"Dinner is ready!"
Angie called out as he and Munchlax helped carry the dishes to the table.
The others pitched in, grabbing bowls and chopsticks.
Once everyone was seated and ready to eat, Kimia held her chopsticks awkwardly and said, "These utensils are so hard to use."
In Kalos, people always used forks and knives—no one ever used chopsticks.
"It's easy, just watch me." Angie slowly picked up his chopsticks, demonstrating for Kimia, Raleigh, and Flamel how to use them.
Raleigh couldn't wait any longer and grabbed his chopsticks, aiming for the plate of braised eggplant. After struggling for a while, though, he only managed to get a little sauce on his chopsticks.
This sent Diancie and the others into peals of laughter, and even Raleigh's Pokémon, Slurpuff, couldn't resist joining in.
Embarrassed, Raleigh exclaimed, "Slurpuff, you're laughing at me too? I'm getting mad!"
"Slurpuff~ Slurpuff~"
Slurpuff laughed even harder.
Following Angie's gesture, Raleigh and the others let their Pokémon out to join them for dinner: Raleigh's Slurpuff, Flamel's Florges, and alongside Gardevoir, Kimia also released her Alolan Ninetales and Sylveon.
It was then that Angie realized Kimia wasn't only a royal princess but also an excellent Trainer.
Her goal was to become someone like Queen Anna, a leader who could both maintain peace and defend the nation.
Seeing the three of them fumbling with chopsticks so clumsily, Angie couldn't help but smile and say, "Maybe I should just get you all some forks and knives instead."
"No!" Kimia refused. "Today, I refuse to be defeated by chopsticks!" She was not one to give up easily. Would she really be outsmarted by a pair of chopsticks?
Seeing that their sister (the princess) wouldn't switch, Raleigh and Flamel wouldn't either.
Angie just shook his head helplessly, deciding not to press further.
"Alright, everyone, try tonight's steamed buns! They're not like the ones I made before." Angie held up one of the milk-flavored buns for everyone to see.
Everyone eagerly picked up a bun in anticipation.
The moment their hands touched the milk-flavored buns, they immediately noticed a difference. How could a food be this soft? It felt like a baby's delicate skin—smooth and tender.
Taking a gentle bite, the bun felt as light as a cloud and as soft as cotton. The aroma of the flour and the goat milk intertwined perfectly, blending seamlessly together.
With just a couple of chews, everyone felt transported to a golden wheat field in the middle of autumn, the rolling waves of grain whispering the joy of harvest. They could almost imagine being on an endless grassland, the scent of fresh grass carried on the breeze.
One bite after another, each mouthful was a rendezvous with pure deliciousness.
"It's incredible." Princess Kimia gazed at the remaining half of her milk bun with a look of melancholy, thinking, What if I can never taste something this good again?
Raleigh and Flamel wore similar expressions.
Although Angie's previous buns were tasty, they truly shone when paired with his side dishes. But this milk-flavored bun was different; Kimia felt she could eat ten even without anything else.
The milk-flavored buns brought an entirely new sensation to the Pokémon as they ate—not just deliciousness.
"Angie, these buns... they're really special," Diancie said, tugging at Angie's sleeve.
"What do you mean?" Angie asked.
"When I eat them, I feel a warm energy flowing through me, making my whole body feel comfortable," Diancie described.
Munchlax, Gardevoir, Florges, the two Sylveon, Ninetales, and Slurpuff all nodded their heads in agreement, except for Komala, who was silently savoring its bun with a slow, deliberate bite.
Its actions said it all.
"Really?"
It was only then that Angie realized his buns were unique. No wonder the system task described upgrading to milk-flavored buns.
He broke off a small piece for himself and tasted it, but he didn't feel the same effect Diancie mentioned.
"Is it really there?"
Diancie and the others all nodded.
Kimia and the others shared in their amazement.
Suddenly, Angie realized—his system was called the Pokémon Feeding System, not the Human Feeding System.
"Alright, since that's the case, eat as much as you want," Angie said with a smile.
The Pokémon cheered and began digging in with gusto.
After dinner, everyone was sprawled out on their chairs, too full to care about manners or posture. They just found the most comfortable positions they could.
Burp~
"This was the best meal I've ever had," Raleigh said.
