"Diancie, could you go let Litwick and the others know to come over for dinner tonight?" Ange asked.
"I'll go right away." Diancie nodded.
"Remember to ask Litwick and the others to help spread the word to the other Pokémon," Ange added.
If Diancie had to notify everyone individually, it would take forever.
"I got it."
Saying that, Diancie headed off toward where the Litwick's family lived and before long, she disappeared from sight.
Ange looked down at Munchlax. "Let's head home and take a hot bath first, then we'll start cleaning the lotus roots." They had already rinsed them once in the river, but there was still plenty of mud stuck on them. River water alone couldn't clean them completely.
He took the lotus roots out of the System Backpack and stacked them in a corner by the door.
Munch~ Munch~ Where did those come from?
Seeing Ange pull the lotus roots seemingly out of thin air, Munchlax came over, tugged on Ange's clothes, and patted around his body, trying to find the trick.
"All right, all right." Ange helplessly pushed its hands away. "Let's go take a bath."
Munch~ Munch~
Munchlax nodded, holding Ange's hand as they went upstairs to the bathroom.
"Come on, Munchlax, sit down. I'll wash you first." Ange filled the bathtub with hot water, brought over a small stool, and placed it in the middle of the bathroom.
Munch~ Munch~~~
Munchlax nodded and sat obediently on the stool.
Ange used the showerhead to wet Munchlax's fur. Warm water ran down its body, and Munchlax closed its eyes in comfort.
The Nebel Plateau was still quite cool in autumn. After spending all that time digging in the muddy pond, even Munchlax had felt a little chilled.
Now that the warm water washed over it, the coldness in its body melted away.
As steam slowly filled the bathroom, Ange also felt warmth returning to his body.
While gently rubbing Munchlax's fur, he asked, "How's the temperature? Is it okay?"
Munch~
Munchlax gave him a thumbs-up.
Once Munchlax was fully wet, Ange applied body wash and used a brush to gently comb through its fur.
After rolling around in mud, its fur had nearly tangled up.
Munch~~
As the brush moved through its fur, Munchlax felt even more relaxed.
When Ange finished cleaning its body, he rinsed off the foam with the showerhead and said, "Go soak in the tub for a while. You worked hard digging today. I put in a bath sachet that helps relieve fatigue, it'll feel great."
That sachet was something Ange had bought from the System Store. It was cheap, only 5 Happiness Points per pack, good for one use.
Ange checked his Happiness Point balance, and it was still at 14,506 points. He had finally passed the ten thousand mark.
He hadn't spent much recently. Aside from buying some seeds for the garden and these sachets, mostly things that didn't cost much Happiness Points anyway.
Munch~ Munch~~
After getting off the stool, Munchlax didn't go to the bathtub. Instead, it walked behind Ange and pushed him onto the stool.
"You want to scrub my back?" Ange asked.
Munch~ Munchbi~
Munchlax squinted happily and nodded.
Ange laughed and sat down. "Then I'll enjoy my disciple's filial service today."
Though Munchlax didn't understand what "disciple's filial service" meant, it eagerly started scrubbing Ange's back. Its chubby hands were soft and padded, and it actually felt quite nice, though its strength was a bit much.
"Munchlax, a little gentler, gentler! You're about to rub me apart."
Munch~ Munch~ Is this better?
Munchlax quickly adjusted the pressure.
"Yeah, that's it. Feels great."
Soon, the bathroom was filled with Ange's ongoing groans of relief.
"Oh wow, that's perfect. Right there, yeah, keep going."
***
Munch~
"Whew~"
After washing up, the two soaked together in the bathtub, bodies fully submerged with only their heads above water. Leaning against the tub's edge, they closed their eyes, enjoying the warmth spreading through them.
Ange couldn't help sighing. "That sachet was worth every point. Cheap and effective."
After their bath, Ange used a hairdryer to dry his hair and Munchlax's fur. Both of them immediately felt refreshed and light.
The bath had been so comfortable that they ended up sprawled across the second-floor living room sofa, limbs loose and lazy, completely unwilling to move.
