"Munch~ Munch~~"
Munchlax nodded quickly, then obediently stood aside, quietly watching Ange wash the dishes, scrub the pots, and wipe the counter. It looked very focused.
Ange glanced back at it and couldn't help but smile. So cute.
Before long, Ange finished cleaning the kitchen, and around the same time, Diancie finished tidying the living room.
"Now, can you tell me about the Cooking Training Room?" Ange asked.
"You forgot we still have a third floor, didn't you? The Cooking Training Room is up there," Diancie explained. "Let's go take a look."
"The third floor?" Ange almost forgot his house even had one.
When he first moved in, he had planned to explore every corner. The first floor was the shop. The second floor was where he and his Pokémon lived. But when he tried to go up to the third floor, an invisible force stopped him.
At that time, Diancie had told him he didn't have permission to enter yet.
"So now I have permission?"
"You do, you do, come on, let's go!" Diancie grabbed Ange's hand and pulled him toward the stairs.
Ange waved to Munchlax. "Munchlax, come with us. This is your home too now. Let's check it out together."
"Munch~ Munch~"
Happily, Munchlax followed right behind him.
Just as Diancie said, this time they easily reached the third floor that had been blocked before.
There were many doors on this floor. Ange picked one at random and tried to open it, but no matter how much he twisted the knob, it wouldn't budge.
Seeing this, Diancie explained, "You only gained access to the Cooking Training Room. The other doors will unlock step by step as you progress."
"Alright."
Ange released the doorknob and followed Diancie with Munchlax.
When they reached the end of the hall, Diancie stopped in front of a door. On its sign were the words "Cooking Training Room."
"This is it?"
Diancie nodded, signaling for him to open it.
Ange stepped forward, grabbed the handle, and turned it. The door opened smoothly.
Inside was a white, empty space.
Diancie entered right after him. Following the system's instructions, it said, "Ange, say 'Cooking Training, start!'"
Though a bit puzzled, Ange did as told.
"Cooking Training, start."
As soon as he spoke, the empty room transformed. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a spacious kitchen filled with every cooking tool Ange could imagine.
At the front stood a podium, and behind it was a large screen.
Diancie walked to the podium and explained, "From now on, you and Munchlax can practice cooking here. Time in this room flows ten times faster than outside, and ingredients are unlimited. However, all ingredients and food are virtual, so you can't take them out of the room."
"Whoa, that's amazing!" Ange exclaimed.
"I think so too!"Diancie said. After all, even it hadn't known these details much earlier than him.
Munchlax was dazzled by the high-tech kitchen, its eyes darting everywhere in excitement.
Then Diancie pointed to the screen behind her. "You can use this to select what dish you want to practice cooking. The room will automatically prepare the ingredients for you.
But right now, Ange, you've only unlocked Mantou, so that's the only dish available for practice."
Ange looked at the list on the screen. Sure enough, only "Mantou" was there. He couldn't help but complain, "When will I unlock the next dish?"
It wasn't that he couldn't cook other things, but anything not unlocked by the system wouldn't earn Happiness Points, which made it a waste of time.
Diancie comforted him. "Soon, soon, don't worry."
"Alright." Ange gave in.
"Would you like to use the training room now?" Diancie asked.
Ange shook his head. "Maybe tonight. I promised Litwick and the others we'd plant vegetables this afternoon."
"True, then we'll save it for later." Diancie nodded.
After looking around for a bit longer, Ange called Diancie and Munchlax to head out.
At noon, after the four of them had lunch together, they went behind the building where Ange planned to make a vegetable garden.
Even if the crops weren't used in the shop, he could still cook them for himself. After all, he couldn't earn Happiness Points from eating his own food anyway.
Soon, Litwick arrived with its friends to help. To Ange's surprise, it also brought two helpers he hadn't seen before.
Two Diglett.
"Lick~ Lick~"
Litwick introduced the Diglett to Ange. They were Zigzagoon's friends. When Zigzagoon learned Ange wanted to open a garden, it had specially invited them to help.
Soil turned by Diglett became soft and perfect for planting, and their droppings were excellent fertilizer.
"Thanks, Zigzagoon," Ange said gratefully.
"Zig~ Zig~"
Zigzagoon shyly covered its head with its tiny paws.
"Alright then, since everyone's here, let's get to work!" Ange announced.
"Lick~"
"Yacha~"
"Zig~"
…
All the Pokémon responded with enthusiasm.
Ange began assigning tasks just like he did when they planted flowers before.
This time, they didn't need to find branches or compost because there was still leftover fertilizer from before.
Nor did they need stones. Ange decided to fence the garden with wooden sticks instead. It was much faster than using rocks for such a large plot.
Once jobs were assigned, Pancham, Scrafty, Skitty, Litleo, and Gulpin all went off to gather sticks, leaving Ange, Diancie, Komala, Munchlax, Diglett, and Castform behind.
"Komala, I'm counting on you," Ange said to the sleepy Pokémon swaying with its log.
Komala rolled to the spot Ange pointed at, then lifted its log and used Wood Hammer. The ground split and rose, creating a patch of tilled soil.
Then the Diglett got to work. They dove into the loosened earth, tunneling back and forth. Before long, the hard clumps of dirt became soft and fine.
Their speed far outmatched what Ange and Diancie could achieve with hoes.
"Awesome!" Ange gave the two Diglett a thumbs-up.
Encouraged, the Diglett dug even faster.
Zigzagoon told them there'd be tasty treats if they did a good job!
"Let's get moving too," Ange called. "No slacking off."
Then he, Diancie, and Munchlax entered the field, pulling out grass roots and weeds from the soil while Litwick baked the ground dry.
By the time the sun began to set, they finally finished their garden.
Looking at the neat square plots before him, Ange felt deeply satisfied.
