Tonight, Komala returned unusually late. It was completely drunk, skipped dinner, and went straight to its cabin to sleep.
After dinner, the other Pokémon gradually dispersed, while Angie, accompanied by Diancie, Gardevoir, Gallade, and Meowstic, stayed back to clean up and wash the dishes.
When Gardevoir and the others left, Angie headed to the Culinary Training Room with Munchlax and Drizzile for a training session. It had been a while since their last visit, and Angie was filled with enthusiasm.
As always, Diancie took on the role of a strict coach, rigorously supervising and guiding their training.
With new recipes unlocked, the scope of their training expanded as well.
Pawmi and Metagross didn't need to train. Initially, the two of them explored the training room out of curiosity before Metagross started entertaining Pawmi.
Angie's group had a ten-hour training session ahead, which was too long for Pawmi, who quickly grew bored. Seeing this, Angie handed Pawmi a phone, suggesting it go play outside with Metagross.
There was no signal in the training room anyway.
Metagross, eager to learn more about the human world through the internet and gain some knowledge, happily accompanied Pawmi outside.
Robert No. 2 was equipped with a built-in computer that automatically connected to the internet. Since the computer was linked to Metagross's brain, the Pokémon could process and sift through online information simply by thinking. It could instantly discern what was useful or useless, true or false, and so on.
This was why the two professors considered Metagross the best choice to assist in upgrading Robert No. 1.
Soon, Angie and the others finished their culinary training. However, Angie didn't leave the training room immediately, deciding instead to use the time to practice aura mastery.
"Munchlax, Drizzile, do you want to practice aura with me?" Angie asked his two disciples.
Although he wasn't sure if Pokémon could learn it, there was no harm in trying.
Everything in the world has aura. If he could learn it, there was no reason Munchlax and Drizzile couldn't.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Munchlax didn't hesitate, eagerly agreeing to learn alongside Angie.
"Drizzile~ Drizzile~
I want to learn too and become stronger!
Drizzile, seeing Munchlax's interest, was determined to join as well. It prided itself on never falling behind others!
As Angie pulled out th Training Manual to begin studying with his disciples, a thought struck him: "Why not invite Pawmi to join us as well?"
It was a perfect opportunity to temper the overly energetic little Pokémon's personality.
"Munchlax~"
"Drizzile~"
Munchlax and Drizzile quickly voiced their agreement.
"Drizzile~~"
I'll go get it!
With that, Drizzile dashed outside and soon returned, dragging Pawmi by the scruff of its neck.
Metagross followed along as well.
Pawmi, looking utterly bewildered, was placed in front of Angie by Drizzile.
"Pawmi~"
What's going on?
Sensing something ominous, Pawmi grew nervous.
Angie smiled warmly and said, "Pawmi, come join us in studying."
"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"
No, I want to play on the phone.
Pawmishook its head and instinctively tried to retreat, but Angie quickly held it in place.
Angie then gathered the three Pokémon into a circle and began explaining the methods for aura training.
Munchlax listened intently, and Drizzile paid close attention as well. Both would proactively ask Angie questions whenever they didn't understand something.
In truth, Angie was still a novice and only partially understood many aspects of aura himself. As a result, he and his two disciples were learning and training as they went along, discussing and experimenting together to figure things out. Whenever Angie didn't understand something, he would test and verify it with his students.
Angie also guided the aura within his body outward, allowing his two disciples to experience this unique energy that exists within all living beings.
Only Pawmi seemed overwhelmed and utterly confused.
Seeing how seriously Angie and the others were training, Diancie didn't remain idle either.
It approached Metagross and said, "Metagross, could I ask for your help with something?"
"Metagross~~"
Metagross nodded.
Diancie continued, "Let's talk outside."
Although curious, Metagross followed Diancie into the living room.
There, Diancie said, "I'd like your help in devising a training plan for the Veluza."
As a fellow Psychic-type Pokémon, Metagross might be able to offer some valuable advice on Veluza's training.
"Metagross~~"
Metagross agreed without hesitation.
The two Pokémon then huddled together on the sofa in the living room, whispering to each other.
Although Metagross didn't have much experience in guiding others' training, it didn't matter—it had Robert No. 2. With a quick online search, an immense amount of information on training Psychic-type and Water-type Pokémon, as well as tips for raising Veluza, poured into its mind. Metagross's brain, akin to a supercomputer, swiftly compiled, filtered, and synthesized the data.
