As soon as Angie arrived, a group of Poliwag and several Poliwhirl immediately surrounded him.
Angie could faintly see a few Poliwrath and a Politoed hiding in the grass.
Politoed was resting among the water plants. When it saw Angie coming, it simply lifted its eyelid to glance at him before closing its eyes again.
Angie attempted to use the Eye of Observation to check the data on Politoed but found it ineffective.
This could only indicate one thing: Politoed's level surpassed that of Diancie.
What Angie didn't know was that Politoed before him was also one of the guardians of the Nebel Plateau.
When Volcanion was absent, Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught were responsible for guarding the land, while the vast waters were considered the territory of Politoed.
One could say that Politoed was the strongest Pokémon in the Nebel Plateau, second only to Volcanion.
Of course, Angie was unaware of this.
He guessed that Politoed was likely the parent of Poliwag and Poliwhirl. Initially, he thought about approaching to say hello, but Poliwag had already clustered around a Lapras, swimming with him in another direction. Soon, Politoed disappeared from his sight.
After navigating around a patch of lush water plants, Angie arrived at a body of crystal-clear water. The water was deep, yet he could clearly see the bottom, where the swaying Salveyo Weed and swimming Magikarp, Goldeen, and Seaking filled the area with life.
"Poliwag~ Poliwag~"
A Poliwag called out to Angie, then suddenly dove into the water. Before long, it surfaced with a long Salveyo Weed in its mouth.
"Poliwag~ Poliwag~"
It swam to Angie and handed him the long water plant.
"Thank you, Poliwag," Angie said as he accepted the plant.
"Poliwag~ Poliwag~"
Poliwag's round eyes immediately curved into crescent shapes, then it dove back into the water again. Soon, the other Poliwag followed suit, diving one after another.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~~"
Watching as one Poliwag after another brought up Salveyo Weed for Angie, Munchlax clapped its hands joyfully from the side.
Poliwag had no hands, so they could only bring up one Salveyo Weed at a time, which was rather slow. As Munchlax watched, it began to feel anxious. Taking advantage of Angie's momentary distraction, it dove headfirst into the water.
Splash~
Angie was startled by the sudden splash, and when he saw Munchlax had plunged into the water, he silently withdrew his outstretched hand.
Munchlax, as expected of a Pokémon with max Speed IVs, was incredibly agile even in the water. Before long, it emerged from the water with a handful of Salveyo Weed.
"Munchlax~~"
Munchlax proudly presented the Salveyo Weed it had gathered to Angie.
"You can swim too!" Angie asked helplessly.
"Munchlax~~"
Aren't I awesome?
Munchlax beamed with pride, its face filled with a show-off expression.
"Awesome!" Angie gave a thumbs up, praising it, "My Munchlax is the best in the world!"
Angie's words made Munchlax swell with pride; it thrust the Salveyo Weed into Angie's hand and then began to perform its swimming skills for him.
Backstroke, dog paddle, butterfly stroke... it was swimming with glee.
Sometimes, Angie couldn't help but wonder whether his Munchlax was truly a Munchlax or a big dog. It was very clingy, loved to be pampered, and could easily win over its master's favor—simply too, too, too cute!
"Munchlax is amazing!"
"Wow, that pose is so cool."
"Wow, Munchlax, you swim really fast; even water-type Pokémon can't keep up with you."
...
Angie was very supportive of Munchlax's performance, showering it with praise one after another, and Munchlax was getting more and more into it.
Seeing Munchlax having so much fun, Angie wanted to join in and play too, but even in the Nebel Plateau, the autumn water was a bit chilly. Given his current health, he didn't want to risk getting sick again.
So he could only think about it.
In addition to Munchlax and Poliwag, Marill were also helping along with Azurill. Although Fletchling wanted to assist, unfortunately, they couldn't enter the water.
Soon, the sun began to set, and seeing that he had gathered enough Salveyo Weed, Angie called out to Munchlax, Marill, Azurill, and Poliwag, saying, "Alright, that's enough; let's go home."
Upon hearing this, Munchlax, Poliwag, and Marill all gathered around Angie.
"Munchlax, come here!" Angie extended one hand toward Munchlax and then, with a swift motion, pulled it out of the water and onto Lapras's back. "Wow, you're really not light!"
Munchlax's soft, thick fur got wet, making it almost impossible for Angie to lift it.
