"Take good care of Espurr."
After arriving home, Angie handed today's wages to the Meowstic, along with the Pokémon food gifted by Nurse Joy for Espurr.
"Meowstic~"
The Meowstic nodded earnestly, then carried Espurr back to their secret fortress.
Once home, it gently placed Espurr on the bed, tucked it in with a blanket, and lay down beside the bed.
As it watched Espurr's peaceful sleeping face, a contented smile spread across Meowstic's face.
Meowstic recalled its own childhood. It too had been rescued by a Trevenant and brought to live on the Nebel Plateau, where it eventually settled down.
It remembered that rainy night vividly. As an egg, it had somehow fallen into the rushing waters of the Nebel River.
That was the moment it hatched.
Being so tiny, it was tossed around helplessly by the current and was on the verge of drowning when a passing Trevenant extended a branch to save it.
After being rescued, Meowstic—still an Espurr at the time—came down with a high fever. Trevenant brought it home and took meticulous care of it until it recovered.
Meowstic never knew where it had come from, so it simply stayed with Trevenant.
Trevenant was an elder of the Nebel Plateau and had once been one of its guardians. Sadly, its age caught up with it, and not long after taking in Meowstic, it passed away.
Since then, Meowstic had lived alone, but it inherited Trevenant's will, striving to help any Pokémon on the plateau that was in need.
Lost in its memories, Meowstic gradually drifted off to sleep beside the bed.
In its dreams, it seemed to meet Trevenant once again, and an unconscious smile tugged at the corners of its mouth.
...
After bidding farewell to Meowstic, Angie opened his system interface. It seemed that as he closed Munchlax's Home today, he received a notification from the system.
As expected, the moment Angie opened the system, a pop-up appeared.
[ Congratulations, Host! You've serving 10,000 Pokémon in total. ]
[ Reward: Constitution +5, Intelligence +5. ]
Angie felt a surge of joy. Another achievement reward! And this time, both Constitution and Intelligence had increased by 5 points.
With each achievement becoming harder to unlock, the rewards Angie received grew more substantial.
He opened his personal information interface and saw that the details had indeed been updated.
...
[ Angie ]
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (+500)
Constitution: 30
Intelligence: 17
Culinary Skill Rating: A rookie who can make food that's edible.
...
Unknowingly, his Constitution had already increased to 30 points. Angie clenched his fists, feeling that he had indeed grown stronger recently. He also noticed that his height had increased slightly.
When he first arrived at the Nebel Plateau, he was just barely 1.8 meters tall. Now, he was at least 1.83 meters.
"Munchlax!"
After assessing the changes in his body, Angie called out loudly toward the outside.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Master, what is it now?
Munchlax waddled over with its short legs.
"Let's spar a bit," Angie suggested.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~ Munchlax~~"
Spar in cooking? Sure! Let me show you the results of my recent training!
Munchlax clenched its fists, its expression brimming with determination.
Today, Munchlax would rise above its master!
Seeing Munchlax's expression, Angie immediately realized the misunderstanding. Holding its fist, he clarified, "I meant a battle sparring session."
Huh????
A big question mark appeared on Munchlax's face.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Master, what did you say? A battle spar? You can fight? Since when?
Seeing Munchlax frozen in confusion, Angie grabbed its hand and led it outside. Although he wasn't skilled in combat, he figured he could practice. After all, what would happen if he got kidnapped again and no one was there to save him?
Well, it wasn't like the scenario of having no one to save him was likely—he could always summon Diancie and the others to his side.
Still, it didn't hurt to have more skills at his disposal.
Munchlax, still bewildered, allowed Angie to drag it to the grassy field outside.
Sobble was playing on the garden wall with some other Pokémon.
It carefully placed small stones on the wall, then stepped back, raised a finger, and aimed at the stones.
"Pew~"
Mimicking the sound of a handgun, Sobble fired a jet of water from its fingertip (Water Gun) and hit one of the stones with precision, shattering it.
Sobble dramatically brought its finger to its lips and blew on it as if cooling down a weapon.
"Sobble~"
How's that? Impressed yet?
The surrounding Pokémon erupted in cheers and applause, boosting Sobble's confidence even further.
"Pew~ Pew~ Pew~"
Three more water jets followed, each one striking its target dead-on.
After firing, Sobble lowered its hand, forming a "gun" gesture, and rested it against its temple in a cool pose.
