When the time came, Ange went to Munchlax Home together with Drizzile, Komala, Meowstic, Espurr, and Ralts.
Today, Munchlax Home was as lively as ever.
"Ralts, give me two more pork and leek buns. I have a great appetite today, so I'll eat a couple more!"
"Ralts~" Coming~
Ralts stood on its tiptoes and waved at the customer.
"Meowstic, a bowl of red date sweet congee, one mantou, and two chive buns, please." Another customer placed an order.
"Meow meow~ Meow meow~"
Just as it finished serving four customers at once, Meowstic heard someone else calling.
"Espurr, can you get some soy cucumbers for our table? We ran out over here."
"Meow meow~" Okay.
Early in the morning, Munchlax Home was bustling with activity, not just from the guests, but from the servers as well.
Even with three servers—all of whom were top-tier Psychic-type Pokémon—the shop still felt a bit hectic.
As Munchlax Home became more famous, the number of tourists coming here for a taste of the food had increased recently.
Not only were Meowstic and the others busy, but Ange and Drizzile in the kitchen were also swamped. Basket after basket of buns and mantou came out of the steamer, and pot after pot of hot congee was ready. The master and apprentice wished they had an extra pair of hands!
At one point, Drizzile didn't stand firmly while stepping down from its small stool. The rice spoon in its hand flew out, and it lost control, falling toward the ground.
Just as Drizzile was about to fall, an inexplicable force suddenly supported it.
With a "clank," the rice spoon hit the floor, but Drizzile landed steadily under the influence of that power.
Hearing the commotion, Ange looked back and asked, "Drizzile, what happened?"
Drizzile looked left and right but found nothing out of the ordinary. Full of confusion, it shook its head at Ange. "Driz driz~" Nothing.
Was it an illusion? it couldn't help but think.
Ange breathed a sigh of relief and cautioned, "You have to be careful. This is the kitchen. If you knock over a pot, we'll be in big trouble." After saying that, he turned back to continue his work.
For instance, if a pot of congee was knocked over and poured over someone's head, that would be disastrous.
"Driz driz~" Understood!
Drizzile replied.
In the shadows of the corner, Haunter stuck out its tongue before slowly turning invisible.
At the same time, a black stretch luxury limousine and several ordinary cars stopped in front of Munchlax Home.
First, the doors of the ordinary cars opened, and several burly men wearing black uniforms and sunglasses stepped out. They quickly walked to the door of the stretch limo. One of the men reached out to open the door, and a tall man, standing at least 1.9 meters, stepped out.
The man looked to be in his forties, with a sturdy and slightly plump build. His hair was combed meticulously.
After getting out of the car, he tilted his chin slightly upward with a trace of arrogance in his expression. He was covered in luxury items from head to toe: a gold chain thicker than a finger, a sparkling diamond-encrusted belt, an expensive-looking watch, and shiny leather shoes. Everything about him sent one message: I am very rich.
This man was also holding a lethargic Lechonk in his arms.
Despite the man's arrogant demeanor, he looked down at the Lechonk with a face full of affection and pity.
"My little darling, you've really suffered," the man said as he gently stroked the Lechonk's back.
"Honk honk~~" The Lechonk nuzzled into the man's arms dejectedly.
Shifting his gaze from the Lechonk, the man looked at the Munchlax Home in front of him.
"Is this the shop Princess Lila recommended?" he asked.
"Yes, Boss, it's right here," the bodyguard replied.
The man looked at it with disdain. "In such a shabby shop, is there really gourmet food that can cure my baby's loss of appetite?"
The bodyguard stood silently. This was not a question he could answer; he was only responsible for working.
"Hmph, let's go in."
With that, the man walked into Munchlax Home holding his Lechonk. Only the head bodyguard followed him inside, while the rest of the large group of bodyguards stood guard at the door with stern faces. Passersby cast strange glances at them.
After entering, the man frowned at the noisy scene inside the shop.
"How can it be like this inside?" He was very repulsed.
"Waiter! Where is the waiter?" the man shouted loudly.
"Meow meow~ Meow meow~"
Upon hearing the voice, Meowstic immediately rushed over.
Seeing that the waiter of this shop was actually a Pokémon, the impatience on the man's face lessened slightly.
"Do you have any private rooms?" he asked.
"Meow~ Meow meow~" We don't have any, guest.
Meowstic shook its head politely.
"As expected of a small, broken shop. It doesn't even have private rooms. How can it be worthy of my status!"
Saying this, he glared at the bodyguard. "You didn't find the wrong place, did you?"
