Chapter 157
After completing their trade, Professor Oak became visibly excited.
Without lingering to chat, he hurriedly said,
"Haruto, I’m heading to the laboratory. We’ll talk again when I have time."
With that, the professor rushed deeper into the research facility.
The laboratory door closed behind him, shutting out the noise from the rest of the building.
Before long, the quiet hum of machinery and the light clinking of test tubes could be heard from within, occasionally accompanied by Professor Oak muttering to himself or crying out in amazement.
Haruto did not pay much attention at first.
A member of the research staff showed him around the facility, after which he spent the night in one of the guest rooms.
The night passed quickly, and pale light appeared along the eastern horizon.
The morning air in Pallet Town was wonderfully fresh, carrying the scent of vegetation and damp earth.
The Pokémon living around the laboratory were already beginning to stir.
With nothing else to do, Haruto picked up a book the staff had prepared on caring for Pokémon and began reading. It would help him get ready to raise Charmander once the Egg hatched.
By noon, Professor Oak still had not appeared.
After asking one of the staff members, Haruto learned that the professor had never left the laboratory.
Curious, he went inside to take a look.
The ingredients he had traded to Professor Oak were arranged across the workbenches.
Every high-precision analytical instrument in the laboratory was active.
The monitors displayed rapidly changing data, nutritional graphs, energy-wave patterns, and countless other readings Haruto could not begin to understand.
Dense rows of numbers and symbols covered every screen.
Professor Oak stood before them with an exhilarated expression, utterly absorbed in the results.
Haruto stared at the bewilderingly complex data for a moment before shaking his head helplessly.
He understood none of it.
Rather than disturb the professor, Haruto quietly slipped back out.
He went to the garden behind the laboratory and sat beneath a fruit tree.
Before long, he leaned against the trunk and closed his eyes for a nap, letting the afternoon sunlight filter through the leaves and scatter mottled patterns across his body.
Less than an hour later, Haruto woke and rubbed his stomach.
He felt like eating something.
After giving it some thought, he found one of the laboratory assistants and explained what he needed.
Haruto was soon taken to the facility’s ingredient storage room.
Professor Oak might live largely on instant noodles, but the laboratory itself kept an impressive range of food supplies.
There was fresh Moomoo Milk, Chansey eggs, honey made by Combee, various kinds of Berries, and even cream produced by Alcremie.
Looking over the ingredients, Haruto quickly came up with an idea.
Although noon had already passed, the weather remained fairly warm.
It was the perfect time for smooth, creamy ice cream.
Once he had gathered everything he needed, Haruto entered the laboratory kitchen and got to work.
He slowly poured a generous amount of Moomoo Milk into a pot and began heating it over a low flame.
The temperature had to be carefully controlled.
The milk needed to remain just below a simmer without ever reaching a full boil, which would significantly damage its texture and flavor.
Haruto then took out two bowls and separated the yolks and whites from several Chansey eggs.
He spooned thick, golden Combee honey into the bowl containing the yolks.
Using a whisk, he stirred at a steady pace until the honey and yolks completely combined, forming a smooth, pale-yellow mixture.
Haruto lifted the bowl and added the honeyed yolks to the warm milk in three separate portions.
He whisked continuously after each addition, ensuring that everything blended perfectly without forming any lumps.
Once combined, he returned the pot to low heat and continued stirring.
The initially thin mixture gradually thickened. When the whisk could leave a clear trail across its surface, the ice cream base had reached the ideal consistency.
Haruto removed it from the heat and allowed it to cool naturally to room temperature.
Next, he whipped the Alcremie cream.
Its texture was as light as a cloud, and it possessed a naturally clean, sweet dairy fragrance, making it an exceptional ingredient for ice cream.
Haruto folded the cream into the cooled milk-and-egg mixture in several portions, blending them gently so the airy texture would not collapse.
Finally, he whipped the Chansey egg whites until they formed a soft foam and folded those in as well, again dividing them into three portions to ensure the final mixture remained perfectly smooth.
Haruto separated the finished base into three clean glass containers.
He peeled and washed a Mago Berry, a Nanab Berry, and a Pecha Berry, then crushed each one into a fine purée. He added one fruit purée to each container and mixed them thoroughly.
Once everything was ready, Haruto carried the three containers outside and scanned the laboratory garden for a suitable helper.
He quickly found one.
An Alolan Ninetales was resting lazily on the grass nearby, its body covered in pale-blue fur.
It was one of Professor Oak’s Pokémon, elegant and aloof, with nine long, luxuriant tails flowing gracefully behind it.
Haruto approached and placed the three containers on the grass.
Alolan Ninetales raised its head slightly and regarded him with sapphire-blue eyes.
One of its long tails swept elegantly across the ground, its refined bearing giving it an almost otherworldly beauty.
"Ninetales, could you help me? Use Ice Beam."
The Pokémon clearly understood him.
It rose gracefully, parted its jaws, and released a pale-blue beam filled with biting cold, precisely enveloping all three containers.
Extreme cold surrounded them.
The liquid mixtures visibly thickened, solidified, and took shape.
Within seconds, all three batches of fruit-flavored Moomoo Milk ice cream were completely frozen.
Their smooth surfaces gleamed delicately, making them look incredibly tempting.
"Thanks."
Haruto picked up the Mago Berry ice cream, scooped out a spoonful, and placed it into his mouth.
The dense, silky texture immediately melted across his tongue.
The deep creaminess of the Moomoo Milk, the gentle richness of the Chansey eggs, and the sweet fragrance of the Mago Berry blended seamlessly together.
It was sweet without becoming heavy, pleasantly cool, and perfect for the warm weather. Every bite was an indulgence.
Haruto then sampled the Nanab Berry and Pecha Berry varieties.
The Nanab Berry ice cream was light and refreshing, with moderate sweetness and a gentle fruity aroma. It would be ideal for anyone who disliked overly sweet desserts.
The Pecha Berry version was bright and pleasantly sweet, bursting with fresh fruit flavor that immediately lifted his mood.
While Haruto was enjoying the Moomoo Milk ice cream, he suddenly sensed someone watching him.
He turned.
Alolan Ninetales was sitting a short distance away, staring fixedly at the ice cream in his hands. Its sapphire eyes were filled with curiosity that it could not quite conceal.
Haruto laughed softly.
Apparently, Ninetales wanted to taste the dessert too.
Naturally, he had no intention of refusing.
Strictly speaking, they had made it together.
Haruto scooped a little of each flavor into a fresh bowl and placed it before Alolan Ninetales.
"Give it a try. It’s quite good."
Ninetales leaned closer and delicately sniffed the sweet fragrance rising from the ice cream.
Its expression gradually softened.
After a brief hesitation, it extended its small pink tongue and gave the dessert a tentative lick.
The cool sweetness immediately spread across its tongue.
Its eyes narrowed comfortably at the smooth, creamy texture.
Its distant, dignified manner vanished as it lowered itself onto the grass and began eagerly licking the bowl, looking unexpectedly adorable.
Haruto and Alolan Ninetales remained together on the lawn, leisurely enjoying the Moomoo Milk ice cream.
As they ate, Haruto noticed that Ninetales seemed to favor the Nanab Berry flavor.
He gave it the rest of that batch.
Haruto also took the opportunity to stroke its fur.
It was slightly cool to the touch, but so soft and luxuriant that he quickly found himself reluctant to stop.
The thought of raising an Alolan Ninetales of his own quietly began taking root in his mind.