"Diancie, could you go and let the Litwick know to come over for dinner tonight?" Lucas asked.
"I'll go right away," Diancie nodded.
"Remember to have the Litwick help notify the other Pokémon," Lucas continued to instruct.
Relying on Diancie to notify them one by one would be quite a task.
"Got it."
With that, Diancie headed toward where the Litwick lived and disappeared shortly after.
Lucas looked down at Munchlax and said, "Let's go home and take a hot bath first, then start processing these lotus roots." Although they had already rinsed them once in the river, with so much mud on them, river water alone couldn't possibly clean them thoroughly.
As he spoke, he took the lotus roots out of his system backpack and piled them in a corner by the door.
"Munch~ Munch~" Where did those come from?
Seeing Lucas conjure lotus roots out of thin air again, Munchlax moved closer, tugged at his clothes, and patted him all over, trying to discover the trick.
"Alright, alright." Lucas helplessly moved Munchlax's paws away. "Let's go home and take a bath."
"Munch~ Munch~" Okay!
Munchlax nodded, took Lucas's hand, and went with him to the bathroom on the second floor.
"Come on, Munchlax, sit down. I'll wash you first." Lucas filled the bathtub with hot water, then brought a small stool to the middle of the bathroom and gestured for Munchlax to sit.
"Munch~ Munch~~~" This is nice!
Munchlax nodded and obediently sat down on the stool.
Lucas first wet Munchlax's fur with the showerhead. The warm water flowed over its body, and Munchlax closed its eyes in contentment.
Nebel Plateau in autumn still carried a distinct chill. After playing in the water earlier, even Munchlax had felt a little cold.
Now, with the hot water washing over it, the Pokémon immediately felt the coldness in its body melting away.
As steam gradually filled the bathroom, Lucas also felt his body warming up.
He gently rubbed Munchlax's fur while asking, "How is it? Is the water temperature okay?"
"Munch~" Perfect!
Munchlax gave Lucas a thumbs up in response.
After thoroughly wetting Munchlax's fur, Lucas applied shower gel and took out a brush to gently comb through the tangled fur. After rolling around in the mud, the fur on its body had become quite matted.
"Munch~~" That feels amazing!
Being brushed like this, Munchlax felt even more comfortable.
After cleaning Munchlax's body, Lucas used the showerhead to rinse off the bubbles and then said, "Go soak in the bathtub for a while. You worked hard digging lotus roots today. I put a medicinal packet in the water that can relieve body fatigue. Soaking in it will be very refreshing."
This medicine was purchased from the system store. The price wasn't expensive—5 Happiness Points could buy a packet, and each packet provided one use.
Lucas checked his Happiness Point balance, which stood at 14,506 points, finally exceeding ten thousand.
These days, Lucas had hardly spent any Happiness Points, except for buying some vegetable seeds when he set up the garden earlier, and now purchasing the medicinal packet. Both the vegetable seeds and the medicinal packet were very affordable and didn't cost many Happiness Points.
"Munch~ Munch~~" Your turn first!
After getting up from the stool, Munchlax didn't go to the bathtub but walked behind Lucas and pushed him to sit on the small stool.
"You want to scrub my back too?" Lucas asked.
"Munch~ Munch~" Yes, let me help!
Munchlax nodded with narrowed eyes.
Lucas sat down on the stool and laughed, "Then today I'll enjoy my student's attentiveness."
Although Munchlax didn't understand what Lucas meant by "student's attentiveness," it still enthusiastically began to scrub his back. Its fleshy paws had soft pads underneath, which felt wonderfully comfortable when pressed against the skin, but it applied a bit too much pressure.
"Munchlax, a little lighter, a little lighter. I'm about to be kneaded to pieces by you."
"Munch~ Munch~" Is this better?
Munchlax immediately adjusted the strength.
"That's it, perfect."
Soon, Lucas's contented sighs echoed in the bathroom.
"Oh, oh, oh~ that's it, that feels amazing."
"Yes, yes, yes~~~ right there, rub it a little more."
… …
"Munch~" This is nice.
"Ahh~"
After scrubbing, trainer and Pokémon lay together in the bathtub, immersing their bodies completely in the water, leaving only their heads above the surface. They leaned against the edge of the bathtub, closed their eyes, and felt warmth spread through their bodies.
Lucas couldn't help but sigh, "This medicinal packet was really worth buying—effective and affordable."
After soaking in the medicinal bath, Lucas used a hair dryer to dry his hair and Munchlax's fur. Both human and Pokémon immediately felt thoroughly relaxed.
