When Lucas and the others emerged from the training room, an hour had passed in the outside world, which translated to ten hours inside.
Lucas was utterly exhausted when he came out. Who could endure kneading dough continuously for ten hours? If his physique hadn't been enhanced beforehand, he would have collapsed from fatigue.
Compared to Lucas, little Munchlax's exhaustion was more psychological. It had been trained so rigorously by Diancie in the training room that it didn't dare make a sound. Even after emerging, it looked at Diancie with obvious apprehension.
However, thanks to Diancie's strict instruction, Munchlax was able to produce steamed buns that looked quite presentable after ten hours of special training.
Of course, the main factor was that Munchlax genuinely possessed a talent for cooking. With culinary arts, those with natural ability can grasp the techniques with minimal practice, understanding everything at once. Those without talent can be guided a thousand times but would still only produce inedible dishes.
Lucas dragged his tired body and said to the three Pokémon, "Let's quickly wash up and get some sleep. It's getting late."
"Good night," Diancie said to Lucas and Munchlax, her voice melodic and gentle.
"Munch~"
Despite Diancie's gentle tone, Munchlax still shivered involuntarily, already experiencing something akin to PTSD from the intense training.
Because he was so exhausted the previous night, Lucas slept deeply and woke much later than usual the next morning.
Diancie understood Lucas's fatigue from the night before, so she deliberately came to wake him later that morning, and did the same for Munchlax.
Seeing that it was almost time, and any later the store wouldn't be able to open that day, Diancie gently knocked on Lucas's door.
"Coming! Coming!"
Lucas, still in his pajamas, rubbed his sleepy eyes and climbed out of bed. He walked to the balcony, stretched broadly in the morning sunlight, and yawned as the warm rays washed over him.
Hmm? Why did he feel so much lighter today, even though he had been so exhausted the night before?
Without pondering it too deeply, Lucas turned to wash up.
Diancie removed the clothes Lucas would wear that day from the closet and placed them on the bed while asking, "Lucas, there's a new mission. Do you want to accept it?"
"Coming! I'll accept it!" Lucas's voice echoed from the bathroom.
Diancie explained, "This is the last mission of your rookie period. After completing it, your probation will be over."
"What? So soon?" Lucas poked his head out of the bathroom, toothpaste still visible at the corner of his mouth.
Diancie spread her hands and said, "This isn't up to me."
Lucas withdrew back into the bathroom. "Looks like the easy days are coming to an end."
After washing up, Lucas emerged from the bathroom and accepted the final rookie mission. Immediately, a line of text appeared on the mission bar.
[Serve 100 Pokémon, deadline 30 days. (0/100)]
The time limit provided by the system remained quite generous. Based on his previous mission experience, serving 100 Pokémon in 30 days posed virtually no challenge.
"Let's go, time for work!" Lucas now treated preparing meals for the Pokémon each morning as his job.
Passing by Munchlax's room, Lucas woke it up as well, and the master and apprentice headed to the kitchen together.
Today marked Munchlax's first official day of work, and it appeared very excited.
Lucas straightened its chef's uniform, adjusted its crooked chef's hat, patted it on the shoulder, and said, "Let's work hard together."
"Munch!"
Munchlax clenched its fist with a solemn expression, as if preparing for battle.
"Hahaha~ Relax, relax," Lucas said, rubbing its chubby cheeks affectionately.
Since Lucas always rose late in the mornings, the Pokémon had grown accustomed to waiting at the store entrance early. When they had nothing to do, they gathered in groups of three or five on the lawn near the entrance to play, while the more reserved ones stood silently by the flowerbed, quietly observing the newly sprouted seedlings.
Although the lush green seedlings didn't yet reveal their species, they exuded vibrant vitality.
Diancie approached the door and greeted, "Everyone, come in. We'll be serving food soon."
The Pokémon cheered and lined up to enter the store in an orderly fashion.
As usual, the Pokémon brought their gifts for Diancie, and she accepted them graciously without hesitation.
With Munchlax's assistance, Lucas's efficiency improved considerably. Although Munchlax couldn't yet work independently, it had no problem helping Lucas, so the aroma of food quickly filled the kitchen.
