How Can an Alcremie Be This Cute? (BONUS)

Maylene hadn't been a Gym Leader for long—one could even say she had just taken on the role.

Before that, her life had been full of hardship.

Her father was a gambling addict who spent his days at Veilstone Game Corner, racking up massive debts.

As a result, Maylene not only had to train her Pokémon but also shoulder her father's debts, bearing a crushing burden at a young age.

In Pokémon Adventures, her poverty was even more extreme—often training on an empty stomach while convincing herself it was part of her hardcore discipline.

She earned the title "The Barefoot Fighting Genius" for a reason.

But she never gave up.

Instead, she pushed herself further, growing stronger.

With Sinnoh League's push for younger Gym Leaders, along with her sheer willpower and talent, Maylene was appointed as Veilstone's new Gym Leader.

However—

Even before that, she had frequently teamed up with Jasmine to challenge Seven Stars Restaurant.

For different reasons, both of them could only eat properly here.

The outgoing Maylene and the reserved Jasmine—

Their fates intertwined, and they naturally became partners.

Seeing them together, Johan started to understand why so many Gym Leaders had side jobs.

A Gym's salary was enough to raise a full team of Pokémon—

But it wasn't necessarily enough to raise them properly.

Especially for a newly appointed Gym Leader like Maylene.

"Maylene, you should consider picking up a side gig," Johan suggested.

Maylene scratched her nose sheepishly.

"I have! I've washed dishes, done laundry, farmed, worked as a cleaner… but I kept messing up."

Maylene was naturally strong, but she never realized it.

So whenever she took on those jobs, her sheer strength would cause disasters.

Plus, with her personality, she struggled with most jobs.

Fortunately, now that she was a Gym Leader, her life should become a lot easier.

"It'll get better," Johan reassured her, patting her shoulder.

There wasn't much else he could do to help—

But…

That gambling-addicted father of hers?

Johan could keep an eye on him.

No way that guy was still going to cause trouble with League police and Interpol watching.

Besides—

Veilstone City was home to one of Team Galactic's bases.

"Mm!" Maylene nodded firmly, full of determination.

—

"Ka-kaah?"

Gengar sniffed the air, drawn to a dessert station in the corner of the plaza.

This was where most of the sweets were coming from.

A group of chefs in white uniforms bustled around, whipping up fresh desserts and sending them to different tables.

But—

Gengar's attention was locked on something else.

Sitting atop the dessert table—

A tiny Pokémon covered in whipped cream, decorated with strawberries, resembling a delicate little cake.

An Alcremie!

It held a tiny spoon, carefully scooping some cream from its own body and spreading it over a cake handed to it by a pastry chef.

All the while, it hummed a happy little tune.

"Ka-kaah~! (≧▽≦)"

It smells so good!

Gengar stared at the little thing and gulped.

"Y-Mai?"

Noticing the hungry ghost staring at it, Alcremie shuddered.

Thinking fast, it quickly scooped a bit of its own cream and flung it at Gengar.

CHOMP!

Gengar caught it midair—devouring it in one bite.

"Ka-kaah! (っ´ω`)っ"

Delicious!

"Y-Mai?"

Alcremie tilted its head, then sighed in relief, patting its chest.

Luckily, the cream it threw had calming effects—once consumed, the target should lose all will to fight.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Gengar opened its mouth and pointed inside, signaling—

More, please.

"Y-Mai…"

Alcremie glanced at the nearby cakes, torn between its job and its survival.

Gengar's eyes gleamed mischievously—

And suddenly, it made a spooky face.

"Y-MAI!! (≧□≦)"

Alcremie panicked and flung another scoop of cream.

CHOMP.

Gengar devoured it instantly.

At that moment—

Gengar figured it out.

Scare it, get more cream.

"Ka-kaah~~"

"Y-Mai!!"

"Ka-kaah."

"Y-Mai!"

