"Take good care of Espurr."
After arriving home, Ange gave Meowstic its pay for the day. He also handed the Pokémon Food that Nurse Joy had gifted for Espurr.
"Meow~"
Meowstic nodded vigorously. It then took Espurr back to the Secret Fortress.
Once home, it placed Espurr on the bed, tucked it under the covers, and lay down beside the bed.
Looking at Espurr's peaceful sleeping face, a smile of relief appeared on Meowstic's face.
Meowstic remembered its own childhood. It, too, had been found by Trevenant, brought back to the Nebel Plateau, and had settled there.
Meowstic recalled that it was a rainy night. When it was still an egg, it had somehow fallen into the turbulent Nebel River.
It was precisely then that it hatched.
Because it was so tiny, the current tossed it back and forth, but just as it was about to drown, a passing Trevenant reached out a branch and rescued it.
After being saved, Meowstic, who was still an Espurr at the time, developed a high fever.
Trevenant took it home and carefully nursed it for a long time until it recovered its health.
Meowstic did not know where it came from, so it lived with Trevenant.
Trevenant was an elder on the Nebel Plateau. It had once been one of the Guardians of the Nebel Plateau, but unfortunately, it was too old and passed away not long after finding Meowstic.
Since then, Meowstic lived alone, but it inherited Trevenant's dying wish and always did its best to help all the struggling Pokémon on the plateau.
Lost in its memories, Meowstic gradually drifted off to sleep next to the bed.
In its dream, it seemed to meet Trevenant again. A smile unconsciously formed on its lips.
***
After seeing Meowstic off, Ange opened the System. He thought he had received a System notification when the Munchlax Home closed for the day.
Sure enough, a pop-up window appeared the moment he opened the System.
"[Congratulations to the host for hosting 10,000 Pokémon in total, Achievement Reward: Constitution +5, Intelligence +5.]"
Ange was delighted. He had a new Achievement Reward, and both his Constitution and Intelligence had increased by 5 points.
As the difficulty of achieving milestones increased, the rewards Ange received were also becoming richer.
He opened his personal information interface and saw that the information had indeed been updated.
Ange
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (+500)
Constitution: 30
Intelligence: 17
Culinary Rating: An entry-level cook.
His Constitution points had unknowingly increased to 30.
Ange clenched his fist. He felt that he had recently grown much stronger, and his height had also increased slightly.
When he first arrived at the Nebel Plateau, his height was barely six feet. Now, he was at least six feet and one inch.
"Munchlax!"
After sensing the changes in his body, Ange shouted loudly.
"Munch Munch~" Master, what is it?
Munchlax ran over on its short legs.
"How about we have a practice match?" Ange said.
"Munch, Munch, Munch~~~" A culinary match? Okay, okay! You can see the results of my recent training, Master!
Munchlax clenched its fists, its face full of fighting spirit.
I, Munchlax, will achieve an upset victory today!
Ange knew Munchlax had misunderstood the moment he saw its expression. He took its fist and said, "I meant a battle match."
???
A huge question mark appeared on Munchlax's face.
Master, what did you say? A battle match? You can fight? How did I not know?
Seeing Munchlax standing still in a daze, Ange took its hand and walked outside. He could not fight, but he could practice. What if someone tried to kidnap him again, and no one could save him?
It was true that a situation where no one could save him was unlikely to happen, because he could summon Diancie and the others to his side at any time.
However, there's no harm in having more skills.
Munchlax was foolishly led by Ange to the grass field outside.
Sobble was playing with other Pokémon on the enclosure wall.
It placed small stones on the wall one by one. Then, it stood far away and aimed a finger at a small stone.
"Shoo~"
It imitated the sound of a gun firing with its mouth. A jet of water shot out from its fingertip (the Water Gun move). It accurately hit one small stone, shattering it.
Sobble pretended to blow lightly on its finger.
"Sobb~" How about that? Are you completely charmed by me?
The surrounding Pokémon immediately let out cheers and applause. Sobble became even more smug seeing this.
"Shoo, Shoo, Shoo~~~"
It shot three more jets of water in a row. Each time, they hit the target precisely.
After firing, Sobble retracted its arm and held its hand in a gun shape to its temple. It posed coolly and asked everyone, "Sobb, Sobb~" Am I handsome? Am I handsome?
