When the time came, Munchlax's Home opened as usual, and customers immediately poured in with eager anticipation.
Munchlax's Home now had a loyal base of patrons who came every day, waiting at the door for the shop to open.
The moment they stepped inside, they noticed a change on the menu hanging on the wall.
"Oh, there's something new on the menu today!" one customer exclaimed in surprise.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Ralts trotted over with the menu in its arms, lifting its adorable little face to greet the guests and invite them to take a seat.
"You're just as cute as ever, Ralts!" the customer said warmly, smiling.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Ralts graciously accepted the compliment and handed over the menu, asking what the customer would like to eat.
"Do you have any recommendations, Ralts?" the customer asked.
Ralts stood on its tiptoes and pointed to the salted duck eggs on the menu.
"Oh, you recommend this? Then I must try it today!" the customer replied with a chuckle and began ordering. "I'll have two meat buns, two cabbage buns, a bowl of plain porridge, and one salted duck egg."
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Ralts took the order and dashed off quickly.
Before long, it returned, levitating the ordered dishes to the table using its psychic powers.
"Ralts, you're amazing!" The customer gave Ralts a thumbs-up.
Regular patrons of Munchlax's Home absolutely adored Ralts, Espurr, and Meowstic. Every day when they entered, they showered the three Pokémon with compliments, which they had come to take in stride.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Ralts encouraged the customer to start eating.
As soon as the customer saw the buns on the table, they noticed something unusual.
"Looking at these buns today... does this mean the little boss is back?" the customer asked Ralts.
During Angie's absence, the customers were well aware that although Munchlax's cooking was still delicious, there was always a subtle difference compared to Angie's dishes. Regular patrons with discerning palates could always tell.
The buns today looked particularly different—plump, white, and enticing. The customer swallowed hard, feeling as though the buns were beckoning them to take a bite.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Ralts nodded to the customer.
"Looks like I came on the right day." Saying this, the customer picked up a bun and took a bite. After swallowing, their expression froze. "This... this bun..."
"Ralts~"
Ralts tilted its head adorably, as if to ask:Is there something wrong with the bun?
"The little boss's cooking has improved again!" the customer exclaimed in amazement.
If they had to pinpoint what was different about today's buns, they couldn't quite find the words to describe it. But there was a certain indescribable harmony in the taste and texture that set these buns apart from anything Munchlax's Home had served before.
The customer took another sip of porridge.
As expected, while the porridge was delicious, it lacked the same harmonious flavor—the kind that could only come from Angie's cooking.
Picking up the salted duck egg from the bowl, the customer turned to Ralts and asked, "Ralts, how do I eat this?"
"Ralts~"
Hearing this, Ralts climbed onto the chair opposite the customer, sticking out its little bottom. It took the salted duck egg from the customer's hand and tapped it twice against the table's edge. With deft movements, Ralts peeled off the shell and placed the egg back into the bowl. Then, grabbing a chopstick, it gently poked the egg, causing golden-yellow yolk oil to flow out, filling the air with a tantalizing aroma.
"Wow~ It smells amazing!" the customer exclaimed. Seeing Ralts push the bowl back to him, the customer asked, "Is it ready to eat now?"
"Ralts~"
Ralts nodded and pointed at the bowl of plain porridge in front of the customer.
The customer caught on quickly. "It's better when paired with porridge?"
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Ralts nodded repeatedly, its little watermelon-shaped head bobbing adorably, melting the customer's heart.
"Got it, thank you, Ralts."
The customer took a sip of porridge, then picked up a piece of salted duck egg with the chopsticks and popped it into his mouth. The delicate egg white, with a slightly grainy yet rich and creamy yolk, mingled with the soft texture of the porridge.
It was perfect!
The customer gave Ralts a big thumbs-up. "What an excellent recommendation!"
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Overjoyed by the compliment, Ralts hopped off the chair, hugged the menu, and toddled off to serve other customers. Whenever a guest didn't know how to eat the salted duck egg, Ralts would eagerly step in to demonstrate, earning constant praise and becoming a little star of the restaurant.
That morning, Mephisto also came to Munchlax's Home for breakfast, just as she usually did, but this time she was accompanied by Angel.
Standing at the entrance, Angel looked up at the sign above the door and asked, "Is this the shop His Highness runs?"
"Let's head in. I heard that His Highness is back, so he should be here today," Mephisto replied.
Hearing this, Angel felt a pang of jealousy but didn't show it—especially since he already knew that His Highness wasn't interested in Mephisto.
Mephisto stepped into the shop, and Angel followed close behind.
Meowstic immediately came over to greet them.
"Meowstic~"
"Good morning, Meowstic," Mephisto said warmly, greeting it as if they were old friends.
"Good morning," Angel quickly followed suit, not wanting to appear impolite.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
Meowstic waved at them cheerfully, then led the pair to an empty table and handed them the menu it had been holding.
Mephisto opened the menu and, noticing the new items, looked up at Meowstic and asked, "Is His Highness in the shop?"
"Meowstic~"
Meowstic nodded.