"Sobble~ Sobble~"
Am I cool or what?
The other Pokémon, not wanting to dampen the mood, enthusiastically praised Sobble for its performance.
Sobble, basking in their admiration, began dashing back and forth along the wall like an eager puppy seeking even more compliments.
That's when it noticed Angie and Munchlax walking toward the field. Sobble zipped over to the entrance.
"Sobble~ Sobble~"
Angie, where are you going?
"I'm going to spar with Munchlax," Angie replied without stopping.
"Sobble?"
Spar?
Sobble was puzzled. Leaping off the wall, it trailed behind Angie.
The other Pokémon, realizing something interesting was about to happen, quickly followed suit.
Angie and Munchlax stood on opposite sides of the clearing. Angie bent his knees slightly, adopting a combat-ready stance.
"Munchlax, come at me!"
Munchlax was still dazed. Come at him? Come at him with what?
The other Pokémon surrounded the two, forming a circle, but they were just as confused as Munchlax.
Angie shouted, "Munchlax, swing your fists at me!"
Startled, Munchlax instinctively raised its fists and charged at Angie.
Thud!
Munchlax collided with Angie, and the two locked hands in a strength contest. To everyone's amazement, Angie didn't budge an inch. He was holding his ground against Munchlax!
At that moment, Diancie pushed through the crowd of Pokémon and entered the circle. What it saw left it completely stunned.
This… this was the same Prince Angie it knew?
Diancie had known that Angie's physical attributes would improve with his increasing Constitution, but it never imagined he could already stand toe-to-toe with Munchlax.
Even Munchlax was in disbelief.
Master actually withstood my attack?! Even though I didn't use any moves, I'm still a Pokémon, and he's a human!
Just then, Angie shouted, "Munchlax, didn't you eat breakfast? Is this all the strength you've got?"
"Munchlax?!"
Master, are you mocking me?!
In an instant, the usually sweet and adorable Munchlax's gaze sharpened.
"Munchlax~!"
With a roar, it grabbed Angie's waist and tried to slam him to the ground.
Angie instinctively wrapped his arms around Munchlax's waist. However, its belly was too round, so he had to settle for gripping the fur on its sides.
The two wrestled fiercely, each trying to topple the other. But since they both had their arms locked around each other's waists, neither could gain the upper hand.
"Sobble~ Sobble~"
Go, Angie! Go, Munchlax!
Sobble was the first to cheer them on, and soon the other Pokémon joined in, rooting for their favorites. Some supported Angie, others Munchlax, and some, like Sobble, encouraged both.
A Komala had somehow rolled into the circle, its eyes shut tight as it continued to nap peacefully. No one knew why it was there, but the swaying of its body oddly matched the rhythm of the cheering.
Eventually, Angie's stamina gave out. He lost his grip and was toppled onto the grass by Munchlax.
Lying flat on his back and drenched in sweat, Angie panted heavily, exclaiming, "That was exhilarating!"
It had been ages since he'd had such an intense workout. Angie felt as though every cell in his body had come alive, brimming with vitality.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Master, you're amazing!
Munchlax plopped down beside Angie. It may have won, but it was just as exhausted.
Angie patted Munchlax on the back. "Let's spar again sometime!"
He knew he had only lasted this long because Munchlax hadn't used any moves and relied solely on brute strength.
Even so, Angie was immensely satisfied with his current physical condition. Munchlax might not be the strongest Pokémon, but being able to hold his own against it was a significant achievement.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Sure! Let's do it again!
Munchlax was thrilled. The sparring session had left it feeling energized and eager for more.
"You definitely need the exercise. You're getting chubbier." Angie sat up and gave Munchlax's belly a pat. It jiggled like pudding.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Munchlax scratched the back of its head sheepishly. Ever since it started living with Angie, it had been eating well—perhaps a little too well.
At that moment, Diancie approached, concern evident on its face. "Angie, are you alright?"
Just now, when Angie was thrown by Munchlax, her heart leaped to her throat, worried sick that Angie might have gotten seriously hurt.
"I'm fine, I'm fine, don't worry!" Angie patted her chest and said, "I'm not the same as before. I'm much stronger now!"
The increase in constitution points had enhanced Angie's physical fitness in every aspect—not just strength but also his resistance to injury.
