Unknown Pokémon

Despite having two blazing swords for arms, Ceruledge had long mastered the art of food preparation, even though its lack of dexterous fingers meant it couldn't perform certain delicate tasks. Its grilling skills were exceptional, and its precision in slicing ingredients had reached an almost transcendent level.

Its fiery blades danced over the cutting board with rhythmic precision, like a pianist playing an intricate melody. In the blink of an eye, an entire basket of carrots had been diced into uniform, neatly cut pieces.

Next, Ceruledge moved on to the other ingredients.

Lean meat, green onions, and ginger were all swiftly transformed under its blades—minced meat, finely chopped scallions, and thin ginger slices.

Meanwhile, Kai retrieved half a bag of rice from the pantry and placed dry kindling into two stove burners. Just as he was about to ask Ceruledge to ignite the fire with Ember, a sudden idea struck him. He grabbed a small wooden stick and made his way toward the fireplace.

Moltres: "?"

Kai crouched down, holding the stick to the flames, and grinned at Moltres. "Just borrowing some fire for cooking."

Moltres: (⊙_⊙)

Moltres wanted to protest. It had already come to terms with Kai using its legendary flames to keep warm, but now he wanted to cook with them too?

What about its dignity? Its pride? Its legendary status?!

"Oh, by the way," Kai added, as if just remembering something. He paused and said, "Breakfast is going to be a little different today—carrot and lean meat porridge. It's light and mild in flavor. Should be something you like."

Moltres: "!!!"

Like a complete shift in expression, the fiery bird's resistance vanished, replaced by eager anticipation. It didn't even seem to care that it had just knocked Growlithe off itself when it abruptly stood up.

With a flap of its wings, a sudden gust of wind swept through the room, instantly extinguishing the small flame Kai had just ignited. Then, in the very next moment, Moltres opened its beak and breathed out a new, steady flame, relighting the stick.

"The fire in the fireplace is too strong, and it's been burning for days. This fresh flame is steadier and milder—perfect for slow cooking."

"Oh, and I'll have three bowls."

Moltres raised its right wing, the fire flickering on its feathers forming the shape of the number "3."

Growlithe, having been unceremoniously knocked to the floor, remained sprawled out, still fast asleep despite the rough treatment.

Kai: ◑﹏◐

After deciphering Moltres' not-so-subtle message, Kai couldn't help but feel that, for a supposed legendary Pokémon, Moltres really wasn't all that different from an ordinary Pokémon.

The universal truth of "food wins over pride" seemed to apply across all realities.

Holding the now-lit stick—essentially a miniature version of the sacred flames used in the Indigo League and Silver Conference—Kai sighed and returned to the kitchen, using the legendary fire to ignite the kindling beneath the stove.

He efficiently rinsed the rice, then poured it into two pots of boiling water, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

As he stirred, he muttered to himself, "This sacred fire really is something else. The heat is so stable, so precise. What amazing control…"

"…I'm probably the only one using sacred fire to cook, huh?"

As the words left his mouth, Kai's expression turned slightly odd, as if suddenly second-guessing himself.

"It still needs to simmer for a bit longer to get thicker. Time to wake up the lazy ones."

Kai covered the pots and glanced at Ceruledge.

Ceruledge gave a small nod, carefully removed its apron, and hung it aside. Then, the two split up—Kai went upstairs to wake up Serperior and the others, while Ceruledge was responsible for rousing the Growlithe.

By the time all the Pokémon had gathered in the living room, Kai glanced outside at the heavy rain and frowned. "Where's Swampert? It should've been here by now."

His gaze shifted to the Poliwag that had spent the night indoors. Usually, by this time, Swampert would have already brought the Poliwags over for breakfast.

The weather was bad, but for Water-type Pokémon like Swampert and the Poliwags, the rain shouldn't have been much of an issue.

Just as Kai debated whether to grab an umbrella and check on Thunder Lake, Swampert's figure emerged from the storm. Its heavy steps were steady and unfazed by the wind and rain.

Kai opened the door for it, peering behind to see where the Poliwags were—only to find that they weren't there.

Frowning, he looked at Swampert, who shook its head and gestured with its hands.

From what Kai could understand, the Poliwags had decided to sleep in. Since they wanted to come later on their own, Swampert had come ahead.

Accepting Swampert's explanation, Kai returned to the kitchen, lifting the lids off the pots. He stirred the porridge a few times, then added the pre-prepared diced lean meat and carrot cubes. After letting it simmer a little longer, he sprinkled in some salt, added a garnish of chopped scallions, and—done!

Slow-simmered carrot and lean meat porridge, cooked with sacred fire—served fresh!

Bringing two large bowls of porridge into the somewhat crowded living room, Kai glanced around again.

Still no sign of the three missing Poliwags.

His brows furrowed slightly. By now, he had been in the kitchen finishing up for over ten minutes. Even if they were lazing around, they shouldn't have taken this long.

A vague sense of unease crept into his mind. He set the bowls down and looked at the eldest Poliwag, who also seemed restless and worried.

"We should go check on them," Kai said, his tone more serious.

The Poliwag gave a firm nod. "Polii!"

The other Pokémon, seeing that Kai was heading out, eagerly volunteered to act as his bodyguards.

Though he didn't think there was any real danger on the farm, Kai chose Mimikyu—small enough to not be a burden—and took Poliwag along. Donning a raincoat and boots, he grabbed an umbrella and set off toward Thunder Lake.

Meanwhile, at Thunder Lake.

A strange, angular Pokémon with a high-tech, mechanical appearance tore through the water, rampaging across the lake without restraint.

It moved with incredible speed, carving a white streak across the rain-splattered surface.

And in its wake, a lone Poliwag was frantically trying to escape.

Its two companions had already been struck down, unconscious in the water.

Only its own natural speed—and the fact that the mysterious fish Pokémon seemed to be toying with it—had allowed Poliwag to hold out for this long.

But…

Poliwag could feel its strength reaching its limit.

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