The bodyguard shook his head. "Impossible, Boss."
"Hmph!" The man snorted coldly.
He was very angry now. His little darling's lack of appetite had already made him frustrated, and now having to dine in this cramped and noisy shop made his mood even worse.
The man's boisterous behavior drew dissatisfaction from the other guests, who glared at him.
The man glared back at each of them without backing down. "What are you looking at! Haven't you ever seen a rich person before!"
"Meow meow~ Meow meow~"
Seeing the man lose his temper, Meowstic quickly tried to intervene.
The man was indeed angry, but when he looked down and saw Meowstic looking at him with watery eyes, he took a deep breath and suppressed his rage.
For the sake of such a cute Pokémon, forget it!
"Since there are no private rooms, I can book the whole place, right? Any price is fine. Kick all these people out for me," the man said to Meowstic.
"Meow meow~ Meow meow~"
Meowstic shook its head, indicating it was not possible.
The other guests breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
"This isn't okay, that isn't okay..."
Just as the man was about to explode, the bodyguard whispered in his ear, "Boss, this shop is run by a member of the Azoth Royal Family. It is not a place where you can act recklessly."
The man's anger got stuck in his throat. He couldn't release it, nor could he hold it in. He looked at the hungry Lechonk in his arms and said, enduring his anger:
"For my baby's sake."
Subsequently, under Meowstic's arrangement, the man sat at an empty table in the corner holding his Lechonk.
Meowstic presented the menu, and the man scanned it quickly. "Your shop only has these few simple foods? Buns, mantou, congee... how have I never heard of any of them?"
Meowstic didn't say a word, quietly waiting for the man to order.
Just then, Ralts happened to pass by. It glanced at the man and accidentally met his gaze. The man felt instantly charmed by its cuteness, so he put down the menu and said:
"Fine, give me ten servings of everything on the menu!"
"Meow meow~" Okay, please wait a moment, guest.
With that, Meowstic left.
Before long, Meowstic used its psychic powers to bring up everything the man had ordered, filling the entire table.
The fresh wheat aroma of the mantou and the rich scent of the buns drifted out with the steam, making their way into the man's nostrils.
He couldn't help but mutter, "Is it really this fragrant?"
"Honk~ Honk~~"
At this time, the Lechonk in his arms was also attracted by the scent. It kept twitching its nose and slowly approached a bun.
Lechonk were most proud of their noses, which could accurately distinguish various scents. Wild Lechonk relied on this ability to find food.
The man's Lechonk had already judged the deliciousness of the food through its sense of smell, so it couldn't wait to get closer.
Seeing this, the man said excitedly, "Baby, you're finally willing to eat!"
"Honk~ Honk~"
Lechonk nodded, and a crystal drop of drool unconsciously fell from the corner of its mouth.
The man quickly picked up the bun, broke it open, and placed half of it near the Lechonk's mouth.
The Lechonk sniffed it and then swallowed the entire half-bun in one go.
Yum~ Yum~
As the Lechonk chewed the bun, its large eyes narrowed into slits. Its joyful expression made it clear to anyone watching that it loved it.
After the bun was broken open, the aroma became even more intense. The man took a deep breath, and saliva unconsciously secreted in his mouth. Seeing his little darling eating so happily, he couldn't help but mutter:
"Is it really that good?"
The bodyguard standing nearby also smelled the tempting aroma. Although his face remained calm, his mouth was already watering.
This cursed boss doesn't know how to be considerate of his subordinates at all. You're sitting there eating, but you can't even order a serving for me?
The boss is full of trouble and doesn't care about people!
I'll resign sooner or later.
In almost the blink of an eye, the Lechonk had eaten most of the food on the table.
The man knew his darling quite well. Although it could eat, it was a very picky eater. He raised it very carefully and even hired a specialized chef for it.
This time, it was because he left in too much of a hurry and didn't have time to bring the chef along. That was why his little darling lost its appetite, which had made him worried sick these past two days.
After staring at a bun for a while, the man picked it up and took a bite.
With just one bite, he was instantly conquered by the deliciousness of the bun.
He finished the bun in a few bites, then took another one. Next, he took a sip of the congee. Once the warm congee hit his stomach, he felt his whole body warm up.
The bodyguard closed his eyes and chanted silently: I can't see it, I can't smell it, I can't see it, I can't smell it...
Before long, the table full of buns, mantou, and congee was cleaned out.
"Burp~"
"Burp~"
The man and the Lechonk let out a burp in unison. They looked at each other with faces full of satisfied joy.
