At this moment, Bellsprout approached Barboach and Whiscash.
"Bell Bell~ Bell Bell~~"
See? Didn't I tell you that Angie's cooking is super delicious?
It looked particularly smug, as if it had been the one who cooked the meal.
"So, how about it? Want to trade me your leftover lotus roots?" Angie asked.
Barboach and Whiscash exchanged glances, momentarily unsure of what decision to make.
"Bell Bell~ Bell Bell~"
Go on, trade, trade.
Bellsprout eagerly encouraged the brothers from the side.
Unable to resist their friend's persistent nudging, Barboach and Whiscash eventually agreed. After all, they couldn't really refuse the delicious meal in front of them.
Angie was overjoyed. "It's settled then. I'll head over to your place to dig up the lotus roots, and from now on, you can come by my house for lunch every morning."
While Angie and the Pokémon inside were enjoying their lively lotus root feast, the parents waiting outside were growing increasingly restless as the enticing aroma continued to waft out.
"Tweet~ tweet~~"
Do they get to eat such delicious food every day?
Swablu's father asked his wife.
"Tweet~~ tweet~~"
Swablu's mother shook her head. While it usually smelled good, it had never been this fragrant before. Today's aroma was just too tempting! She unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
"Talon~ Talon~"
This human really knows what he's doing. No wonder the kids want to come here every day.
Fletchling's mother, Talonflame, remarked.
"Yaaah~"
Fletchling's father, Staraptor, snorted coldly. What's so special about cooking good food? I'm not impressed.
Staraptor thought disdainfully, but just then, an even stronger aroma hit him, and he almost choked on the saliva that suddenly flooded his mouth.
Suddenly, Angie's voice rang out, "Hello, parents! Are you hungry? Would you like to try some food?"
"Yaaah~ yaaah~"
Who wants to eat your food!
Staraptor was a bit flustered, feeling embarrassed by his earlier reaction.
"Come on, have some. It's free, and if you don't eat it, it's a waste."
With that, Angie gestured to the house. Diancie and Munchlax appeared, each carrying a bowl—one filled with buns, the other with vegetables. Angie casually placed two bowls in front of each Pokémon parent, then started serving them food.
The smell was simply irresistible, worming its way into their noses. Some of the parents' eyes were wide open, and they couldn't stop swallowing.
"Alright, dig in."
Not wanting to make the parents uncomfortable with his presence, Angie, along with Diancie and Munchlax, retreated back into the house. Before going in, he thoughtfully turned on the light at the door.
By this time, night had fallen, and darkness covered the land. The gentle glow from the light at the door dispelled the surrounding darkness, making everyone feel more at ease. Even the Pokémon parents were unconsciously warmed by Angie's gesture.
Staraptor shook his head vigorously.
Spit, spit, spit~~ Why am I getting all emotional over this?
"Tweet~ tweet~"
So, are you going to eat?
Swablu's father leaned down to sniff the bowl in front of him, and his mouth immediately began to water.
It smells amazing! Even better up close!
"Yaaah~~"
I'm not eating it, no way!
Staraptor said angrily.
"Talon~ Talon~"
If you're not eating, I am!
Talonflame couldn't take it anymore. With those words, she buried her head into the food bowl and began to peck away.
"Talon~ Talon~"
This... this... this is too delicious!
Talonflame let out a triumphant cry toward the sky.
Seeing Talonflame's reaction, Swablu's father, Victreebel, and Weepinbell all subconsciously swallowed their saliva.
Just how delicious is this?!
Talonflame, unable to hold back, turned to her husband and said.
"Talon~ Talon~"
You're not eating, right? Then it's all mine!
She used her wings to pull the two bowls in front of Staraptor over to herself.
"Yaaah~ yaaah~~"
Staraptor was about to explode with anger at his wife.
How could you be so spineless?!
Finally, even Swablu's father couldn't resist any longer.
"Tweet~~ tweet~~"
Forget it, I'm eating too.
With that, he buried his head into the bowl and began pecking away furiously.
Nom nom~ nom nom~ So delicious.
"Tweet~ tweet~ tweet~"
I don't think that human is really a bad person. No bad guy would make food this good.
