Chapter 275:
".....Of course I can~"
"You want to be the size you were when you were little and be held in my arms right?"
Looking at Serperior, who had spoken those words, Hayashi Kaede couldn't help but respond.
"Serperior..."
Serperior's body squirmed restlessly, its tail swaying left and right as if unsure where to place it, but it still nodded quietly.
"Of course I can do it for you," A smile reappeared on Kaede's face. Even though it was winter now, he still remembered holding the little Snivy when they went to Aogiri City together.
"But... after eating this Pecha Berry, you'd always be that size. Your strength probably wouldn't change, but your appetite would become smaller. Let me research it and see if I can turn it into a time-limited version through cooking."
"Or do you want to stay small permanently? If so, you might end up smaller than Alolan Vulpix in the future, or even a fully evolved Eevee."
Kaede was considering what was best for Serperior.
A tiny Serperior putting on a cold face in the plantation probably wouldn't be as intimidating.
"Serperior..." (Mmm...)
Serperior nodded. This time, it voluntarily lowered its head and rubbed its face against Kaede's.
"Alright, alright."
"I'll go to the kitchen right now and try it out for you."
"Keep an eye on this tree for me these next few days. See if it can keep producing berries like this."
Kaede was also quite interested in this Pecha Berry.
He had a feeling this Pecha Berry tree wouldn't just produce these mutant berries today but could continue to do so in the coming days.
Moreover, if he could really create a time-limited version of the Size-Shifter effect as he imagined, it would be a qualitative leap for power-type Pokémon!
Maybe he could even cultivate a time-limited version of a giant "Ancient Dragonite"?
As for why not a permanent Ancient Dragonite...
He couldn't afford it. Simply couldn't afford it.
A body over ten meters tall would probably eat through a tenth of the plantation in a single day...
Also, Milotic and Primarina could eat this too, shrinking down a bit. He could buy a large tank specifically for them and move it to the new house, so they wouldn't have to stay in the reservoir all winter.
In winter, probably only Alolan Vulpix would become more active; the other Pokémon likely wouldn't go out much.
By then, they probably couldn't use the garden as the dining area anymore.
Having Milotic and Primarina eat in the garden all winter would be too lonely.
The water surface might even freeze over.
"Serperior~" (Okay.)
Serperior nodded, its gaze upon the tree becoming serious.
It would leave a trace of its Aura power on the tree to prevent Alolan Vulpix and the Eevee squad from getting too carried away while playing here.
Kaede picked the five Size-Shifting Pecha Berries and went straight to the kitchen.
"Five chances. Need to save two as backups, so three attempts left. If I don't succeed in three tries, I'll have to see if that Pecha Berry tree consistently produces this kind of berry."
"To make a time-limited version... the best method is to dilute the power of this mutant berry... meaning, turn one berry into as many Energy Cubes as possible?"
Having found his direction, Kaede didn't ponder for long.
Making Energy Cubes didn't take much time.
For the first attempt, Kaede chose a conservative approach, turning one Pecha Berry into twenty Energy Cubes.
[S-Grade Size-Shifting Pecha Cube – An Energy Cube made using a specially mutated berry. Possesses the Size-Shifter effect.]
[Culinary Effect: Size-Shifting – After consumption, allows the user to change size within a 2x range according to their will.]
[Note: The change is relative. The larger one becomes, the greater the energy consumption.]
[The smaller one becomes, the lesser the energy consumption.]
"Twenty portions still aren't enough?"
Looking at the twenty divided Energy Cubes, Kaede wasn't discouraged.
He immediately started a new batch.
With the experience from the first attempt, Kaede chose to make forty Energy Cubes this time.
Soon, forty more Energy Cubes were finished.
[A-Grade Size-Shifting Pecha Cube – An Energy Cube made using a specially mutated berry. Possesses the Size-Shifter effect.]
[Culinary Effect: Size-Shifting – After consumption, allows the user to change size within a 3x range according to their will. Change is time-limited.]
[Time Limit: Returns to original size 8 hours after consumption.]
[Note: During the time-limited change, the larger one becomes, the greater the energy consumption. The smaller one becomes, the lesser the energy consumption.]
"Just as I thought!"
Seeing the culinary effect this time, Kaede's eyes lit up.
But he still wasn't satisfied.
Because the size change this time was only threefold.
Three times wouldn't meet his requirements.
Even if Milotic shrank three times, it would still be over two meters long.
For the last attempt, Kaede chose to turn this Pecha Berry into thirty Energy Cubes.
The result didn't disappoint him.
[A+ Grade Size-Shifting Pecha Cube – An Energy Cube made using a specially mutated berry...]
[Culinary Effect: Size-Shifting – After consumption, allows the user to change size within a 5x range according to their will. Change is time-limited.]
[Time Limit: Returns to original size 8–24 hours after consumption.]
"Great! It even lets you choose the duration now!"
Seeing the "8–24h" note, Kaede was even more pleased.
This effect meant that after eating it, the consumer could choose how long the transformation lasts.
The minimum was 8 hours, the maximum 24 hours.
For Serperior, the optimal transformation time would be eight hours.
Just right for a night's sleep.
For Milotic, the best duration would be a full day.
Consuming one Energy Cube per day would be perfect.
"Since the third attempt was successful, I might as well turn the remaining two berries into this type of Energy Cube as well."
Kaede didn't keep the last two Pecha Berries.
After turning them all into Energy Cubes and preparing today's lunch, it was already noon~
Kaede carried the food to the garden, watching Pokémon after Pokémon arrive at the garden for mealtime, he then took out the Energy Cubes and explained their effects to everyone.
He initially thought the first to react would be Serperior or Milotic. Unexpectedly, after hearing the effect, the first one who couldn't hold back a question was Alolan Vulpix.
"Vulpix?" (So... if I evolve, and eat this, can I become small too?)
"Huh?"
Kaede was momentarily stunned, then nodded, not quite understanding. "Yes, you can. Why do you ask, little one?"
"Vulpix~!" (Then I want to evolve!)