Everyone was very complimentary, constantly praising how handsome it was.
Sobble was so overwhelmed with praise that it excitedly ran back and forth on the enclosure wall, like a small dog begging for praise.
Just then, it saw Ange walking toward them with Munchlax. It quickly scurried to the entrance of the enclosure wall. "Sobb, Sobb~" Ange, where are you going?
"I am going to have a match with Munchlax," Ange replied, continuing to walk forward.
"A match?" Sobble looked confused. It jumped off the enclosure wall and chased after Ange.
The other Pokémon saw that the fun was happening elsewhere, so they all followed.
Ange and Munchlax arrived at an open space. After they stood ready on opposite sides, Ange slightly bent his knees, adopting a defensive posture.
"Munchlax, come at me!"
Munchlax was still in a state of confusion. Come at me? Come at me with what?
Everyone had surrounded Ange and Munchlax, but they also did not understand what Ange meant.
Ange shouted, "Munchlax, swing your fist and attack me!"
Munchlax was startled. It instinctively rushed toward Ange with its fists raised.
Bang!
Munchlax and Ange collided. The human and the Pokémon locked hands. But to the surprise of all the Pokémon, Ange did not retreat even slightly. He was actually evenly matched with Munchlax.
At this moment, Diancie happened to push through the crowd of Pokémon and squeezed into the circle. It saw the shocking scene before its eyes.
This... is this still the Prince Ange it knew?
It knew that as Ange's Constitution increased, his physical fitness would improve more and more, but it had never expected him to be able to contend with Munchlax already.
Munchlax itself was confused.
Master actually took its attack! Although it did not use a move, it was a Pokémon, and Master was human!
Just then, Ange shouted at it, "Munchlax, did you not eat breakfast? Why do you have so little strength?"
"Munch?" Master, you just looked down on me!
In that instant, the normally cute Munchlax's eyes became a little sharper.
"Munch~" It gave a loud cry, wrapping its arms around Ange's waist, trying to throw him.
Ange also instinctively wrapped his arms around Munchlax's waist. However, Munchlax's belly was too round, and Ange could not wrap his arms all the way around. He could only grab the fur on both sides of its waist.
The Master and apprentice squared off, each trying to throw the other. However, since they were both hugging each other's waist, neither could overcome the other.
"Sobb, Sobb~" Go, Ange! Go, Munchlax!
Sobble led the cheering for the Master and apprentice. The other Pokémon saw this and also began cheering for their respective favorites. Some supported Ange, some supported Munchlax, and some, like Sobble, supported both sides.
Komala rolled into the circle at some point. Its eyes were tightly closed, and it was still sound asleep. No one knew why it was there.
However, the frequency of its rocking somehow matched the rhythm of everyone's cheers.
Finally, Ange could not hold on any longer. He ran out of strength first and was thrown by Munchlax onto the grass.
He lay on the grass, covered in sweat, breathing heavily. He shouted, "Refreshing!"
It had been a long time since he had exercised so thoroughly. He felt as if all his cells had come alive, filled with vitality.
"Munch, Munch~~" Master, you are so amazing!
Munchlax sat down next to Ange. Although it won, it was also exhausted.
Ange patted Munchlax's back. "Let us have another practice match next time!"
He was able to last so long only because Munchlax did not use any moves and only used brute force.
However, he was already very satisfied with his current physical fitness. Even though Munchlax's level was not high, he was now considered a person who could contend with a Pokémon.
"Munch Munch~" Okay, okay! Again next time, again next time!
Munchlax said happily. After the match, it also felt a surge of energy.
"You really should exercise more. You are getting fatter and fatter." Ange sat up and patted Munchlax's belly. Its belly immediately shook like a jiggly pudding.
"Munch Munch~"
Munchlax scratched the back of its head awkwardly. Since coming to Ange's home, it ate well and was well-fed every day. It would be strange if it did not gain weight.
Just then, Diancie came over and asked with concern, "Ange, are you okay?"
Diancie's heart had jumped into its throat when Munchlax threw Ange. It was truly afraid Ange had been seriously hurt.
"I am fine, I am fine. Do not worry." Ange patted his chest. "I am not the person I used to be. I am very strong now!"
The increase in Constitution points improved Ange's physical fitness in all aspects. This included not only strength but also resilience.
Diancie sighed in relief, seeing Ange's relaxed expression.