"Honk~ Honk~"
The Lechonk nuzzled around in the man's arms, its energy significantly better than when they arrived.
"You like it?" the man asked the Lechonk.
"Honk~ Honk~" The Lechonk nodded repeatedly.
"Then we..."
Just as the man was about to say something, the bodyguard warned him, "Boss, the owner of this shop is a member of the Azoth Royal Family. He won't be willing to go and be a chef for you."
As soon as his boss's rear end twitched, he knew what kind of business he was about to do.
"Damn it!" The man looked unwilling. "How will we know if we don't try?"
"Hey, you! Come over here!"
The man shouted gruffly at the Espurr who was clearing plates nearby.
"Meow meow~~" What is it, guest?
Espurr blinked its eyes and asked.
The man's voice was originally very loud, but when he met Espurr's innocent and clear eyes, his tone unconsciously lowered a lot.
"Uh... where is your boss? I want to see him!"
"Meow meow~"
Espurr replied and used its psychic powers to carry a large stack of bowls and plates into the kitchen.
Returning to the kitchen, Espurr put down the dishes and came to Ange's side, gently tugging on Ange's pants.
"What is it, Espurr?" Ange looked down and asked.
"Meow meow~"
Meowstic pointed outside and then pointed at Ange.
Ange immediately understood. "You mean someone outside is looking for me?"
"Meow meow~"
Espurr nodded.
Ange checked the time and saw it was almost 10:00. The shop wasn't as busy as before, so he thought it would be fine to go take a look. Usually, when guests requested to see him, he generally refused.
Led by Espurr, Ange arrived in front of the man. The man opened his mouth to speak, but the bodyguard whispered in his ear.
"This is a member of the Azoth Royal Family. Watch your words."
The man's words got swallowed back. "Cough cough cough... uh... uh..."
The bodyguard reminded him, "It is Prince Ange."
The man quickly said, "Prince Ange, hello. My name is Nasir."
Ange: "Mr. Nasir, hello. May I ask why you are looking for me?"
Nasir: "I tasted the food your highness made and found it absolutely stunning."
Ange: "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Nasir."
Nasir continued, "I wonder if Prince Ange has any thoughts about opening branch stores? I can invest. We can first set up a chef training school and recruit many students to train. Your highness will be the teacher. Once the students are trained, we can go to various regions to open branches. That way, we can promote your food all over the world.
Money is no object. As long as your highness is willing, I can make you the most famous chef in the world, even more famous than that Elite Four member Siebold from your Kalos region. When the guests start coming in non-stop, we can make lots and lots of money."
Nasir spoke eloquently, but Ange listened with a forehead full of black lines.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Nasir, but I have no intention of opening branch stores, and even less time to be a teacher," Ange interrupted Nasir.
"Eh?" Seeing Ange refuse, Nasir was stunned. "Prince Ange, won't you reconsider? Really, money is no object!"
Ange thought to himself: I can see that you're very rich.
"No, thank you for your appreciation, Mr. Nasir." He shook his head.
"Then how about..." Seeing Ange refuse, Nasir felt it was a great pity. "Just open one branch in the Paldea region. Go open it in Medali."
It turned out Nasir was from the Paldea region, and Medali was where he lived.
"Sorry." Ange still shook his head.
"That really is a pity."
Nasir was a bit disappointed, and even the Lechonk in his arms looked a bit dejected. I really want to eat such gourmet food every day!
Ange: "Mr. Nasir, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Looking at Ange's departing back, Nasir asked the bodyguard, "How long were we originally planning to stay in Azoth?"
Bodyguard: "Three days."
Nasir waved his hand. "Change the itinerary. Change it to half a month." Anyway, he usually had nothing to do, so he might as well stay in the Azoth Kingdom for a bit longer.
The bodyguard replied, "Yes, Boss."
Nasir: "Pack ten more servings of buns and mantou for me. We'll eat this for lunch too."
Hearing this, the Lechonk immediately rolled around in Nasir's arms happily.
"You little fatty, you eat so much, I can hardly carry you anymore." Nasir gave the Lechonk a vigorous rubdown.
"Honk~ Honk~"
The Lechonk acted spoiled.
Subsequently, Nasir left Munchlax Home with the packed buns and mantou. Of course, the bodyguard secretly packed a serving for himself and his colleague as well.
Rely on the boss? Hmph, I wouldn't even get to drink the cold wind!
Not long after Nasir left, Ange closed the door on time. Just then, Lila suddenly called.
"Your highness, have you returned to the Nebel Plateau?" her voice came from the other end.
"Not yet, what's wrong?" Ange asked.