Not Being a Trainer This Time

While the buns were still steaming, Naoki took the Eevees out into the snow and started building snowmen with them.

Time ticked by, and soon his little sister Indeedee, who had been watching the steamer, ran out to tell Naoki that the buns were done.

Hearing that, Naoki told the Eevees to keep playing there on their own, then sprinted back into the house, went into the kitchen, and took the freshly steamed buns out of the pot.

Only, this batch of buns looked very different from the last two.

They were a golden-red color, strikingly similar to the colors on Ho-oh’s body.

One look and you could tell this was no ordinary item!

Naoki held his breath and looked down.

[Divine Steamed Bun (SS): Legendary Cuisine, made with powdered feathers from the mythical Pokemon Ho-oh. It’s said that eating it grants Ho-oh’s blessing.

Cooking Effect: 1. Holy Ash. After eating, it can instantly restore a dying Pokemon’s HP to full. If a healthy Pokemon eats it, its stamina and endurance will greatly increase, making it much stronger.

2. Sacred Fire. When a Fire Type Pokemon eats it, the flames in its body will evolve into Sacred Fire. When a non–Fire Type Pokemon eats it, the power of any Fire Type Moves it uses is permanently increased by 20%.

3. Divine Blessing. After a Pokemon eats it, it will receive Ho-oh’s favor and its luck will be greatly ↑ boosted. This effect only works on Mew, Teddiursa, and Zapdos.

Evaluation: A one-of-a-kind dish in this world. Legend has it that those favored by Ho-oh will obtain eternal happiness.]

As the information surfaced in his mind, Naoki couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath.

Hiss! As expected of SS-level cuisine—the effects are downright terrifying!

The first effect, Holy Ash, is different from Life Sheep Milk. It’s said that this item actually originates from Ho-oh.

It truly has the power to bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh on bones, since Ho-oh really does have the ability to resurrect the dead.

In the legends of the Johto Region, three Pokemon once died in a fire at the Burned Tower.

At that time, Ho-oh descended and used its power to resurrect those three burned-to-death Pokemon.

Those three Pokemon later became Entei, Lei Gong, and Suicune. After their resurrection, they voluntarily formed Ho-oh’s royal guard.

It’s just a pity that none of the Pokemon on the ranch can actually trigger that part of the effect.

But unexpectedly, the latter part—greatly boosting stamina and endurance—would be extremely useful for some of the Pokemon on the ranch.

For example, the three brothers who evolved early: Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon.

The Divine Steamed Bun can perfectly make up for the physical deficiencies caused by their premature evolution.

True Holy Ash Rice Bowl.

Not only that, the second effect can also help Flareon upgrade the flames in its body, turning them from ordinary fire into Sacred Fire.

Sacred Fire, Ho-oh’s signature Move—whether in the anime or the games, only Ho-oh and Entei, one of the members of its royal guard, can use it.

And the reason Entei can use Sacred Fire is obviously because Ho-oh granted it a portion of its own power.

In short, the future of this ”only king” looks very bright!

Besides, even non–Fire Type Pokemon can boost the power of their Fire Type Moves after eating it.

The effect is basically a piece of Charcoal that doesn’t take up an item slot.

But what attracted Naoki the most was still the third effect.

Divine Blessing, Ho-oh’s favor, drastically raising a Pokemon’s luck...

”An artificial Serene Grace ability, huh?” Naoki muttered.

The Heroic Expedition Team is about to get banned!

Teddiursa already comes with a built-in high-crit-luck effect, and with Ho-oh’s Divine Blessing on top to boost its luck even further, then adding its Pickup ability...

Naoki seriously suspected that Teddiursa could now rob the Origin Creation Plate off Arceus itself without taking a scratch...

Why does this feel exactly like a Felyne using a Plundering Blade to steal materials off a Black Dragon in Monster Hunter? Naoki couldn’t help but have that thought.

The only pity is that this effect applies only to the three Pokemon of the Heroic Expedition Team.

Thinking about it carefully, though, that Rainbow Feather was a gift from Ho-oh specifically to Mew and Teddiursa’s group, so having the effect limited to the three Pokemon of the Heroic Expedition Team is perfectly reasonable.

This wave is a massive power-up!