Ange carried a pile of things out from the house: body wash, towels, combs, brushes, and so on.
Diancie followed behind him, dragging two very large basins.
He set everything on the grass and called to the Pokémon.
"Everyone, let's take a bath first, then we'll go eat."
Ange's bathroom was too small for so many Pokémon, so they bathed outside.
After arranging the tubs, Ange said to Diancie, "Diancie, you should go home and wash up too. I can handle this here."
"All right. I'll come help you once I'm done."
When Diancie left, Ange turned to Castform.
"Castform, could you fill the tubs with water?"
Fwaa~ fwaa~
Castform nodded and floated between the two basins. It used Water Gun, and both tubs filled quickly.
Ange then looked at Litwick.
"Litwick, could you heat the water a little?"
Muhii~~
Litwick nodded, hopped to the rim of a tub, and two small flames drifted from its candlelight to hover above the water. In a short time, the two basins were warm.
After testing the water and finding it right, Ange sat on a small stool and said, "All right, line up for baths. Two at a time. Who's first?"
The Pokémon had never bathed this way before. They hesitated and pushed one another, too shy to go first. They still did not fully know how to act around Ange.
Ange laughed and scooped up his Komala. "Then let's start with Komala."
He put Komala in the water, lathered it with body wash, and used a brush made for furry Pokémon to gently scrub its back while he rubbed its belly.
Gululu~~~
Komala's face slowly grew blissful. A faint purr came from its mouth. The log it always held slipped from its grip without it noticing.
Pancham watched Komala with longing and thought, Is it really that nice?
Ange noticed and said, "Pancham, want to try?"
Pancham twisted its small hands together and hesitated.
Ange did not delay. He scooped Pancham up and put it into a basin.
Yacha~~ yacha~~
Pancham cried out in surprise, but the warm water wrapped around it, and it stopped struggling.
It felt good.
Ange lathered it with soap and brushed its fur. He could feel its body stiff at first, but after a few strokes it relaxed.
Yaa~~ cha~~
At first, it tried to hold back, but the brushing felt too good, and a soft sigh escaped. Pancham covered its mouth and sneaked a shy glance at Ange.
Ange just smiled gently.
Soon, Komala and Pancham were almost done. Ange moved them into another basin of clean water and asked, "All right, who's next?"
The Pokémon nudged one another until Spritzee and Zangoose were pushed forward.
While Ange bathed them, Komala floated on the water, hugging its log with closed eyes. Pancham sank down until only its nose showed above the surface.
Watching Ange wash Spritzee and Zangoose so gently, Pancham drifted into thought.
This human was different. He was kind.
It remembered Ange's warm, gentle hands and that bright smile. Pancham's mind wandered.
Pancham had once been owned by a human. Unlike Gulpin, which had been abandoned, Pancham had run away.
Its former Trainer worked for a construction company and owned many Pokémon, like Machoke and Gurdurr.
But the man was cruel. To earn more, he forced his Pokémon to work day and night. He would not let them eat enough and often hit or yelled at them.
Others there treated their Pokémon the same.
That was why Pancham was afraid of humans.
After endless days of abuse, several Pokémon could not stand it. They took back their Poké Balls, broke them, and escaped into the night.
They fled separately. Pancham wandered until it reached the Nebel Plateau, where Litwick found and took it in.
It never learned what happened to its companions.
"All done!"
Spritzee and Zangoose were cleaned and moved to the rinse basin. The ripples pulled Pancham back to the present.
It shook its head to rid itself of its fond thoughts about Ange, but soon it found itself staring again as Ange bathed Scrafty and Meowstic.
Meowstic hated water and screamed as soon as it hit the tub. It thrashed wildly, splashing water everywhere and soaking Ange's clothes.
"Meow, meow, meow~~~"
It screeched and refused to let Ange apply soap.
Then Litwick glowed blue. The next moment, the struggling Meowstic froze; Litwick had used Psychic.
Muhii~ muhii~
Litwick scolded Meowstic with a stern face, like an older brother.
Meowstic looked pitiful but calmed down.
Ange laughed. "You saved the day!"
Litwick's candle flickered more quickly. A faint blush warmed its little face.
Except for Litwick, who did not need a bath, and Castform, which was already clean, the others were soon spotless.
Ange spread a large towel on the soft grass and placed the washed Pokémon on it. He used a hair dryer to dry their fur one by one.
His dryer was rechargeable and cordless, very convenient.
