Lionel was half exasperated, half amused. He raised a hand and gently patted the Shinny Beldum in his arms.
"All right, I get it. I won't expose you. Go grab something to eat—you slammed into that so hard you must be starving."
He set the Beldum down and pointed to the string of Thunder-Shock Cotton Candy still crackling faintly on the table.
Tyrunt also waddled over, its dizzy head swaying, clearly having forgotten the earlier "head-bump grudge."
Curious, it stared at the Beldum, wanting to see how this shiny, mouth-less little thing would eat.
The Beldum floated to the cotton candy using Confusion. The black energy vent below its red eye opened slightly, nibbling bit by bit.
Tyrunt's eyes went round; its jaw dropped so wide it forgot to close it.
Meanwhile, Feebas wiggled to the table and cautiously pecked the Thunder-Shock Cotton Candy.
The moment it tasted it, it shuddered, body tensing; the water it controlled scattered, and it flopped to the floor with a splash, flailing like a fish out of water.
The faint current in the cotton candy was indeed a bit much for the Water-type Feebas.
After recovering, Feebas re-gathered its water and scooted back, clearly not daring to touch the "electric sweet" again.
Seeing that, Tyrunt stopped reaching for the cotton candy, trotted to the other side, and stuffed a Thunder Mochi into its mouth.
The mochi was sweet and chewy—perfect. The little guy wolfed them down one by one, cheeks bulging, growling a muffled "Awoo" in delight.
Lionel chuckled, lifted Feebas into his arms, and offered it a Berry Slush from the bag. "Here, try this."
The icy, sweet slush suited Feebas perfectly; it happily lapped, its tense body relaxing.
The room finally quieted to the soft sounds of Pokémon eating. Leaning on the sofa, Lionel watched the three little ones with a smile.
After two bites, Beldum remembered its buddy Tyrunt and used Confusion to push the remaining cotton candy toward it, red eye expectant.
Tyrunt, recalling Feebas's reaction, turned its snout away, apparently uninterested in the "dangerous sweet."
But Beldum kept nudging, insistent, so Tyrunt gave in and tentatively licked.
The fluffy sweetness with a tingle hit its taste buds—Tyrunt's eyes lit up, and it began devouring the candy.
It even glanced at Feebas as if to say: "You tricked me—this is delicious and you made me scared to try it!"
After finishing, Tyrunt pushed its leftover Thunder Mochi to Beldum; the two swapped treats, munching happily.
Feebas, in Lionel's arms, ate slush and occasionally nudged another cup toward them with its tail, sharing its treat.
Watching the three taste and "comment," Lionel couldn't help a warm smile.
He took out his phone and recorded the cozy scene on camera.
He planned to use the footage to hype his upcoming livestream for the Mauville Gym challenge.
After filming, he pocketed the phone and opened the system panel in his mind.
Seeing about ten thousand popularity points left, he chose a Primary Lottery, planning to draw some Basic Pokémon Energy Clusters for Beldum.
Though basic clusters weren't much later on, they were plenty for a newborn Beldum.
More importantly, a Primary Lottery cost few popularity points—great value.
He didn't consider an Intermediate Draw; all his points were earmarked for the enhancement potion in the advanced draw.
Under the Trainer support plan with Devon Corporation, he received High-Grade Pokéblocks each month to boost his Pokémon.
He'd checked: those blocks held about as much energy as his intermediate clusters but were far less refined and slower to absorb.
So his training plan was clear: use the system's clusters as the main boost and High-Grade Pokéblocks as support to accelerate growth.
After eating, the three came to Lionel contentedly, and he wiped their faces with wet tissues one by one.
Beldum behaved, using faint Confusion to gather wrappers and sticks, pushing them into the trash.
"Good job," Lionel said, patting its head.
Tyrunt wanted to help too, but its stubby arms couldn't reach; it used its head and knocked things everywhere.
Lionel laughed, praised it, and gently shooed it off to play.
When tidying was done, Lionel had Beldum sense his Psychic power.
He opened his palm; a green speck floated above it, pulsing softly.
Tyrunt and Feebas nudged Beldum forward toward the energy.
Beldum tilted its head in puzzlement until Lionel guided the cluster into its body.
It shivered in comfort; the gentle energy flowed like warm water, and its red eye sparkled like a ruby.
Lionel glanced at the system storage where a move—Zen Headbutt—awaited.
Beldum already knew the move; using the reward would raise its proficiency, so he chose it without hesitation.
A white speck flew out and merged precisely into Beldum's head.
The little body stiffened, then understanding flashed in its red eye.
The finesse and energy flow of Zen Headbutt imprinted instinctively in its mind.
As Beldum savored the new move, Lionel turned to Feebas and Tyrunt.
He'd already told Feebas that for now the high-tier resources would go to Tyrunt to meet its evolution requirement quickly.
Feebas had tapped his hand with its tail to show it understood.
Lionel always treated his Pokémon equally and would discuss any temporary imbalance to avoid making them feel unfairly treated.
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