Chapter 438:
This wine is trouble...
It must be the wine's fault. Last time was just like this—he gave me wine, and then I made a fool of myself.
The unusual emotions rising in its heart after drinking the Pecha Berry Wine immediately made Serperior think this.
Sure enough.
Seeing the other Pokémon drink the wine and then rush over to snuggle against Kaede almost confirmed the wine was somehow... off.
But... so what?
Watching Leafeon curled up in his lap, at this moment, Serperior also very much wanted to glide over and nestle into his embrace.
After all, it had drunk the wine.
That's what Serperior thought.
Its gaze fixed directly on Kaede, and then it naturally slid over. Resting its head on the hand he offered, it settled its head onto his other knee.
"Good girl... you're so adorable..."
Even though Kaede was saying things that made it feel shy, it didn't pull away. Instead, it shifted its tail over, slowly encircling Kaede's entire form.
"This is so nice...."
Kaede leaned back slightly, resting against Serperior's back.
Looking at the Pecha Berry Wine in his hand, he couldn't help but sigh in contentment.
It was unclear whether he was praising the wine or the current atmosphere.
But in this moment, his mood had indeed become incredibly sweet.
*Whoosh~*
A gentle breeze passed by, carrying with it Serperior's rare, soft voice. "Serperior..."
"Hmm?"
Kaede's hand, which had been gently stroking Serperior's head, paused. "What is it, Serperior?"
"Serperior....." (*The power of Aura... I want to go see the Tree of Beginning.*)
Even though it had acted so disinterested in the Tree of Beginning last time in front of Kaede, mentioning it again now came easily to Serperior.
"You want to go see the Tree of Beginning?"
Kaede was taken aback, then looked at Serperior's status panel.
[Pokémon: Serperior]
[Gender: Female]
[Type: Grass]
[Ability: Contrary (+)]
[Potential: Gold]
[IVs: HP (31+2) Attack (24+1) Sp. Atk (31+2) Def (29+1) Sp. Def (25+2) Speed (31+3)]
[Level: 69]
[Moves: Vine Whip, Leech Seed, Glare, Aura Sphere, Grassy Terrain...]
[Affection: 100]
[Happinese Value: 75 (Go to the Tree of Beginning, become stronger, so I can accompany Kaede anywhere in the future...)]
One could say Serperior was definitely the most exceptional Pokémon under his care. That mysterious reward potion from before had directly pushed its IVs beyond 31. And recently, some of its other IVs had also seen increases.
*'Level 69...'*
Although Kaede didn't really want to pry into Serperior's thoughts, the real-time thoughts displayed on the panel caught his eye first.
Level 69 was the crucial threshold before Level 70.
And this newfound desire to go to the Tree of Beginning to grow stronger was likely rooted in the last time he went out without taking Serperior.
It might not have shown it on the surface, but it had been storing up determination.
Thinking this, Kaede said directly, "Sure."
"Next time Mew returns, we can ask it to take us there."
He believed Mew would agree.
"Serperior~"
Serperior nodded quietly.
The atmosphere around them seemed to grow still for a moment.
Kaede broke the silence again. "Want some candy?"
He took out a Rare Candy and offered it to Serperior.
Serperior didn't reply verbally, just flicked its tongue out, coiling the candy and drawing it into its mouth.
Watching Serperior's level gradually rise from 69 to 70, then 71, then 72, Kaede smiled. "The wine is stored in the barn. If you want to drink more, just ask the sister Indeedee to pour some for you. The taste is really good."
It was clear Serperior was very satisfied with this wine.
Its Happiness Value had increased quite a bit.
Now up to 85.
"Serperior~" (*Understood.*)
Just as Kaede was about to comfortably lean back against Serperior and savor this moment of peace, a few slightly "noisy" voices came from nearby.
"Happiny!"
"Ninetales?"
"…eon, …eon?"
Turning, Kaede saw a small, pink, egg-like figure toddling over on short legs, almost rolling in its haste.
It was Happiny!
It hugged its egg, its mouth stretched in an exaggerated smile. Despite its short legs, it moved as if turbocharged.
Following close behind were Alolan Ninetales and the remaining two Eeveelutions.
They bounded over in a few leaps, arriving beside Kaede.
Alolan Ninetales loudly protested, "Ninetales!" (*You're having a secret snack feast with Serperior!*)
It sniffed at the bottle on the picnic cloth. The unfamiliar, fragrant scent of Pecha Berry Wine only strengthened its conviction that Kaede was having a secret treat with Serperior!
The two Eevee stood beside it, silent.
But Happiny, who ran fast but arrived a bit later, was just as indignant and serious as Alolan Ninetales. "Happiny!" (*How could you!*)
"Happiny~!" (*Drinking something yummy without Happiny!*)
Having been at the Breeding House for almost a month, Happiny's personality was growing bolder by the day. Only a week after its birth, it had explored the entire plantation and Berry orchard. Once, seeing Primarina's head pop up in the water, it tried to reach out and touch it, which led to it falling into the water.
Come to think of it, there weren't any Pokémon watching on the shore at that time.
Luckily, Milotic was in the water, otherwise the little one hugging its egg might have been scared out of its wits.
As the weather grew hotter, the once highly-motivated Alolan Ninetales no longer trained as hard as before, becoming rather lax—"fishing for three days and drying the nets for two," as the saying goes.
Every day, it was either lounging in the shade of a berry tree or running around wildly with Happiny.
"No, no, this is the newly brewed Pecha Berry Wine. We were just sampling it first to see if it tastes good," Kaede said with a straight face. "What if it tasted bad? Then we wouldn't brew it anymore."
"Happiny?" (*Is it good?*)
Happiny, smelling the lingering wine fragrance in the air, didn't doubt Kaede's words at all.
"Not bad."
"Happiny~!" (*Then I want some too!*)
Happiny immediately raised its egg.
"Alright, alright, I'll go get some later." Kaede couldn't stop smiling.
Alolan Ninetales, who had come along, had been quietly observing. It wasn't that it didn't want the wine, but from the moment it arrived, it felt something about this scene was off, though it couldn't pinpoint what.
Now it finally realized.
Hmm?
Serperior has its head on Kaede's knee and is letting him lean against its body?
That doesn't seem quite right…