Holding the soft Litleo and stroking its sleek fur, Ange felt very satisfied.
When everyone was dry, he packed the things and called, "Let's go, time to eat!"
The Pokémon cheered.
Litleo patted Pancham as it followed Ange. Litle~ litle~~ You smell so nice.
It sniffed Pancham playfully.
A light breeze blew. Their fur rippled and shone. They had never felt so light and comfortable.
Pancham leaned close and sniffed back. Yacha~ yacha~~You smell nice too. Everyone smells nice.
The others sniffed themselves and agreed: they smelled good.
Inside, Ange arranged seats. "Wait here. I'll take a quick shower and be right back."
He was sweaty after all the work.
The Pokémon nodded obediently.
Upstairs, Ange showered quickly and rushed to the kitchen. Mantou were already steaming.
Diancie had come to prepare things after her bath. Otherwise, Ange's earlier lie would have been found out.
Everything had been prepped earlier. Diancie only had to steam the buns.
Ange tapped her forehead and smiled. "Clever girl."
Soon, the kitchen was filled with a rich aroma. The Pokémon outside peeked and drooled.
It smelled irresistible.
"Dinner's ready!"
Ange and Diancie emerged, each carrying a bowl of mantou. The scent filled the air.
They handed food to each Pokémon. "Dig in, everyone," Ange said.
Munching sounds came quickly.
Worried that the Pokémon might choke on only mantou, Diancie poured a cup of warm water for each.
After work, the meal tasted even better. Ange opened his system and watched the Happiness Points increase.
+150
+150
+150
…
In total, the twelve Pokémon gave 1,800 Happiness Points, bringing his total to 4,400.
His mission list updated:
[Host 50 Pokémon within 10 days. (16/50)]
At this pace, he would finish in three or four days, not ten.
Full and content, the Pokémon slumped back in their chairs with satisfied faces.
Burp~ burp~ burp~
Hiccups echoed.
After a while, Litwick hopped off the table and floated to Ange. "Muhii~ muhii~" Thank you for the meal. We should go now.
The others climbed down too.
Diancie translated for Ange, who then smiled. "No need to thank me. You're welcome anytime. If you feel bad about eating for free, just come help more."
Litwick hesitated, then nodded.
Ange and Diancie walked the Pokémon to the door.
"Come again next time!" Ange waved.
After they left, Ange did not invite new customers. As long as the system missions finished on time, he did not want to tire himself out.
He sat on the porch steps with Komala in his arms and chatted with Diancie. There was little to say, but talking about the past and dreaming about the future felt peaceful.
When they spoke about the future, Diancie said, "Ange, when the beginner period ends, the System will stop supplying ingredients. We'll have to manage it ourselves. Do you have a plan?"
"Oh right!" Ange slapped his forehead. "We should prepare, or we'll be in trouble later."
He opened the System Store and browsed quickly.
"How about we grow our own ingredients?" he suggested. "The Nebel Plateau's climate is good for many crops."
The store sold seeds.
Diancie nodded. "We could, but we have no experience. Can we really grow anything?"
"Let's try," Ange said. "We'll start small with vegetables like scallions, ginger, and garlic. We'll use them later."
"All right, let's do that."
"And since Litwick and the others feel bad eating for free, we can ask them to help."
"Good idea. I'll tell them next time."
So they decided.
Night fell before they knew it.
That evening Ange, Diancie, and Komala ate together, washed, and went to rest.
Before sending Komala back to its hut, Ange grinned and asked, "Little one, want to sleep with me tonight?"
Komala was fluffy and cuddly. Holding it would surely bring sweet dreams.
Komala flipped in his arms, turned its back to him, and clearly refused.
Ange pouted. "What a shame. My big bed is more comfortable."
Komala ignored him, hugged its log, leaped into its little hut, and dove under the covers.
"Ungrateful little thing. I raised you for nothing," Ange muttered, then went inside.
The next day, Ange once again overslept. He then got up to cook for the Pokémon.
Munchlax, Scatterbug, Litwick, and the others arrived one after another, and they brought friends.
When new Pokémon came, Ange stayed hidden in the kitchen as before, so as not to startle them while Diancie greeted them.
Gulpin and Pancham brought flowers, so Ange replaced the wilted flowers with the fresh ones.
The shop gained a gentle atmosphere from the floral decorations.
As more Pokémon came to eat, Ange's little shop slowly grew lively.