The rain had just stopped, leaving the cabin feeling a bit damp.
Leo turned to ask the three Pokémon, "Are you hungry?"
"Gaa-ow."
"Agias!"
"Sss-wu~"
Cyclizar, Koraidon, and Caterpie all shook their heads.
They had barely moved all day, so their lunch hadn't fully digested yet. They weren't hungry.
"Then I'll cook a bit later," Leo said.
While it was still light, he went to the tool shed behind the house to get busy.
With the help of Koraidon and Cyclizar, Leo used an axe to chop some of the previously gathered wood into firewood. He planned to throw it into the fireplace later to warm up the room and dry out the moisture.
Besides that, Leo took out some nails and wood to build a simple workbench in the shed. Then, using a saw, he cut wood into boards and stakes.
Assembling them, he created simple wooden signs.
Leo measured the size of the signs and handed them to Cyclizar to hold. He planned to take them back to the room later and draw crop icons on them to mark the different plots in the field.
Finally, Leo made two wooden poles and brought them back to the bedroom in the front.
"Caterpie, can you give me some silk?" Leo asked.
"Sss-wu~"
Caterpie quickly spat out a length of silk. Leo wrapped it around the two wooden poles, instantly creating a simple clothes rack.
"Feels pretty good. Now I have a place to dry clothes."
Leo clapped his hands, then stood up and checked the time. Seeing it was already 7:00 PM, he said to the three Pokémon, "Wait here, I'll go make you dinner!"
Before cooking, Leo put the firewood into the fireplace and lit it.
As the flames danced, the room slowly warmed up.
Leo took off his outer jacket, wearing only a shirt as he went to the kitchen area to prepare dinner.
Tonight's dinner was Grilled Fish. He chose Rainbow Trout, known for its tender, delicious meat, lack of fishy smell, and absence of small bones—perfect for charcoal grilling.
Leo cleaned the fish, coated the surface with a thin layer of cooking oil, and pan-fried it until both sides were golden brown.
Once done, he took the fish out, stuffed the open belly with a prepared sauce, and finished it over an open flame.
Soon, a tantalizing aroma spread through the room.
Koraidon and Cyclizar, who had been yawning lazily, perked up immediately at the smell, both lifting their heads to look over.
Leo placed the grilled fish on a plate. Golden fat trickled slowly down the fish's body. Beneath the crispy, browned skin lay tender meat red as velvet. The aroma, fused with the savory sauce, rushed into the nose, stimulating the appetite just by smelling it.
He looked down, and the dish's information appeared.
`
Cooking Effect: HP Recovery (XL). Instantly restores stamina and energy to peak condition.
Evaluation: A dish with a primitive flavor. Extremely nutritious and suitable for all ages.]
HP Recovery?
That was equivalent to a Max Potion plus a Max Elixir.
Overall, not bad.
Smelling the aroma, Leo couldn't help but sneak a bite. The instant it entered his mouth, he felt the crispy skin first, followed by the soft, tender meat.
The fish was incredibly tender, almost melting in his mouth. The distinct layers of texture made it impossible to stop eating.
Leo wanted another bite, but he suddenly felt two burning gazes on him.
Looking up, he saw Cyclizar and Koraidon swallowing saliva frantically, looking at him with expectation.
Leo: "..."
He turned and placed the other two fish in front of them, saying helplessly, "Control yourselves. You're drooling on the floor."
Cyclizar and Koraidon began to gorge themselves.
Leo then looked at Caterpie.
However, Caterpie showed a lack of interest in the grilled fish.
"You're not eating?"
"Sss-wu..."
Caterpie shook its head.
Seeing this, Leo suddenly remembered that meat wasn't really on the menu for Pokémon like Caterpie.
Compared to meat, they preferred fresh green leaves and juicy berries. They had big appetites, capable of eating a hundred leaves a day.
"Alright." Leo turned back to the cupboard, took out some Berries, and used a knife to chop them into small pieces, making a Berry Platter for Caterpie.
When he placed the platter in front of Caterpie, a look of delight appeared in its eyes. It lowered its head and began to eat the berry chunks.
Seeing it eat happily, Leo checked the effect of the Berry Platter.
`
Cooking Effect: Move Alchemy. Upon consumption, one of the Pokémon's moves will undergo a random change.
Evaluation: A basic dish. Easy to make. A good choice for home and travel.]
Pfft!
Leo nearly spat out his water.
It dropped!
This simple dish actually rolled that special effect!
Move Alchemy. It sounded high-end, but in reality, it was a double-edged sword that relied entirely on luck.
Commonly known as RNG.
In the game, after feeding it to a character, their skills would undergo a random change.
There were five possible outcomes:
Skill Level Up: Increases power.Skill Level Down: Decreases power.Amnesia: The skill is forgotten.Skill Specialization: The skill undergoes a unique mutation.New Skill: The character learns a new skill.
In his previous life, the game company he worked for nearly got flamed to death by players because of this effect.
Many players hopefully fed it to their characters to strengthen them, only to be shocked when the skill wasn't strengthened but forgotten.
One player, refusing to believe his bad luck, fed his character ten dishes in a row, resulting in the game's first "blank slate" character with zero skills.
That player was so angry he nearly stormed the developer's office with a knife.
Thinking of this, Leo looked at the berries Caterpie had already eaten.
It was too late to stop it now.
Waiting patiently for Caterpie to finish, Leo tentatively asked, "Caterpie, do you feel any changes in your body? Like your moves or something..."
"Sss-wu..."
Hearing this, Caterpie was confused at first, but then it began to carefully sense the changes in its body.
Soon, as if discovering something, a lightbulb lit up over its head. "Sss-wu!"
"Hm?"
Caterpie took a deep breath, its mouth forming an 'O' shape.
Immediately, a net made of white silk shot out from it.
Unlike ordinary silk, this net crackled with streaks of yellow electricity!
Seeing this, Leo gasped.
He knew exactly what change had occurred.
The Berry Platter had taught it Electroweb!