Mephisto glanced over the menu quickly and, without hesitation, placed her order: "I'll have two salted duck eggs, a bowl of century egg and lean meat porridge, two meat buns, two cabbage buns, two chive buns, and twenty sweet milky buns."
The sweet milk buns were to-go items for her Pokémon. Mephisto had discovered that her Pokémon were especially fond of the milky buns from Angie's shop, so every time she came, she made sure to order them in bulk to take home.
Angel was stunned by Mephisto's order.
"Mephisto, isn't twenty a bit too much? We won't be able to finish all that."
Mephisto shot him a glance. "That's just my order. If you want something, order it by yourself."
Angel: ...
"Well... then I'll have the same as Mephisto," Angel said awkwardly.
"Meowstic~"
Meowstic nodded, signaling that it understood, and gracefully walked off with the two menus.
After Meowstic left, Angel asked, "Mephisto, are you really going to eat all that?"
Mephisto replied, "Most of it is for takeout. My Pokémon love the food His Highness makes."
Angel couldn't help but wonder: Is His Highness's cooking really that good?
Before long, Meowstic returned, using its psychic powers to carry their meals. Despite the sheer amount of food, Meowstic moved with perfect composure, which left Angel deeply impressed.
His Highness's Pokémon are so well-trained!
"Meowstic ~"
Enjoy your meal.
Meowstic carefully set everything on the table, one item at a time, and flashed an adorable smile.
"Thank you."
"Thank you."
Mephisto and Angel simultaneously thanked Meowstic.
When Mephisto took her first bite of the bun, she immediately noticed its uniqueness. She muttered, "His Highness's culinary skills have improved again…"
This extraordinary taste had elevated His Highness's cuisine to a new level!
Angel, not catching what she said, asked in confusion, "Mephisto, what did you say?"
Mephisto shook her head. "Just eat. I'm sure you'll fall in love with His Highness's cooking." She had absolute confidence in him.
Skeptical but curious, Angel picked up a bun and took a bite. Just one bite, and he was utterly captivated by its deliciousness.
"This... This… This is too good to be true!"
No wonder Mephisto liked this place so much! He could hardly believe that such heavenly food existed in the world.
Since it was his first time experiencing this, Angel was understandably overwhelmed.
"Tasty, right?" Mephisto chuckled. "I told you, you'd love His Highness's cooking."
"Delicious! Absolutely delicious!" Angel nodded enthusiastically, diving in eagerly. "Why didn't I come here sooner?!"
Before long, aside from the custard buns Mephisto planned to take home, the entire table of food had been devoured.
Angel patted his stomach and said, "Everything His Highness makes is amazing, but this century egg and pork congee has a strange taste."
Not everyone enjoyed the flavor of century eggs, which made it the least popular porridge in the shop today.
However, for fans like Mephisto, it was an absolute favorite.
"Strange?" Mephisto wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin. "I think it's delicious! It's my number one today."
"Number one? Are you serious?" Angel gave her a baffled look. "Your taste is… unique, to say the least."
Mephisto rolled her eyes dramatically at his comment.
(Angie: Angel, there's a reason you'll never win Mephisto's heart.)
From that day on, Angel became a dedicated fan of Munchlax's Home. Not only did he visit daily, but he often brought classmates from school along.
At precisely 10:00 AM, Angie closed the shop.
Once the last customer left, Angie studied the sales report presented by Robert 2.0, sinking into thought. After a long pause, he said, "It seems the acceptance level for century eggs isn't very high."
He wasn't surprised. In his previous life, many people didn't like century eggs either.
"Drizzile, let's cut back on the century egg and pork congee for now!"
"Drizzile~ Drizzile~"
Drizzile nodded in agreement.
After tallying the day's happiness points and League coins, Angie and his Pokémon began cleaning up the shop.
Angie and Drizzile took care of the kitchen, while Meowstic, Espurr, and Ralts cleaned the dining area.
Halfway through their task, Haunter suddenly appeared, offering to help. The three Pokémon, who didn't know Haunter was around, were so startled they bolted into the kitchen, hiding behind Angie.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
Angie, there's a ghost!
Meowstic trembled as it spoke.
When Angie saw Haunter, he laughed and reassured them, "This is Haunter. It's been here all along; you just didn't notice. It doesn't mean any harm—it just wanted to help."
At that moment, inspiration struck Meowstic, who turned to Haunter and said, "Meowstic~ Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
"Haunter~ Haunter~"
Haunter nodded shyly.
Suddenly, everything clicked for Meowstic. The mystery was finally solved.
No wonder the shop sometimes inexplicably became sparkling clean! At first, Meowstic thought it was her imagination. But lately, it had become increasingly evident, and she almost believed the place was haunted!
Turns out, it was Haunter all along!
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~"
Meowstic thanked Haunter, who had been quietly helping all this time.
"Haunter~ Haunter~"
Haunter waved bashfully, saying there was no need for thanks.
Once the cleaning was done, Angie announced, "Alright, let's head home!"
"Meowstic~"
"Espurr~"
"Ralts~"
The Pokémon responded cheerfully.
