Chapter 166 – 166

Even while still inside its egg, Larvesta could already sense the world outside. It had heard things and even vaguely “seen” the sources of the nurturing forces around it. At that time, it didn’t understand what those things were, but instinctively, it felt close to them.

That familiar presence—it was up ahead.

Larvesta crawled its way behind the large pot of simmering curry. It quietly peeked out and saw Calyrex and Walking Wake lingering near the entrance to the Training Maze in the distance.

“Mera~”

Staring at the backs of the two Pokémon, Larvesta confirmed they hadn’t noticed it and sneakily dipped its head into the pot.

Those two Pokémon gave it a sense of familiarity, as if they had raised it. But what Larvesta longed for even more was a pair of warm human hands. Although it didn’t know why it understood what a human was, it was absolutely certain.

A human had spoken to it.

Telling it to grow up strong and healthy!

Yes! In order to grow, it had to eat!

The fragrance was coming from the food inside the pot, and there was still plenty left. Though it had only just hatched, Larvesta had quite the appetite. While no one was paying attention, it dug in voraciously.

Legends say Larvesta feeds on flames, but many Pokémon also eat regular food, which benefits their growth!

Full!

…Am I full?

After slurping down a large helping of curry, Larvesta suddenly lifted its head, blinking its dopey blue eyes in a daze.

Though it had tasted delicious and it felt full while eating, it was hungry again once it was done.

What was going on?

Larvesta couldn’t figure it out. Its newly hatched little brain had no idea why this was happening. So it followed its instincts and the creeping hunger, plunging its head back into the curry. But as more curry was eaten, the level of food in the pot lowered, and Larvesta had to shove half its body inside to reach more!

Then the pot began to turn red!

The sweet curry had a special property that accelerated the growth of young Pokémon. Larvesta’s inner power surged rapidly. But being so young, it had no idea how to control it. Especially within a dreamlike state, where a child’s dreams often defy logic, the five red horns on Larvesta’s body flared with flames. An intense heat began to melt the rim of the pot!

The pot began to lose its original shape as Larvesta buried itself deeper into the curry, devouring it greedily. But the more it ate, the faster it grew. And the faster it grew, the more energy it needed—creating an endless cycle!

“Mera…”

The food… was gone.

Completely and utterly gone!

Blinking its blue eyes for a while, Larvesta finally realized the dilemma. Huffing out puffs of flame, it saw that one side of the iron pot had already melted from the heat of its Ability, Flame Body. That molten section faced toward Calyrex’s farmland.

There, a giant blue head of cauliflower came into view. Though it wasn’t giving off a particularly strong aroma, Larvesta’s instincts as a living creature stirred—it was being drawn to a high-quality food source. Just as many Pokémon are attracted to rare, beneficial Berries like Sitrus, Larvesta’s body ached for nourishment.

Crawling out through the melted side of the pot, it bumped into a round white stone on the ground. Twisting around to look, Larvesta realized it was the same stone that had given it so much warmth before.

It looked like an egg.

Maybe it had a Pokémon inside too.

Then… it probably needed fire.

With the innocent kindness of a child, Larvesta’s five flame horns ignited again, arranged like a sun around its body.

It gently tapped the Light Stone, whispering to it like an older sibling looking after a younger one. “Mera mera,” it chirped softly, meaning something like, Don’t worry, I’ll help you hatch.

Then it spat flames onto the stone—and instinctively twisted them into a vortex shape, forming a new move!

“The Light Stone was trapped in a fiery vortex!”

“Mera~”

Larvesta’s tone was cheerful, because its mood was bright. Wiggling its tiny bug body, it crawled toward the glowing cauliflower, sensing the emotions resonating from the Light Stone behind it—emotions of gratitude.

That made it even happier.

You’re welcome! That’s what I’m supposed to do!

Humming a tune from ancient times, it crawled onward toward the radiant blue cauliflower.

It didn’t know where the melody came from, but it had heard it long before it hatched. A song forever etched in its memory.

As that soothing hum echoed, Larvesta reached the field. Somehow, perhaps influenced by the song, the crops began to swell and grow. But Larvesta couldn’t control its power, and the growth accelerated too quickly. Leaves that hadn’t yet sprouted from radishes dried up and started to burn.

“Walking Wake, how in the world did you even get your head stuck in there!?”

At the Training Maze, Walking Wake had tried to stick its head into the cabin out of curiosity. Though the doorway was wide enough for the Swords of Justice to pass freely—Terrakion, the largest of them, fit easily—Walking Wake’s massive crest and bulky frame made it difficult.

Now its head was completely wedged in and stuck!

“Awoooo~!”

Its twin tails thrashed wildly. Inside, its head spun like a top, searching for a way out. Outside, Calyrex was trying to pull it free with Psychic, but with little success. Thankfully, the Swords of Justice and Hikaru noticed the situation and tried to comfort it. Calyrex wiped the sweat off its oversized head.

“Can’t you give me a moment of peace—wait… why does it smell like something’s burning!?”

Calyrex had just begun working with Hikaru to widen the cabin entrance when its nose twitched.

The radishes! The ancient seeds! The whole field was ablaze!

A small figure moved through the flames—toward the prized glowing cauliflower!

“No! That’s my pride and joy!!”

Calyrex flung its hoe aside and used Psychic to teleport instantly to the farm. But it was already too late—Larvesta had climbed onto the cauliflower, which was moments away from catching fire!

Desperate, Calyrex raised both hands. Though its Psychic wasn’t fully recovered, it summoned vapor from both hands like magic—creating a gentle mist. From afar, it looked like Calyrex had turned into a sprinkler.

The mist splashed onto the burning crops. Ashes sank into the soil, and the surviving plants began to sprout anew.

This was the move Life Dew!

“Mera.”

Larvesta, mid-chomp into the glowing cauliflower’s skin, was soaked by the Water-type move. Steam burst off its body. It shook its flame horns in protest—but in the next moment, it was lifted into the air by Calyrex’s Psychic!

Calyrex used a strong Psychic blast, but unlike before, it didn’t feel drained afterward. This was thanks to the stat-boosting effects of the Bright Cuisine, and also because the three Swords of Justice had settled in. Their presence brought more faith to Calyrex.

Not worship, but simply being known was enough to grant it energy. That passive faith was enough to sustain its daily life and abilities.

“Mera mera.”

Larvesta pouted at having its meal interrupted, but the aura around Calyrex felt familiar and comforting. After all, back when it was still in its egg, Calyrex had used Heal Pulse to save its life.

So Larvesta crawled up beside Calyrex, affectionately nuzzling it—before turning right back around and resolutely heading for the cauliflower again.

“Wait! Hold it right—”

A spark of realization flashed through Calyrex’s mind. It instantly flung another Psychic wave to pull Larvesta away from the field. The little bug blinked and paused to think.

Oh! You want to play tag?

But I’m really hungry right now, so I’ll play later. I need to eat first!

Chirping to itself, Larvesta nuzzled Calyrex again—and then suddenly noticed that Calyrex’s big round head looked a lot like the glowing cauliflower.

Huh?

Is this food too?

Larvesta, being quite large, toppled Calyrex over and bit down on the big leafy head to test it.

“Larvesta used Bug Bite! It’s super effective against wild Calyrex!”

Then—

“Calyrex was burned by Flame Body!”

(End of Chapter)

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