Ange was led by Munchlax all the way to its room door.
Munch~ Munch~~
It told Ange to wait at the door, then mysteriously walked into the room.
After a while, the door creaked open again, and Munchlax peeked its head out. Seeing Ange obediently waiting, it showed a silly, happy smile.
Munch~~
It pushed the door open fully and carried out two identical pillows.
Munch~~
Shyly, it handed one to Ange.
The pillow was light gray with a cute Munchlax pattern on it. When Ange touched it, it felt like touching a cloud in the sky.
They never had such a pillow at home before.
Munch~ Munch~~ Master, do you like it?
Munchlax asked shyly.
"Munchlax, is this for me?" Ange asked, surprised and delighted.
Munch~~ Yes, I have one too, we're the same.
Munchlax nodded, hugging its pillow and shyly hiding half its body, leaving only its head visible.
Ange rubbed the pillow, feeling its texture, and asked to confirm, "Are these feathers from Swablu and Altaria?"
Munch~ Munch~~ Yes~ Master, you're smart.
Munchlax nodded repeatedly.
It turned out it had started preparing this gift quietly after Ange gave it its wages.
It went to the Swablu family every day to collect fallen feathers, then cleaned, dried, boiled for sterilization, and dried them again.
Finally, it used Ange's wages to carefully pick pillow inserts and covers from the System Store.
To make the Swablu and Altaria feathers extra clean, Munchlax even consulted other Pokémon and collected special plants to boil with the feathers.
Holding the pillow, Ange could smell a faint, fresh fragrance.
Overall, preparing the two pillows took Munchlax a lot of effort.
If Swablu and its parents hadn't noticed Munchlax's intentions and offered more feathers, Munchlax would have taken even longer collecting them all by itself.
Ange felt a warm current in his heart. He had only casually said he wanted to sleep on Swablu and Altaria's soft wings, but Munchlax had quietly remembered.
"Collecting so many feathers must have taken a lot of effort, right?" Ange crouched down and held Munchlax's hand.
Munch~~ No, not at all.
Munchlax shook its head shyly.
Ange hugged it gently, "I really like this gift. It's one of the most precious gifts I've received. Thank you, Munchlax."
Munch~~
Munchlax hugged him back lightly.
After letting go, Ange said happily, "I'll put it on my bed and hug it every night."
Seeing Ange so happy, Munchlax's eyes curved in joy. Holding its pillow, it said, Munch~~ I have one too, the same.
Ange nodded, "It's our master-apprentice pillow."
Munch~~
Munchlax happily hugged the pillow and spun in place.
Ange held one of its hands while walking to his room, "Let's see if it fits well on the bed."
Munch~
Munchlax nodded eagerly, following him with light steps.
In the room, Ange placed the pillow on his bedside, then with a dreamy expression said, "I can't imagine how wonderful it will feel to hug this every night!"
Munch~~
Munchlax mimicked his expression, pretending to imagine, making Ange laugh.
Munch~~
After the fantasy play, Munchlax pulled Ange's hand and ran outside to its room, placing its pillow in the same spot as Ange's.
Munch~ Munch~
Munchlax pointed at its pillow, looking at Ange expectantly.
Ange gave a thumbs-up, "We really are master and apprentice. Even the pillow placement matches."
Munch~ Munch~~
Hearing this, Munchlax immediately snuggled into Ange's arms, acting cute. Ange couldn't resist its enthusiasm.
Because the carefully prepared gift was loved by Ange, Munchlax stayed happy for the next few days. It smiled at everyone, even Pokémon causing trouble in the store, and never got angry.
Shortly after coming down the stairs with Munchlax, Ange saw Komala had returned, curled up in its small house hugging a pillow, emitting a faint scent of alcohol, and the bottle was gone.
Little drunkard. Ange shook his head helplessly.
After dinner, the family of four gathered in the Cooking Training Room as usual. Ange and Munchlax trained in cooking, Diancie acted as coach and supervisor, and Komala… probably… maybe… mostly served as decoration.
Diancie stood on the podium, "Today we'll officially practice making various buns. Any opinions, chefs?"
Munch~ None.
"None!"
Ange and Munchlax said seriously.
"Good." Diancie waved her pointer, put on a pair of black-rimmed glasses, and pushed them up properly, "I will teach you strictly as always."
The demon teacher has appeared! Ange shouted in his heart.
"Now, training begins!" Diancie shouted. Ange and Munchlax's little hearts jumped, even Komala froze mid-sway on the table.
"Today, we focus on filling preparation."
Munch~~
"Mm-hmm~~"
Ange and Munchlax nodded obediently.
"The first filling is cabbage."
As Diancie finished speaking, the ingredients and seasonings appeared in front of them.
"Start. First, chop the cabbage into small pieces."
Ange and Munchlax quickly picked up knives to show their skills, but before they could chop two pieces, the whipping sound of the pointer came from the podium.
"Munchlax, too fine! It will affect the texture. Chop again!"
Munchlax froze, quickly discarding the cabbage, and started over.
Bang bang bang~~~
The chopping sounds continued, accompanied by Diancie's strict scolding.
"Munchlax, still too fine."
"Ange, focus. Don't look around!"
"Munchlax, this is chopping cabbage, not venting anger. Use less force."
