Leaving the riverbank, Ange took Munchlax, Drizzile, Diancie, Metagross, and Pawmi to the fishing grounds.
He wanted to check on the Veluza.
Along the way, Munchlax kept holding Ange's hand, refusing to let go. It was terrified that if it loosened its grip, its Master would run away.
Its hands were dirty from the work it had just finished, but Ange didn't mind at all and let it hold on.
Drizzile animatedly described the recent events at home and its superior performance at Munchlax Home.
Ange listened quietly, nodding seriously from time to time. Having received Ange's approval, Drizzile became as happy as a little bird, hopping and skipping ahead.
Whenever it saw wild flowers blooming along the path, it would dash over to pick one and present it to Ange.
Soon, they arrived at the fishing grounds.
Since Poliwag, Poliwhirl, and Poliwrath were all away helping to plant trees, the area was very quiet.
Ange walked to the edge of the water. Suddenly, he saw a purple-red blade break the calm surface, followed by a second, a third, and a fourth. They moved rapidly toward the shore.
As if startled, the fish being raised in the fishery jumped out of the water one after another.
As the blades neared the bank, several Veluza surfaced. Having sensed Ange's arrival, they had come specifically to greet him.
"Are you helping the Poliwag watch over the fishery?" Ange asked the lead Veluza.
"Velu~"
The lead Veluza nodded.
Every time the Poliwag went to help with tree planting, the Veluza would take over the fishery for a while. Most of the time, however, the Veluza wandered through the vast Nebel Lake, swimming and competing freely to hone their skills and strengthen their spirits.
"Thank you for your hard work," Ange said, patting the lead Veluza on the head.
"Velu Velu~"
The lead Veluza shook its head, indicating it wasn't a problem.
Ange's gaze swept across the twenty or so Veluza. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Have you... put on weight?"
The Veluza froze. They looked at each other and realized they really had become much fatter!
Upon realizing this, they all fell into a panic.
That shouldn't be possible! They exercised hard every day, honing both their spirits and their bodies. They had just given their excess meat to Diancie a couple of days ago, so how were they fat again?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
At that moment, Diancie spoke up, "You eat too much every day! Keeping your old exercise routine is no longer enough."
The Veluza looked confused. Was that it?
Indeed, since coming to the Nebel Plateau, they did eat a lot every day. They couldn't help it; the food here was simply too delicious!
"Of course that's why!" Diancie suddenly said with a stern face. "Starting tomorrow, I will create a new trainer plan for you. You must increase your training volume!"
At this moment, Ange felt as if he were seeing Diancie's "demon coach" persona that usually only appeared in the Cooking Training Room.
"Velu Velu~"
The Veluza had absolute faith in Diancie's words and agreed to the proposal.
"Very well, now hand over your excess meat," Diancie added.
As soon as Diancie finished speaking, the Veluza vibrated their bodies rapidly. A second later, slabs of snow-white fish meat fell onto the shore.
Diancie calmly collected the meat.
Ange watched, dumbfounded.
"Diancie, I'm starting to feel like you're a bit of a capitalist," Ange remarked.
Diancie gave Ange an annoyed slap. "Stop talking nonsense. Which of these things isn't for the Veluza's own good?"
Ange thought about it and realized she was right. Whether it was increasing their exercise or shedding excess fat, it was beneficial for the Veluza.
Still, it felt a bit strange to him.
Without overthinking it, Ange looked back at the group and noticed Magikarp, Feebas, Goldeen, and Seaking mixed in with the Veluza.
Ange smiled and asked, "Why are you all with the Veluza?"
Magikarp and Feebas remained dazed and did not answer, simply blowing bubbles quietly.
A Seaking swam forward to reply:
"King king~" Training! Training! We do it together!
Ange understood immediately and praised them, "Not bad. You have spirit. Keep it up."
Encouraged by Ange's praise, the Goldeen and Seaking swam around happily, and even the Magikarp and Feebas showed a slight reaction.
Seeing this, the Veluza looked on with disdain.
The lead Veluza said, "Velu Velu~" They are too weak!
