Lucas put Shauna and Mime Jr. on the ground, then opened his arms and walked toward Vespiquen.
"Vespiquen, long time no see! I've missed you so much. Come here, let's have a hug."
Ninetales on the side looked at Lucas as if it had seen a ghost.
Even Gothitelle was shocked by Lucas's sudden shamelessness.
Vespiquen's gaze remained icy as it unleashed an Air Cutter, striking the ground in front of Lucas.
"Bi!" (Go find another Vespiquen sister to hug!)
After saying that, Vespiquen turned to leave.
"Vespiquen, I brought you a gift!"
Seeing Vespiquen turning away, Lucas quickly spoke up.
Vespiquen turned back around, stared at Lucas, and hooked a claw. (Where is the gift?)
Lucas looked at Gengar, who took out all the Max Honey and placed it in front of Vespiquen.
Vespiquen: ----
"How is it? It's sweet honey for you."
Lucas grinned and said with a smile.
"Bi?" (You're giving me sweet honey from another Vespiquen as a gift?)
Vespiquen's claws were covered in a white light.
Lucas frantically thought of a countermeasure in his brain.
Brain, think fast!
"Xiu."
Ninetales on the side spoke up.
Hearing Ninetales' voice, the white light on Vespiquen's claws began to dissipate, and it tilted its head, looking at Lucas in confusion. (What's going on?)
Lucas breathed a sigh of relief and explained everything about the Dynamax Vespiquen in the Galar region.
(Then what's up with this sweet honey?)
Lucas and Gothitelle turned their heads in unison to look at Gengar.
Gengar's upper body passed through the wall, leaving only its butt on the backyard side.
Trying to run?!
Lucas lunged forward, grabbing Gengar's short little legs.
Gengar kept kicking its legs wildly.
"Gengar!" (Let me go!)
"Vespiquen, I've caught it."
Lucas turned back to look at Vespiquen, and Vespiquen flew forward without hesitation.
Feeling the murderous aura coming from Vespiquen, Gengar tightened its rear end. Lucas let his guard down, and Gengar accidentally broke free.
Gengar instantly vanished to the other side of the wall.
Vespiquen: ?! (You dare to run?!)
Familiar sounds of angry scolding and begging for mercy rang out in the Breeding House.
Pachirisu, sitting on a swing and gnawing on berries, froze when it heard the begging, then continued to gnaw on the berries in its hands with a dazed expression.
Such a familiar feeling...
It hadn't heard it all winter, and hearing it suddenly felt a bit strange.
As it sighed, Pachirisu opened its mouth and took a bite of the berry. Its front teeth collided, making its mouth go numb.
It looked down and realized its berry was gone.
???
Pachirisu: Mom, there's a bad guy in the Breeding House!
"Why is it so noisy? I can't even watch my cartoons properly..."
Darkrai arrived in the backyard, and just as it started speaking, it saw Vespiquen chasing after Gengar.
Swish~
An Air Cutter struck the ground under its feet, and Darkrai jumped back in fright, retreating a few steps.
Realizing it was Vespiquen, it pursed its lips and pointed toward the shadows in front. "Over there!"
Vespiquen turned back, saw Gengar in the shadows, and charged over.
Gengar was enjoying the berry it had swiped from Pachirisu, lying leisurely on the ground, when it suddenly felt its scalp tingle. Turning its head, it found Vespiquen staring at it "kindly."
Gengar: ----
I'm done for. (The berry fell.)
Seeing the Breeding House return to its lively state, Lucas smiled and reached out, stroking Ninetales' neck.
Pachirisu ran to Lucas's feet, nimbly climbed up his leg onto his shoulder, and sat there, leaning its mouth against Lucas's ear to complain about Gengar's evil deeds.
Lucas flicked its forehead and said with a smile: "Looks like you forgot. Gengar is the little bully here. You dare to eat food right in front of it in the Breeding House?"
It even dares to steal my things and steal honey from Vespiquen, let alone one of your berries.
Taking Shauna and Pachirisu and the others to the garden, Lucas lay on the lounge chair, lazily basking in the sun, listening to Shauna share her school life with him.
Luxray walked over with elegant steps to Lucas, preparing to lie down, but suddenly saw Ninetales staring at it.
