After having fun in the snow with the Pokémon, Lucas made his way directly to Thunder Lake.
Gazing at the lake, he couldn't help but sigh, "The whole lake is about to freeze over."
Just yesterday, Thunder Lake's surface only had some floating ice. But after a night and day of snowfall and plunging temperatures, the lake surface had frozen solid.
Thunder Lake, vast and wide, had quietly solidified overnight. The surface was covered with a thin layer of crystals, as delicate as a cicada's wing.
It was a shame that the sky was now shrouded in gray snow clouds. Otherwise, if sunlight could break through and scatter down, the ice crystals would glimmer with silvery light, making everything seem quite dreamlike.
Lucas didn't try to step onto the lake. The temperature wasn't yet low enough to freeze the ice all the way through, making it strong enough to stand on.
If he were to step on it now, the thin ice would emit crisp crackling sounds, instantly spidering with cracks and, under his weight, collapsing and sending him plunging into the frigid water.
Thunder Lake was divided into a breeding area and a general activity area for Pokémon.
In the breeding area, Lucas had released various fish fry. After a year of tons of fish feed, in a year or two, they'd be plump edible fish.
Looking at the almost-translucent ice covering, Lucas could vaguely spot fish darting about beneath the surface.
"Nyorooo?"
A puzzled call came from beside Lucas, who had been watching the lakebed.
Looking down, sure enough, there was Politoed, still covered in snowflakes, with three little Poliwhirl brothers in tow.
Politoed still held a few snowballs, probably having just finished a snowball fight with his little brothers.
Though not as at home in this weather as Ninetales, being a Water-type Pokémon, Politoed was closely related to Ice-types and naturally resilient to the cold, actually quite suited for this climate.
"Good morning! Have you seen Dragonite or Dragonair and the others?"
Lucas greeted them with a smile.
"Nyorooo~"
One by one, Politoed and his little brothers responded, with a gesture toward Thunder Lake.
Dragonair and Dragonite are all underwater.
"As I thought."
Lucas had wondered why he couldn't find Dragonite lazing in the sun as usual, nor his three godmothers or biological mother.
So they'd all hidden underwater at the bottom of the lake? That made sense. Once the winter air becomes cold enough to freeze the lake, the surface temperature is far colder than the water below.
The only thing to worry about was that Dragonite would have to come up to breathe occasionally, like a whale or dolphin.
But Dragonair and the others loved living in water and didn't have such worries.
Realizing this, Lucas simply asked Politoed to dive down and call Dragonite and the others up.
He just needed to check their temperature, to make sure they hadn't caught a cold or gotten sick after the drastic temperature drop.
Nurse Joy Rin, from Los Platos, had specifically reminded him after class yesterday.
Her worries were justified: after rounding up and checking the snow-playing Pokémon that morning, Lucas had found several cases.
For instance, the shiny Eevee girl, whose constitution had improved but immunity was still a bit weak, had caught a cold.
Then there was Appletun, who—despite not having the "Thick Fat" ability—tried to shield fourteen Applin companions from the wind with its own body and ended up with a fever.
Serperior hurried to bundle her up in scarves and took her home to care for her, with Tropius coming along too.
As for the Applin, they were temporarily housed in the Pokémon cottage, so no worries about them struggling through the winter.
After expanding the farm, Lucas had built plenty of these cottages in the Pokémon rest areas, making them cozy in winter and cool in summer, perfect for certain Pokémon who didn't like staying indoors.
Getting into Thunder Lake was simple for Politoed.
Flexing his fists, honed from hand-to-hand combat techniques learned from Mimikyu, he delivered an Aura Punch that shattered a large patch of ice.
Just before he jumped in, Lucas added, "Oh, also bring up Gyarados and Milotic. They're from Kitakami and probably aren't used to this kind of winter."
Kitakami, neighboring Johto and Unova and not far from Sinnoh, rarely sees temperatures near zero even in winter, let alone snow. Ice-types there are scarce, and the few that do exist might even develop new regional forms over time.
Just like Fire-type Vulpix and Ice-type Alolan Vulpix, or Ground-type Sandslash and Ice/Steel-type Alolan Sandslash.
"Nyorooo!"
Politoed nodded and dove into the icy lake. His green form vanished beneath the surface.
Soon, after some ripples, several figures surfaced: Politoed, Dragonite, Dragonite's mother, shiny Dragonair, two Dragonair godmothers, and shiny Milotic.
But Gyarados was missing.
Lucas looked puzzled, but Politoed had already passed along his message, and as water dripped from her shimmering body, Milotic slithered ashore, letting out a melodious call.
"Milo~"
Her blue eyes glanced toward a certain spot, as if reminding Lucas.
Following her gaze, Lucas saw a waterway leading from Thunder Lake to the creek by the new orchard.
"You mean, Gyarados went to the creek?"
Lucas suddenly understood.
"Milo."
Milotic nodded. Lately, Gyarados had been lingering at the creek, apparently having made some discovery, and had been stationed there.
But with the cold snap, even a Pokémon like Milotic, whose appearance is somewhat serpentine, was growing sluggish.
