"Sacred Fire."
Calyrex pondered deeply.
That name—it felt like something it had heard a long, long time ago.
But it truly was such a trivial matter buried in the endless years, the kind you'd hear and immediately forget.
Trying to recall such minute details was actually a bit difficult for it.
The three Fire-type Pokémon present, including Moltres, listened to the name of the flame and thought quietly to themselves.
Sacred Fire, indeed. When Moltres—or rather, itself—just released its flames, there was a distinct sense of divinity in the radiant, multi-colored fire.
Lucas continued, "Legend has it that as the source of Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh possesses truly miraculous power. Some say that those who see it are granted eternal happiness."
"And about one hundred and fifty years ago, Ho-Oh resurrected three Pokémon that had perished in a burning tower, granting them new life."
"Their names are Suicune, Raikou, and Entei. We've already met Suicune and Entei, but as for Raikou, its appearance is quite similar to that of Raging Bolt."
Upon hearing this, Calyrex nodded in slight surprise. "Resurrecting life… If it truly possesses such power, that's absolutely astonishing."
As the center of attention, Moltres lowered its head, eyes half-closed, observing the multi-colored flame within its body—now much smaller after being vented, but still far larger than when it first saw it. Its feelings were complicated.
So this flame actually originated from such a powerful Pokémon?
Lucas took a few steps forward, carefully examining Moltres.
"If the flame really came from Ho-Oh, why did the consciousness within Moltres's flames entrust it to you? That's another question entirely…"
After Lucas finished speaking, Calyrex joined the others in observing Moltres.
That Sacred Fire truly was mystical.
Even a powerful Fire-type like Ceruledge could get burned by it.
Finally, seeing that they couldn't reach any solid conclusion for now, Lucas established two rules for the safety of Moltres, the farm Pokémon, and the farm itself:
Victini should temporarily stop powering up or charging Moltres, to avoid a repeat of what just occurred.
Since Moltres can't currently control the suspected Sacred Fire within, it should avoid touching it as much as possible—at least until a solution or result comes to light.
…
The next day.
Lucas called over Serperior and Combee, and, in front of the slightly clingy Eevee sisters, announced:
"Serperior, from now on I'll entrust you with Combee's queenly training."
Serperior and the Combee trio looked at each other.
Compared to the anticipation in the Combee's eyes, Serperior looked not just helpless, but also troubled.
Teach Combee the temperament of a queen?
Is that something you can even teach?
After all, Serperior had possessed this regal aura since hatching from its egg!
But this was a perfectly valid request from Lucas—so reasonable that Serperior couldn't find a single fault with it.
The Combee, who would one day bear the heavy responsibility of honey production for the farm, truly needed training.
The logic was clear—but…
Serperior averted its gaze from the clear-eyed Combee, looking instead at the two Eevees.
Seeing their coordinated cuteness, Serperior felt like it was looking at a pair of country-ruining enchantresses, with Lucas as the indulgent, decadent king.
There's no denying, these two little ones were quite skilled.
The elder sister was clever and full of ideas; the younger was delicate and pitiable, with an air of vulnerability.
Together, their combined cuteness was more than just additive—it was multiplicative.
Even though Serperior was a bit jealous, its temper had softened lately—perhaps moved by the Eevee sisters' tale of hardship and mutual dependence, so it turned a blind eye to their bids for affection and attention.
After all, its position was always secure.
After cuddling the two Eevees for a while, Lucas didn't forget the other important matter: aside from making Serperior the Combee's teacher.
From an array of bottles and jars on a nearby table, Lucas selected two small jars—barely enough to fill the caps—and called out to the shiny Eevee and the Combee: "Perfect, the finished product is ready, and I've already had wild Pokémon test it. Since you're all here, let's try it together."
He placed the color-coded jars before the shiny Eevee (blue) and the Combee (yellow).
Inside were Lucas's custom seasoning powders—salty and spicy—modified from Nurse Joy Rin's recipes for gentler effects.
Next, with a flourish, Lucas produced two bowls of plain tofu pudding.
Compared to the curious Eevee sisters and Combee, Serperior looked at Lucas with a strange, indescribable expression.
This idiot isn't going to sprinkle the powder on the tofu pudding, is he?
And indeed—Serperior was right.
Before all the Pokémon, Lucas sprinkled both seasoning powders onto the tofu pudding and pushed the bowls toward shiny Eevee and the Combee.
"Salty tofu pudding and spicy tofu pudding—please, try them."
This was Lucas's temporary solution before medicinal liquids were ready.
The powders could be taken directly, but from Penny's feedback, the taste was… not great.
That poor Flareon's most suffering moment each day was drinking the medicine brewed from three basic flavors plus all sorts of strange herbal ones.
Lucas didn't want to torture his own Pokémon. He'd rather take a roundabout approach—so long as the medicine's effects were preserved, he wanted Eevee and Combee to have a better experience.
Arven's behavior in the games inspired Lucas greatly.
Imitating the way he made sandwiches, using secret seasonings as one of the ingredients, resulted in these two bowls of "spicy tofu pudding" and "salty tofu pudding"—delicious enough to sell.
Perhaps because it was their first time tasting such food, Combee hesitated for a moment, but chose to trust Lucas and tasted her spicy tofu pudding.