He divided the garden into five sections: the first for green onions and garlic; the second for bell peppers and chilies; the third for ginger and scallions; the fourth for spices like Sichuan pepper, cumin, bay leaves, and star anise, just a little of each, since they lasted long.
The fifth plot held the usual vegetables: water spinach, tomatoes, radishes, and more, just enough for their family's meals.
As for the shop's ingredients, he'd plant more later when needed. Vegetables grew quickly anyway, and who knew what recipes the system might unlock next.
The Nebel Plateau's climate allowed harvests year-round.
After planting, they fenced the garden, and Ange turned to Castform. "Castform, please water them."
"Puyu~~~"
Castform nodded and floated above the vegetable garden. Soon, a gentle drizzle began to fall. Having gained experience from watering the flowers last time, this time it perfectly controlled the amount of rainfall.
After the watering was done, Ange turned to the Pokémon and said, "Go take a bath, everyone, then we'll have dinner!"
The Pokémon instantly cheered at the mention of food.
Laying out the bathing supplies one by one, Ange placed Munchlax and Komala into the water, applied body wash on them, and said to the others, "You're all mature Pokémon now, right? Shouldn't you learn to bathe by yourselves?"
Hearing that, Stunky, Minccino, and Helioptile immediately jumped into another tub. Mimicking Ange's movements, they applied soap and began scrubbing their own bodies.
Seeing this, Ange reminded them, "Remember to ask your friends to help wash the places you can't reach, don't miss a spot."
The three Pokémon quickly understood and began helping each other scrub. Minccino, who loved cleanliness the most, was especially energetic and even took on the role of supervisor, making sure no one missed a single area.
With Stunky's group taking the lead, the other Pokémon also began helping each other wash.
This time, Ange had prepared two extra tubs, so there was no worry about space.
Everyone played in the water as they bathed. Skitty, as always, hated taking baths and was dragged into the water by its friends, letting out heart-wrenching "wails."
Litwick and the two Diglett, who didn't need baths, quietly watched the others wash and play. The setting sun's glow fell upon them all, softening the scene, so peaceful it looked like a painting.
Litwick felt this life was so beautiful, almost dreamlike, a dream that could shatter at any moment.
It turned to look at Ange, who was laughing and chatting with Munchlax.
Lately, everyone had become less afraid of Ange, growing closer to him, including itself.
It both adored and feared this happiness; it feared that this warmth would break apart one day, just like that other happy times in its past, leaving another deep wound.
Litwick once had a beloved Trainer. They had shared countless joyful days together.
But one day, its Trainer suddenly collapsed. After some tests, Litwick learned the terrible truth: it had unconsciously absorbed its Trainer's life force, making them weaker and weaker until they fell into a coma.
To let the Trainer wake again, Litwick had to leave.
Eventually, the Trainer's mother quietly sent it away. After wandering from place to place, it ended up on the Nebel Plateau.
Litwick understood the mother's decision. Even if she hadn't sent it away, it would have left on its own. Still...
"All done! Let's head back and eat, I'm starving!"
Ange's voice pulled Litwick out of its thoughts. It stepped into the house alongside him under the sunset glow. After a delicious meal with everyone, it returned home with its friends, sending cheerful goodbyes to Ange, Diancie, and Munchlax.
After dinner, Ange brought Munchlax, Komala, and Diancie to the Cooking Training Room.
"Let's test out this training room!"
As soon as he said that, Diancie stepped up to the podium, somehow holding a pointer in her hand.
Ange's heart skipped a beat. "Diancie, what's that supposed to mean?"
Diancie flicked the pointer. "You're training, I'm supervising! What else could it mean?"
"You're not going to punish us physically, right?"
"Of course not." Diancie smiled sweetly. "I'm just your supervisor."
"R-Right…"
Remembering Diancie's cold and merciless demeanor during his earlier training sessions, Ange couldn't help but shiver.
Diancie selected the special training task on the large screen, and ingredients instantly appeared on the counter: flour, yeast, water… all ready for making mantou.
"Training start! Munchlax, follow Ange and learn," Diancie ordered, her pointer smacking sharply against the podium with a crack.
Munchlax nodded obediently. Dressed in the same chef outfit as Ange, with a clean apron and a tall hat, it looked every bit like a little apprentice.
It was a bit short, though, so it stood on a stool to reach the counter.
When the training began, Munchlax followed Ange step by step, wearing a serious, focused expression.
Crack! The pointer struck the podium hard.
"Munchlax! Too much water!" Diancie's stern voice rang out.
Ange's heart jumped. He looked at Diancie, then at Munchlax. Thank goodness, she wasn't talking about him.
Wait, why was he nervous? He was the head of the house! Straightening his back, he tried to look dignified again.
Crack!
"Still too much water!"
With the system's power boosting her perception, Diancie's vision was sharper than ever. No mistake escaped her eyes. Munchlax frantically tried to correct its error.
Crack!
"Too much force when kneading! Be gentler."
Crack!
"I said gentler! Don't you understand what gentle means?"
Crack!
"I told you to be gentle, not lazy! Didn't you eat enough dinner? Where did all those mantou go?"
Diancie was far more sharp-tongued in the training room than usual. Poor Munchlax's head drooped lower and lower, too scared to make a sound.
"Diancie, maybe we should take it slow…" Ange tried to defend Munchlax, but one glare from Diancie shut him right up. What he ended up saying instead was, "Munchlax, no pain, no gain. Work hard now, and you'll thank yourself later! I'm on your side, buddy."
Encouraged by Ange's words, Munchlax's face brightened, and it kneaded the dough even more earnestly.
Only Komala remained relaxed, rocking back and forth with its log on the podium. No one could tell if it was truly asleep or just pretending.