Ange put his hands together and said, "Veluza, please take them along for training!" It was rare for Magikarp and Feebas to show such motivation, and Ange didn't want their expectations to be crushed.
Since Ange had put it that way, the lead Veluza reluctantly agreed, "Velu~" Fine!
After chatting with the Veluza about their lives for a bit longer, Ange finally said, "Alright, go back to your training!"
The Veluza nodded and dove into the water one by one, with the Magikarp, Feebas, Goldeen, and Seaking following closely behind.
Watching them disappear beneath the surface, Ange turned to Diancie and the others. "Let's go home. We need to prepare early. We're having a feast tonight."
"Munch~~"
"Driz~"
"Paw~"
Hearing this, Munchlax, Drizzile, and Pawmi were the first to run toward the house.
Ange, Diancie, and Metagross walked home at a slower pace.
As the sun set, accompanied by the brilliant evening clouds, Ange and Diancie strolled across the grass. The sunset glow reflected on their faces, adding a soft warmth to their expressions. They couldn't help but lose themselves in the peaceful, quiet moment.
Halfway there, Ange and Diancie saw two Charcadet returning, each riding an Oinkologne. They were chasing each other as if playing a game, their laughter echoing across the plains.
"Charcadet! Oinkologne!" Ange waved to the four Pokémon from a distance.
Hearing Ange's call, the two Oinkologne excitedly bolted toward him with the Charcadet on their backs.
"Honk honk~"
"Honk honk~"
As they drew near, Ange noticed that both Charcadet were carrying bundles on their backs that were larger than their own bodies.
Furthermore, all four Pokémon were covered in dirt, looking as though they had rolled around in a trash heap.
"Where have you been?" Ange asked, puzzled. "Diancie told me you've been leaving early and coming back late lately. What have you been doing?"
The two Oinkologne puffed out their chests proudly, looking quite smug.
However, when the female Oinkologne puffed out her chest, the "crybaby" Charcadet lost its balance and fell off, causing its bundle to spill open.
The crybaby's lip quivered, and tears began to well up in its eyes.
Seeing this, the "well-behaved" Charcadet quickly climbed down from the male Oinkologne with its bundle and rushed to its companion's side.
"Chaka Chaka~"
The well-behaved Charcadet hugged the crybaby and gently patted its back until it finally managed to hold back the tears.
Meanwhile, Ange was stunned by the contents of the spilled bundle. It was filled to the brim with various kinds of mushrooms.
"Did you pick all of these?" Ange knelt down and picked up a mushroom.
"Honk honk~"
"Honk honk~"
The two Oinkologne nodded repeatedly.
Oinkologne's keen sense of smell allowed them to easily distinguish between edible and inedible ingredients. Therefore, the mushrooms they gathered were safe to eat.
"Is this what you've been busy with lately?" Ange asked in surprise.
"Honk honk~"
"Honk honk~"
"Chaka~"
"Chaka~"
The four Pokémon nodded simultaneously.
After arriving at the Nebel Plateau, they realized that everyone else had roles and could help Ange in various ways, while they seemed to know how to do nothing.
Back in Area Zero, the Charcadet could help Ange cook, but here at the plateau, Ange's home was equipped with all sorts of kitchenware, making their help unnecessary.
So, the four of them had put their heads together and decided to find ingredients for Ange.
Ange was a chef, so he certainly needed special ingredients.
Through their scattered descriptions, Ange learned that they had visited the mountains to the northwest and the forests to the east over the past few days.
Previously, they were just scouting the environments, and today was the first day they formally began gathering.
Gathering ingredients in the wild was not easy.
While exploring the northwest mountains, they were chased by a swarm of Beedrill and ambushed by Fearow... In the eastern forest, they accidentally provoked an Ursaring and were chased for a mile. They had even been beaten black and blue by Seedot and Shiftry for mistakenly picking fruit that belonged to someone else...
In short, every day was a thrilling adventure.
Hearing their story, Diancie finally understood. No wonder the four of them were always covered in injuries recently. When she asked why, they had been secretive and refused to say.