"Are you tired? Are you cold?" Angie asked with concern.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~~"
Munchlax shook its head while patting its chest.
After thinking for a moment, Angie spent some Happiness Points in the system shop to buy a disposable towel and handed it to Munchlax. "Hurry up, dry yourself off."
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Munchlax took the towel and chuckled happily.
"Alright, let's head back," Angie said.
Then everyone swam back together.
As they passed a certain area, Angie was suddenly captivated by a patch of water plants.
That was...
After staring for a few seconds, he suddenly smacked his forehead; wasn't that water bamboo! He quickly pointed to the patch of grass and eagerly told Lapras, "Lapras, take me over there!"
Lapras didn't understand but still swam quickly in the direction Angie indicated. Poliwag exchanged puzzled glances and decided to follow along with Marill.
Sure enough, it was water bamboo!
As Angie approached, he was filled with excitement; he hadn't expected an unexpected harvest.
He reached out and peeled away the water plants, revealing the swollen roots inside, white and tender—this was indeed water bamboo.
"Fletchling~ Fletchling~"
Angie, why are you pulling out that grass?
Fletchling flapped its wings and landed on Angie's shoulder, asking curiously.
Swablu and Spritzee perched on Angie's other shoulder, equally curious.
Lapras was also puzzled; this type of grass was very common in the waters of the Nebel Plateau. It had eaten it before and found it particularly unpalatable, as it couldn't swallow it at all.
Angie peeled away the green leaves surrounding the water bamboo, revealing the tender white part inside. He gently pinched it with his hand, and a fingernail mark instantly appeared.
So tender!
He smiled as he showcased the peeled water bamboo to the Pokémon. "This is a good thing, very delicious!"
Lapras, Poliwag, Marill, and Azurill all shook their heads in disbelief.
However, Munchlax, along with Fletchling, Spritzee, and Swablu, firmly believed Angie's words.
Munchlax took the water bamboo from Angie's hand, examining it as if it were a precious gem.
Hehe, delicious!
Without even knowing how to eat it, Munchlax's saliva was already uncontrollably flowing.
"Lapras, could you swim a little further in? I want to gather more," Angie said to Lapras.
"Lapras~~"
Lapras nodded and carried Angie a little deeper into the patch of water plants.
Angie reached out and pulled out one water bamboo after another, while Munchlax, Marill, and Azurill also stepped in to help. Before long, they had gathered a large pile.
Seeing that they had almost finished, Angie didn't waste any time and told everyone, "That's enough; let's hurry back; it's getting dark."
So the group of Pokémon continued to swim back.
After Angie was dropped off at the shore, Poliwag, Marill, Azurill, and Lapras all bid farewell to him.
As he waved, he said to them, "Thank you all for today! Be sure to come to my house for dinner tomorrow!"
The Pokémon swam away, turning back to glance at him three times.
When Angie and Munchlax were close to home, Fletchling, Spritzee, and Swablu also parted ways with them.
"Fletchling, Spritzee, Swablu, I had a lot of fun today; let's play together again next time!"
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
I had fun too; let's play together!
Angie and Munchlax called out to the three Pokémon that were gradually drifting away.
"Fletchling~~"
"Spritzee~~"
"Swablu~~"
The responses from the three Pokémon echoed in the distance beneath the setting sun.
When they reached their doorstep, Angie saw Komala rolling its way home, and he bent down to pick it up, saying, "Welcome home."
"Munchlax~"
Welcome, welcome!
Munchlax mimicked Angie's words.
The three Pokémon and Angie arrived at the door, where they saw Diancie standing on the steps with a smile, saying, "You're back a bit late."
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~~"
Not late, not late.
Munchlax, wrapped in a towel, darted inside, looking just like a little chubby bundle.
"Ha ha ha~~" Seeing Munchlax's comical antics, Angie couldn't help but laugh.
Accompanied by Angie's laughter, the family of four chatted and laughed as they entered the house. Before long, the warm lights inside illuminated the empty Nebel Plateau, bringing a touch of life to it.
That evening, Angie and Munchlax cooked together in the kitchen.
"Munchlax, you steam the buns while I prepare the dishes," Angie instructed.
Their staple food for tonight was still steamed buns.
"Munchlax~~"
Munchlax responded, standing on tiptoe on a small stool and skillfully kneading the dough.
Then Angie got busy as well.
He first dealt with the Salveyo Weed.