Soon, not only did Metagross have a clear plan for Veluza's training, but it also gained ideas for its own training regimen.
Metagross's abilities were exceptional. Not only was it inherently powerful, but its outstanding capacity for information acquisition, learning, and computation also made it even more formidable. Diancie's gaze toward Metagross grew increasingly admiring.
Before long, Diancie had a detailed and comprehensive training plan in hand.
"Metagross, can I come to you for advice again in the future?" Diancie asked earnestly.
"Metagross~"
Of course.
Metagross nodded gladly.
Another hour flew by, and Angie emerged from the room with the three Pokémon. Munchlax and Drizzile looked visibly disappointed.
Even after ten hours in the training room, they hadn't sensed any aura within themselves.
As for Pawmi, it didn't feel disappointed at all. If it couldn't cultivate aura, so be it. Yawning as it walked, it was already thinking about sleep.
"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"
Can I go to bed now?
Pawmi tugged on Angie's pant leg and asked.
"Yes, yes! Off you go," Angie said, shaking his head with a helpless smile.
"Pawmi~~"
Pawmi gave a little hum, rubbed its eyes, and drowsily made its way back to its room.
Angie turned to Munchlax and Drizzile and said, "You two should get some rest too. It's okay if you didn't succeed this time—we'll keep trying tomorrow!"
"Munchlax~~"
Munchlax perked up instantly, feeling reinvigorated. Master was right!
"Drizzile~~"
Drizzile nodded firmly. That's right—there's no way someone as strong as me wouldn't be able to cultivate aura.
Afterward, Angie, Munchlax, Drizzile, Diancie, and Metagross each returned to their rooms to sleep.
Before going to bed, Angie, as usual, planned to claim the rewards for his daily tasks.
However, when he opened the system's task panel, he was surprised to find an additional daily task.
...
[ (Daily Task 1) Train in the Culinary Training Room for 1 hour—Completed. Reward pending. ]
[ (Daily Task 2) Entertain 10 Pokémon—Completed. Reward pending. )
[ (Daily Task 3) Perform aura training once—Completed. Reward pending. ]
...
This was good news for Angie, of course. He trained in aura daily anyway. While the rewards for daily tasks were generally modest, there was always a chance to hit the jackpot. And hey, a little ambition never hurt anyone!
With hopeful anticipation, Angie claimed each of the daily task rewards.
[ Congratulations! You have received: 1 Poké Ball. ]
Angie took it out for a look. It was a standard red-and-white ball—nothing special. He still had plenty of Poké Balls left from the professor, so this wasn't particularly exciting.
[ Congratulations! You have received: 1 Big Mushroom. ]
Angie examined the mushroom. It wasn't especially large, not even enough to make a single dish, but its quality was far superior to that of ordinary mushrooms. He put it away and moved on to the final reward.
[ Congratulations! You have received: 1 bag of Waterside Herb seeds. ]
Angie's eyes lit up at the sight of the final reward.
Waterside Herb—wasn't that the key ingredient for the advanced recipe "Fish Feed"?
He had been fretting over this earlier. Waterside Herb wasn't sold on the market, nor was it available in the system shop.
It was like being handed a pillow right when you felt drowsy.
Angie took out the bag of Waterside Herb seeds. It was a large, full bag—more than enough for his needs.
Waterside Herb is a unique plant in the Pokémon world, growing only along the edges of clear, pristine waters. It's notoriously difficult to cultivate artificially, so it typically appears in the market only in small quantities as a seasoning.
If not for the recipe provided by the system, Angie wouldn't even have known it could be used to make Fish Feed.
The water quality at Nebel Lake is top-notch, so it should be possible to grow it successfully there!
After putting away the seeds, Angie climbed into bed and quickly drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Angie woke up early and called Munchlax, Drizzile, and Pawmi to go running.
Munchlax, who usually struggled to get out of bed, was exceptionally enthusiastic today. After all, its master had promised to run with it, which was a rare treat.
After getting up, it stuck close to Angie's side, following him like a little shadow. Diancie and Drizzile teased it, but Munchlax just grinned foolishly. As long as it could be with its master, it was happy—and if it was happy, it didn't care about being teased.
Today, the one struggling to get up was Pawmi.
Even after coming downstairs, Pawmi was still half-asleep.
The air on the Nebel Plateau was especially fresh in the early morning. Angie ran toward the rising sun, followed by Munchlax, Drizzile, Croconaw, Quilladin, Lairon, two Farfetch'd, and Espathra.