Ange said touchingly, "Actually, you don't have to work so hard. I can find easier jobs for you."
Ange didn't say things like "I'll take care of you" lightly. He could certainly afford to, but he hoped every Pokémon by his side could find a job that suited them and made them happy.
However, the Oinkologne and Charcadet all shook their heads in unison.
Exploring and finding ingredients might be hard and dangerous, but they loved it. It made them feel that every day was fulfilling.
After a day of exciting adventure, there was a place waiting for them that would prepare delicious food. There was no greater happiness.
Even the crybaby Charcadet looked at Ange with a face full of determination.
Seeing their resolve, Ange had no choice but to agree.
"But you must be careful from now on. Don't provoke powerful Pokémon, and don't touch things that already belong to others."
"Honk honk~~"
"Chaka~~"
The four Pokémon nodded with squinted eyes.
Ange reached out to lift the Charcadet's bundles and waved his hand. "Let's go home. Since you've gathered so many mushrooms, we'll have a mushroom broth hot pot tonight."
Hearing this, the Oinkologne and Charcadet couldn't wait and sprinted home.
Once home, Ange first took the dirty Munchlax and Drizzile for a bath, then got busy with dinner. Since it wasn't their first time preparing hot pot, they were much faster. Soon, a rich aroma wafted from the kitchen.
The Oinkologne and Charcadet lay at the door, drooling, while Diancie took Metagross and Pawmi to arrange their rooms.
There were many rooms on the third floor of Ange's house, so space wasn't an issue. Diancie placed Pawmi next to Drizzile and Metagross next to Ange.
Now, the rooms around Ange's were full: Munchlax was to the right, Metagross to the left, Drizzile was across from him, and Diancie and Pawmi were in the rooms diagonally opposite.
Once the soup base and ingredients were nearly ready, the Pokémon returned in small groups. They sat around the tables in the plaza, waiting expectantly for the delicacy Ange had mentioned.
When Diancie returned from upstairs with Pawmi and Metagross, Ange said, "Diancie, let's start moving things out. It's time to eat!"
"Okay!" Diancie replied, taking the ingredients from Munchlax and carrying them out dish by dish.
Seeing this, Metagross controlled Robert 2 to go and help. It was too big to squeeze into the kitchen itself.
"Paw Paw~"
Pawmi excitedly tried to dive into the kitchen too, but it was picked up by the scruff of its neck by Drizzile and tossed back out.
"Driz Driz~" Just wait and eat; don't go in there and make a mess.
Pawmi: (^)
As Diancie returned to the kitchen, Gardevoir, Gallade, Ralts, Meowstic, and Espurr followed behind to help.
Ange had prepared an especially large amount of hot pot ingredients today, including the fresh Veluza meat harvested today and many ingredients he had purchased in Mesagoza.
Combined with the fresh vegetables picked from their own garden, tonight's dinner was incredibly lavish. Even Ange was looking forward to it.
Furthermore, during the preparation, Ange had followed the guidance of the Aura Cooking Training Manual and treated the ingredients with his Aura Power.
He wasn't sure what the effect would be.
With the help of Gardevoir and the others, the tables outside were soon filled with ingredients. In the center, the hot pot bubbled and boiled, releasing a dense fragrance that made the Pokémon drool.
However, they didn't know how to eat it. Wasn't it all raw?
At this point, the "experienced" Pawmi began jumping around to explain how to eat, but unfortunately, it was so incoherent that no one understood.
Fortunately, Charcadet and Metagross were reliable, and with explanations from Diancie, Munchlax, and Drizzile, everyone was soon eating with great enthusiasm.
The moment the food entered their mouths, all the Pokémon realized tonight's dinner was different. It was an indescribable feeling.
The flavors blended together perfectly; they could feel the coordination between the ingredients and the harmony of the textures. This was something they had never experienced before.
Ange noticed the difference as well.
The ingredients were the same, and the method hadn't changed, but the taste was simply different.
Is this the effect of treating ingredients with Aura?
Ange could hardly believe this food had come from his own hands.
It was delicious!
Ange was certain that his skill had now surpassed his grandfather's from his previous life!