Chapter 466:
"..."
After pondering for a long time, Kaede still felt quite stumped.
Because aside from using it for winemaking, he couldn't think of any other method.
After all, if you can't even break this thing, what other kind of dish can you possibly make with it?
Since winemaking seemed the only viable option, Kaede had no alternative.
Winemaking, in general, requires a significant amount of time to complete.
He'd just have to try and see how long it would take to brew and might as well pair it with Petaya Berries for the attempt.
Putting away the Dragon Scale, Kaede took out the final ingredient—the fragment of Xerneas's antler.
When he took it out, the fragment still emitted a faint glow, indicating its abundant energy.
Speaking of which, the Pokémon capable of shattering Xerneas's antler was probably Yveltal.
The abundant energy within this was Fairy-type.
As for Fairy-type Pokémon, there were Gardevoir, Alolan Ninetales, Sylveon, and... the Flabébé in the garden.
Of course, the primary consideration would definitely be Alolan Ninetales and Sylveon first.
These little ones would be the most compatible with this fragment.
But again, deciding what dish to make with it made Kaede feel torn.
It felt like deer antler. If it were deer antler, wouldn't the most effective use also be steeping it in wine?
It's typically used for steeping in alcohol or making congee.
"Forget it, let's just steep both in wine, using some high-quality Berries..."
After pondering for a long time without coming up with a satisfactory dish idea, Kaede immediately decided to use both for winemaking.
This batch would use Pecha Berries from the central Pecha Berry tree for the wine. He could taste it himself later.
Once decided, Kaede didn't hesitate.
Rummaging through his storage capsules, he soon found two empty wooden barrels. First, he went under the Pecha Berry tree, used Psychic to pick a large quantity of Pecha Berries, washed them, chopped them up, and placed them inside one barrel. Then he ran to the Reservoir by the plantation, picked all this year's Petaya Berries, washed and chopped them the same way.
Since the Dragon Scale couldn't be shattered, he just put the large piece in directly. This way, he figured it would probably need to steep for a very long time.
After some thought, Kaede simply decided not to break the antler fragment either and just placed it whole inside to steep, only adding some other Berries to enrich the flavor profile.
Early in the morning, all this activity created quite a commotion.
The Pokémon that had gone to the Tree of Beginning with Kaede, watching him busily working, naturally knew what he was doing.
Some Pokémon, like Alolan Ninetales and Eevee, who loved to join in the excitement, gathered around.
"Ninetales?" (Is this winemaking?)
"Yes, it is. I couldn't figure out what to make for you all to eat, so it felt like wine was the only option," Kaede replied.
These ingredients were relatively important, so Kaede handled everything personally from start to finish.
"Eevee..."
"Ninetales..."
As it turned out, they didn't really have a specific reason for gathering around either; they simply wanted to be there, watching Kaede work.
But this not only didn't help Kaede at all, they were always hopping around beside him and distracting him.
Soon, they were all shooed away by Kaede. "Shoo, shoo. Who knows how long it'll be before this is ready to drink."
After chasing them away, Kaede worked more freely. Finally, adding the yeast completed the simple winemaking process.
[Petaya Berry Wine in fermentation...]
[Berry Wine in fermentation...]
Using his [Eye of Exploration] to look, the information description for the two barrels changed to this.
Generally, the fermentation process for Berry Wine takes 1 to 3 months to succeed. Calculating the time, after Kaede stored the two barrels of wine properly, it was almost time for everyone to be up and about. He hurriedly rushed to the kitchen and started making breakfast with Gardevoir.
Breakfast was bone broth noodles and some baked bread.
After feeding the group of Pokémon, Kaede also slurped down a bowl of noodles. Watching everyone in the yard finish breakfast and leave for their own various reasons, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up at the sky.
With May's arrival, even though breakfast was a bit late today, it was just past 9 a.m., and the temperature had already risen significantly. The sun in the sky was also very intense.
It felt like moving just a little would make him sweat.
Gotta think of a solution...
Kaede quickly turned his gaze towards Alolan Ninetales, who had just eaten its fill and was contemplating what to do today.
Hmm, it's summer.
Time for you to play your part.
"Ninetales?"
Alolan Ninetales suddenly felt something staring at it. It instinctively turned its head and, upon seeing it was Kaede, tilted its head in confusion.
ˋ( ° ▽,° ) : "Ninetales?"
Kaede tilted his head in sync, a good idea forming in his mind.
"Come on, Ninetales, follow me to a place."
"Ninetales~" (Let's go~)
Although it didn't know what place Kaede meant, if Kaede said it was a good place, it must be fun.
So, it immediately trotted happily after Kaede as he headed outside.
Tagging along for the outing was also Arcanine.
"Woof~!"
Arcanine, with its loud voice, seemed happy when it saw Kaede heading in the same direction it wanted to go.
Actually, the place Kaede was going was just by the small river.
As for Arcanine, it seemed to have a date today with Officer Jenny's Arcanine, planning to meet in the forest?
Anyway, when Kaede arrived, he could see Officer Jenny's Arcanine on the small bridge, but not Officer Jenny herself.
"Woof!"
Arcanine (Kaede's) stayed by Kaede's side. Upon seeing the Arcanine (Jenny's) on the other side, its tail became a propeller, spinning wildly. But thankfully, it didn't leave immediately. Instead, it looked at Kaede with big eyes, the meaning in its gaze couldn't be more obvious.
The Arcanine (Jenny's) on the other side, upon seeing Kaede, clearly also seemed a bit shy, its front paws shuffling on the ground, appearing somewhat restless.
"Go on, go on. Just remember not to be too hasty..." Kaede said, amused but exasperated, waving his hand.
He didn't want to end up with a whole litter of Puppy Pokémon so soon...
"Woof!"
Upon receiving permission, Arcanine immediately dashed out. In a flash, it was in front of the other Arcanine. The two dogs licked each other, groomed each other's fur, that overly-affectionate demeanor as if they hadn't seen each other for three years.
Even though they saw each other every day lately.
Kaede and Alolan Ninetales watched, their eyebrows twitching.
Fortunately, their figures soon disappeared from Kaede's sight as they trotted away.
Alolan Ninetales chose this moment to voice its confusion. "Ninetales?" (What are we doing here?)
Kaede shifted his gaze, looked at the river, and his eyes lit up...
"Come on, use Ice Beam....."