Pokemon: A New Path

Making Poké Puffs wasn't difficult. Following Lily's instructions, Naoki first mixed flour, eggs, and milk. Then, he poured clean water into a pot and added two different types of Berries—he chose the sweeter Peach and Mango Berries.

As the pot heated, the clear water gradually turned pink, releasing a sweet scent.

"Alcremie will definitely love this flavor," Naoki thought.

Seeing that it was almost ready, he poured the pre-mixed batter into the pot, then picked up the utensils and began to stir it slowly and evenly. Spending so much time in the kitchen had given Naoki a natural intuition about cooking times.

Once the batter was thoroughly mixed, he turned off the heat, poured it into molds, and placed them in the oven to bake.

Lily watched the whole process, her eyes filled with surprise. "I didn't expect you to have such a natural talent!"

Naoki grinned. "Maybe it's a chef's intuition!"

"A chef? But aren't you a rancher?"

"I'm a rancher by profession and a chef on the side," Naoki replied, looking at Cyclizar with a smile. "I usually prepare all the food for the Pokémon on the ranch."

Lily nodded in understanding. "I see!"

She thought of the Pokémon Naoki had brought to the Cherry Blossom Festival and couldn't help but exclaim, "You're amazing! Taking care of so many Pokémon all by yourself!"

Baking Poké Puffs took some time, so Naoki and Cyclizar waited patiently. During this time, some customers came into the shop to buy desserts.

Lily asked Naoki to keep an eye on the oven and went to serve them.

After about eight minutes, Lily returned, accompanied by a girl wearing a brown beret and exuding an artistic aura.

Seeing Naoki's curious gaze, Lily introduced them, "This is Mr. Naoki, a rancher from a nearby ranch. He's currently learning how to make Poké Puffs from me."

"Mr. Naoki, this is Akari. Like you, she came to my shop specifically to learn how to make Poké Puffs."

Akari seemed very enthusiastic and cheerful. She greeted him, "Good morning, Mr. Rancher!"

Naoki nodded. "Hello to you too, Akari."

Following Lily, Akari sat down at the table and took out a red and white ball from her bag.

With a flash of white light, a blue and white dolphin Pokémon appeared before them. It floated in the air, looking exactly like a dolphin, except smaller and with a ring of blue water around its tail fin. Its eyes were a unique combination of blue on top and pink on the bottom, making it look very cute. The most eye-catching feature was the red heart on its white belly.

Naoki was a little surprised.

Was that... a Finizen? No, the heart meant this had evolved into a Palafin.

He wondered if its ability was Zero to Hero, allowing it to change its type.

Akari spoke in a lively voice, "Finizen, this is Mr. Naoki. He's learning how to make Poké Puffs with Miss Lily and us today!"

Hearing this, the Finizen floating in the air turned its head and let out a melodious cry, as if greeting Naoki.

Naoki was a little surprised. "How is it floating?"

Akari shook her head honestly. "I don't know either. It was like this when I first met Finizen. It saved me when I accidentally fell into the water. To thank it, I gave it a Poké Puff. We've been together ever since."

Lily added with a smile, "Finizen and Akari have a wonderful bond!"

Finizen?

Shouldn't it be Palafin?

Then, Akari said, "When Finizen swam to save me, it really looked like the Hero from the stories!"

Lily asked, "Mr. Naoki is from another region, so he probably hasn't heard the legend that's popular in Paldea, right?"

Naoki blinked, thinking he knew the story, but he still asked, "Finizen?"

Akari reached out and touched the Palafin beside her, smiling and nodding. "It's the hero of the sea! Whenever it hears its companions calling for help, it transforms, and no one ever sees it at that moment."

"The Pokémon legends of Paldea record it as bravely saving people. After they transform, they're incredibly strong and can easily lift a cruise ship with just one fin! Unfortunately, I've never heard of a human trainer taming it, and they rarely appear before humans."

Naoki: "..."

So you mistook Palafin for Finizen, huh? Naoki glanced at Palafin but didn't reveal its true identity.

At that moment, a "ding" sound signaled that the Poké Puffs were done.

Naoki put on oven mitts and took the Poké Puffs out. A sweet fragrance immediately filled the room.

Looking at the pink Poké Puffs in the baking pan, everyone present, humans and Pokémon alike, looked surprised.

"Wow! They smell so delicious!"

Information about the Poké Puffs also appeared in Naoki's mind.

[Sweet and Fragrant Poké Puff (A): A delicious dessert made with berries, milk, and other ingredients, very popular with Pokémon.

Cooking effect: Best Friend Level 2, greatly increases the friendliness of Pokémon who like sweet tastes, and can easily attract Pokémon when placed in the wild.

Additional effect: Long-term consumption will make the Pokémon's body stronger.

Evaluation: Rich aroma and mellow taste. Both humans and Pokémon can enjoy it!]

Best Friend? Greatly increases the friendliness of Pokémon.

Overall, the effect was quite good and could effectively help him build closer relationships with Pokémon.

Naoki felt a bit of regret that he didn't get the cooking result he wanted. But then he thought, "This is a good opportunity to bring some back for Pawmi to help with its nutrition."

Naoki shared the Poké Puffs with everyone present, including the Pokémon. He also picked up a piece to taste himself.

The baked Poké Puff was soft and sticky, a bit like a muffin, and tasted like berries. It perfectly blended the flavors of peach and mango, sweet but not overly so.

"Wow! So delicious!" Akari's eyes lit up after taking a bite.

Lily was surprised at first, then showed appreciation. "Really good!"

Cyclizar and Palafin also looked delighted and stuffed the Poké Puffs into their mouths.

Seeing Cyclizar's eager expression, Naoki couldn't help but laugh and said, "Eat slowly. If it's not enough, I can make more."

Cyclizar chirped happily, "Cyclizar~"