Haunter glanced at Angie, then at the others, timidly raising its hand to join in.
"Haunter~"
With that, Angie and his Pokémon headed home together.
After arriving, Angie introduced Haunter to everyone. The Pokémon warmly welcomed their new companion.
Angie confirmed with Haunter, "Are you sure you want to learn how to cook with me?"
"Haunter~"
Haunter nodded eagerly.
Angie extended his hand to Haunter. "Alright then, Haunter. From today on, you're part of the family as my third apprentice."
His apprentices: first, Munchlax; second, Drizzile; and now, third, Haunter!
"Haunter~~"
Haunter reached out and shook Angie's hand.
"Pawmi~ Pawmi~"
Seeing this, Pawmi took the lead and started clapping enthusiastically. Following suit, Munchlax, Drizzile, and Diancie joined in with warm applause.
Only Metagross, who found clapping inconvenient, expressed its welcome to Haunter with a cheerful smile.
For some inexplicable reason, Angie felt like he had become Tang Sanzang, now with three extraordinary disciples.
The thought made him chuckle to himself.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Master, why are you laughing?
Munchlax asked curiously.
Angie replied, "I just thought of a funny story."
"Munchlax~"
A story?
Munchlax tilted its head, looking puzzled.
Angie patted its head and said, "I'll tell it to you when there's time."
Munchlax nodded obediently.
Suddenly, Angie remembered he hadn't looked at Haunter's stats yet. Using the Eye of Observation skill, he directed it at Haunter.
...
[ Haunter ]
Type: Ghost, Poison
Ability: Levitate
Gender: Female
Level: 36
Moves: Shadow Punch, Hypnosis, Lick, Mean Look, Curse, Hex, Sucker Punch, Night Shade, Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, Energy Ball, Psychic, Phantom Force, Sludge Wave, Will-O-Wisp, Mimicry.
...
[ Individual Values (IVs) ]
HP: 31
Attack: 25
Defense: 26
Special Attack: 31
Special Defense: 29
Speed: 31
...
After examining Haunter's stats, Angie finally understood why Alva had persistently sent Levi and Cherie to capture Haunter. Haunter indeed held tremendous potential.
Diancie then arranged a room for Haunter on the third floor, right next to her own.
Looking at the clean, cozy room, Haunter felt as if she were dreaming.
"Haunter~ Haunter~"
Is this really my room?
Haunter asked Diancie repeatedly to confirm.
"Of course!" Diancie nodded. "All of our rooms are similar."
"Haunter~ Haunter~"
Haunter excitedly floated around the room, touching the soft bed and towering wardrobe. Words couldn't express her happiness.
Diancie said, "Let me know if there's anything missing. I'll have Angie add it for you."
Haunter shook her head vigorously. How could anything be missing from such a perfect room? It was like heaven.
Diancie smiled and said, "Alright, if you can't think of anything now, let me know later."
Haunter nodded in agreement.
After familiarizing herself with the room, Diancie took Haunter downstairs to join everyone for lunch.
When Haunter saw the table filled with delicious food, she was completely stunned. Never in her life had she seen so much good food!
Angie waved at her and said, "Haunter, come and eat with us!"
Haunter floated dreamily to the table, looking at Angie's warm smile, Diancie's gentle beauty, Munchlax's adorable demeanor, Drizzile's striking presence, Pawmi salivating at the food, Metagross smiling at her, and Komala swaying with closed eyes. She was momentarily lost in thought.
Were these her family and companions now?
An overwhelming urge to cry welled up inside Haunter. Her heart felt full, as if it might burst at any moment.
"Alright, everyone, let's eat!"
At Angie's command, Munchlax and Pawmi cheered loudly and immediately began digging in.
Haunter, dazzled by the spread of food, couldn't decide where to start.
At that moment, three pairs of chopsticks simultaneously reached into her bowl.
Haunter froze.
The ones holding the chopsticks—Angie, Diancie, and Munchlax—also froze.
Angie had placed a serving of scrambled eggs with tomatoes into Haunter's bowl, Munchlax had given her its favorite braised fish, and Diancie had added a piece of steamed light codfish.
None of them expected their actions to align so perfectly. For a moment, they all laughed in unison.
Angie patted Haunter and said, "Hurry and eat, or it'll get cold."
Holding back her tears, Haunter nodded vigorously. She imitated everyone's movements and picked up a piece of fish with the chopsticks, placing it in her mouth.
Finally, her tears overflowed and fell.
Noticing this, Angie quickly asked, "Haunter, what's wrong? Don't you like it?"
Haunter shook her head, wiping her tears with her hands, and then gave a big smile, her bright red tongue sticking out.
"Haunter~~ Haunter~~"
Angie smiled. "That's good to hear."
Hearing this, Munchlax and the others all gave Haunter warm, encouraging smiles.
This lunch was the most delicious meal Haunter had ever eaten.
Even years later, after Angie's culinary skills had reached perfection and Haunter had evolved into Gengar, she would still never forget this special lunch.