Each carried a weighted training tool that Angie had purchased for them.
Pawmi, however, lagged far behind the group, even slower than the heavy-bodied Lairon.
After the run, Angie took the Pokémon to bathe before heading to his secret base's storage to retrieve several porcelain jars.
The jars contained salted duck eggs and century eggs that Angie had prepared earlier.
Munchlax and Drizzile gathered around eagerly, watching as Angie took the salted and preserved eggs out of the jars.
"Today's menu at the shop is getting an upgrade!" Angie announced.
With the preserved eggs, Angie could make Century Egg and Lean Pork Congee. Pairing it with salted eggs would be the perfect combination!
"Munchlax~!"
"Drizzile~!"
Munchlax and Drizzile cheered in unison. They had helped make the salted duck eggs and century eggs, and now that the pickling process was successful, they felt a deep sense of accomplishment.
Pawmi tiptoed, craning its neck to look at the table, anxiously.
"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"
Is it delicious? Is it delicious?
Unfortunately, its height was insufficient to see anything.
Angie lightly patted its head. "You were half-dead during the run, but now that it's about food, you're suddenly bursting with energy."
Pawmi covered its head with its paw, looking aggrieved.
Angie then divided the salted duck eggs and century eggs into two portions. One portion was left at Diancie's Grand Dining Hall for the Pokémon to enjoy, while the other was to be taken later to the Munchlax's Home.
Afterward, Angie began preparing with the Pokémon for the day's business. He kneaded dough and mixed fillings, all the while following the methods outlined in the Aura Culinary Training Manual to harmonize the ingredients with his Aura.
Whether it was his imagination or not, Angie felt that dough kneaded using Aura seemed to have a better texture.
Once Gardevoir, Gallade, Ralts, Espurr, and Meowstic arrived, Angie, carrying the prepared ingredients, said, "Let's go!"
It had been a while since they last worked at the store, and Angie was brimming with enthusiasm.
"Yeah~!"
Drizzile, Ralts, Espurr, and Meowstic cheered.
With Angie's return, the staffing arrangements for the two restaurants reverted to their original setup.
Munchlax, Diancie, Gardevoir, and Gallade continued to manage Diancie's Grand Dining Hall; while Angie, Drizzile, Ralts, Espurr, and Meowstic returned to overseeing the Munchlax's Home.
The only change was that all financial management of the restaurants now fell under Metagross—specifically, Robert No. 2.
As for Komala, the temporary cashier, it was officially out of a job.
Of course, this was a good thing for Komala. Being forced into the role of cashier had always been an unnatural fit for it.
Komala's ideal life was simple: eat, sleep, and repeat, with no other responsibilities. Now it could finally live that dream!
In fact, it had disappeared somewhere again right after breakfast.
Meanwhile, at the Munchlax's Home, Angie and Drizzile got straight to work.
Angie was busy making buns and steaming buns, while Drizzile prepared porridge. Today, the menu had a new addition: century egg and lean meat porridge.
Espurr and Meowstic were also busy, either wiping tables and sweeping the floor or setting out small dishes, bowls, and plates.
As everyone bustled about, Angie suddenly sensed a wave of Aura approaching him. He quietly asked, "Haunter, is that you?"
"Haunter~"
From the ceiling, Haunter slowly revealed itself.
"Were you watching us cook?" Angie asked.
"Haunter~"
Haunter nodded its head.
In the past, when Angie hadn't noticed its presence, Haunter had also watched him cook from the shadows.
"Do you like cooking?" Angie asked again.
Haunter hesitated.
Like it?
It wasn't sure.
All it knew was that watching Angie cook gave it a sense of peace.
After a moment of hesitation, it nodded at Angie.
Seeing this, Angie asked, "Would you like to learn how to cook with me?"
"Haunter~"
Can I?
Haunter seemed a bit excited.
"Of course," Angie nodded. "As long as you're willing and interested."
"Haunter~ Haunter~"
Haunter nodded excitedly, spinning joyfully in the air.
Angie chuckled. "Alright then, watch for now. Later, you can come home with me, and I'll teach you to cook."
"Haunter~"
Haunter nodded again, obediently hovering in mid-air, watching Angie work.
Soon, the first batch of buns was steamed. The moment Angie opened the steamer, he noticed that today's buns and steamed buns were unusually different.
They appeared whiter, larger, and softer than usual.