes, a premium half-block-shaped sugar product made from fine granulated sugar...
An idea sparked in Naoki's mind.
He would combine icy radishes and sugar cubes to create a special treat for Swift Swim—icy radish candy! With newfound determination, Naoki made his way to the icy radish field and harvested a basketful of the crisp vegetables.
These days, the icy radish and black carrot fields were under the care of a single Pokemon—a majestic Reicoff.
Given the lengthy growth period of these special radishes, Reicoff made sure to speed up the ripening process for a few seeds each day, ensuring that their horses always had their favorite food available.
Naoki carried a basket of the icy radishes into the kitchen and began to prepare them.
Icy radishes were an extremely unique ingredient, only growing in the coldest and harshest of wintery environments.
Their unique growing conditions imbued the radishes with an innate icy energy.
This icy energy altered the seeds, causing them to mutate, and their color changed to a pure, snowy white.
The radishes felt cool to the touch, and one could even see the chill emanating from their surfaces.
Naoki chopped the icy radishes into chunks and then blended them into a snowy white pulp.
He poured the pulp into a pot and began to cook it, adding white sugar and stirring continuously.
When the mixture looked ready, Naoki removed it from the heat and poured it into square molds.
After a brief wait, the icy radish candy was ready—pure, translucent, and radiating a chilly aura.
Naoki had expected the candies to be soft and chewy, like taffy, but they turned out hard and brittle, more like a boiled sweet.
"Could it be influenced by the icy energy inherent in the radishes themselves?" Naoki wondered aloud.
As he pondered, information about the candies appeared in his mind.
[Icy Radish Candy (B)
: A treat made by cooking pure icy radishes with white sugar, resulting in a unique flavor not found in regular radish candies. It is well-received by certain Pokemon.
Cooking Effect: Icy-Icy-Ice! When consumed by Pokemon, there is a chance they will gain an understanding of Ice-type moves and restore their icy energy. This effect is exclusive to Ice-type Pokemon.
Additional Effect: Increases affinity with Ice-type Pokemon.
Evaluation: N/A.]
"Huh? This effect seems similar to the Creamy Ice Slush," Naoki remarked, surprised.
However, the effect of the Icy Radish Candy was clearly superior, making it a more desirable treat than the Creamy Ice Slush.
Moreover, the candy was simple to make in large batches, and both Delibird and Swift Swim Pokemon could enjoy it as a snack at any time.
This raised another question: "If I made black radish candy, would it be a Ghost-type exclusive boost?" With that in mind, Naoki immediately grabbed two black radishes to experiment.
Soon, a batch of deep purple candies was neatly arranged before him.
[Black Radish Candy (B)
: A treat made by cooking black radishes with white sugar, resulting in a unique flavor not found in regular radish candies. It is well-received by certain Pokemon.
Cooking Effect: Ghostly Aura. When consumed by Pokemon, there is a chance they will gain an understanding of Ghost-type moves and restore their ghostly energy. This effect is exclusive to Ghost-type Pokemon.
Additional Effect: Increases affinity with Ghost-type Pokemon.
Evaluation: N/A.]
"Just as I thought!" Naoki mused.
There weren't many Ghost-type Pokemon on the ranch, only three, including the Greed Rapther.
If he counted his good neighbor, Giratina, then there were four.
At that moment, Adecu, who had been observing the process, asked curiously, "Are those energy blocks for Pokemon?"
Naoki paused, then shook his head. "No, these are treats called 'candies' that I made for Swift Swim and Spirit Specter."
"I thought they were energy blocks!" Adecu exclaimed, surprised. "They look very similar to the highest-quality energy blocks in terms of texture and purity."
Naoki's eyes lit up. "Mr. Adecu, do you know how to make energy blocks?"
Adecu laughed and shook his head. "No, I don't know how to make those."
Seeing Naoki's expression, he realized what the young man was thinking. "You want to learn how to make energy blocks?"
"Yes," Naoki affirmed. "I've heard that energy blocks contain nutrients that are extremely beneficial to Pokemon."
"That's not wrong," Adecu agreed, recalling his knowledge. "However, each type of energy block has a different recipe, and the effects vary depending on the ingredients used."
"For top breeders, they may develop special energy block recipes tailored to individual Pokemon, and these exclusive formulas can be quite expensive!"
"But generally, breeders don't sell their formulas," he added.
Intrigued, Naoki asked, "Formulas?"
