"Haunter!"
Looking at the sparkling clean room, Haunter set down the mop and wiped the sweat from its forehead, feeling satisfied.
Indeed, doing housework really does give you a sense of achievement!
In the kitchen, Lu Ye sighed as he prepared the food. The last time it was a fire, and this time a flood. So next time...
'There won't be a next time!' Lu Ye aggressively peeled the potato.
Outside the kitchen, three little ones eagerly waited for Lu Ye to serve the meal. Squirtle knew it had messed up, so it lay on the floor with its head peeking out from its shell, pitifully gazing at Teacher Lu.
I wouldn't dare say a word!
"I was joking." Lu Ye chuckled. "Just wait a bit longer, dinner will be ready soon!"
Eevee nodded and shot Squirtle a sidelong glance, "Eevee!"
You heard that? You're forgiven this time!
Squirtle: ◐▽◑
In that moment, Squirtle understood. This must be a test arranged by the master!
But I foolishly listened to my fellow comrade's bad advice. Absolutely shouldn't have!
Squirtle shook its head and let out a long sigh, eyes welling up. To make up for this, I'll aim to master an even stronger Water-type move!
Lu Ye wasn't actually angry. After all, for Teacher Lu, this was a typical day...
With a deep sigh, Lu Ye focused on the dish in front of him.
This time, he was making Curry Dongpo Pork Rice Bowl. Even Lu Ye found it mouth-watering.
He removed the pork belly's odor, chilled it to firm the meat, and fried it in the pan until both sides were golden brown.
"Sizzle—"
Oil splattered as Lu Ye swallowed his saliva, placing the crispy golden pork belly into the chicken broth to simmer.
Sichuan pepper, ginger slices, scallions… The rich aroma filled the air as the pork belly turned tender. He then took it out and added black pepper, bay leaves, and chili to the curry.
After an hour of simmering, the intense fragrance filled the entire house.
Outside, the three little ones were already in a daze of anticipation.
"Haunter (¯﹃¯)"
Golden, tender Dongpo pork over pearl rice, garnished with blanched greens, and drizzled with curry sauce...
Lu Ye murmured, "This... is the real deal!"
Eevee elegantly grabbed a piece of pork belly, chewed it, and then bam—plunged its head into the bowl.
Haunter and Squirtle frantically dug into their meals.
"No one's competing with you," Lu Ye said helplessly. "Slow down, there's more!"
Hearing that, Squirtle and Haunter paused briefly before speeding up again.
Whoever finishes first gets seconds, right?!
Lu Ye shook his head with a smile.
He took a bite of rice soaked in meat sauce and couldn't stop.
He could almost see it: the Yangtze River flowing eastward, Squirtle standing on a rock, watching a bowl of bright red Dongpo pork rise from the river.
Eevee rolled on the pork, and as Lu Ye picked up a bite with his chopsticks, he accidentally lifted Eevee too...
"Brilliant!" Lu Ye's eyes lit up.
Just then, Squirtle's bowl clattered to the ground, and a dazzling white light burst from its body!
Lu Ye: ???
Haunter and Eevee froze, staring at their little buddy in disbelief.
You've only been here for two days, right?
Isn't this a bit too fast?!
But Squirtle stayed calm. Under Lu Ye's stunned gaze, it pulled out an Everstone and slipped it on.
In an instant, the white light vanished like a tide.
Lu Ye was speechless.
Squirtle grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
As the top dog of Modu University's breeding house, evolving now makes perfect sense, right?
I figured out where the Everstone was yesterday, so that's perfectly reasonable too, right?
Besides, only staying in my base form lets me catch enemies off guard.
Cautious Squirtle had already planned everything out.
"Squirtleヾ(⌐■_■)"
Until I can protect myself, I'm not evolving!
"You even dug up an Everstone…" Lu Ye's expression was odd. "Fine... You can keep it if you like."
In battles, you can only carry one item, but in real life, as long as you can carry it, you can take as many as you want.
Like Eevee, who carried both a Power Anklet and a Silk Scarf.
Who would've thought Squirtle would almost evolve before Eevee...
Glancing at the laid-back Squirtle, the shocked Haunter, and Eevee with a "Really?" expression, Lu Ye sighed:
"My Pokémon... are just too strong!"
---
Midnight, 12:30 AM
[Teacher Lu's Midnight Diner 02: Curry Dongpo Pork Bowl] was finally approved.
"Do the moderators have a grudge against us?"
"I'm starving! Teacher Lu, are you even human?"
"My instant noodles suddenly taste bland."
Teacher Lu's habit of tormenting people with late-night food videos was nothing new.
This time's Curry Dongpo Pork Bowl looked even more mouth-watering.
"Honestly, Teacher Lu's cooking skills just keep getting better."
"Wait, Squirtle evolved this time?!"
In his last video, when Haunter evolved, it left a deep impression. Evolution is a rare, unpredictable event.
But getting Pokémon to evolve just with food... that's a master-level skill.
And this time, Teacher Lu shocked everyone again.
"Squirtle evolved too?"
"How can all his Pokémon evolve?!"
"I get it now. Teacher Lu's skill is making Pokémon evolve with his cooking!"
The video was a hit.
Even late at night, it got tens of thousands of views within minutes.
As people complained, they were also charmed by Teacher Lu's cooking and warm storytelling.
"I wish I could have a midnight snack with my Pokémon…"
"This is touching. Reminds me of family gatherings… Thank you, Teacher Lu!"
"No lie, Pokémon are our family too!"
It was just a simple midnight "food torture" video, but it unexpectedly brought out heartfelt emotions.
The comments section was unusually peaceful, everyone basking in the happiness of being surrounded by Pokémon.
But in the latter half of the video, viewers were stunned.
"Here's a quick ad. Ahem... Teacher Lu's game is now available. If you're interested, please support it…"
The comments filled with question marks.
"???"
"Give me back my heartfelt emotions!"
"Isn't the highlight that Teacher Lu makes games too?"
"Teacher Lu: I make the game, market the game, and promote the game. You won't make a dime off me!"
Even though it was a self-promotional video, the quality was undeniable. [Teacher Lu's Midnight Diner 02] hit the front page.
At the same time, many people realized that Teacher Lu was also an indie game developer.
Curious, they clicked the link to Plants vs. Zombies.
Little did they expect…
This seemingly simple tower defense game was that addictive.