The thunderclouds in the sky slowly dissipated, and everything around returned to silence. Pawmo, who had been floating in the air, gently landed on the grass. Its eyes, now full of determination, looked over at Naoki with excitement.
"How do you feel? Have you gotten stronger?" Naoki asked eagerly.
"Pawmo!" Pawmo nodded enthusiastically.
After evolving, the electric sacs on its cheeks had become much more developed, allowing it to release electricity without needing to generate friction. To demonstrate, Pawmo summoned a burst of electricity on its cheeks, and soon, its entire body was enveloped in a brilliant electric light that surged outward.
Naoki observed this and murmured, "It looks like I'll need to add 'Thunderbolt' to Pawmo's notes."
"Anything else?" he asked.
Pawmo nodded and began to demonstrate the new moves it had learned after its evolution. In addition to Thunderbolt, Pawmo had also mastered Thunder Punch, Discharge, Electro Ball, and Electric Terrain.
Watching this display, Naoki was stunned. The effect of that Lightning Bun was truly extraordinary. Not only had it caused Pawmi to evolve into Pawmo, but it had also allowed it to learn so many powerful moves at once. The title "Thunder God" for the dish seemed more than fitting.
The sheer power of that legendary dish was astonishing. Naoki couldn't help but wonder, if a feather from Zapdos could create such an impact, what would happen if he used feathers from Ho-Oh or Lugia? Or perhaps, if he made Flaming Buns or Frozen Buns using feathers from Moltres and Articuno, would they bestow "God of Fire" and "God of Ice" effects?
A daring thought crossed his mind—what if he didn't just use feathers, but cooked with an entire Zapdos? But he quickly dismissed the idea. It would be far too cruel to harm Pokémon, especially when they possessed emotions and intelligence equal to humans.
Naoki gradually calmed down, realizing that such Pokémon feathers weren't easy to come by. It was already a stroke of incredible luck that the baby bear had managed to pick up a Zapdos feather. He decided not to dwell on the possibilities of obtaining others.
Then, he remembered how Pawmo had briefly lifted off the ground earlier.
"Did you just fly?" Naoki asked curiously.
"Pawmo?" Pawmo looked a bit confused at first but quickly nodded excitedly as if recalling the moment.
"Pawmo!"
Pawmo began to accumulate energy, and a yellow electric current spread out from its body, crackling in all directions. In the next moment, Pawmo's feet slowly lifted off the ground—it was actually floating!
Naoki's eyes widened in surprise. "You're really flying? Try to move!"
"Pawmo!" Pawmo nodded eagerly and started to experiment.
At first, its flying was a bit clumsy, with wobbly movements and an uncertain posture. But soon, Pawmo became more confident, gliding smoothly through the air. The excitement was evident as Pawmo soared above the pasture, relishing the new sensation.
Naoki watched with a smile'. He was genuinely happy for Pawmo. He decided he would go to town tomorrow to buy a bright red cape for Pawmo, so it could cosplay as Thor. After all, in a world where there are Cap Pikachu, Rock Star Pikachu, and Pikachu Pop Star, a Caped Pawmo seemed perfectly reasonable!
After enjoying its newfound ability, Pawmo flew back toward Naoki, who opened his arms to catch it. Pawmo snuggled into Naoki's embrace, still as affectionate as ever.
"Pawmo~"
Even after evolving, Pawmo was still as fluffy as before, and its soft paw pads were just as irresistible. Naoki couldn't resist giving it a big hug.
"Alright, time to head back inside," Naoki said, carrying Pawmo back into the house.
Once inside, Naoki faced a new dilemma: what to do with the remaining Lightning Buns. Legendary dishes like these were extremely rare, and his first instinct was to store them in the refrigerator to feed to any future Electric-type Pokémon that might join the ranch. However, even in the fridge, food could spoil over time.
What should he do?
At that moment, Dragonite, who had watched Pawmo's transformation with wide eyes, looked longingly at the buns.
Naoki sighed, "These buns won't work for you. Only Electric-type Pokémon like Pawmo can gain strength from them."
Hearing this, Dragonite's expression fell, and it let out a sad, "Awoo…"
Naoki couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for it.
Naoki decided that it was better to share the Lightning Buns with everyone rather than letting them go to waste. After all, it wouldn't take long for them to spoil. He distributed the remaining buns to the Pokémon on the ranch and, out of curiosity, decided to try one himself.
The taste was similar to an ordinary steamed bun, but with a slight numbing sensation in his mouth, likely due to the residual electrical energy from Zapdos' feathers. The buns were small, so Naoki finished his quickly. Then he looked at the two Pokémon that could use Electric-type moves, Dragonite and Butterfree, and asked, "How do you feel?"
Dragonite, concentrating, raised its fist, noticing the stronger electric current sparking around it. "Awoo?!"
Naoki observed the situation, puzzled. "Is there some hidden effect?"
He decided to test it further. Taking them outside, Naoki instructed Dragonite, "Use 100,000 Volts for me."
Dragonite complied, its body crackling with electric energy as it unleashed an even more powerful 100,000 Volts attack.
"Sure enough, the power of Electric-type moves has increased," Naoki muttered to himself.
He then turned to Butterfree. "Butterfree, what about you? How do you feel?"
"Mmmm~" Butterfree fluttered its wings and used the Electroweb move it had learned during its Caterpie days. In a flash of lightning, a net of electric currents shot from Butterfree, hitting the ground with more force than usual.
"It's definitely stronger," Naoki confirmed, realizing that the Lightning Buns had a hidden effect: they could enhance the power of Electric-type moves even for non-Electric Pokémon.
He smiled at the two Pokémon. "Congratulations, Dragonite and Butterfree."
"Awoo~" Dragonite responded cheerfully.
"Mmmm~" Butterfree buzzed happily.
Naoki grinned, satisfied with the day's results. "Alright, time for bed!" he announced.
Everyone had gained something today, and it was a reason to celebrate. After saying goodnight to the Pokémon, Naoki went to bed, cuddling up with Pawmo.
Pawmo, having achieved its dream evolution, slept soundly that night. Even in its sleep, Pawmo displayed a content and affectionate demeanor, snuggling close like a child seeking comfort.
Seeing this, Naoki couldn't help but smile as he gently petted Pawmo's fur. With a peaceful heart, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.