Swablu's father mumbled through a mouthful of food as he chewed.
Smack!!!
Swablu's mother swung her wing and slapped her husband on the head.
"Tweet~ tweet~"
You're letting a bit of food bribe you!
"Tweet~"
Swablu's father clutched his head in grievance.
"Tweet~ tweet~ tweet~~"
I was just expressing my opinion. Why are you so mad?
Victreebel and Weepinbell exchanged glances, ignoring the domestic squabbles of the two couples. Quietly, they extended their vines, lifted their bowls, and poured all the food into their mouths in one go.
Nom nom~ nom nom~
As the couple chewed carefully, they finally understood why their kids were never home. This stuff is just too damn good!
"Yaaah~ yaaah~~~"
You... you two as well...?
Staraptor, seeing that the Victreebel couple had also succumbed, was about ready to blow steam from his ears.
Victreebel and Weepinbell didn't respond, continuing to silently enjoy their food.
Inside the house, Angie was watching the system interface, where the "Happiness Points" balance was jumping continuously. A bright smile spread across his face.
[ Happiness Point +200 ]
[ Happiness Point +200 ]
[ Happiness Point +200 ]
[ Happiness Point +200 ]
...
Good sign! The parents were starting to soften up too.
Angie's lotus root feast continued until around eight or nine that evening. Even after the Pokémon finished eating, they didn't leave right away. Instead, they stayed to help Angie clean up.
Not only did they clean up after the feast, but they also tidied up the entire building.
With so many helping hands, it didn't take long to get everything spotless. Once the cleaning was done, Angie felt like his house was suddenly a hundred times brighter. Everything was sparkling clean, even the ceiling had been polished to a shine by Aromatisse and the others.
This was the Pokémon's small token of appreciation for the meal Angie had shared with them.
After bidding each Pokémon farewell, Angie stretched and massaged his back. "That was exhausting!" he muttered. "I'm never doing this again. I'll just stick to making breakfast from now on! Hard work is not my style."
He opened the system interface and glanced at the "Happiness Points" balance, which now read 20,906.
In total, 32 Pokémon, including the parents, had attended the dinner tonight, contributing 6,400 happiness points.
Picking up Komala, Angie said to Diancie and Munchlax, "Let's head inside."
"Okay."
"Munch~~"
Afterward, like usual, Angie spent an hour training in the culinary practice room with Munchlax, then washed up and went to bed.
In the middle of the night, Angie felt terrible, with a splitting headache. He groggily woke up and saw Diancie sitting by his bedside.
"What's... wrong with me?" His voice came out hoarse, "Cough cough cough~~"
Diancie quickly touched Angie's forehead, "It's still really hot. You've got a fever." As she spoke, she helped Angie sit up.
In the past, when Angie's health was poor, his immune system was especially weak, and he frequently got sick. Colds and fevers were common occurrences. Back then, when Diancie was just a Carbink, she took care of him in the same way.
Diancie poured Angie a glass of water and handed him a fever-reducing pill, all while busying herself and murmuring, "It must be because you stayed in the water too long during the day. You're a grown man, but still so careless. Even if you were digging up lotus roots, you didn't have to go down there yourself..."
As Angie watched Diancie bustling around, he felt as if he had been transported back five hundred years.
After he took the medicine, Diancie helped him lie down and tucked him in. "Get some rest. Call me if you feel unwell."
Angie replied helplessly, "I know, I know. You go sleep too; it's so late." He glanced at the clock on the wall—2 a.m.
Diancie nodded and walked out of the room, but soon she returned, pushing the door open again.
"What's...?" Angie started to ask, then noticed Munchlax following behind her.
"Minch~~"
Snorlax wore a pointy sleep cap, holding its pillow and yawning wide as Diancie led it to Angie's bedside.
With a swift motion, Diancie stuffed Munchlax into Angie's bed. "Tonight, Munchlax will keep you company. Hug it, sweat it out, and you might feel better by morning."
Then she turned Munchlax and said, "Munchlax, I'm leaving your master in your care."
"Munchlax~~~"
Half-asleep, Munchlax mumbled something in response, then turned over and hugged Angie. The warm, soft, squishy sensation pressed up against Angie.
