"Sigh—"
Auron Vale slumped to the ground, dejected, staring at the pot in front of him and the foul-tasting Poffin beside it.
"This makes no sense. A Foul Poffin happens when you use the same kind of Berry, right? I used different Berries…"
Suddenly, a possibility hit him.
"Don't tell me it's actually just… foul."
"Ugh…"
With that thought, Auron felt even more defeated. He raked his fingers through his hair, retracing every step of the last batch in his head.
"If I'd gone just a bit faster… Do you also have to control the flame?"
That jogged another memory—back in the games, the color of the flame really mattered when making Poffins.
"Ah—right! I remember: first the flame's red, then yellow, and finally blue. That's it. Let's try again."
Auron clapped his hands once, stood up, and set about making a fresh batch.
"Fire on. Red flame—that should be high heat. Stir slowly…"
"Then yellow flame—low heat—stir quickly…"
"And finish on blue—stir even faster."
"Haha, got it! No way it's the same as in the games. That's absurd."
Watching the pink batter come together, Auron lifted the small pan and carefully poured it into the clean molds he'd just washed. He didn't taste it this time; he simply waited quietly for the Poffins to set.
Before long, the Poffins in the molds firmed up. Auron picked one up to try.
"Mm. Sweet—no problem."
His eyes lit up. He sprinkled a few sour sugar strips over the set Poffins.
That made them double-flavored—sweet-and-sour Poffins.
Just then, an adorable Eevee came bouncing past.
Auron's eyes brightened.
"Hey, little Eevee—come try this."
The trusting Eevee hopped over, ears perked.
Auron held out a sweet-and-sour Poffin.
Eevee: (￣～￣) munch!
Eevee's eyes sparkled. It gave a delighted bounce.
A single sweet-and-sour Poffin wasn't very big; Eevee finished it quickly. Wanting another, it set aside its pride and gently nuzzled Auron's calf with its head.
"Bui~"
Laughing, Auron stroked Eevee's head and passed over a few more Poffins.
"Here, take these with you—share some with your friends."
"Bui~"
Eevee nodded, clamped several Poffins carefully in its mouth, and hopped away, tail sweeping like a metronome.
Watching Eevee's small figure recede, Auron sighed.
"I don't know if I can make it up to that other little Eevee for what happened… I hope this doesn't turn into a childhood scar."
Then, with a pleased hum, he set about making more Poffins in other flavors.
After all, different Pokémon had different tastes.
Golbat preferred Dry.
Gengar liked Sour.
Kommo-o favored Sweet.
Umbreon went for Bitter.
Espeon—and Charmander—both loved Spicy.
Those few pretty much covered the spectrum, so Auron needed to make a bit of everything.
While Auron happily worked the Poffin station, the earlier Eevee, thrilled, trotted off with the treats to share with friends. It arrived at another Eevee's place and saw that Eevee sitting there in a funk.
(What follows is Pokémon speech.)
The later-arriving Eevee said, "Kukoko—look what I brought you!" (Quick, look what I brought!)
The Eevee in front glanced up—and froze. Oh no. How could it be holding that devilish food in its mouth?
It sprang to its paws, rushed over, and grabbed the newcomer, shaking it urgently.
"Spit it out—spit it out! That stuff is terrifying. It tastes like pure evil!"
The latecomer looked baffled but set the Poffin aside and asked, puzzled,
"What's wrong? I just ate one. It was really good."
The first Eevee wore the thousand-yard stare of someone who had given up on life.
"Buddy, did your sense of taste break? How can you think that nasty thing is good?"
"Just try it," said the newcomer. "You'll see."
"I don't want it, I don't want it!"
The two Eevee argued back and forth without convincing each other.
Then the newcomer got an idea.
Catching the other mid-sentence, it suddenly shoved the Poffin into its mouth.
"Mmff! Mmm—mm?"
"…Huh? This doesn't taste the same as before. This one… is actually kind of good."
The first Eevee tested it cautiously with its tongue—just a little.
Then its eyes lit up. It finally chewed in earnest.
"Mm. Not bad at all."
Chewing and praising at once, the first Eevee relaxed. The two of them happily enjoyed the treat together.
Halfway through, the first Eevee frowned as a thought struck.
"Wait—if it's the same thing, why was the one I got so awful? Was he targeting me?"
Its expression darkened. It decided that next time, it would definitely get even.
…
Back with Auron, it was nearly noon by the time he finished all the Poffins. He unmolded them, checked the time, and started preparing lunch for the team.
Lunch was simple: curry over rice with meat gravy as the main dish, plus Pokéblocks. The previously made Poké Soufflés and the fresh Poffins would be dessert.
Auron had only recently learned how to make curry, so what he produced still ranked at the lowest tier—a Koffing Class curry.
Once he'd finished plating everyone's food, he called out to the Pokémon:
"Come eat!"
They'd been sniffing the aroma for a while already; they could barely wait another second. One after another, they came sprinting over.
Poor Munchlax—slowest of the bunch—ended up last.
Still, because Auron knew both Munchlax and Kommo-o were bottomless pits, he'd made extra portions.
So even though Munchlax showed up last, Auron ladled it a heaping, brimming bowl.
Watching everyone tuck in with obvious satisfaction, Auron wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled, content. The curry might only be Koffing Class, but the whole team ate heartily and looked genuinely happy.
After a while, one human and a crowd of Pokémon lay sprawled on the grass, full and sleepy.
Before long, the loudest snores came from the ones who'd eaten the most—Munchlax and Kommo-o.
What could you do? After a big lunch, drowsiness won.
With their snoring as background, Golbat, Gengar, Charmander, and the two Eevee couldn't hold out either; they all flopped over on the grass and drifted into deep sleep.
Looking at his dozing partners, Auron forced his own drowsiness down, got up, and fetched blankets from his little cabin. He tucked each Pokémon in, one by one.
Then he yawned, pulled a blanket over himself, and fell asleep with his head pillowed on Munchlax's warm, round belly.
(End of Chapter)