Muunch~~~ Muunch~~~~
Even Munchlax's voice sounded lazier than usual.
"Munchlax, quiet. Let me rest a bit more. We'll start working soon," Ange murmured sleepily.
They lay there until sunset.
After who knew how long, Ange suddenly jolted up. "What time is it?" He glanced at the clock on the wall, it was already five in the afternoon.
"Oh no, we're late!" He shook Munchlax awake. "Munchlax, wake up! Come on, we've got work to do, or we'll never make it in time!"
Munch?
Munchlax blinked sleepily and rubbed its eyes, looking half-awake.
"It's almost dark!"
Munch???
The moment Munchlax heard that, it jumped up as if lit on fire, mirroring Ange's reaction perfectly.
The two hurriedly changed clothes and rushed downstairs, only to find everyone already there.
In the living room, the Litwick family, Bellsprout, Fletchling, Espurr, Vivillon… everyone had arrived. Some were chatting, others playing around, the place filled with lively noise. Whiscash and Barboach had also shown up as promised.
When Ange and Munchlax came down, everyone waved in greeting.
"You're all here already? Wait just a sec, I'll get dinner ready!"
Ange ran toward the door with Munchlax, planning to grab the lotus roots for another rinse, but the spot was empty.
No lotus roots. Instead, he saw several Pokémon parents: Victreebel and Weepinbell, the parents of Bellsprout; two Altaria, the parents of Swablu; and Talonflame and Staraptor, Fletchling's parents.
(Note: In the games, a Pokémon's species follows the mother, but in this story, it's random.)
Clearly, they had come to check on their kids, not feeling comfortable leaving them in a human's house so late.
As Ange stepped out, all the parents turned their gazes toward him.
"H-Hi, everyone!" Ange suddenly felt a wave of pressure.
The parents quickly looked away.
He didn't have time to worry about their cold stares. "Diancie! Where are the lotus roots I left outside?" he shouted toward the house.
From inside, Diancie's voice called back, "I put them all in the kitchen!"
When she'd returned and found Ange and Munchlax asleep on the sofa, she couldn't bear to wake them, so she had the Pokémon who'd already arrived help wash the lotus roots and then store them in the kitchen.
Ange and Munchlax ran to check, and sure enough, the lotus roots were neatly cleaned and stacked inside. Ange smiled and said to Munchlax,
"Munchlax, let's begin. Can I leave the mantou steaming to you?"
These past days, they had been spending one hour daily (outside time) in the Cooking Training Room. Munchlax could now make mantou completely on its own.
There were a lot of Pokémon invited to this Lotus Root Feast. If he served only lotus root dishes, there wouldn't be enough for everyone. So Ange decided mantou would be the main dish, with lotus root as a side.
That way, everyone could eat their fill and enjoy the flavor of lotus root, and Ange could also earn a batch of Happiness Points in the process.
Pokémon eating lotus root didn't earn Happiness Points, but mantou did!
Munch~~ Leave it to me, Master!
Munchlax thumped its chest confidently.
Then, master and disciple got to work.
Munchlax pulled out a bag of flour from the cupboard, grabbed some yeast and other ingredients, and began kneading the dough with practiced motions.
Meanwhile, Ange started preparing the lotus roots.
The first dish he made was a cold lotus root salad.
He quickly peeled the lotus roots, then sliced them thinly and soaked them in water for a while to keep them from discoloring.
Next, he added clean water to a pot, poured in a spoonful of vinegar, and when it began to boil, he blanched the lotus root slices before immediately scooping them out into a basin.
Since there were many Pokémon to feed, Ange had to prepare a large portion, so a bowl wouldn't do; only a basin could hold it all.
He then began making the dressing: chili peppers, chopped scallions, and minced garlic were splashed with hot oil, then mixed with vinegar, sugar, and cilantro.
Ange's movements were smooth and efficient. In just moments, the cold lotus root salad was ready.
It was a simple dish but delicious, one of Ange's personal favorites.
Noticing that Munchlax kept glancing over while kneading the dough, its nose twitching hungrily, Ange laughed. "Munchlax, come taste it and tell me how it is."