It paused, walked to Lucas's side, and lay down, while Ninetales lay at Lucas's feet, closing its eyes in satisfaction.
Mime Jr. had closed the Canteen early and was currently sitting on Lucas's lap, yawning repeatedly.
The Meowstic siblings and Roserade were still working at the Cottage in Twinleaf Town.
Shauna finished talking and picked up a Gengar-shaped water bottle to drink water. Vespiquen flew over at this moment, followed by Gengar, who was hanging its head.
Damn it! I've never been caught before, so why was I caught this time? Could someone have betrayed me?!
Darkrai, beside them, finished its snack quickly and used the power of shadows to return to the rest area to watch cartoons.
Seeing the dejected Gengar, Shauna took a sausage out of her bag, broke it in half, and handed the larger half to Gengar.
Seeing this, Gengar grinned, took the sausage, sat beside Shauna, and happily munched on it together.
Vespiquen tried the Max Honey, returned to Lucas's side, and looked at him.
"Bi?" (This is called Max Honey?)
Lucas nodded and explained to Vespiquen about the Dynamax phenomenon in the Galar region and the conditions for producing Max Honey.
Vespiquen flew in the air, wondering what it was thinking about.
There was a long silence. Basking in the comfortable sun, Lucas began to slowly close his eyes.
After a long time, Lucas opened his eyes and found Vespiquen lowering its head, staring at him.
Lucas was startled. After a while, he asked: "What's wrong?"
One day, I'm going to get a heart attack from being scared by the Pokémon at the Breeding House.
"Bi." (I'll take the Max Honey for now. I want to see if I can improve it; the current flavor isn't very suitable for consumption.)
The Breeding House needed sweet honey for many things, such as Alcremie's dessert shop. In addition to the Moomoo Milk and goat milk from the Breeding House, it also required a large amount of sweet honey from the Breeding House.
However, the Max Honey brought back from the Galar region had a mostly stimulating flavor, which wasn't suitable for children or the elderly to consume. Therefore, Vespiquen wanted to see if it could try to improve it.
"Okay, I'll leave it to you. After all, it's a gift for you."
Lucas continued: "You always have to try different sweet honey from different places and environments to deepen your understanding of sweet honey, don't you?"
Vespiquen nodded, then pointed to one of the jars of sweet honey. "Bi?" (What about that one?)
Lucas looked over and realized it was the real Max Honey brewed by the Dynamax Vespiquen. He smiled at Vespiquen: "That one is a gift for you."
Vespiquen was stunned for a moment before it understood what Lucas meant.
The gift Lucas gave it had always been that extremely precious Max Honey.
"The most precious Max Honey must be given to the most precious Vespiquen in our Breeding House, right?"
Looking at Lucas's sincere smile, Vespiquen flapped its wings faster and faster, then hummed and turned away.
Back at the hive, Vespiquen had the Combee move all the Max Honey into the hive. Vespiquen looked at that jar of Max Honey, then walked straight past it and flew toward its throne.
Next to the throne was a glass bottle containing golden, brilliant honey.
Without hesitation, Vespiquen picked up the glass bottle and flew toward the garden.
Lucas, who was holding Mime Jr. and Pachirisu, saw Vespiquen flying over with a glass bottle in its hand. Just as he was about to speak, Vespiquen handed the glass bottle over.
"Bi."
Lucas took the glass bottle and took a look, finding it was filled with sweet honey. He lay on the lounge chair and said to Vespiquen with a smile: "Vespiquen, I gave you so much Max Honey, are you only giving me this one bottle of sweet honey in return?"
Soon, Lucas's smile disappeared.
[Vespiquen's sweet honey (Winter): As the name suggests, this is the sweet honey brewed by Vespiquen in winter. Winter, snow—where would nectar come from? Amidst a miracle, Vespiquen collected the hope for spring and the longing for life from everyone and every Pokémon in the Breeding House. With the help of the flowers in the garden, it brewed this incredible honey. If one word were to describe this magical sweet honey, it would be "Hope." Vespiquen worked tirelessly, leaving early and returning late, working hard for an entire winter—three months, 118 days—to brew this little bit of sweet honey. This is honey brewed for you. From the day it came to the Breeding House, it had been thinking about brewing the best sweet honey in the world for you, so that your every day would be filled with sweetness. Coupled with your anticipation and hope for the Breeding House in spring, it brewed this "Hope."]
