[Thunderbolt Mashed Potatoes (S): A legendary-grade dish made from Zapdos's crest feathers and golden potatoes. It is said that those who consume it can command lightning.
Dish Effect: Lightning Moment (Electric-type Pokémon only). After consumption, the Pokémon's body will briefly transform into a golden form and recover to its peak state. (Duration depends on the Pokémon's overall strength.)
Evaluation: A one-of-a-kind dish in the world. Avoid consuming it in enclosed spaces.]
"Huh?"
Silas stared in astonishment, only to see a bolt of lightning descend straight from the sky, blasting a hole clean through the roof of the ranch house.
Crackling arcs of electricity raged wildly, all of them pouring into Cyclizar's body.
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar let out an excited roar—it could feel it.
Power… immense, overwhelming power flooded every corner of its body.
With a sharp whoosh, Cyclizar shot straight into the sky, vanishing from everyone's sight.
"Kang?"
"Min~"
"..."
The Pokémon looked up at the hole in the roof, then at Silas, completely confused about what had just happened.
And what on earth was Cyclizar doing—was it trying to tear the house apart?!
Rumble—!
Thunder boomed out of nowhere, and a dark shadow dove down from the sky, landing outside the house.
Silas stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. "Do you want to go take a look at Cyclizar? Its current appearance might scare you half to death."
Leading the Pokémon outside, a blue-and-purple Dragon Pokémon came into view—its streamlined metallic body vaguely resembled Cyclizar.
One of Generation Nine's legendaries.
The God of the Future, the Iron Serpent—Miraidon.
Its overall form looked like a precision machine: its face, claws, abdomen, and tail were gray, with electric arcs skimming across the surface. Two lightning antennae extended from both sides of its helmet-like head armor, while pixel-like particles flickered within its black eyes. Purple-yellow energy constantly wrapped around its body.
It hovered in midair using jet engines in its hind legs, while its lightning-shaped tail spun like a pinwheel.
The cold, severe aura around Miraidon shattered in an instant—it let out a howl and instantly transformed into a streak of lightning, pouncing straight at Silas and knocking him to the ground.
Its electronic tongue swept across Silas's cheek, leaving a tingling, numbing sensation.
Seeing Miraidon act like this, the tension Silas had been holding finally dissipated.
Miraidon was still that goofy, dog-like Cyclizar at heart. From beginning to end, they were always the same Pokémon.
After a good while, Silas finally managed to push Miraidon away.
The Pokémon swarmed over noisily, cautiously inspecting it.
Minccino stretched out a tiny paw and poked it.
"Min?" (Are you Cyclizar?)
"Rai!"
Miraidon spun around excitedly, proudly showing itself off to everyone.
Then it reached out, gently scooped Minccino up with one claw, and placed it on its back.
Minccino froze at first, too scared to move, but after realizing there was no danger, it lay down comfortably on Miraidon's back, brushing its tail against Miraidon's body in an affectionate gesture.
Seeing that Minccino was safe—and after getting confirmation from Silas—the rest of the Pokémon finally understood.
This cool, handsome Pokémon in front of them really was that silly, clumsy Cyclizar.
Surrounded by everyone, Miraidon clearly enjoyed the moment. It let the little ones climb all over it and play freely—this warmth, called "home," was something it had searched for across countless ages without ever finding.
Three minutes later, Miraidon was engulfed by a mass of lightning, the Lightning Moment effect had ended.
The familiar Cyclizar emerged once more, trotting excitedly toward Silas and proudly lifting its small head.
Without saying a word, it was clearly shouting:
Silas, Silas, was I cool just now? I'm the god of the future, you know—I'll protect you from now on!
"Cool, cool, cool. You're the coolest," Silas said with a grin, pressing a hand against its big head.
Whether Miraidon or Koraidon, there was no such thing as an uncool legendary—one was wild and primal, the other sleek and technological.
"Min!" Minccino climbed onto Silas's shoulder, pointed at the roof, and gave a sly grin.
"Cyc..."
Cyclizar saw the hole in the roof, and all its energy instantly drained away. It drooped its head in despair.
It tugged at Silas's clothes and looked up at him pitifully, silently begging for forgiveness.
Watching the two little troublemakers, Silas sighed helplessly. He scratched Minccino's head and said to Cyclizar, "I'm not blaming you. This one's on me for not thinking it through."
"Let's eat first. After that, Cyclizar, you're helping me fix the house. No going out to play, got it?"
Seeing that Silas wasn't going to hold it accountable, Cyclizar immediately perked back up, nodding furiously—and even stuck its tongue out at Minccino to scare it.
Once they were back at the table, Silas looked at the large bowl of Thunderbolt Mashed Potatoes that remained and felt a bit regretful.
At the moment, Cyclizar was the only Electric-type Pokémon on the ranch. The others wouldn't gain any effect from eating it.
And even if Cyclizar continued eating, it couldn't receive the buff again—each Electric-type Pokémon only had one chance.
After some thought, Silas said to the others, "Everyone, have a taste."
The unique flavor of the Thunderbolt Mashed Potatoes exploded in Silas's mouth, and he nodded in enjoyment.
The other Pokémon also showed satisfied expressions, though none of them gained any enhancement from the dish.
After the meal, Silas took Cyclizar and the others to repair the hole in the roof.
They replaced the broken boards and laid down new planks. Silas's craftsmanship was decent—barely good enough to get the job done.
At the end of the long day, he lazily reclined against Kangaskhan's warm belly, enjoying the spring breeze while occasionally rubbing Minccino with both hands.
He waved toward Cyclizar, who was chasing butterflies on the grass nearby.
Cyclizar came bounding over, skidding to a perfect stop right in front of him.
"Cyc?"
"Cyclizar, can you transform now?" Silas asked, patting its head.
Cyclizar shifted into its battle stance, sensing its own power, then made a few gestures with its claws.
It couldn't maintain the Miraidon form for long—there was a strict time limit.
Three minutes. Exactly the same as an Ultraman transformation.
Understanding its meaning, Silas told it to call Chatot over.
It was time to deal with Zapdos—whether it ended in a fight or reconciliation, there had to be a conclusion.
With three minutes of Lightning Moment, plus Mega Kangaskhan, defeating Zapdos wouldn't be a problem.
...
As night fell, Silas instructed the Noibat trio to guard the house.
He took Cyclizar and Chatot to the seaside and gave Cyclizar a look.
Cyclizar howled, transforming into Miraidon amid streaks of lightning.
Silas mounted the futuristic electric dragon, while Chatot stood atop Miraidon's head to guide the way.
Miraidon shot upward from the ground, unfolding a pair of glowing, highly sci-fi wings from the sides of its head.
Blue exhaust flared from its hind legs as it became a bolt of lightning, tearing through the darkness and racing toward the open sea.
Sea Spirit's Den.
"Zap!"
Zapdos sprang to its feet, revenge blazing in its eyes.
That Pokémon had come again. This time, it would avenge the humiliation of losing its crest.
Just as Zapdos was about to leave, the flock of birds that had lived alongside it for days—now having accepted it—chirped loudly as they surrounded it, desperately trying to dissuade it.
They spouted all kinds of unpleasant truths: You're not its opponent!They came fully prepared this time!
Every word boosted the enemy's morale while crushing Zapdos's own pride, infuriating it beyond measure.
"Zap?! Dos!"
(Avoid its edge? Me?! I'm Zapdos! Watch how I beat them until they're crawling on the ground!)
With a furious cry, Zapdos charged out of Sea Spirit's Den—
—but before it could even react, a beam of blue-purple lightning crashed down from the sky.
(End of Chapter)