The freshly baked Poké Poffins were soft and tender, giving off a faint, refreshing fruity fragrance. The flavors of the Custap Berry and the Oran Berry were perfectly brought out and fused together, complementing one another flawlessly. The surface of the Poké Poffins shimmered with a golden hue. Silas picked one up and took a bite.
Exceptionally sweet.
The moment the Poké Poffin entered his mouth, the Alolan chef's eyes lit up instantly. He exclaimed in astonishment, "This flavor… this is an ultra-Fragrant Poké Poffin!"
"That's right. I didn't expect it to succeed on the first try either," Silas replied.
As his words fell, the familiar panel slowly unfolded before his eyes.
[Ultra-Fragrant Sweet Poké Poffin (A): A special Poké Poffin formed when a certain flavor reaches level 95 or above. It has a unique taste loved by both humans and Pokémon.
Dish Effect: Best Friends LV3. It will definitely attract one Pokémon that loves sweet flavors. After consumption, the Pokémon will develop an exclusive ability and its friendship level will greatly increase.]
"Teacher Silas, how did you manage to do this?" the Alolan chef asked eagerly, grabbing Silas's hand with an earnest expression.
At most, he himself could only make Fragrant Poké Poffins, yet Silas after studying for just two days had already produced an ultra-fragrant one. The shock was beyond words, and once the initial astonishment faded, what followed was an even stronger sense of yearning.
"Well…" Silas thought for a moment and carefully organized his words. "I applied the special ability I possess to the process of making Poké Poffins. I didn't expect it to actually work."
"Is that what Chef Siebold mentioned—Soul cooking?" the Alolan chef asked.
Silas nodded lightly in agreement.
"So that's how it is!" The Alolan chef was full of awe, deep envy flashing in his eyes.
This kind of ability was something chefs could only dream of possessing.
While the two were talking, the Oranguru watching the shop at the counter knocked lightly on the door.
"Guru~ Guru!"
When the Alolan chef learned what kind of Pokémon had appeared in the dessert shop, his mouth fell open in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"What? A wild Milcery appeared in the shop? Let's go, quickly!"
The Alolan chef immediately grabbed Silas and rushed outside, explaining along the way. Milcery was a rare Pokémon, but its evolution, Alcremie with a total of sixty-three different forms was widely distributed among dessert shops and cake stores. The cream they produced was deeply loved by both people and Pokémon alike.
Because of this, a small story had spread over time.
It was said that any dessert shop visited by a wild Milcery was guaranteed to prosper in business.
That was precisely why he was so excited. This was a form of recognition—even though the Milcery had been attracted by the Ultra-Fragrant Sweet Poké Poffin made by Silas, he could still benefit from it. With just a bit of promotion tomorrow, business would surely explode.
By the time they reached the front of the shop, a crowd had already gathered. People were even peering inside from outside the store.
At this point, advertising was no longer necessary—everyone already knew.
The crowd whispered softly, careful not to disturb Milcery. Everyone wanted to see which dessert had attracted it, planning to buy the same one for their own Pokémon. Any dessert capable of luring Milcery over was guaranteed to be extraordinary.
When the two chefs arrived, the crowd consciously made way for them. Only then did Silas clearly see the Pokémon that had caused such a stir.
It was very small, barely the size of a palm.
Floating in midair, its entire body was made of white liquid—pure fresh cream.
Cream that had come to life?!
That description wasn't wrong at all.
Milcery's origin was extremely special. They were born when sweet aromas in the air gathered together and, by chance, gave rise to life. Calling it "cream come alive" was completely accurate.
When Silas appeared, Milcery immediately found its target. Its tiny body bobbed forward with a slashing motion, floating straight over to Silas. Using little hands formed from splashing cream at the sides of its body, it rubbed against him affectionately, its cute eyes formed from the air itself looking up at him.
"Mil~ Mil!"
Silas gently held Milcery up in his hands. Its small appearance was irresistibly adorable. Getting closer, he could smell a pleasant milky fragrance, very similar to the Ultra-Fragrant Sweet Poké Poffin he had made earlier.
No wonder Milcery had been drawn here.
Taking out a Poké Poffin, Silas held it up and gave it a little shake. "Do you want to eat it?"
"Mil~"
Milcery spread out its tiny hands, its whole body swaying as it nodded enthusiastically. A body made of cream had incredible malleability. When Silas placed the Poké Poffin into Milcery's outstretched hands, it took a deep sniff.
All of the sweet aroma emitted by the Poké Poffin was absorbed into its body, which immediately began to swell.
"Mil!"
Milcery was overjoyed—this was the most delicious thing it had ever tasted. It hugged Silas's finger tightly with its whole body, sticking close to him.
Milcery had decided that from now on, it would follow this human.
Following him meant good food.
"Whoa! It chose him!" Seeing this scene, customers in the shop raised their money excitedly. "Boss, give me one!"
"Me too, me too!"
"..."
The noisy sounds of purchasing rang out endlessly, and the dessert shop instantly became lively. Silas, the Alolan chef, and Oranguru were all busy beyond belief.
This was all money.
There weren't many Ultra-Fragrant quality Poké Poffins, but Fragrant-quality ones could be made on the spot by both of them. The two worked feverishly in the kitchen, producing batch after batch of Poké Poffins.
Milcery blinked as it watched Silas making cream. Its eyes suddenly lit up. It shook its body vigorously, flinging sweet cream toward Silas.
Silas tasted it—it was pretty good!
Caramel flavor!
But when he tasted another bit, the flavor changed again.
This time, it was mint.
And it wasn't limited to just two flavors. There were matcha, lemon, vanilla, snow salt, and many others.
This…
After a brief pause, Silas recalled the explanation of the cooking effect of the Ultra-Fragrant Sweet Poké Poffin. Wasn't this precisely the special ability that would be born after consumption?
With such a Milcery, it was equivalent to owning nine different flavors of Alcremie.
Silas was already eager to see this little one evolve. Later, he would take it to choose accessories it liked.
"So amazing, little one," Silas praised, gently rubbing its head.
"Mil~"
Milcery smiled happily, hugging Silas's finger and acting spoiled. It still wanted to eat Poké Poffins.
"Alright then, I'll make different flavors for you."
Strictly speaking, it wasn't eating—it was absorbing the flavor of the Poké Poffins. As for the Poké Poffins that lost their flavor, aside from Pokémon like Snorlax or Muk, no Pokémon would want them.
Don't ask how he knew—he had just tasted one himself.
The texture was no different from undercooked dough, dry and stiff, not even as good as mud biscuits.
After helping the Alolan chef deal with the wave of customers, and finally seeing off the last one, both of them let their arms hang limply. Constant, uninterrupted stirring was extremely exhausting.
"Chef, I won't be coming tomorrow," Silas said.
"Mm!"
Silas handed him a piece of paper. "These are several dessert recipes I usually experiment with, as well as the complete process for making Ultra-Fragrant Sweet Poké Poffins. I hope you'll be able to make ultra-fragrant quality Poké Poffins yourself soon."
The Alolan chef accepted it solemnly and then handed over the gift he had prepared in return—something he had changed at the last minute after seeing Milcery.
They were sweets that could help Milcery evolve.
"Let Milcery choose one!"
Seven different sugar decorations were laid out in a row for Milcery to choose freely. Gently nudging Milcery from behind, Silas signaled for it to pick the one it liked best.
(End of Chapter)