Chapter 80:
The Alcremie slept through the afternoon, so Kaede took the chance to run to HappyMart and buy a few baking machines.
By the time the first Alcremie woke, it was already evening. It called out once and blinked at the bright living room, startled.
"Alcremie?"
Sleep faded and memories returned. It quickly realized it was in a new place with a new Trainer and felt a pang of loss.
Its cry woke the others. As they took in their surroundings, confusion rippled through them. Why had they suddenly fallen asleep? And why were they in bowls?
"Alcremie?" (Will the new Trainer eat us?)
One Alcremie asked anxiously. That question set off a round of worried murmurs.
"I miss Koli…"
"Alcremie…(They won't eat us, right?)"
While the Alcremie fretted, Kaede's head popped out of the kitchen. "Oh — you're awake. Could you come help me with some cream?"
"Alcremie?"
Hearing the word "cream" froze them all. A red Frosmoth with strawberry decorations on its head nodded timidly. "Alcremie?" (Okay…?)
"Thanks so much."
Kaede stepped into the room wrapped in a white scarf dusted with flour. He carried the Alcremie one by one into the kitchen. Once they understood what he wanted, their worries flipped into excitement.
In the kitchen were Gardevoir, Bounsweet, and a Rotom attached to a baking machine — Rotom was recording, just like Kaede planned for later posting on the Breeding Network. On the counter sat breads and cake bases of every shape and size: round, square, some tiny, one towering nearly a meter high in five tiers. Scattered around were chopped orchard fruits, cookies, and chocolate.
"Alcremie?"
"Alcremie!"
They immediately realized what this was: cake-making! Those fluffy "breads" were cake bases.
"Alcremie~" (I'm matcha-flavored!)
"Alcremie~" (I'm snow-salt flavor!)
Their spirits surged. Kaede assigned tasks and had them pipe their creams into bowls, mix in fruit crumbs, and then frost the cake bases like little pastry decorators. He figured it might take a long time — but these Alcremie were naturally adept. They divided up the layers efficiently: "You do this tier, I'll do that tier," and on larger areas they worked together. For spots a Alcremie couldn't reach, Gardevoir lent telekinetic help.
Before long a meter-tall cake stood before Kaede, its creams rainbowed with fruit pieces and decorative swirls.
Kaede busied himself planning tomorrow's small-cake product while the Alcremie finished decorating. He casually used his Scan Eye on one of the small cakes.
[B-grade Alcremie Petit Cake] — Bread fermented with flour and Bounsweet juice, layered with Alcremie cream and sprinkled with chopped tree-fruit.
Culinary effect — embodies Alcremie's trait: after eating, the consumer emits a special aroma that uniquely attracts food-producing Pokémon.
That note made Kaede raise an eyebrow — a handy method for luring food-producing Pokémon.
"Alcremie~"
"Alcremie! (It's done!)"
A red-decorated Alcremie proudly poked Kaede's scarf and announced, "Alcremie~ (Look! We finished the big cake!)" It blinked, saw Kaede's face, noticed he wasn't Koli, and took a small step back.
"Looks great — it must taste amazing."
Kaede sampled a petit cake and gave an immediate thumbs-up. Then he scanned the giant cake.
[S+ Alcremie Grand Cake] — Bread fermented with rice flour and Bounsweet juice, layered with Alcremie cream and filled with rare berries.
Culinary effects:
1. Embodies Alcremie'a trait — after eating, the consumer emits a special aroma that uniquely attracts food-producing Pokémon.
2. Contains rare berries — eating it raises one random IV (individual value) of the eater.
3. If consumed by a milk-producing Pokémon, the quality of their milk increases.
S+. Kaede's eyes lit up. His last S+ formula had been for an energy block that boosted resistance to negative status effects; this S+ food — powered by rare fruits and Alcremie cream — was another major success.
The little Alcremie stared at Kaede's thumb, then suddenly felt compelled to sniff him. Humans often smell strangely comforting when they're kind — and this human seemed both fragrant and gentle. When Kaede scooped the strawberry-decor Alcremie into his hands, it didn't shrink away; instead it cuddled and nuzzled him.
"So cute…"
This one was a matcha-flavored Alcremie with a clover accessory. Kaede couldn't help himself — he pressed it to his cheek and inhaled.
"So fragrant~"
"Alcremie…" (So fragrant…)