Once that flowing creek iced over, it wouldn't be like Thunder Lake. Most of the water would freeze, thawing only in spring.
Both edible and wild aquatic Pokémon would migrate to bigger lakes before then.
Besides, with Swampert guarding Thunder Lake after his previous ordeal, outsiders wouldn't dare intrude.
So Gyarados hunkering there served little purpose, other than getting cold.
Since Gyarados wasn't around, Lucas checked over the other Pokémon and paid close attention to the Dragonite matriarch's mental state.
Though she still had hallucinations, she was at least responding properly to interactions. The company of Dragonite and Dragonair over the past half-year had had a positive effect.
Once in Alola, perhaps Tapu Fini's power could finally heal her heart completely.
In the end, all the Pokémon here were found to be healthy.
As for Gyarados, Lucas planned to check her out during his orchard tour with Siebold that afternoon.
Time flew and soon it was 2 pm.
Siebold arrived on time, brought to Lucas by Oranguru.
The snow had let up some, but it was still freezing. A warm breath appeared as a white vapor in the air—Victini had entertained himself with this for almost an hour before getting tired of it.
With the plummeting temperature, Siebold had swapped out his chef's outfit for something better suited for the outdoors, yet his elegant sense of style still showed through.
Compared to when Lucas met him at the airport with Clemont and Bonnie, Siebold's mood was clearly better and his eyes no longer seemed lost.
Lucas didn't know how Mr. Kofu managed to counsel him, nor was he curious enough to dig for details.
After a Kalo-style enthusiastic hug, Lucas led Siebold on a tour around the farm.
In the fields, Siebold ran his fingers over smooth-skinned, glossy purple eggplants. Even under grey clouds, their luster was clear. He marveled, "It's hard to imagine such rich, fragrant eggplants can be grown in this harsh cold."
After Lucas's nod of approval, Siebold picked an eggplant, took a bite without any heat treatment, and chewed the tough raw vegetable.
Savoring the burst of solanine and the characteristic greenness, he closed his eyes to concentrate.
To be honest, raw eggplant isn't very tasty.
But Siebold, ever the unconventional chef, wasn't concerned about flavor. Instead, he imagined the best ways to cook it and what dishes it could inspire.
Every ingredient in his restaurant was personally selected and tasted before it reached the kitchen, let alone the guests' tables.
This stringent self-expectation was why he briefly closed his restaurant and came here to Paldea.
His issues were resolved after working at Kofu's seafood restaurant, yet Siebold still refused to lie to himself about ingredients.
Good is good; bad is bad.
After a few seconds of never wasting a bite, Siebold swallowed and softly murmured, "Nickel."
Meaning "perfect"—a word often used back in his hometown.
Next, with Lucas as his guide, Siebold tried all kinds of farm produce, like a modern-day sampling the hundred herbs.
No exaggeration, every single crop was flawless, meeting Siebold's famously high standards. As long as the quality stayed this way, he believed his culinary skill could reach new heights, offering guests even better cuisine.
They sampled produce in the snowy fields, even trying Miltank's milk and Skiddo's grass-fed milk. Siebold expressed a clear wish to regularly source his ingredients here.
Their baskets were filled with half-eaten samples—Siebold wasn't about to waste them; with confidence, he promised to use these leftovers tonight to thank Lucas with a delicious meal.
Of course, any food he'd tasted directly would be cooked just for himself.
Time flew, and as 5 pm approached, Siebold prepared to place a massive order from Lucas.
But then Lucas said, "The farm has a new orchard, especially the apples inside. I highly recommend you try them."
"Please take me there!"
Siebold's eyes sparkled with excitement—apples frequently appeared in his signature dishes and desserts.
The apples at his restaurant came from the finest orchard in Kalos, yet he wasn't fully satisfied.
Because of outside circumstances, he had been forced to lower his standards.
Only Kitakami's special apples truly met all his requirements, but they were notoriously hard to source, often limited, and expensive to transport—suitable only for seasonal surprise items, not regular menu fare.
Having tasted so many outstanding crops here, Siebold's hopes soared. If these apples could match even half the flavor of Kitakami's, he'd have a new staple.
With hope, he followed Lucas into the new orchard.
Despite the heavy snow, the magical trees retained their green leaves, piled high with perfect white snow.
From afar, the snow-covered crowns seemed like nature's own sculpture, a silent blend of tranquility and vitality.
But what drew Siebold's gaze were the apples—round, vibrant, and bright as rubies, hanging brilliantly in the wintertime and spreading their intoxicating fragrance.
Unable to wait, Siebold plucked a nearby apple, brushed off the snow, and bit in despite the chill.
As his teeth pressed into the juicy flesh, intense flavor exploded in his mouth. Savoring the unique sweet-tartness, Siebold didn't even realize a tear had rolled down his cheek.
So delicious, it made him cry.
Watching Siebold's stunned reaction, Lucas could only think, "He's... crying because it's so delicious?"
But... surely not! It's just an apple. Hasn't he eaten apples before? Isn't that a bit much?
…
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