In the afternoon, the Pokémon continued to help Ange plant trees. The planting of Pinap Berries and Mellon Berries was finally nearing its end.
Ange, Munchlax, and Sobble stayed home. They had new work to do today.
Ange's shop had introduced various types of porridge over time, but he had never introduced Preserved Egg and Lean Pork Porridge. The reason was that there were no Preserved Eggs in the Pokémon world. If Ange wanted to offer Preserved Eggs and Lean Pork Porridge in his shop, he would have to make Preserved Eggs himself.
Ange was going to make them today with Munchlax and Sobble.
To be honest, Ange himself was craving Preserved Eggs.
Just thinking about dishes made with Preserved Eggs, such as Cold Preserved Egg Salad, Preserved Egg Tofu, Smashed Chili Preserved Egg... Ange was already excited.
The taste of Preserved Eggs is unique. Not everyone likes it. Some people hate it, which is very similar to cilantro. Ange belonged to the group that liked Preserved Eggs.
In addition to Preserved Eggs, Ange also planned to make some Salted Duck Eggs today.
The Munchlax Home and Diancie's Grand Cafeteria had completely evolved into a breakfast shop. Ange had no intention of changing this current business structure.
Trying to do everything would only exhaust him.
Since he was running a breakfast shop, how could he not have Salted Duck Eggs!
The thought of oily, golden Salted Duck Eggs made Ange's mouth water.
Ange offered the side dishes at the Munchlax Home for free. The Salted Duck Eggs he made this time could not be free. Although selling Salted Duck Eggs would not earn him Happiness Points, there was no problem with earning a little money for his hard work!
Ange had prepared the materials for making the dishes early in the morning.
It was snowing heavily in the Azoth Royal Capital, but the weather on the Nebel Plateau was very sunny. Whenever this happened, Ange would silently repeat: Thank you, Volcanion!
Ange, Munchlax, and Sobble carried all the materials to the plaza in front of the door. They planned to work while basking in the sun.
Ange and Munchlax each brought a small stool and sat down. The three of them gathered around a pile of materials. Ange announced,
"Let us begin."
"Munch~"
"Sobb~"
Munchlax and Sobble cheered. They had been looking forward to the new delicacies Ange had mentioned for a long time.
"Then, you must follow what I do! We will start by making Preserved Eggs," Ange said.
"Munch~"
"Sobb~"
Munchlax and Sobble nodded simultaneously.
"Come, Sobble, let us wash the duck eggs. Fill the basin with water," Ange said, pointing to the large plastic basin in front of him.
"Sobb~~"
Sobble nodded. It put a finger into the basin, and water immediately gushed in. Ange then directed Munchlax to put all the duck eggs inside.
"Before we start, we must wash the duck eggs clean. This prevents the growth of bacteria," Ange said, gently washing the duck eggs.
"Munch~~"
Munchlax nodded earnestly. It learned from its Master and started washing the duck eggs. Sobble, after filling the basin with water, joined in the task.
"All right! After washing the duck eggs, let us prepare the curing mud." Ange said, demonstrating the process to the two Pokémon.
He put quicklime, soda ash, and table salt into a large bowl. He added an appropriate amount of tea water and stirred until all the solids dissolved and turned into a paste.
The tea water needed to be prepared beforehand. Tea leaves were boiled in water, cooled, and then the tea leaves were filtered out.
"Next is the curing step. This is the most crucial step." Ange demonstrated to his two apprentices.
He took the dried duck eggs, evenly coated them with the curing mud, and then sealed them in the porcelain jars Ange had prepared beforehand.
"After curing like this for about a month, we will have delicious Preserved Eggs."
"Munch, Munch~" A month...
Munchlax looked disappointed.
"How about it? Have you remembered all the steps?" Ange asked, holding up a duck egg coated in the paste.
"Munch~" I remember!
"Sobb~" I remember!
The two Pokémon answered in unison.
Ange smiled and said, "That is good. Let us hurry and get to work. We have a lot to do today. After the Preserved Eggs are done, we still have to make Salted Duck Eggs."
"Munch~"
"Sobb~"
The two Pokémon cheered and quickly began to work, following Ange's instructions. They both proved to be very skilled with their hands. Soon, jar after jar of Preserved Eggs were made, and the plaza in front of the door was filled with sealed porcelain jars.