"Yes," Adecu nodded. "There are many types of berries in this world, and some only grow in specific regions. Combining different berries can create different energy blocks. If we were to calculate all the possible combinations, there could be thousands of formulas!"
Naoki understood.
He had never pulled strings like this before!
"What are you thinking?" Adecu laughed. "Of course, I'll be asking as a personal favor. That person is a good friend I met when I was the Champion. She's a top-notch Pokemon breeder!"
Seeing this, Naoki didn't refuse. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Adecu."
"Aren't you going to give these candies to the Swift Swim Pokemon?" Adecu asked. "Go ahead, so we can discuss when we'll depart for the Unova region afterward."
Naoki nodded and put away the Black Radish Candy he was holding, planning to give them to Spirit Specter the next day.
If he gave them to both Pokemon at the same time, Swift Swim might get even angrier.
He brought the Icy Radish Candy to the stable.
As he approached, the Swift Swim Pokemon turned away.
Meanwhile, Spirit Specter, with its trophy on its head, seemed to have entered a sage-like state of tranquility.
As a great king, it was above all the trivial matters around it.
It chose not to listen, not to look, and not to pay any heed.
After all, it was now the strongest Horse Pokemon in the world, crowned as the king of its kind.
Naoki: "..."
He couldn't shake off the feeling that both of Rai Kooh's beloved steeds were a bit eccentric.
Clearing his throat softly, Naoki walked up to the Swift Swim Pokemon, which was about to turn away again. However, its eyes landed on the snowy white treats in Naoki's hand, resembling ice and snow.
Its movement paused for a moment.
Seizing the opportunity, Naoki took a candy and popped it into the Swift Swim Pokemon's mouth, then whispered close to its ear, "Go on, eat it! This is a special treat I made just for you. Spirit Specter doesn't have any!"
Spirit Specter, with its keen senses, overheard the quiet exchange between Naoki and the Swift Swim Pokemon.
But now, as the crowned king, it paid no mind to such trivial matters.
The Swift Swim Pokemon curled its tongue around the candy in its mouth. It huffed out two puffs of cold breath, wanting to refuse, but its mouth seemed to have a mind of its own.
As soon candy melted within its mouth, the Pokemon's ice-blue eyes lit up.
This... How could something taste so good?!
Saliva pooled in its mouth, and its eyes and mind were captivated by the candies. The sullen feeling in its heart also dissipated considerably.
This human...
He had prepared such delicious food for it. Was he trying to apologize?
Given his sincere effort, the Swift Swim Pokemon decided to forgive him!
It huffed and puffed, then began gobbling down the candies.
Witnessing this scene, Naoki knew he had successfully appeased the temperamental horse Pokemon.
Compared to Spirit Specter, the Swift Swim Pokemon was clearly not as intelligent.
However, there was an upside to its temperamental nature; such Pokemon often had straightforward thoughts, and their emotions were easy to read—they were creatures of distinct likes and dislikes.
After feeding the Swift Swim Pokemon, Naoki went to the orchard and found the Vanillite and Frostine playing a game of hide-and-seek.
He shared the remaining candies with these Pokemon and then called out to Cryogonal, feeding it a few pieces of the Black Radish Candy in the kitchen.
"How does it taste?" Naoki asked, unable to contain his curiosity as he watched Cryogonal eat.
Cryogonal bared its small fangs as it chewed, its expression clearly indicating that it wasn't a fan of the radish candies.
"You don't like it..." Naoki fell into thought.
Being a Pokemon from ancient times, Cryogonal was likely a carnivore.
Compared to radishes, vegetables, and fruits, it probably preferred large chunks of meat and bones.
With that in mind, Naoki decided to make an improved version of the Black Radish Stew for it.
However, as he thought about it, he realized they didn't have any noodles in Lacunosa Town... He hadn't been able to make a pork noodle stew last winter because of this.
Aside from regular meat, they had lobster and fish from the sea.
The fish that the wild Dragonite had brought as payment had been swallowed whole by Giratina, leaving him without a taste.
He had been busy dealing with the Northwind Town and the Enigma Berry incident, but now that things had calmed down, Naoki craved lobster.
With that in mind, Naoki stepped out, fearing that his Dragonite might get jealous, he dared not ask the wild Dragonite for help. Instead, he turned to his own Dragonite and expressed his desire to eat lobster and crab.
His Dragonite was thrilled that Naoki had come to it for help instead of the wild Dragonite.
It immediately got up from the grass and flew toward the ocean to catch some seafood for its trainer.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
