Puneeth: The Alchemist

3 weeks later

The atmosphere inside the EFS headquarters has grown with rigid focus. It has been training relentlessly, but biology begins to clash with ideology.

The strict adherence to the “One Meal Per Day” protocol, combined with a purely vegan diet, has been taking a toll. While Divya’s principles has been keeping the consciences of the EFS members clean, the grueling combat drills have left some members sluggish. Muscles started aching longer and fatigue has set in faster.

Vikram is the first to notice such negative changes. As the combat trainer, he saw the fractional delays in Harish’s punches and the heavy breathing of the newer recruits. The EFS needed a solution that didn’t have compromise their values.

On a humid Tuesday morning, Puneeth, now known as a bio-scientist, summons the core leadership—Dheena, Harish, Roy, Divya, and Vikram—to the newly constructed agricultural wing on the southern edge of the compound.

The air inside the greenhouse is thick, smelling of wet soil and organic fertilizer. Rows of hydroponic setups and deep-soil beds stretched across the room. Puneeth stands at a metal workbench, wearing a stained white lab coat over his tactical pants. The dark circles under his eyes speaks of sleepless nights, but his posture turns out to be electric.

Puneeth begins to speak, skipping the pleasantries.

PUNEETH: Three weeks ago, I noticed the squad’s recovery times dropping.

Puneeth then gestures to a cluster of potted plants.

PUNEETH: We burn thousands of calories, and we lack the dense, bio-available Vitamin B12 and calcium that the Blizzard gets from slaughtering animals. Supplements are a logistical weakness. So, I redesigned our food supply.

HARISH (crossing his arms, looking at dirt): You grew a “better” spinach for us?

PUNEETH (smiling proudly): I actually re-engineered the ecosystem.

Puneeth then picks up a small, deep-crimson berry from a tray. It looks like an Indian gooseberry but its pigmentation is red, just like in the pic given below.

PUNEETH: This is Raktha-Nelli, also known as Blood Gooseberry.

Puneeth hands the berry to Divya, who examines its heavy dense structure.

PUNEETH (pacing slightly): Vitamin B12 is produced by soil bacteria, not plants. I isolated a strain of Rhizobium bacteria, modified it to hyper-produce Cobalamin, and cultivated it in these soil beds. Then, I altered the root structure of this gooseberry variant to absorb and synthesize that B12 directly into its pulp. One berry gives a soldier their entire daily requirement of B12 and iron. It tastes metallic and sour, but it builds blood.

Roy steps forward, his eyes being fixed on the red fruit. Since the rescue mission where he nearly lost Puneeth, a quiet, protective bond has formed between them.

ROY (curious): How long have you been working on this, Puneeth?

PUNEETH (meeting Roy’s gaze): Since I was cleared from the medical bay. You saved my life in Vidiyaloor, Roy. My body isn’t meant for the front lines like yours. This… this is how I fight.

ROY (offering a slow respectful nod): It’s a good weapon, my dear comrade.

PUNEETH (with full energy and enthusiasm): It doesn’t end here.

Puneeth then points down the row to different stations which contain other fictionally re-engineered “fruits” such as Vajra-Pazham aka Diamond Fruit, Agni Kodukku aka Fire Sting, and Jeeva Rasam aka Life Nectar, and they all look just like in the pics given below respectively.

PUNEETH: That grey, hard-shelled fruit is the Vajra-Pazham. Dense calcium and magnesium for bone fortification. Over there, the Agni-Kodukku—a thermogenic pepper to keep our core temperatures up during cold midnight coastal patrols without lighting fires. And the Jeeva-Rasam gourds, packed with pure electrolytes for hydration.

Dheena picks up one of the heavy Vajra-Pazham fruits, tossing it lightly in his hand.

DHEENA: You’ve made us entirely self-sufficient, comrade Puneeth. We don’t need supply lines. We just need the earth of Durgapattinam.

Vikram, having his tactical mind already calculating the increased stamina, pats Puneeth’s shoulder.

VIKRAM: We shall implement these into the mess hall real soon. Excellent work, Alchemist.

PUNEETH (smiling confidently): Thank you, Trainer. I’m humbled.

Two weeks later

The dietary upgrades had revolutionized the squad’s performance. The fatigue was gone, replaced by a lean, resilient energy. But in the medical bay, a different kind of biological reality was setting in.

Lux, now five weeks pregnant, sits on an examination table, looking down at her abdomen with a mixture of awe and profound annoyance. She is nearing the end of her first trimester, and carrying twins meant her body was expanding at an alarming rate.

The doctors Ajay and Varsha are taking their vitals while Puneeth walks in, carrying a small, unmarked glass jar.

Lux complains while gently rubbing her pregnant belly.

LUX: My logistics hub is under siege. The infrastructure is stretching too fast. It itches constantly, and if my skin tears and leaves stretch marks, I’m going to be furious. I want battle scars from the Blizzard blades, not from my own babies.

Puneeth chuckles, stepping up to the table and setting the jar down.

PUNEETH: I heard you complaining to Harish yesterday, comrade Lux. So, I took a detour from the agricultural wing.

Lux eyes the jar suspiciously.

LUX (eyebrows lifted due to getting suspicious): What is that? More bio-engineered food?

PUNEETH (shaking his head): It’s a topical reinforcement. I call it the “Vallarai Velvet Balm“.

Puneeth unscrews the lid, revealing a thick, pale-green paste that smelled faintly of earth and fresh coconuts.

PUNEETH: The base is Kokum butter from the Western Ghats and cold-pressed coconut oil for deep hydration,” Puneeth explained, his tone shifting into clinical precision. “But the active ingredient is a bio-engineered strain of Vallarai—Centella Asiatica. It’s highly concentrated in Asiaticoside. It doesn’t just moisturize, Lux. It actively stimulates Type I collagen production. It trains your skin fibers to stretch like elastic rather than tearing like paper.

Lux nods her head. She then reaches out, dipping two fingers into the jar. The paste melts instantly against her body heat. She then applies a small amount to her stomach, letting out a long sigh of relief as the soothing aloe vera in the mixture immediately neutralizes the itching.

LUX (muttering to herself): It feels… cool.

LUX (now meeting Puneeth’s gaze): You made this just for me?

PUNEETH: You are carrying our future warriors, comrade Lux. The Flower Storm protects its own. Consider it as a localized armor.

Lux smiles, a rare, entirely soft expression crossing her fierce features.

LUX: Thank you, Alchemist.

PUNEETH (nodding and tapping the jar): Apply it twice a day and your infrastructure will hold.

LUX (nodding her head): Alright.

Lux decides to show the jar of the newly made Vallarai Velvet Balm. She then waves her hand at Puneeth and leaves the research room with the jar in her hand.