Aside from the buns, this was the first time Kimia, Raleigh, and Flamel had tasted Angie's other dishes, and they were all blown away by the flavors.
Angie laughed. "Except for the buns, all the dishes tonight were made by Munchlax"
Hearing this, Kimia and the others looked shocked.
"Munchlax, you're amazing!"
"You're the most talented Pokémon chef I've ever met!"
Everyone showered Munchlax with praise.
"Munchlax~Munchlax~"
Of course! I was trained by my master!
Munchlax accepted their compliments with pride, beaming with joy.
Despite the struggles with chopsticks, the meal was enjoyed by all.
The magical thing was that, by the end of the meal, everyone except Kimia had learned how to use chopsticks.
Flamel was the first to master them, astonishingly fast. While Kimia and Raleigh were still fumbling with their chopsticks in frustration, Flamel was already calmly enjoying her meal.
Then Gardevoir, Florges, Raleigh, and Slurpuff got the hang of it, and even the two Sylveon were able to wrap their ribbons around the chopsticks to eat, while Kimia was still holding her chopsticks like a toddler learning to walk.
Even after dinner was over, Kimia remained a bit resentful over her struggle with the chopsticks.
"Your Highness, it's getting late. We should be going," Kimia said to Angie after they'd rested for a while.
Angie nodded. "You should get home early for safety's sake. I won't keep you longer, but do come again sometime."
With that, Kimia and her friends stood up, gathering their Pokémon as they headed outside. Angie walked with them to the aircraft and watched as they flew off into the sunset before turning to head back home.
Back at home, Angie helped Diancie and Munchlax clean up, then went with them to the second floor.
Since dinner had been early, there was no rush to head to the training room.
Diancie curled up on the sofa, holding a tablet and watching a drama. It was a recent purchase from the system store.
Now that Angie had an official identity, there was internet at home, and Diancie spent her free time watching shows and shopping online, no longer feeling as bored as she used to.
Munchlax tried to squeeze next to Diancie to watch the show, but Diancie, annoyed by its habit of loudly reacting to everything, kept pushing it away.
"If you want to watch, buy your own. You've got money," Diancie grumbled, knowing that besides Angie, Munchlax was the wealthiest in the house.
Hearing it would cost its own money, Munchlax's expression instantly became guarded. Spend my money? Not a chance!
Angie couldn't help but laugh. His Munchlax was a bit of a penny-pincher; if it didn't absolutely need something, it wouldn't spend a cent and would save everything.
Who knows why it hoards so much money, Angie mused—there was certainly no shortage of food and comfort here.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~~"
Munchlax hugged Diancie's arm, pleading.
"Alright, alright, you can watch, but no shouting or loud reactions," Diancie warned it sternly, worn down by its persistence.
"Munchlax~"
I promise!
It even covered its mouth with its paws to show its seriousness.
"Fine, come over," Diancie said, feigning reluctance.
"Munchlax~~~"
Munchlax immediately nestled in happily, and before long, the two Pokémon were quietly muttering back and forth, seeming to intensely debate the storyline.
Angie shook his head with a smile, then picked up a peacefully sleeping Komala beside him, snuggling into the sofa as he gently stroked its soft fur and scrolled through the news on his phone.
Suddenly, a news story caught his attention.
The headline read, "A boy Jumps from Prism Tower to Save a Garchomp." Below was a video clip.
Angie tapped on the video, which showed a boy with a Pikachu and Froakie standing at the top of Prism Tower, trying to talk to a frenzied Garchomp. But Garchomp kept retreating, dangerously close to falling off the edge of the tower.
Prism Tower is a landmark of Lumiose City and home to the Lumiose City Gym, which stands over a hundred meters tall.
Fortunately, Froakie managed to stick Garchomp's feet to the surface with its Frubbles.
Then, the boy suddenly leaped forward, grabbing the distressed Garchomp in a bear hug. Pikachu jumped in too, doing something unknown, and finally, Garchomp regained its composure.
But at that moment, an accident occurred—the edge of Prism Tower crumbled, and Pikachu fell straight down.
Without hesitation, the boy leapt after it, grabbing Pikachu mid-air as they both plummeted toward the ground.
At the last second, a light appeared, catching the boy and Pikachu just in time.
The video cut off there.
The headline was somewhat misleading; the boy had clearly jumped from the tower to save Pikachu, not Garchomp.