The rich fragrance tickled their nostrils, and the Pokémon's hearts swelled with anticipation. Coming here every morning for a delicious meal had become the highlight of their day.
After Diancie brought out the food and distributed it to everyone, the Pokémon immediately began devouring it with enthusiasm.
While the Pokémon in the hall ate happily, Munchlax in the kitchen was also eating heartily, stuffing one steamed bun after another into its mouth. The pile of steamed buns in the basin before it diminished at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Lucas watched with a smile. "How does it feel to eat food you made yourself?"
"Munch~" Delicious~ I like it~
Munchlax's eyes narrowed into happy crescents.
"Eat slowly. We can make more if it's not enough, there's plenty," Lucas said, gently stroking its back as he observed Munchlax's gluttonous behavior. "No matter how delicious something is, you won't be able to properly taste it if you eat too quickly."
Munchlax obediently slowed its eating pace. It placed a steamed bun in its mouth and chewed slowly.
"Munch~"
As it chewed carefully, the aroma of the steamed bun filled its mouth, and the soft texture felt like countless small hands massaging its palate. Munchlax couldn't help but close its eyes to savor the experience.
"See? It's even more delicious now, isn't it?" Lucas said with a smile. He enjoyed watching Munchlax appreciate the food. In his opinion, this was a manifestation of Munchlax's love for life.
"Munch~ Munch~"
Munchlax gazed at Lucas adoringly. The master truly knew so much.
"Talon~!"
Suddenly, a sharp cry from outside startled both Lucas and Munchlax as they ate.
"What's going on?"
Since it was inconvenient for Lucas to investigate, Diancie quickly ran out to assess the situation. She spotted a Talonflame, a Victreebel, and an Altaria standing before Lucas's house, examining the small building with serious expressions. The aura they projected suggested they weren't friendly.
The Pokémon eating inside also rushed out after hearing the commotion. Among them, a Fletchling, a Bellsprout, and a Swablu immediately exclaimed when they saw the three Pokémon.
It turned out these three were their parents.
"Talon~!"
"Bel~ Bel~"
"Altaria~"
At their parents' calls, the Fletchling, Bellsprout, and Swablu, who hadn't yet finished their meals, reluctantly returned to their parents' sides.
It seemed that since these three young Pokémon had been visiting Lucas's place daily for meals, their parents had clearly noticed their children growing stronger at a visible rate.
This was normally a positive development, but after investigation, the three parents discovered their children visited this small building every day. They had personally observed humans entering and exiting the structure.
Fearing their children might be harmed by humans, they came together, also wanting to discover why humans were appearing here on Nebel Plateau.
Being discovered by the Pokémon of the plateau was inevitable for Lucas. After all, he never intended to conceal his existence from the Pokémon indefinitely, which would have been unrealistic anyway.
"Talon~ Talon~"
Talonflame took the initiative to question Diancie, demanding to know what she and the humans living here were planning.
Diancie stepped forward helplessly and said, "Talonflame, Victreebel, Altaria, your children are simply eating here. We haven't done anything to harm them."
Fletchling, Bellsprout, and Swablu also chirped explanations to their parents.
"Altaria~" There are humans living here, aren't you afraid to come here every day?
Altaria retorted to its child.
Humans?
Swablu, Bellsprout, and Fletchling were stunned, instinctively looking toward Diancie, as if asking whether this was true.
Diancie sighed resignedly. "Altaria is correct. The owner here is indeed human. His name is Lucas, and the food you've been enjoying these past days was prepared by him."
Upon hearing Diancie's confirmation, the gathered Pokémon erupted in exclamations—some afraid, others flustered, some simply lost. Without exception, they quickly distanced themselves from Lucas's small building. Fletchling, Bellsprout, and Swablu even hid fearfully in their parents' protective embraces.
The only ones still standing with Diancie were Litwick, Gulpin, Litleo, Pancham, Skitty, Scraggy, Stunky, Swirlix, Zigzagoon, Helioptile, Dedenne, two Diglett, and Castform.
Fletchling, who had been introduced to this place by Swirlix, anxiously called out upon seeing its good friend still standing with Diancie, urging Swirlix to quickly retreat.
"Swirl~ Swirl~"
However, Swirlix shook its head. It instinctively felt it shouldn't leave at such a crucial moment.