He quietly embraced Munchlax back, feeling drowsiness take over. Before long, he fell asleep.
Diancie shook her head, muttering softly as she left the room, "This house would fall apart without me."
"Tweet~ tweet~~"
In the morning, Angie woke up to Fletchling's chirping. He felt incredibly heavy, almost like he couldn't breathe. Turning his head, he saw that Munchlax had draped an arm and a leg over him, its mouth wide open, sleeping soundly.
"Awake?" Diancie's voice called from nearby. "Feeling any better?" She walked over to Angie's bedside, gently pressing her forehead against his. "Hmm, not as hot anymore."
"I still feel weak all over," Angie responded pitifully.
"Just rest today and leave the shop to Munchlax!" Diancie insisted.
Angie glanced at Munchlax, who was still fast asleep, sprawled out without a care. "Just Munchlax? Are you sure?"
"It'll have to manage," Diancie said firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Angie sighed and nodded, "Alright, but if it doesn't do well, don't scold it. Just teach it patiently. Munchlax is really obedient and capable."
"Yeah, yeah!" Diancie replied with mock exasperation, "You're the real parent, and I'm the stepmom, right?"
Angie smiled at Diancie, trying to be playful, "Who said that? My Diancie is the best in the world!"
Diancie couldn't help but smile at his words. Angie's sudden fever last night had truly scared her—it had been a long time since he had been this ill, and when it came, it hit hard.
"Are you hungry? There's still some leftover lotus root soup from last night. I'll have Munchlax heat it up for you, and after you eat, you can take your medicine and sleep some more," Diancie's tone softened considerably.
Angie's fridge was a piece of system-tech magic—food stored inside never spoiled.
Maybe it was because he was sick, but Angie felt a bit emotionally vulnerable. He enjoyed Diancie's care and nodded like a child, "Mm, I got it."
Diancie got up and dragged Munchlax out of bed.
"Munch~ Munch~" Snorlax grumbled, "I wanna sleep, I wanna sleep."
Its eyes were still closed as it mumbled in protest.
"Sleep? I told you to take care of Angie, and you're sleeping even deeper than him!" Diancie scolded, knocking Munchlax on the head as she pulled it along.
"Munch~~" Munchlax rubbed its head, looking aggrieved.
As Angie watched them walk away, he shook his head with a smile before burrowing back under the covers, drifting off to sleep again.
He wasn't sure how long he had slept when Diancie woke him up again. "Come on, drink this." She helped him sit up and handed him the warm lotus root soup, along with medicine and a glass of water.
After Angie finished the medicine, Diancie pulled out Komala from who-knows-where and quickly tucked it into Angie's bed. "Now, hug it and rest some more."
Komala nestled into Angie's arms, snoring softly. Angie gently stroked its back and looked up at Diancie, asking, "How's the shop? It's Munchlax's first time handling everything alone. No problems, right?"
"Everything's fine. Everyone has already finished breakfast and left. Didn't you say Munchlax is capable? So, what are you worried about?" Diancie replied while tidying up the dishes.
"That's good." Angie sighed in relief, "Munchlax really is capable."
After Diancie left, Angie sat up in bed, still holding Komala. He had slept too much—he wasn't like Komala, who had the trait of absolute sleep.
His gaze drifted out to the balcony, where the weather seemed particularly nice today. The sky was clear and blue, with fluffy white clouds.
Suddenly, he noticed three small figures approaching. Soon, three Pokémon landed side by side on the balcony railing.
It was Fletchling, Spritzee, and Swablu.
Fletchling, with its sharp eyes and beak, was the first to spot Angie sitting up in bed. Its eyes lit up as it chirped excitedly and flew into the room, with Spritzee and Swablu following closely behind.
The three Pokémon gently landed on the edge of Angie's bed, each bringing him a small gift.
"Tweet!" Fletchling placed a fresh flower down.
"Zee~" Spritzee set down a sprig of herbs.
"Chiru~" Swablu left behind a berry.
They had come to visit Angie on behalf of everyone. The flower was to lift his spirits, the herb to help ease his illness (even if it wasn't necessarily effective for a fever), and the berry to restore his strength.