Pokémon: Reborn as Lucario

Chapter 102: Their Respective Results

In the back kitchen of "Hoenn Ice Room," the shaved ice competition was in full swing.

At the far left of the kitchen was the hot-blooded youth and his Sneasel. Sneasel, also possessing sharp claws, chose to use the highly effective [Metal Claw] to cut the ice block. However, Sneasel, being a Dark-type, obviously couldn't learn the Fighting-type move [Detect]. So, it used [Fury Swipes] to increase its hand speed while simultaneously using its natural affinity for the Ice-type to control its force, attempting to make the ice fragments more uniform.

And the hot-blooded youth standing before the cooking station was concentrating on stacking various ingredients. Rio took a quick look; the fruits and sweets like candies that the youth had chosen numbered more than ten types.

Rio secretly clicked his tongue. "With so many ingredients, won't the flavors clash?"

But seeing the hot-blooded youth's confident appearance, he knew he wasn't blindly piling on ingredients but had a certain confidence in his own technique and plan.

"Smoochum doesn't have sharp claws. How will it handle the ice block?"

With this question in mind, he looked at the group with the apron-wearing girl and Smoochum.

That block of ice that Rio and Sneasel had fought over had now changed its appearance. Just as Rio had thought, the apron-wearing girl and Smoochum didn't cut the ice block into shavings. Instead, they used a hammer to crudely smash the ice block into fine bits.

Then, Smoochum released wisps of cold air from its hands, reassembling these fine bits, and molding them into ice blocks of various sizes and shapes.

"Very good, Smoochum! Your control over the intensity of [Icy Wind] is great. Next, just use [Confusion] to shape it."

The apron-wearing girl praised her Pokémon while applying colorful juices to the ice blocks with her hands, then put on freezer gloves and assembled something.

This unconventional method of making shaved ice was a real eye-opener for Rio.

"These two opposing groups are very strong. It seems they both have their own unique tricks. This competition won't be easy to win."

Rio looked at Ralts, who was concentrating on making their shaved ice, and the work slowly taking shape in her hands, and also revealed a slight smile.

"But ours isn't bad either!"

Two hours passed just like that.

And the dessert master returned to the kitchen right on time.

"Alright, time's up. Let me see your creations."

The first to be brought up was the finished product from the group with the hot-blooded youth and Sneasel:

On a fist-sized cup, ice shavings cut from a block of ice were piled up, protruding from the cup's mouth into a very high peak, as if the cup were holding an iceberg. However, besides the pure white, crystalline "iceberg," there were no other decorations, not even the essential syrup for shaved ice.

"Strange, where are all those ingredients they prepared?"

Rio had spied on the "enemy's intelligence," so he was also surprised by this clean, pure white "iceberg."

The dessert master was expressionless. "You spent two hours to bring me this thing? Just letting a customer eat ice, what's the difference between that and drinking water?"

"No, Master! Please, you must try it."

The hot-blooded youth said sincerely, handing over a spoon.

The dessert master's face was grim. He took the spoon and dug down from the peak of the "iceberg."

But this one scoop revealed an unexpected scenery.

"Ah, this is?" The crowd and Pokémon all gasped in surprise, while the hot-blooded youth and Sneasel revealed smiles that said, "everything is as I planned."

Inside the dug-out "iceberg," layer after layer of different ingredients were neatly stacked together: there were sliced fruits like strawberries, oranges, and mangoes; sweet seasonings like chocolate, condensed milk, and honey were sandwiched in between; and food items like cornflakes were also inserted to enhance the texture. It looked plain and unremarkable on the outside, but the inside was a rainbow of colors.

Although somewhat surprised, the dessert master still snorted coldly. "So many ingredients, but the taste might not necessarily be good. If the flavors of the ingredients clash, then this work is still unqualified."

Though he said this, the dessert master still put the scooped-up shaved ice into his mouth.

"Hmm?!!!" The moment the spoon entered his mouth, the dessert master's eyes widened.

After tasting it carefully, he exclaimed in admiration, "Very good, a wonderful combination! Placing the ingredients with milder flavors but rich textures on the upper layers, and placing the heavier-flavored ingredients sequentially below. This way, not only do the heavy-flavored ingredients not cover up the taste of the other ingredients, but it also enhances the texture at the first bite. As one slowly savors it, it brings out the underlying flavors, making one want to take another bite."

Hearing the dessert master's critique, the hot-blooded youth revealed an excited smile.

"However..."

Before his smile could fully bloom, the dessert master's next words poured a basin of cold water on him.

"Although the flavors of the ingredients are handled very well, there are two flaws in this work that make it less than perfect." The dessert master only took one bite, then put down the spoon and said without mercy, "First, the texture of this shaved ice is not good. The ice granules are of different sizes, which severely affects the mouthfeel. Second, the temperature of the ice was not well-controlled. It felt too cold when it entered the mouth, over-stimulating the taste buds. One can only stop and wait for the tongue to adapt before continuing to eat."

The dessert master glanced around the room.

"Shaved ice, shaved ice. What's emphasized in this dessert is the 'ice.' If the ice is not handled well, then no matter how perfect these accompanying ingredients are, it cannot complete a qualified work."

"Next group."

The hot-blooded youth, somewhat dejected, took his creation and returned to his cooking station.

The apron-wearing girl then, holding a tray, gently placed it in front of the dessert master.

"Hello, please enjoy."

Stunning! This was the first thought of everyone present.

What the apron-wearing girl presented was not shaved ice in the traditional sense, but a lifelike ice sculpture model—a windmill cottage composed of ice blocks of different sizes, plus small trees, hills, and various other creations pieced together using solidified ice slush. From a visual perspective, it was no less than a fine work of art.

What was even more surprising was that those ice sculptures, which were clearly made of ice, were not the original crystalline transparency of ice, nor the white color after being crushed, but various brilliant colors, injecting a vivid vitality into this work of art.

"A very special creation." The dessert master nodded, affirming the appearance of the apron-wearing girl's work.

"One moment." The apron-wearing girl chuckled lightly, gently tapping the "hill" with a spoon. Instantly, some fragrant, milky-white "water" flowed down from the "hill," flowing into the river channel around the "cottage."

"Is this milk?"

The dessert master sniffed the rich aroma spreading in the air.

It had to be said, this milk was indeed an exquisite touch, allowing the fragrance of this unique shaved ice to begin to emanate.

The dessert master picked up his spoon and carefully scooped out the pink wall of the "cottage." And that wall, which looked like a solid block of ice, was surprisingly scooped out smoothly and easily by the spoon.

"Mmm!!" As the shaved ice entered his mouth, the dessert master instantly made a sound of enjoyment, closing his eyes as he chewed.

"This ice brick must have been re-aggregated from ice slush, and the temperature has also been adjusted. While maintaining the texture, it also won't be too cold to prevent the diner from enjoying it to the fullest. And this color... strawberry juice was mixed into the ice slush, adding flavor to the ice. And through the richly aromatic milk, the color, appearance, and taste all coexist. Good, good, good! An extremely outstanding work!"

"Thank you for your praise."

The apron-wearing girl still had a smiling face, but Rio could see that her hands, holding Smoochum, had relaxed slightly. It seemed she wasn't as relaxed as she appeared on the outside.

"However..."

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