Not only Swirlix but Litwick and Gulpin shared the same sentiment.
Through their days of interaction with Lucas, they had witnessed aspects of him that differed from their preconceptions of humans.
Seeing everyone eagerly departing simply because of Lucas's human identity, Diancie felt sorry for him. She stepped forward and addressed Talonflame:
"I understand that the residents of Nebel Plateau harbor distrust toward humans, but not all humans are malevolent, and Lucas is certainly not. If Lucas and I truly intended to harm everyone, we wouldn't have waited until now to act. Besides, what motive would we have for doing that?"
She then turned her gaze toward Fletchling and the others. "Fletchling, Bellsprout, Swablu, as well as Oddish, Espurr, Dedenne, Sudowoodo... While eating the steamed buns Lucas prepared, didn't you genuinely sense his sincerity?"
The Pokémon whose names Diancie mentioned instinctively lowered their heads.
"Swirl~ Swirl~"
"Zigza~ Zigza~"
Swirlix and Zigzagoon hastily stepped forward, frantically attempting to convince everyone that Lucas wasn't a bad person.
In the kitchen, Lucas realized he couldn't continue hiding when Talonflame and the others arrived. When he emerged with Munchlax, he overheard Diancie, Swirlix, and Zigzagoon defending him, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion in his heart.
Watching the animated Swirlix and Zigzagoon, Lucas thought: All that food didn't go to waste after all!
As Lucas appeared, some Pokémon seeing a human for the first time let out startled exclamations, while those who had previously been harmed by humans retreated even further away.
"Hello, everyone." Lucas greeted the Pokémon who had never seen him with a friendly demeanor.
"Talon~ Talon~"
"Bel~ Bel~"
"Altaria~"
Talonflame, Victreebel, and Altaria, as elders, instinctively shielded the younger Pokémon behind them.
Seeing the three parents so alarmed, Lucas quickly explained, "Diancie is right. I truly never intended to harm any of you. I moved to Nebel Plateau to live, and I will be a resident of Nebel Plateau from now on. It doesn't matter if you don't trust me yet—I believe you'll gradually come to understand me in time."
Talonflame, Victreebel, and Altaria glared at Lucas.
"Talon~!"
"Bel~ Bel~"
"Altaria~"
They questioned what a human like Lucas was doing on Nebel Plateau.
The aura emanating from the three Pokémon was intimidating, and Munchlax was so frightened that it clung tightly to Lucas.
Lucas gently stroked Munchlax to comfort it while explaining helplessly, "I truly bear no ill will. Please believe me."
But how could human words be trusted?
At that moment, Komala, clutching its log pillow, rolled forward, swaying back and forth before Talonflame, Altaria, and Victreebel, instantly capturing their attention.
This Komala...
"Talon~"
After staring at Komala for a long while, Talonflame chirped, then flapped its wings and ascended into the sky. Fletchling followed closely behind. Before departing, it didn't forget to glance at its good friend Swirlix and... Lucas, this human.
Following Talonflame's departure, Altaria and Victreebel also left with Swablu and Bellsprout respectively. Other Pokémon quickly dispersed as well, and the small building suddenly grew quiet.
Lucas descended the steps, picked up Komala, who continued swaying back and forth, brushed the grass clippings from its body, then turned to Litwick and the others and said:
"Alright, everyone, let's go back inside and finish eating."
"Nya~"
"Litleo~"
Skitty and Litleo ran to Lucas's feet, looking up at him with concerned expressions.
Lucas crouched down and gently rubbed their heads, saying, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Aren't you all here with me?"
Back in the store, the atmosphere had grown somber. Pancham and the others stared at the food before them, lost in thought.
"Eat up, what are you all staring at? After breakfast, go about your day as usual!" Lucas said to everyone with an encouraging smile.
"Lucas~" Diancie approached his side, her face also etched with concern.
Lucas patted Munchlax beside him, then took Diancie's hand and sighed resignedly. "I'm really okay. Do I seem so fragile to you?" He glanced at Litwick and the others again. "Eat quickly, it won't taste good when it's cold."
Everyone heard his words and lowered their heads to continue eating, but the atmosphere never quite returned to its previous carefree state.