Seeing Angie so relaxed, Diancie let out a sigh of relief.
In the afternoon, the Pokémon went back to helping Angie plant trees, and the planting of Pinap Berries and Bluk Berries was finally nearing completion.
Meanwhile, Angie stayed at home with Munchlax and Sobble. They had a new task to tackle today.
Over time, Angie's shop had gradually introduced various types of porridge, but he had never offered Century Egg and Lean Pork Congee. The reason was simple: the Pokémon world didn't have century eggs. If Angie wanted to feature the dish in his shop, he would have to make the century eggs himself.
Today, Angie planned to do just that with Munchlax and Sobble.
To be honest, Angie had been craving century eggs himself.
Just thinking about dishes made with century eggs, like Century Egg Salad, Century Egg with Tofu, or Mashed Century Egg with Peppers, made Angie's mouth water.
The flavor of century eggs is unique, and not everyone enjoys them. Some people even dislike them intensely. In this way, they're very similar to cilantro. Angie, however, belonged to the group of people who love century eggs.
In addition to century eggs, Angie planned to make some salted duck eggs today as well.
The Munchlax's Home and Diancie's Grand Dining Hall had essentially transformed into breakfast spots, and Angie had no plans to change the current structure of his business.
Trying to do everything would only exhaust him.
Since it was a breakfast-focused shop, how could there not be salted duck eggs?
Just thinking about those golden, oil-dripping salted egg yolks made Angie's mouth water.
The side dishes at Munchlax's Home were always free, but this time Angie decided the salted duck eggs wouldn't be. Although selling salted eggs wouldn't earn him happiness points, making a bit of hard-earned cash should be fine!
Angie had already prepared all the ingredients for making century eggs and salted duck eggs earlier.
While snow fell heavily in the Azoth Kingdom, the weather on the Nebel Plateau was wonderfully sunny. At times like these, Angie couldn't help but silently thank Volcanion!
Angie, Munchlax, and Sobble carried all the materials out to the square in front of the house, planning to enjoy the sunshine while working.
Angie and Munchlax each grabbed a small stool and sat down. The three of them—master and apprentices—gathered around the pile of materials. Angie declared:
"Let's get started!"
"Munchlax~!"
"Sobble~!"
Munchlax and Sobble cheered in unison. They were already eagerly looking forward to the new delicacy Angie had mentioned.
"Alright, follow my lead! We'll start by making century eggs," Angie said.
"Munchlax~!"
"Sobble~!"
Munchlax and Sobble nodded in unison.
"Okay, Sobble, let's start by washing the duck eggs. You fill this big plastic basin with water," Angie said, pointing to the large basin in front of them.
"Sobble~~!"
Sobble nodded, extended a finger into the basin, and water flowed in with a *whoosh*, while Angie directed Munchlax to place the duck eggs into the water.
"Before we start, we need to clean the duck eggs thoroughly to prevent bacterial growth," Angie explained while gently scrubbing the eggs.
"Munchlax~~!"
Munchlax nodded earnestly and mimicked its master's actions, carefully washing the eggs. Sobble, having filled the basin, joined in as well.
"Alright! After cleaning the duck eggs, we'll prepare the curing paste," Angie said while demonstrating to his two apprentices.
He placed quicklime, soda ash, and salt into a large bowl, then added an appropriate amount of tea water, stirring until all the solids dissolved into a paste-like consistency.
The tea water needed to be prepared in advance by boiling tea leaves in water, cooling it down, and then straining out the leaves.
"Next comes the curing step, which is the most critical part," Angie said as he demonstrated.
He took the cleaned and dried duck eggs, evenly coated them with the curing paste, and placed them into a ceramic jar he had prepared earlier, sealing it tightly.
"After about a month, we'll have delicious century eggs."
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
A whole month?!
Munchlax looked disappointed.
"How about it? Did you get all the steps down?" Angie asked, holding up a coated duck egg.
"Munchlax~"
I Got it!
"Sobble~"
Got it!
The two Pokémon responded in unison.
Angie chuckled. "Alright then, let's get to work. We've got a lot to do today. After the century eggs, we still need to make salted duck eggs."
"Munchlax~!"
"Sobble~!"
The two Pokémon cheered and immediately got busy following Angie's instructions. Their dexterity was impressive, and soon jar after jar of century eggs was ready, neatly sealed and arranged across the square in front of the house.