[Hope: Magical sweet honey brewed amidst the incredible, possessing extremely miraculous effects.]
Effect 1: Significantly increases the intimacy between the Trainer and the Pokémon. If the Trainer and Pokémon trust each other, they will cross the barrier between them, making it easier to master Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Terastallization.
Effect 2: Significantly boosts the Pokémon's happiness. When a Pokémon is in a negative state (inferiority, depression, anger...), consuming this will restore them to normal, making them sunny, confident, and brave.
Effect 3: Enhances physique and treats chronic illnesses. According to a certain Vespiquen at the Breeding House, taking a little bit mixed with water every day provides excellent nourishment for the body, can prevent diseases, and treat lingering old injuries, offering unparalleled benefits for children and the elderly.
Effect 4: "Don't give up, hope is still there." A near-fainted Pokémon will be restored to full health. It helps Pokémon in an extremely near-fainted state preserve that last bit of vitality. As long as you don't give up, there is hope.
Effect 5: Hope, is with you — — — — ???
Effect 6: Significantly boosts the Pokémon's overall attributes.
Effect 7: "Queen of Bees." The act of brewing a miracle is a miracle in itself. After a specific person consumes it, they will carry the purest blessing of the Vespiquen. All Bug-type Pokémon can sense this blessing and hold the greatest affection for the person surrounded by it. Bee-type Pokémon will obey the person blessed, provided it does not violate the rules.
Specific Person: Lucas
Effect 8: "Four Seasons honey." A year has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The Vespiquen starts brewing honey across the four seasons. When all the Four Seasons honey brewed by the Vespiquen is collected, perhaps an incredible effect might occur?
Food Critical Hit Effect: No, there are no words to describe its effect. Even the Vespiquen herself cannot be sure if she will brew this kind of sweet honey next winter. In short, this bottle of sweet honey will become the world's first magical sweet honey, and very likely the last.
Lucas, hope, Breeding House, like — Vespiquen
Beneath the thick snow, what is covered is Lucas's expectation for the Breeding House — Vespiquen
Glad I made it in time, finished brewing last night, sweet honey brewed specifically for Lucas — Vespiquen
Winter is so cold, but with you, with you all here, my heart isn't cold at all — Vespiquen
Wow! My honey-brewing skills are so strong — Vespiquen
I really am a little genius at brewing honey — Vespiquen
The Breeding House is really perfect for brewing honey, everywhere is filled with laughter, play, and banter. Perhaps, this is what family is? Fortunately, I also have a Vespiquen.
sweet honey with eight effects?!
Lucas's smile froze on his face.
It was his first time seeing something with eight effects.
And every effect entry was so terrifyingly powerful.
What moved Lucas the most was that this was honey brewed by the Vespiquen specifically for him.
From the day it arrived at the Breeding House, from the day it learned he liked sweet honey, it had been thinking about brewing sweet honey for him.
The entire winter, 118 days, resulted in this small bottle of sweet honey.
The Vespiquen must have known how precious this sweet honey was, yet it still gave it to him.
Lucas's eyes reddened inexplicably.
Why? Why did he often egg Gengar on to steal its sweet honey, or trick it out of its sweet honey, even though it knew? Yet it still brewed this sweet honey full of hope for him?
Lucas fell into turmoil; he couldn't understand.
All the Pokémon at the Breeding House knew that Gengar's personality was largely like his own, yet they still indulged him.
Gothitelle and Lilligant allowed him to act spoiled, sleep in, and didn't even make him tidy up his clothes; they would tidy up for him.
Ninetales would always stay by his side, Mime Jr. would play with him unconditionally, and Dash would always carry out his orders.
Staraptor, Luxray, Golduck, and Azumarill would let him mess around — — — —
Was he really worth them doing all this for him?
Seeing Lucas's eyes suddenly redden, the Vespiquen became flustered.
"Bee?"
What's wrong?
Hearing the Vespiquen's cry, Lucas looked at it, but found the scene before his eyes had changed. This was the Breeding House, yet it wasn't.
Lucas looked under a parasol in the distance, where a beautiful, dignified, elegant, and gentle Oriental woman sat, holding a Glameow in her arms, with a golden-furred Ninetales sitting beside her.