Munch~~!
Munchlax's eyes lit up, and it nodded eagerly.
"Ah~~"
It opened its mouth wide.
Ange picked up a few slices with his chopsticks and placed them into Munchlax's mouth. The crisp, refreshing texture immediately won it over.
"Good?" Ange asked with a smile.
Munch~ Munch~
Munchlax pressed its paws against its cheeks, eyes full of bliss.
From a chef's perspective, Ange's cooking skills weren't extraordinary, still far from his grandfather's level. Otherwise, in his past life, he wouldn't have run his grandfather's restaurant into the ground. But to Munchlax, who had little experience with fine food, Ange's cooking was already the ultimate delicacy.
"All right, back to work, or everyone will be too hungry to wait." Ange patted Munchlax's round belly.
Munch~~! Munchlax nodded. Encouraged by the delicious food, it worked with renewed enthusiasm.
After finishing the cold lotus root salad, Ange went on to make stir-fried lotus root, fried lotus root sandwiches, sweet and sour lotus root cubes, and fragrant pan-fried lotus root cakes…
Soon, a rich aroma filled the kitchen. The Pokémon in the hall, who had been playing noisily, suddenly went silent. They closed their eyes, twitching their noses, breathing in deeply.
"Pancham~ Pancham~!" It smells so good!
Unable to resist the temptation, Pancham followed the scent toward the kitchen. Scrafty, Litleo, Stunky, and Skitty all followed behind.
Just as Ange finished simmering a pot of lotus root soup, he turned and saw their little heads stacked one on top of another at the doorway, peeking in like a totem pole.
Ange couldn't help but laugh. "It's almost ready! Go back and wait patiently. Anyone who misbehaves won't get to eat."
"Pancham~!"
"Meow~!"
"Litleo~!"
***
The moment they heard that, all the little ones quickly ducked their heads back out of sight, as if they'd just heard something terrifying.
Munch~ Munch~ Munch~~! Hahahaha~~!
Munchlax puffed out its round belly and burst into laughter.
While steaming mantou, it had been sneaking bites, so while everyone else's stomachs were growling, its belly was already full and round, with a stray piece of green onion stuck to the corner of its mouth.
Ange took out a handkerchief and wiped its greasy mouth. "All right, go tell everyone dinner's ready."
Munch~~!
With a joyful cheer, Munchlax dashed off.
Ange, Diancie, and Munchlax first carried out the mantou, distributing them into each Pokémon's food bowl. After everyone had their share, they brought out basins of cold lotus root salad, fried lotus root sandwiches, and sweet and sour lotus root cubes, scooping portions into each bowl.
Each Pokémon had two bowls, one for the mantou and one for the side dishes. Ange couldn't help but feel that he, Diancie, and Munchlax now looked like the cafeteria servers back in his school days.
When everything was served, Ange announced, "Everyone, dig in!"
The Pokémon, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately grabbed their bowls and began devouring their meals.
"Meow meow meow~~!" So good!!!
Skitty wagged its tail happily.
Opening the System Interface, Ange was astonished to see the Happiness Points increasing rapidly.
+200
+200
+200
…
Watching the numbers climb, Ange suddenly realized something: Pokémon might not provide Happiness Points when eating non-system dishes, but pairing mantou with lotus root doubled the flavor, doubled the satisfaction, and naturally doubled the happiness!
The stronger the Pokémon's happiness, the more Happiness Points he would receive!
So there was such a loophole after all! Ange couldn't help grinning from ear to ear.
He walked over to Barboach and Whiscash with a cheerful smile. "So? How's the food?"
The two Pokémon were eating intently. They had never tasted anything this delicious before. Who would have thought that the lotus roots they usually ate raw could become so flavorful after cooking?
Were they dreaming?
But when they looked up, they saw Ange watching them with a wide, mischievous grin.
Both Pokémon froze.
Mom, I'm scared. This human's smile is terrifying.
"Good?" Ange asked again.
Barboach and Whiscash nodded furiously.