Because the bath had been so comfortable, the pair now lay sprawled on the sofa in the second-floor living room, looking as if they had no bones, with absolutely no desire to get up and work.
"Munch~ Munch~~" So sleepy...
Munchlax's voice sounded even more lazy than usual.
"Munchlax, be quiet. Let me rest for a while, and we'll get up and work later," Lucas said groggily.
He and Munchlax continued to lie there until the sun went down.
After an unknown amount of time, Lucas jumped up from the sofa in a hurry. "What time is it?" He looked at the clock on the wall and found that it was already five o'clock in the afternoon.
"Oh no, we're going to be late!" He quickly shook Munchlax awake. "Munchlax, wake up, wake up! We need to get to work, or we'll be late."
"Munch?" What's happening?
Munchlax opened its eyes groggily and rubbed them, looking like it hadn't slept enough.
"It's almost dark!"
"Munch???" What?!
As soon as Munchlax heard this, it immediately jumped up from the sofa as if its rear end was on fire, its movements exactly mirroring Lucas's just moments ago.
The pair changed their clothes as quickly as possible, hurried downstairs, and discovered that their guests had indeed arrived.
In the hall, Litwick, Bellsprout, Fletchling, Espurr, Vivillon... all had gathered. They formed small groups of three or five, chatting or playing, creating a lively atmosphere. Barboach and Whiscash had also come as agreed.
Seeing Lucas and Munchlax coming down from upstairs, they all waved in greeting.
"Everyone's here? Wait, I'll make dinner right away!"
With that, Lucas ran toward the door with Munchlax, intending to retrieve the lotus roots he had placed there for another washing, but the doorway was empty.
The lotus roots were gone, but he noticed many Pokémon parents nearby—Bellsprout's parents Weepinbell and Victreebel, Swablu's parents (two Altaria), Fletchling's parents Talonflame and Staraptor... (Note: While in the games a Pokémon's species typically follows the mother, in this story it can follow either parent randomly.)
Obviously, they were all concerned about their children staying at a human's house so late, so they had come specifically to supervise.
Seeing Lucas emerge, all the parents turned their gazes toward him simultaneously.
"H-Hello everyone!" Lucas suddenly felt a wave of pressure.
The parents quickly looked away.
Lucas didn't have time to deal with these wary parents and called loudly into the house, "Diancie, where are the lotus roots I left outside?"
Diancie's voice came from inside, "I put them all in the kitchen!"
It turned out that after Diancie returned, she had found Lucas and Munchlax sleeping soundly on the sofa. Unable to bear disturbing them, she had taken the Pokémon that had already arrived and washed the lotus roots before placing them in the kitchen.
Lucas and Munchlax rushed to the kitchen and, sure enough, found the cleaned lotus roots waiting there. Lucas smiled and said to Munchlax:
"Munchlax, let's start. Can I leave the steaming of the buns to you?"
These days, Lucas had been going to the cooking training room with Munchlax for one hour (external time) every day. Now Munchlax was fully capable of making steamed buns independently.
There were quite a few Pokémon invited to the lotus root feast. If all of them were served only lotus root dishes, there wouldn't be enough. So Lucas decided to use steamed buns as the staple food and lotus root as side dishes.
This way, everyone could eat their fill and taste the deliciousness of the lotus root, and Lucas could also earn a substantial amount of Happiness Points.
Pokémon didn't earn him Happiness Points from eating lotus root alone, but they did from eating steamed buns!
"Munch~~" Leave it to me, Master!
Munchlax patted its chest confidently.
Immediately, trainer and student began their busy preparations.
Munchlax took out a bag of flour from the cabinet along with yeast and other ingredients, skillfully kneading the dough.
Meanwhile, Lucas began processing the lotus roots.
The first dish Lucas prepared was cold lotus root slices.
He quickly peeled the lotus roots, then cut them into thin slices and soaked them in water to prevent discoloration during the cooking process.
Next, he put fresh water in a pot, added a spoonful of vinegar, and after the water came to a boil, added the lotus root slices. He blanched them briefly before immediately removing them and placing them in a large basin.
Because there were many Pokémon to feed, Lucas made a large quantity at once, necessitating the use of a basin rather than a standard serving dish.
Then, he prepared the cold sauce—chopped chili peppers, green onions, and garlic, over which he poured hot oil before adding vinegar, sugar, coriander, and other seasonings, stirring until well mixed.
Lucas's movements were smooth and efficient. In the blink of an eye, a dish of cold lotus root slices was ready.
Cold lotus root slices were simple to make but deliciously crisp and flavorful. Lucas particularly enjoyed this dish.
