The first to approach was Blaziken. Holding a steamed bun, it strutted over, exclaiming, "Cha!" (It evolved!)
"Shaymin…"
Shaymin felt a little shy. It had clearly said before that it didn't want to evolve, so now, facing its friends, it was noticeably embarrassed.
Luckily, Blaziken was rough and straightforward, completely unaware of this.
Next came Sealeo, who clumsily flopped over beside Shaymin, smiling in congratulations. "Flora~"
"Shaymin…" Shaymin felt a rush of happiness.
None of its friends had brought up its previous refusal to evolve, which made it feel accepted.
Gardevoir, watching this scene, softened its eyes.
These three little ones had all been under its care, and naturally, it hoped they would live well and be happy.
"Evolved?"
Jirachi flew over as well, a hint of regret on its face as it looked at the Shaymin plush it had caught earlier.
It seemed like it had caught the wrong one… but seeing Shaymin happily hug the toy again, it realized that even after evolving, everything was fine.
After lunch, most of the Pokémon who had gone out with Lin Feng seemed sleepy. Blaziken returned to its nest to rest, and Glaceon led the Eevees back to their rooms.
Serperior, however, remained in the garden, inspecting the mutated flowers.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng, having cleared the tableware, remembered Mewtwo.
Since the first day of the tournament, he hadn't seen much of Mewtwo.
Had it really gone back to its island to develop its own Poké Balls after taking a few luxury Poké Balls?
He quickly dismissed the thought. Right now, Jirachi's situation was more important.
After lunch, Mew had taken Jirachi somewhere to "go wild," and they were nowhere to be seen.
The bond between these two mythical Pokémon was growing stronger.
That gave Lin Feng some reassurance.
If Jirachi had the perfect friend to meet, it would be Mew.
Mew's symbiotic connection was with the Tree of Life, meaning that as long as the Tree was safe, Mew would be safe too.
And the Tree of Life… how could it possibly be in danger?
Aside from Mew and the three Regi Pokémon guarding it, Arceus itself wouldn't let anything happen.
Furthermore, Mew had the heart of a child, and Jirachi, waking only once every thousand years, had a similarly youthful temperament. The two were perfect playmates.
Still… problems needed solutions.
So, while everyone rested, Lin Feng returned to the new kitchen, accompanied by Gardevoir.
Gardevoir noticed him staring off into space while sitting on a kitchen chair and asked gently, "Gardevoir?" (What are you thinking about?)
"Hm?"
Lin Feng snapped out of it and looked back at Gardevoir. Smiling, he said openly, "I'm thinking of a way to solve Jirachi's long sleep problem."
"Gardevoir?"
Gardevoir hesitated. That shouldn't be too hard, right?
Then it recalled its own past. It had been burdened by a Pokémon's curse for a long time, yet Lin Feng had solved it.
With that in mind, Gardevoir asked, "Gardevoir?" (Any leads?)
Lin Feng nodded. "Yes, a bit. There is a solution, but the difficulty… I can't say for sure, and I'm not entirely confident."
"And also, there's a Pokémon Jirachi wants to meet…"
Lin Feng remembered the longing in Jirachi's eyes when it saw the Shiny Rayquaza during the storytime.
He hadn't understood before why Jirachi wanted to meet Rayquaza.
Now he did.
Millennia ago, people and Pokémon had faded into the past.
But this one Pokémon could cross a thousand years.
For Jirachi, it was a unique bond.
Crossing a millennium, it was the only Pokémon Jirachi had known from so long ago.
But Shiny Rayquaza…
Lin Feng groaned internally.
It lived in the stratosphere. How was he supposed to find it?
Although he also wanted to meet Rayquaza.
"Gardevoir?" (What Pokémon is it?)
Curious, Gardevoir asked.
"Rayquaza… a Pokémon called the Sky God."
Gardevoir was silent. Even without having heard of it, a Pokémon called a "God" was clearly rare and immensely powerful.
Yet it asked, "Gardevoir?" (Do you need my help?)
Lin Feng's mind drifted to Victini, so he answered indirectly. "Hm… I need to make small cookies, like sandwich buns, to attract a certain Pokémon. I'm trying to figure out what flavor it would like."
He paused, then laughed.
"Actually, it's simple. I don't need to overthink it. I can just make several flavors, and that should work."
Wondering what Victini would like, he could just make a few varieties.
"You can help too~"
"Gardevoir…" (Okay.)
…
Making the little cookies didn't take long.
But to achieve a unique taste, Lin Feng experimented many times.
By afternoon, he even called Blaziken over to taste-test.
After repeated trials, one cookie stood out the one made from a colorful, mutated pumpkin that Serperior had delivered.
The pumpkin's flesh was divided into seven colors, creating a magical effect.
Eating it would temporarily change the Pokémon's skin color to match the hues, with a small chance of bringing good luck.
After baking into a cookie, it became:
[A-Rank Sweet Cookie (Pink Version)] Made with Sweet Nectar and pink flowers. Emits a floral fragrance. Increases presence when eaten.
Cooking Effects:
First consumption increases the Pokémon's presence and causes its skin to emit a pink glow for a period of time.
During the glowing period, a small luck boost is applied.
It was A-rank.
Even so, Lin Feng's eyes lit up at its effect.
Ignoring the glow, the slight luck boost alone made it feel like an S-rank dish in his mind.
After all, only he knew how bad his luck usually was.
"Cha?!"
But the test-eating Blaziken was stunned.
Its red body began glowing pink, transforming its usually fierce appearance into something round and cute, like a giant light bulb.
Lin Feng chuckled, playing the wise strategist: "Oh, you ate a bit too fast. I forgot to tell you whatever color cookie you eat, that's the color you glow."
"Cha?!"