"Wow! It's so lively!"
Looking at the dense crowd ahead, Korrina exclaimed dramatically.
There were simply too many people. The open area in front was packed with a sea of heads and all kinds of Pokémon.
"So how are we supposed to get in now?"
They didn't have to wait long before Siebold walked over from the side.
He greeted the three of them and led them through a side passage into the interior.
Halfway there, Diantha was caught by her manager, so they had to part temporarily.
The two agreed that after the festival ended, they would meet again at Hayato Sora's ranch.
Following Siebold to the front rows, they arrived beside a giant soup cauldron, where all the invited chefs had already gathered.
At that moment, everyone was debating what kind of soup to make.
Because they couldn't reach a consensus, the chefs were arguing endlessly.
After all, whether the soup tasted good or not would determine whether this year's Beach Festival ended successfully.
Many people had come specifically for this one-of-a-kind soup.
Hayato Sora listened for a while before proposing a compromise.
All the chefs present came from coastal cities, and everyone was skilled at cooking seafood.
A seafood soup was something none of them would have trouble with.
After Hayato Sora suggested it, Siebold supported the idea, and the other chefs thought it over and agreed.
With a consensus reached, everyone left to prepare the ingredients they planned to add.
Siebold said a few words and departed as well.
Meanwhile, the festival itself reached its peak moment.
The appearance of Diantha and Gardevoir instantly ignited the entire crowd.
After enduring plenty of training and experience, Diantha had already become the leading star among the new generation of actresses.
Combined with the upcoming release of her film, her popularity was guaranteed to soar.
On the other side, the chefs finished choosing their ingredients.
"Chef Hayato Sora, what ingredient did you prepare?"
Siebold leaned over curiously.
"Just some white truffles I picked from the back mountain not long ago. They pair perfectly with the seafood soup everyone is making today."
A combination of mountain delicacies and seafood, huh?
Even for a seasoned chef like Siebold, who had created countless dishes, the idea made him look forward to it.
In truth, Hayato Sora had his own little plan.
He wanted to use this opportunity to see whether he could produce a dish of A-rank or even S-rank quality.
Soon, everyone added their ingredients into the enormous pot one after another.
Below the cauldron, Fire-type Pokémon increased the heat.
Before long, a fragrant aroma began to drift out of the pot—
a mixture of light milky richness and the salty scent of the sea.
The smell stimulated everyone's taste buds, and many people couldn't help swallowing.
Hayato Sora added the white truffles last, performing the final seasoning.
A moment later, something changed before Hayato Sora's eyes.
Just as he had guessed, any dish he participated in making would trigger feedback from his system ability.
[Seafood Soup (A+)]
A top-tier dish jointly created by more than a dozen master chefs.
There is only one in the world, and it is nearly impossible to replicate.
Dish Effect:Praise of the Sea
[Praise of the Sea]
An extremely unique dish.
At the moment it is completed, it will attract the attention of a Legendary Pokémon, causing it to pause nearby.
Almost the instant Hayato Sora finished reading the system description—
From the distant horizon over the sea came a long, resonant cry that echoed across the entire festival.
Under everyone's gaze, a massive silver-white bird rode the ocean currents and flew across the sky above Santalune City, casting its gaze down upon the crowd.
It was the Legendary Pokémon Lugia.
Known as the Guardian of the Seas, Lugia possessed the power to command ocean currents.
Even though it was already nighttime, Lugia's sudden appearance instantly detonated the atmosphere of the entire festival.
Humans and Pokémon alike were flushed with excitement.
After all—
That was a Legendary Pokémon.
For such a Pokémon to appear in Santalune City right before the festival ended would create an unimaginable shock and impact.
Even Hayato Sora was no exception.
At that moment, he looked into the distance at Lugia with excitement.
The only one who didn't seem impressed was probably Cyclizar.
The little guy curled its lip.
Isn't it just Lugia?
It had even fought a black Lugia before!
Cyclizar jealously pawed at Hayato Sora as if to say:
Look at me! Look at me!
I'm the Iron Serpent—the God of the Future!
Hayato Sora placed a large hand on Cyclizar's head and blinked.
He seemed to understand what Cyclizar meant.
This little guy…
could it be that it wanted to fly too?
If he remembered correctly, Cyclizar's future and ancient forms could both fly.
Only its current form couldn't.
"Cyclizar, do you want to fly too?"
"That won't work—you don't have wings."
Lugia's appearance completely ignited the festival.
Even deep into the night, the crowds still hadn't dispersed.
Before morning even arrived, news of Lugia appearing over Santalune City had already spread across the entire Pokémon League through the internet.
For a while, rumors about the Seafood Soup created by the chefs during the final event spread wildly.
People exaggerated all kinds of mysterious effects.
But according to Hayato Sora—
Aside from tasting excellent, it didn't really have any special effect.
Or rather…
Attracting Lugia's attention was already its greatest effect.
It wasn't until the latter half of the night, after helping Siebold and the others finish the festival's closing work, that Hayato Sora finally said goodbye and returned to the ranch with his Pokémon.
Along the way, Cyclizar seemed extremely excited.
They were finally going back to that happy ranch!
But once they arrived—
Cyclizar fell asleep faster than anyone else.
Hayato Sora glanced at it speechlessly.
He picked up a small blanket and covered Cyclizar with it.
They hadn't lit the fireplace tonight, so the weather was a little chilly.
Before going to bed, Hayato Sora recorded the previous night's earnings.
Spring, Year 198 — January 31
Expenses: 5,000 (purchasing cooking ingredients)
Income: 46,249
Remaining Funds: 68,049
In just one night, his funds had more than doubled.
This made Hayato Sora fantasize a little.
If the festival lasted one more day, earning 100,000 PokéDollars wouldn't be a problem.
He would achieve his goal instantly.
"I've decided—tomorrow I'll go buy a generator, an oven, and a refrigerator."
With money in hand, it was time to improve their living conditions.
Living in a house without electricity was really inconvenient.
Closing the notebook, Hayato Sora picked up Cinccino and Smoliv, who were dozing on the desk.
He placed Smoliv gently back into its flowerpot and laid Cinccino softly on the bed.
After informing Kangaskhan, Hayato Sora glanced toward the Mudbray stable.
After working all night, the Mudbray were huddled together in deep sleep, loud snoring filling the small shelter.
There was no need to check on the Noibat trio.
At this hour, they were definitely awake—nighttime was their active period.
Even before getting close, Hayato Sora could already hear their chirping from far away.
He reminded them not to wander too far at night, then looked up at the roof.
Tonight, Chatot was actually there for once.
When it saw him, Chatot greeted him tiredly, looking as if all its energy had been drained.
After washing up quickly outside, Hayato Sora returned to the room.
Cyclizar was sleeping soundly, drool soaking the edge of the blanket.
Who knew what kind of happy dream this silly guy was having?
Picking up the sleeping Cinccino, Hayato Sora gently rubbed its soft fur.
Then he asked Kangaskhan to blow out the candle.
After wishing each other good night, Hayato Sora soon fell asleep, breathing in the light herbal fragrance coming from Cinccino.
Before long, the room filled with waves of quiet snoring.
Hayato Sora was exhausted too.
If it weren't for the lure of earning money, he would have wanted to come back much earlier.
When he woke up tomorrow—
His arms would probably be too sore to move.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
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