Seeing Munchlax kneading the dough while frequently glancing over, its nose twitching slightly and looking as if it might start drooling, Lucas smiled and asked, "Munchlax, would you like to taste it for me? How is it?"
"Munch~~" Yes please!
Munchlax's eyes lit up, and it nodded enthusiastically.
"Ah~~" Open wide!
It immediately opened its mouth wide.
Lucas used chopsticks to pick up a few slices and place them in Munchlax's mouth. The Pokémon was immediately won over by the crisp texture and tangy flavor of the lotus root slices.
"Is it delicious?" Lucas asked with a smile.
"Munch~ Munch~" It's amazing!
Munchlax held its cheeks with its paws, its face showing pure delight.
In truth, from a professional chef's perspective, Lucas's cooking skills weren't particularly outstanding—certainly inferior to his grandfather's. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bankrupted his grandfather's restaurant in his previous life. But Munchlax had limited experience. In its eyes, the food Lucas prepared was the ultimate delicacy.
"Okay, let's continue working, or everyone will get impatient." Lucas patted Munchlax's belly encouragingly.
"Munch~~" Right!
Munchlax nodded. With the motivation of delicious food ahead, it worked even more diligently.
After completing the cold lotus root slices, Lucas continued to make stir-fried lotus root slices, fried lotus root cakes, sweet and sour lotus root cubes, and pan-fried lotus root pancakes.
Soon, an enticing aroma wafted from the kitchen. The Pokémon playing in the hall suddenly grew quiet. They closed their eyes, lightly twitched their noses, and inhaled deeply.
"Cham~ Cham~" It smells so good!
Pancham couldn't resist the temptation of the aroma and began creeping toward the kitchen, following the scent. Scraggy, Litleo, Stunky, Skitty... followed behind Pancham.
Lucas had just finished cooking a pot of lotus root soup when he turned his head and saw the little Pokémon stacked like steps in the doorway, their heads peeking into the kitchen.
Lucas didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "It'll be ready soon. Go back and wait patiently. Anyone who doesn't behave won't get any."
"Cham~" Okay!
"Nyaa~" Coming!
"Leo~" We'll wait!
...
When the little ones heard this, they reacted as if they'd heard something terrifying, immediately withdrawing their heads and disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"Munch~ lax~ Munch~~" Hahaha~~~
Seeing this, Munchlax laughed heartily, its round belly shaking.
It had been sneakily tasting food while steaming the buns. While others were still hungry, its belly was already round, and there was even a small piece of green onion stuck to the corner of its mouth.
Lucas took out a handkerchief and wiped Munchlax's greasy mouth. "Alright, go and tell everyone that dinner is ready."
"Lax~~" Yay!
Munchlax cheered and ran out.
Lucas, Diancie, and Munchlax first carried the steamed buns out and distributed them to each Pokémon's food bowl. After all the Pokémon had received their portions, they brought out basins of cold lotus root slices, fried lotus root cakes, and sweet and sour lotus root cubes from the kitchen, serving them to the Pokémon one by one with a spoon.
Each Pokémon had two food bowls—one for the steamed buns and one for the side dishes. Lucas felt as if he and Diancie were like the cafeteria workers from his school days in his previous life.
After the food was served, Lucas announced, "Everyone, let's eat!"
The Pokémon had been waiting impatiently. After hearing Lucas's words, they immediately hugged their food bowls and began devouring their meals.
"Nyaa~ Nyaa~ Nyaa~~" It's so delicious!!!
Skitty shook its tail happily.
Lucas opened the system interface and was surprised to find that his Happiness Points were increasing very quickly.
+200
+200
+200
...
Looking at the rapidly changing numbers, Lucas suddenly realized something important. While Pokémon eating non-system-specified dishes couldn't provide him with Happiness Points directly, steamed buns paired with lotus root doubled the deliciousness, and the sense of satisfaction naturally doubled as well.
When a Pokémon's happiness level was heightened, the Happiness Points provided increased correspondingly!
So there were loopholes like this to exploit! Lucas immediately smiled so broadly that he couldn't close his mouth.
He approached Barboach and Whiscash with a beaming expression. "How is it? Is our food delicious?"
Barboach and Whiscash were eating attentively. They had never experienced such delicious food before. Who would have thought that the lotus roots they normally ate could become so flavorful after proper preparation?
Were they dreaming?
However, when they looked up, they saw Lucas staring at them with an unusual smile.
The two Pokémon shrank back slightly.
Help! This human's smile is scaring me!
"Is it delicious?" Lucas asked again.
Barboach and Whiscash nodded quickly.