"Ange, didn't you eat? Use more strength."
...
As time passed, Ange and Munchlax chopped basket after basket of cabbage.
Ange was experienced, so it was fine, but Munchlax, being a novice, suffered terribly, getting scolded by Diancie at every turn.
The system's recipe had extremely strict requirements for every step, allowing no mistakes.
Next came pickling the cabbage and adding the seasonings. Even Ange got scolded constantly this time.
This part was even more demanding. Every detail had to be exact. Each ingredient required a precise amount of seasoning, not more, not less. Even a tiny bit of water left in the filling during pickling made Diancie scold Ange and Munchlax sharply.
"Did I tell you to flood the filling?!"
"Munch~"
Ange and Munchlax whispered under their breaths.
(`^) "What are you two whispering about?" Diancie's voice floated over.
"Munch~~" I said nothing.
"Nothing, nothing!"
Ange and Munchlax quickly shook their heads.
"Then hurry up! Your hands are slowing down!" Diancie roared.
"Munch~ Yes, instructor!"
"Yes, instructor!"
Ange and Munchlax had never felt ten hours drag by so slowly.
When the pair finally left the training room, their bodies and minds felt cleansed.
Diancie looked at them, exhausted, and said, "Honestly, I'm a proper lady of noble birth, and you two nearly drove me mad."
Diancie was born into the Azoth royal family and considered herself a true noblewoman.
(The Azoth royal family favored Fairy-type Pokémon. Ange's starter was a Rock/Fairy-type Carbink, his twin sister Anna received a Steel/Fairy-type Magearna from Eliphas, the current princess Lila had a Psychic/Fairy-type Gardevoir, and Prince Romeo had a pure Fairy-type Swirlix.)
Ange and Munchlax: What noble lady? More like a demon instructor!
Too exhausted to resist, Ange and Munchlax washed up and went straight to sleep.
Before sleeping, Ange collected rewards from two daily missions. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side this time. He only got two ordinary ingredients: two fresh cucumbers and two green onions.
Ah~ We'll save them for tomorrow's dinner.
Lights out!
After the grueling training in the cooking room yesterday and with Munchlax's pillow helping him sleep, Ange slept soundly through the night.
Munchlax, however, had the opposite experience. It dreamed all night, endlessly chopping vegetables, mixing fillings, and wrapping buns. Mountains of ingredients piled before it, impossible to finish. It even muttered in its sleep.
"No~ No~~"
In the dream, failing its tasks, Diancie approached step by step, scolding it.
The next morning, Ange felt refreshed, while Munchlax looked utterly exhausted.
"Munchlax, what's wrong?" Ange asked, puzzled.
Munchlax glanced at Diancie and shook its head silently, signaling it was fine.
Last night in the dream, it hadn't managed all the ingredients. In the latter half, it kept dreaming of Diancie waving a pointer and yelling at it.
Terrifying! Noble lady? Not even close!
Diancie, confused, asked Munchlax, "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"
"Munch~~~~" No, no. Today, you look especially beautiful, and your diamonds are sparkling.
Munchlax quickly flattered her.
"Really?" Diancie looked at her reflection in the water basin and smiled smugly, "Maybe I slept well last night; I do feel good today."
Munchlax: ...
Today, Ange would go to Azoth Royal Capital to sell at the stall, just like yesterday. After washing up, he and Munchlax got busy immediately.
Kneading dough, chopping vegetables, preparing fillings… getting everything ready in advance would save time once they reached Azoth Royal Capital.
Yesterday, it was their first time selling at the stall. Lack of experience had left Ange exhausted.
Once the ingredients were ready, Ange prepared to leave.
Diancie walked him to the door and hesitated, "Do you want me to go with you today? You were sore and tired yesterday, and I felt worried."
Ange shook his head. "You stay home and help Munchlax. It can cook fine, but if no one watches, it can't handle the store."
"All right, then go and return early," Diancie said helplessly.
"Raptor~~"
A cry came from nearby. Ange looked over and said, "It's getting late. I must go quickly, or Staraptor will get impatient."
Today, Staraptor, the mother of Fletchling, would take Ange to Azoth Royal Capital.
Unlike the stubborn Talonflame, Fletchling's mother had a good impression of Ange and happily helped.
Since Swablu's father helped yesterday, it made sense for Fletchling's parent, who had eaten at Ange's home, to do the same.
Ange held Komala and approached Staraptor, saying, "Staraptor, please take care of me today."
"Raptor~~"
Staraptor nodded, lowering her body to make it easier for Ange to climb onto her back.
"Thank you." Ange thanked her and quickly mounted.
"Raptor~~~"
With a cry, Staraptor flapped her wings and took off, heading toward the rising sun.
"Ah~~~" Ange yawned, letting the morning breeze brush his face. He wiped his eye and sighed, "Life is hard. A prince performing to make a living!"
Staraptor was faster than Swablu's father, and before long, Ange landed outside Azoth Royal Capital.
Before leaving, Ange handed Staraptor a pile of buns and mantou. "Staraptor, eat these first. We'll meet here at noon."
"Raptor~~"
Staraptor nodded and flew into a nearby forest, carrying the food.
Ange then hurried into the city, found a secluded corner, and pulled out the food cart, driving it toward Eliphas Park.