"So, how is it? Are you satisfied?" Silas asked.
"Bink!"
The elder Carbink replied that they were very satisfied with their new living environment.
Earlier, some Carbink had already gone inside to scout the area. Beneath the back mountain of the ranch lay an abundance of mineral deposits, more than enough to meet their daily needs.
"As long as you like it," Silas said with a smile.
After chatting with the Carbink for a while longer, he bid them farewell.
The Noibat and Noivern stayed behind. The Noibat duo still wanted to see if they could find any lurking Sableye, while Noivern remained so that the Carbink could help expand its cave.
After evolving, Noivern's size had increased far too much.
The cave it used to live in now felt cramped and stifling.
When Silas had originally asked Kangaskhan to help excavate the cave, he had considered that it would still be sufficient even after the Noibat evolved under normal circumstances.
But who could have known that an unexpected situation would arise later on? Silas's Noivern was two to three times larger than others of its kind, standing nearly five meters tall—already reaching the average height of true flying dragon species.
Silas suspected that Noivern could continue growing, as the effects of its Tempered Transformation had not yet been fully unleashed.
If he remembered correctly, above the Tempered Transformation stage there was still a higher classification—something like a "Tempered Apexes."
TN: I don't understand Tempered Transformation because I never played Monster Hunter so I might be wrong here.
Noivern's future was boundless.
Returning to the ranch, everything among the Pokémon remained business as usual, unaffected by the arrival of the Carbink tribe.
Those who should eat were eating, those who should play were playing, and those who should sleep were sleeping.
Silas poured a pile of various minerals out of his backpack and stared at them, sinking into thought.
How exactly should minerals be processed into a dish?
What he had told the Carbink earlier was no lie. With his special advantage, as long as he could produce a dish with the appropriate effect, the Carbink's bodily damage was not necessarily irreparable.
His fingers brushed against the Poké Ball at his waist. The Carbink was inside—it didn't want to show itself to other Pokémon in its current state.
"Got it!"
Silas clapped his hands, his gaze lifting from a piece of pink diamond.
With an idea in mind, he wasted no time and immediately got to work.
Because he often made snacks for Minccino and the others, the ranch already had a complete set of tools for baking cakes.
First, from the pile of colorful minerals, Silas selected the especially beautiful and eye-catching ones. In the process, he discovered even more pink diamonds among them.
After washing them clean and setting them aside, he began kneading dough to make the cake base.
Then he arranged the selected minerals and diamonds on top of the cake base, decorating the edges with sweet cream.
If the minerals on top were replaced with fruit, this would simply be a cream fruit cake—something Minccino and Morpeko would surely love.
But even as it was now, it wasn't bad at all.
The multicolored minerals formed a unique kind of beauty, glittering brilliantly under the sunlight.
Taking off his apron, Silas completed the final touches.
He clapped his hands again and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. Looks pretty tasty."
As soon as he finished speaking, information about the dish appeared before his eyes.
[Diamond Cake (A): A strange dish made using crystals. Ordinary Pokémon cannot consume it, but it has unexpected effects on a certain Pokémon.
Dish Effect: Diamond Storm (Carbink-exclusive). After Carbink consumes it, its body will undergo a mutation.
Evaluation: Do you possess the qualifications to become a king?]
"Body mutation?"
Staring at the final line on the panel, Silas's brows knit tightly together.
Mutation—this was not a pleasant-sounding description.
It represented the unknown. No one could say whether the outcome would be good or bad.
He tossed a Poké Ball, releasing the Carbink.
"Bink?"
The Carbink looked confused, not knowing why Silas had called it out.
Silas told it about the effects of the Diamond Cake and let the Carbink decide for itself.
After learning what the Diamond Cake could do, the Carbink's eyes filled with longing.
No matter what, it couldn't possibly end up worse than it already was, right?
The Carbink thought of the story Silas had told earlier. Smoulder had faced the same kind of choice back then.
Its gaze gradually grew resolute as it made its decision.
Staggering forward, it bumped its head gently against Silas.
"Alright, alright." Silas reached out to steady it, smiling. "Then give it a try."
As he spoke, Silas took down the Diamond Cake and placed it in front of the Carbink.
"Go on, eat it. There aren't any other Pokémon watching right now."
"Bink!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the Carbink stepped forward and began devouring the cake in big mouthfuls.
To its surprise, the taste was exceptionally good. The Carbink squinted its eyes in enjoyment.
This was the most delicious food it had ever eaten. Silas was truly kind to it—how wonderful it would be if it could stay by his side forever.
Gradually, the Carbink's thoughts slowed. When it swallowed the final bite, its consciousness completely faded.
From within its small body, a pink light burst forth, spreading outward. In the blink of an eye, the light enveloped the Carbink and transformed it into a heart-shaped pink diamond.
All of these changes happened in an instant. By the time Silas snapped back to his senses, only the pink diamond remained before him.
He gently touched it with his finger, and feedback appeared on the panel.
[Diancie (Undergoing Mutation): This is a Diancie that has been blessed. It is undergoing the most important transformation of its life.]
"Hah…"
Silas let out a long breath, finally relaxing.
Not only was the Carbink safe, it was evolving into a higher form of life.
Recalling what he knew about Diancie, this mythical Pokémon, Silas realized that even the Pokémon League possessed very little information about it.
But one thing was certain—Diancie's body was praised as "the most beautiful in the world."
Every Diancie was accompanied by many Carbink that followed and served it.
For Carbink, a kingdom without Diancie was incomplete.
Circling around the slumbering Diancie once, Silas tried to move it.
Even with his super physique, he couldn't shift it in the slightest, nor could he store it in his spatial backpack.
After thinking for a moment, Silas stood at the doorway and called Kangaskhan back.
After instructing it to keep watch, he headed toward the cave.
With the help of the Noibat, he found the Carbink tribe that was digging and establishing their new home underground.
When Silas informed the elder Carbink of Diancie's birth, even with its composure, it was utterly stunned.
In an instant, the looks in the Carbink's eyes changed.
They became fervent—almost fanatical.
"Bink~"
"Human, please trouble yourself to take us to see her. The birth of Lady Diancie is of the utmost importance."
"No problem."
This elder Carbink came from a kingdom that already had a Diancie—it was the one who understood Diancie best among them all.
Silas had already planned to have it take a look. He didn't want anything to go wrong with Diancie.
Thus, the Carbink followed Silas in a great procession as they left the cave.
They abandoned all their work at hand—nothing was more important right now than confirming Diancie's condition.
When they arrived at the ranch house, Minccino and the others were already gathered around the pink heart-shaped diamond.
The little Pokémon curiously examined this suddenly appeared object. Upon seeing Silas, they all ran over to ask him about it.
After briefly explaining things to them, Silas stepped aside.
The elder Carbink stepped forward. It could sense an aura of the same origin as Queen Diancie—there was no doubt that this was indeed a Diancie undergoing transformation.
When the elder Carbink conveyed this news to the rest of the Carbink, the entire group erupted into fervor.
They had a queen of their own now!!!
(End of Chapter)