"Perhaps it is because — — — — you gave them the home they dreamed of, gave them companionship, and liveliness."
The Oriental woman spoke gently.
Behind her, Gardevoir and Gallade were fighting, Kangaskhan was frantically trying to break up the fight, Steelix was lying on the ground sleeping, and Banette was lying on Lapras's back — — — —
"Lucas, I've said it before, Pokémon are very simple creatures — — — — sometimes, their needs aren't very great. Some just want a home where they don't have to wander anymore, some just want someone to play with, and some just want to live beautifully — — — —"
"Everything you do, the Pokémon see it in their eyes — — — —"
"Bee!" "Gengar!" "Gothitelle?" "Lilli." "Ma machamp." "Shhh?" "Nini?" "Meow?"
Gengar and the others' worried expressions appeared in Lucas's field of vision, and he shook his head, indicating he was fine.
The voice of that Oriental woman reached his ears again.
"So, they will do their best to repay you based on their own judgment — — — —"
So that's how it is?
Lucas wiped his eyes and smiled.
Thank you, Great-Aunt.
After comforting the Pokémon surrounding him one by one, Lucas looked at the Vespiquen and returned the sweet honey to it.
The Vespiquen took it, looking puzzled.
"Bee?"
You — — — — don't like it?
Lucas shook his head, "It's not that, I like it very much, and I am very touched, but Vespiquen, this — — — — is too precious."
Lucas really couldn't bear to take this sweet honey.
The Vespiquen wanted to say something more, but suddenly remembering something, it turned and left with the sweet honey.
After the Vespiquen left, Lucas looked at Gengar and tugged at its mouth, "I refused the Vespiquen's sweet honey, you won't be mad at me, right?"
Gengar stuck out its tongue and licked Lucas, its face constantly changing shape in Lucas's hands, and it mumbled an unclear reply.
"Gengar!"
As long as it's something Lucas wants to do, I don't mind.
"You ate sausage and didn't rinse your mouth again!"
Lucas pushed Gengar away in disgust.
Gengar: ???
"Gengar!"
Disgusted by me?! Take a lick from me!
"Get away." "Miss Gothitelle, save me!" "Miss Lilligant, help — — — —"
The Vespiquen flew over and handed another bottle to Lucas. Lucas took it and found it only had half the sweet honey. He looked at the Vespiquen and found that it was also holding a glass bottle in its hand, which also had half the sweet honey.
"Bee."
Split it in half.
Lucas smiled, "Then I won't stand on ceremony, thank you, Vespiquen."
The Vespiquen turned its head away haughtily.
"Vespiquen."
Lucas called out, and the Vespiquen looked at Lucas curiously.
Lucas said something inexplicably.
"Welcome home."
Vespiquen: ???
Is this kid stupid?
"Thank you for liking our home, o, u, r, home."
The Vespiquen's wings suddenly stopped flapping.
Then the frequency of the flapping began to become chaotic.
He — — — — how did he know?!
The Vespiquen looked shocked.
Seeing this, Lucas laughed out loud.
Looking at the words behind the entries that popped up.
"Could these be the Vespiquen's feelings while brewing the sweet honey?"
Oh, my maiden-hearted Queen.
Thinking of this, Lucas looked at the Vespiquen and said, "Vespiquen, you are right, you are a genius at brewing honey."
Vespiquen: ?!!
How does he know again?!!
"Your honey-brewing skills are really strong, really, really."
Vespiquen: ???
The Vespiquen turned and flew towards the Forest Area.
Its flight path was up and down.
"Vespiquen, I didn't feel cold in winter either, because you were there."
Duang ~
The Vespiquen wobbled and bypassed the big tree in front of it.
The voices of Gengar and the others came from behind.
"Gengar!"
Me too.
"Lilli~"
Yeah~
"Gothitelle~"
Because you are here, I am very warm~
Lucas: ???
"Shhh." "Ma machamp." "Nini~"
Shauna: "Thank you, Vespiquen."
Shauna didn't know what happened, but it didn't stop her from joining in.
An Air Cutter flew over from the Forest Area and then dissipated in mid-air.
Immediately followed by the sound of the Vespiquen breaking down.
"Bee!!!"
Are you done yet!!!
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