Last time, he made a cold salad with the Salveyo Weed, but this time, Angie prepared a scallion oil Salveyo Weed dish. It was just as delicious but with a different flavor.
After finishing the Salveyo Weed, Angie tossed together a plate of shredded radishes, made a soup with tomatoes, and stir-fried a plate of green beans.
The green beans in Angie's garden had just ripened and were fresh and tender, making them a family favorite.
As each dish was finished, the rich aroma filled the kitchen, and even Diancie couldn't help but poke her head in from outside to ask, "What's cooking today? It smells so good!"
Angie playfully replied, "You'll find out when it's time to eat."
Diancie retorted with dissatisfaction, "Stop being mysterious," before pulling her head back out.
Angie smiled and shifted his gaze back to the stove, where the last dish still needed to be prepared: the freshly peeled water bamboo.
After thinking for a while, Angie decided to make oil-braised water bamboo.
He cut the cleaned water bamboo into rolling dice-sized pieces and prepared oil, salt, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and other seasonings.
Next, he heated a pan with oil. Once the oil was hot, he added the ginger, garlic, and other ingredients to sauté until fragrant, then tossed in the cut water bamboo to stir-fry.
Once the water bamboo softened, he added the soy sauce, sugar, and salt in order for seasoning.
Finally, he poured in an appropriate amount of water, covered it, and let it braise.
After cooking the water bamboo until the sauce thickened over high heat, it was ready to be served.
Seeing Munchlax staring intently at the freshly made oil-braised water bamboo, Angie asked with a grin, "Does it smell good?"
"Munchlax~~ Munchlax~~"
It's delicious!
Munchlax wiped its mouth and said, its eyes fixed on the dish.
Angie chuckled and patted its forehead, saying, "It smells good, huh? Then hurry up and get the bowls and chopsticks so we can eat!"
"Munchlax~~"
Munchlax cheered and immediately ran to the dining room with a pile of bowls and chopsticks.
As expected, the entire family ate to their hearts' content that night.
Munchlax lay back in its chair, rubbing its belly as if it were six months pregnant, a look of utter satisfaction on its face.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~~"
Master, can we have this again tomorrow?
Munchlax said, knowing that Angie hadn't used up all the water bamboo.
"Do you like it that much?" Angie teased it.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
I like it.
Munchlax nodded eagerly.
"You, what don't you like?" Diancie chimed in.
Munchlax turned its head angrily, refusing to look at Diancie.
Seeing this, Angie said to Diancie, "Don't bully it too much."
Diancie replied, "With you protecting it, how dare I?"
Angie scratched his head and fell silent.
After dinner, the family of four chatted for a while before heading to the culinary training room to practice.
Angie had missed a day of training yesterday because he took Gardevoir and Kirlia to the Pokémon Center, which meant he hadn't completed the daily tasks for that day.
...
The next day, Angie got up early. He couldn't afford to be lazy again today after missing the chance to sell yesterday; he needed to earn some money now so he could have it when he needed it later.
Just as Angie finished washing up and came out of his room, he saw Diancie walking towards him.
"Angie, there's a new system task available. Do you want to accept it?" Diancie said.
"I figured it would be about time," Angie replied with a smile. "Let me see it!"
Diancie nodded and walked over to Angie, displaying the task acceptance popup for him to see.
When Angie clearly saw the tasks on the popup, he was stunned; there were actually more than one task.
...
[ (Temporary Task) Acquire your own shop in the Azoth Kingdom. Do you want to accept? ]
[ Yes ]
[ No ]
...
[ (Ingredient Acquisition Task) Collaborate with Gogoat on the Nebel Plateau to obtain Gogoat Milk. Do you want to accept? ]
[ Yes ]
[ No ]
...
[ (Recipe Upgrade Task) Upgrade the steamed buns to milk-flavored buns using Gogoat Milk. Do you want to accept? ]
[ Yes ]
[ No ]
...
Angie never expected the system would issue three tasks all at once.
Three tasks were fine, but what was with the first one?
Acquire your own shop in Azoth City? Is a shop in the Azoth City something you can just get? Does it look like he could afford to buy a place? Besides, is it really necessary?
Forget it; let's just accept them. Who knows, maybe he'll save enough money one day. After all, there's no time limit on the tasks, and there's no punishment for failure.
Thinking this, Angie accepted all three tasks in one go.
Looking at the latter two tasks, Angie thought: It seems I need to build a good relationship with the Gogoat in Nebel Plateau soon.