"Ka—"

"Y—!"

"…"

"Alcremie?"

Finally noticing Gengar's disappearance, Johan turned and saw the whole thing.

"Ka-kaah~!"

Gengar waved happily.

Johan, come try this cream—it's amazing!

Johan's forehead twitched.

Couldn't Gengar see that poor Alcremie was on the verge of tears?!

And the moment it spotted Johan—

"WAH!!"

Alcremie broke down crying.

"Y-Mai! ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡"

Gengar froze—then panicked.

"Ka-kaah (Д`)ヽ(￣ω￣)"

Frantically, it grabbed a handful of Pokéblocks and tossed one into Alcremie's mouth.

"Y-Mai?!"

Alcremie instinctively chewed—

And immediately stopped crying.

It blinked.

Sniffled.

Then, its eyes curved into little crescent moons.

"Y-Mai! (＞＜)☆"

"Ka-kaah~~"

Gengar laughed happily, patting Alcremie on the head.

Then, realizing its hand was now covered in cream—

It promptly licked it clean.

Johan rubbed his chin, studying the cream-scented, vanilla-flavored Alcremie.

Alcremie was a unique Pokémon.

It could produce whipped cream, and the happier it was, the sweeter and more fragrant the cream became.

For this reason, owning an Alcremie was the dream of pastry chefs everywhere.

Its cream could be used for cakes, cookies, pastries—anything.

And in battle, it had the incredibly powerful Decorate move.

[Decorate: Greatly boosts the target's Attack and Special Attack.]

A double stat-boost—on par with Mustard's Coaching!

Plus, outside of battle, Decorate could make any food look more appetizing.

Most Alcremie weren't fighters.

Instead, when facing danger, they threw cream at their opponents, using its calming effects to neutralize threats.

Gengar had completely exploited this loophole, making poor Alcremie throw cream over and over.

And yet—

The calming cream had zero effect on Gengar.

"This Alcremie is amazing, isn't it?"

Huh?

Johan turned.

A young man—wearing a white suit, with short light-blue hair, exuding an air of nobility, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old—

Had appeared behind him.

"Wait… Are you Johan?"

The young man looked surprised upon recognizing him.

Johan raised an eyebrow.

The man smiled and introduced himself.

"I'm Thorne, owner of Seven Stars Restaurant."

Oh—so this was the boss.

Seven Stars' "Battle-to-Eat-Free" event was his idea, created alongside his fiancée, Chloe.

Johan shook his hand.

"So, you're Thorne."

Then, he glanced at Alcremie.

"This Alcremie—is it yours?"

There were pastry chefs nearby, but…

None of them seemed to be Alcremie's trainer.

Otherwise, they would have stopped Gengar already.

Thorne smiled and shook his head.

"No, it's an employee of the restaurant."

An employee?

Thorne explained—

Alcremie had originally worked at a bakery, but it had been miserable, leading to flavorless cream and eventually, the bakery's closure.

Afterward, Thorne took it in.

Over time, with proper care, Alcremie became happier, and its cream grew sweeter and richer.

"I see…"

Johan nodded—then frowned slightly.

A suspicion crept into his mind.

"That bakery owner… was he a—"

Johan didn't finish the sentence, mindful of Alcremie listening.

But Thorne understood.

He sighed.

"Yes. He bought it from a hunter."

Johan fell silent.

Another case of Pokémon poachers…

And yet—

At that moment, Gengar and Alcremie were feeding each other snacks and cream.

And Gengar was absolutely smitten.

How can an Alcremie be this cute?!

Johan's expression turned… odd.

Wait.

Was Gengar bribing Alcremie with food… in exchange for cream?!

Gengar had unlocked the ultimate food transaction.

Thorne chuckled.

"It seems happy."

And the happier Alcremie was, the tastier its cream became.

Johan suddenly had a thought.

Should he try…

Stealing Thorne's employee?

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Powerstones?

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