Because of the spicy seasoning, after just a few bites, Combee felt her body heat up, energy circulating faster, and nutrients quickly converted to strength.
But wow, it was spicy!
Meanwhile, shiny Eevee didn't start eating right away. She looked at her sister with big watery eyes, as if asking if they should share.
Eevee shook her head, licked her sister's cheek, and nudged her, urging her to eat while the medicine was most effective.
Seeing her sister's steadfast expression, shiny Eevee could only lower her head and nibble away.
Considering the small appetites of the two Pokémon, Lucas had prepared only a tiny portion of tofu pudding—the star was the medicine, not the tofu itself.
A few bites, and the bowls were empty.
Sticking out her tongue at the salty taste, shiny Eevee also noticed a subtle change in her body—
It was hard to describe, but the chronic weakness that had clung to her since hatching seemed a little lighter.
Just then, Combee experienced a new reaction.
As the heat faded, she instinctively fluttered her delicate, transparent wings.
In the next instant—
A gust of wind swept through the room, rustling the curtains and sending a flyer from Lucas's desk drifting to the floor.
Everyone—Lucas and the other Pokémon—felt this sudden breeze.
Picking up the flyer, Lucas paused at the words "ice sculpture," then looked at Combee in delight.
"You learned Gust?"
Serperior flicked its tail, looking at Combee in surprise.
Just one bowl of tofu pudding, and such progress?
If she remembered right, Combee could only use Bug Bite before.
"Bee-bee!"
Combee, thrilled at learning a new move, responded with a happy cry.
"Eevee-vi!"
The Eevee sisters chimed in with congratulatory calls.
Lucas scooped up the smiling Combee to inspect her carefully, finally drawing a conclusion.
In the games, Combee hatches knowing Gust, Sweet Scent, Bug Bite, and Bug Resistance, but in reality, Pokémon need both time and energy reserves to learn moves.
It's like a newly hatched Fire-type—no matter what egg moves it inherits, it lacks the energy and constitution to use big attacks like Flare Blitz.
They have to train their bodies and power to a certain level first.
After eating that mini tofu pudding, Combee had digested most of her accumulated nutrients—like leveling up and meeting the conditions to learn Gust.
It seems spicy seasoning could be a budget version of a Rare Candy!
If foods made with spicy seasoning—like skewers—were given to Luxray and the others, their strength might see a small boost.
But with convenience comes cost.
Accelerated metabolism isn't always good. Patting Combee's warm body, Lucas sighed quietly.
Good thing he controlled the "dose" well, and the tofu pudding diluted the effect to a level Combee's still-fragile body could bear.
No major side effects should occur, but Lucas still had Serperior keep an eye on her just to be safe.
Compared to the obvious effects of the spicy seasoning on Combee, the salty seasoning for shiny Eevee was much milder.
Her physical signs barely changed. If not for Eevee's excited gestures and Serperior's reminder, Lucas might have needed Moltres, Oranguru, or Calyrex to translate the difference.
The chronic weakness that had plagued her since hatching was slightly alleviated.
Not much, but enough to make Eevee's sister dance with joy.
It meant there was hope to treat her younger sister's congenital frailty and malnutrition!
Excited, Eevee kissed Lucas, Combee, Serperior, and her sister on the cheek.
She felt that sneaking into the farm with her sister that night and accepting Lucas's invitation was the best decision ever!
The Eevee sisters curled up in their new nest behind Lucas and quickly fell asleep.
Serperior, needing to teach Combee the way of the queen, had to go sleep in her own room for now.
As Mimikyu watched curiously, Lucas quietly turned on his desk lamp and flipped through the flyer.
"Kyu?" (Are we going to participate?)
Mimikyu's tail wagged; it seemed excited.
"That's right."
Lucas nodded, looking at the flyer.
It was a flyer from the [World Ice Sculpture Association] about an ice sculpture contest to be held halfway up Frostmark Mountain.
In short, the organizers were inviting enthusiasts from all over Paldea to participate.
This time, there was no one like Geeta coming to assign him a reward quest. While it seemed odd to play with ice sculptures in the heat of August, the prize was more commemorative than valuable—but Lucas was genuinely interested.
The contest rules were simple:
No limit to the number of Pokémon a contestant could bring—two, five, even ten.
Trainers and their Pokémon would work together to make ice blocks, then carve them, and finally the works would be judged by professionals.
According to the flyer, such events were a great way to bond with your Pokémon, build teamwork, and cooperation.
Lucas was already picturing several suitable Pokémon from the farm.
Just for making ice blocks, he had Regice, Glastrier, and Calyrex riding Glastrier.
Their speed at producing ice would outmatch any competitor.
He could even bring along a token participant like Vulpix.
For carving, there were plenty of choices too.
The Sandslash couple, both Ice/Steel-type with sharp claws.
Ceruledge, with its mighty sword and the ability to use fire for finer work.
Mimikyu, cute on the surface but with deadly claws hidden beneath its skirt.
Swampert could help break up ice blocks, Serperior had Leaf Blade, Luxray and Dragonite had sharp claws and fangs.
All were perfect for the event. Even if they didn't win a top prize, Lucas believed it would become a beautiful summer memory.
…