The footage was shot in Lumiose City, in the center of the Kalos region.
Watching the boy in the video, Angie was lost in thought. That looked like Ash! So, he had traveled into the world of the anime!
Oh no, he thought with a sigh—he'd never watched the show and didn't know any of the storylines!
But then he shrugged it off. Oh well, it's not like it really matters. Life's still life, wherever you go.
After scrolling a bit more, Angie finally got up from the sofa with Komala in his arms and called out to the engrossed Diancie and Munchlax.
"Alright, time for training. Let's go," Angie called out.
"I'm coming!"
"Munchlax~~"
Diancie quickly shut off the tablet and got off the sofa with Munchlax.
Once they entered the training room, Diancie transformed into a strict drill instructor, firmly supervising Angie and Munchlax as they trained.
Tonight's special training focused on the newly unlocked recipe—Milky Buns.
An hour later, as everyone emerged from the training room, Munchlax had its head down like a scolded child—it had once again been harshly lectured by Diancie.
Munchlax gave Diancie a resentful look, convinced she was taking personal revenge. Earlier, while watching the show, it had casually remarked that the Carbink character looked odd, like a little old man…
Diancie glared at Munchlax, "What are you looking at? Go wash up and get to bed! Don't you have work tomorrow?!"
Munchlax : =(｡)
This time, Angie didn't stick up for Munchlax, feeling Diancie had been fair—Munchlax had indeed been messing up repeatedly.
With training over, the family of four each went to their rooms, washed up, and prepared for bed.
Before sleeping, Angie opened his system. Sure enough, the three tasks were all completed, and the task list showed.
...
[ (Daily Task 1) Train for 1 hour in the Culinary Training Room—Completed. Reward pending. ]
[ (Daily Task 2) Serving 10 Pokémon—Completed. Reward pending. ]
[ (Temporary Task) Obtain your own shop in the Azoth Kingdom—Completed. Reward pending. ]
[ (Ingredient Acquisition Task) Form a partnership with the Gogoat on Nebel Plateau to obtain grassy milk—Completed. Reward pending. ]
[ (Recipe Upgrade Task) Upgrade Buns to Milky Buns using grassy milk—Completed. Reward pending. ]
...
Seeing a row of completed tasks, Angie rubbed his hands together, feeling a bit excited.
I wonder what kind of rewards I'll get.
He clasped his hands in a praying gesture. "Let luck be with me, may my bad luck turn to good."
With that, he claimed the rewards for two of the daily tasks to test his luck.
[ Congratulations, you have received: 1 Chikorita's Fragrant Leaf. ]
[ Congratulations, you have received: 10 Sitrus Berries. ]
Angie: …
It wasn't that the rewards were useless; they just weren't as exciting as he'd hoped.
He took out the Chikorita's Fragrant Leaf, and in an instant, the entire room filled with a refreshing scent.
Wow! Angie's eyes lit up. This fragrance was amazing! Maybe the reward wasn't so bad after all.
Thinking it over, he opened the system shop, found a beautifully designed sachet, purchased it, folded the Fragrant Leaf carefully, and placed it inside.
The system-provided leaf was dried yet resilient, remaining intact even after folding.
Angie brought the sachet to his nose, enjoying the scent. Still fragrant!
He set the sachet on the bedside table, planning to give it to Diancie tomorrow. She'd surely love it.
Next, he took out one of the Sitrus Berries. He had never seen such a large, plump berry before.
He gave it a sniff, swallowed in anticipation, and thought, Why not give it a taste?
With that, he hopped out of bed, washed the Sitrus Berry in the bathroom, and sliced it into even pieces with a paring knife.
Mmm… Angie admired the nearly identical slices he'd cut. Not bad, if I say so myself.
Unable to wait, Angie picked up a piece and popped it into his mouth. The juicy flavor burst forth, with the tender, crunchy texture blending beautifully with the berry's refreshing sweetness—just as delicious as he'd imagined.
No way any wild berries from the plateau could compare to this!
In no time, Angie had devoured the entire berry, which was larger than his fist.
Though he wanted more, he held back, planning to share with Diancie and the others tomorrow.
Great… now I have to brush my teeth again.
Angie went back to the bathroom, brushed his teeth again, and returned to bed to continue claiming his task rewards.