“Mr. Turner, I’ll bring this little guy back by this afternoon…”
Standing in front of a small country house, Ethan greeted Mr. Turner. On his left was Snivy, and on his right was Sandslash.
“Alright,” Mr. Turner replied with a chuckle. “By the way, Ethan, is this Snivy your Pokémon?”
His gaze rested on Snivy, who was half-hiding behind Ethan, and his question was filled with curiosity.
Snivy’s heart skipped a beat.
Oh no!
It was terrified that Ethan might reveal the truth to this human. That would be utterly humiliating.
Please, please, please don’t say it!
“Yes,” Ethan replied without hesitation, “I mean, with a plantation that big, I had to catch a Pokémon to help me out, didn’t I?”
“Ha ha ha…”
Mr. Turner burst into laughter, amused by Ethan’s response.
After leaving Mr. Turner’s house, Ethan made a quick stop in town to buy some Tamato Berries.
Sandslash, who had followed him, was practically drooling at the sight.
【Pokémon: Sandslash】
【Gender: Male】
【Ability: Sand Veil】
【Potential: White Grade】
【Individual Values: HP (14), Attack (15), Special Attack (12), Defence (18), Special Defence (16), Speed (11)】
【Level: 11–12】
【Moves: Scratch, Defence Curl, Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Rollout】
【Description: A very easily satisfied Sandslash.】
【Affection: 65 (It has a good impression of you.)】
【Happiness: 60 (Feeling pretty good.)】
“Sand~”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make you some noodles with this later,” Ethan said with a laugh, noticing how Sandslash couldn’t take its eyes off the Tamato Berries.
“Sand~”
Sandslash nodded eagerly, unable to contain its excitement as it began rolling along the path in joy.
Snivy, walking alongside, shot it a look that clearly said, How undignified.
Just for some noodles made with Tamato Berries? How good could it even be? Certainly not as good as a Pokéblock.
By the time they returned to the plantation, it was nearly midday. Ethan decided not to have Sandslash start working right away and instead headed to the kitchen.
Having lived alone for so many years, Ethan had long since honed his cooking skills. Thankfully, the pantry was still well-stocked with basic ingredients.
Now, armed with god-tier Breeder knowledge and master-level culinary techniques, he couldn’t help but wonder: How good will my cooking taste now?
He started by boiling a pot of water. Once it reached a rolling boil, he added the egg noodles he’d bought in town.
Next, he scooped out a spoonful of lard, letting the noodles soak up the rich broth. A touch of basic seasoning went in, and soon, a bowl of simple clear soup noodles was ready.
Of course, this was just the first step.
Ethan carefully plated the noodles into a bowl. Then, he cracked a few eggs and poured them into a pan lightly coated with warm rapeseed oil. Once the eggs set, he quickly removed them from the pan.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Next, he diced the Tamato Berries into small cubes and stir-fried them over medium heat until they released their sandy texture. Returning the egg pieces to the pan, he tossed them together, allowing the golden eggs to absorb the bright red hue of the berries.
Finally, he added a touch of cornstarch slurry to thicken the mixture before pouring it over the noodles.
The result was a slightly sticky, tangy, and spicy bowl of Tamato Noodles, now ready to serve!
【Grade B Cuisine – Tamato Noodles: Though made with simple ingredients, the chef’s extraordinary skill transforms them into a truly delightful dish. After all, who could resist a bowl of spicy and sour Tamato Noodles?
Cooking Effect: Special Attack Boost. After consuming, a Pokémon’s Special Attack increases by 10% for one hour. Regular consumption may further enhance a Pokémon’s Special Attack.】
“Not bad…” Ethan murmured in admiration as he read the effect provided by the Insight Eye.
It felt like he hadn’t done anything particularly different, yet the results were on a completely different level.
“Alright.”
Ethan glanced down at Sandslash, who had eagerly entered the kitchen. He was about to hand over a bowl of Tamato Noodles when he noticed something unexpected.
At his feet, beside Sandslash, was Snivy.
Its slightly open mouth was already drooling, and its amber eyes were filled with anticipation.
It was clear that Snivy, too, had been waiting for this moment for quite some time.
From the drool dripping from its slightly open mouth and the anticipation shining in its eyes, it was obvious—Snivy had been waiting a long time for this.
“Do you want some too?” Ethan asked with a smirk.
“Snivy!” (Yes!)
No hesitation.
Just one word—yes.
Snivy had completely forgotten how it had just been looking down on Sandslash moments ago.
“Well then…”
Ethan couldn’t help but laugh.
He didn’t know what expression Snivy had earlier, but seeing its eager, drooling face now was absolutely delightful.
“Alright, here you go.”
“Smells amazing, doesn’t it?”
Dividing the two bowls of noodles into three, Ethan served them to his two little helpers.
Sandslash, lacking the dexterity for chopsticks, didn’t bother with whether the noodles were too hot. It simply grabbed a handful with its claws and stuffed them into its mouth.
The moment it took its first bite, the combination of heat, tangy sweetness, and spiciness exploded across its tongue. Its eyes widened in astonishment.
Sandslash couldn’t seem to get enough. It practically buried its entire face into the bowl, devouring the noodles with unrestrained enthusiasm.
【Congratulations! Sandslash’s Happiness has increased from 60% to 85%. Rewards: Golden Fertiliser x10, Rare Candy x1, Earth Sand (500g).】
“Snivy?”
Snivy and Ethan were both startled by the sheer intensity of Sandslash’s reaction.
What the…
Is it really that good?
Seeing Ethan pick up a pair of chopsticks, Snivy decided to follow suit. Using its Vine Whip, it deftly grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the table.
It realised that after practising pulling weeds with its vines, its control over them had indeed improved significantly. Even something as delicate as chopsticks felt surprisingly manageable now.
Slurping up a mouthful of noodles, Snivy’s expression shifted dramatically.
【Congratulations! Snivy’s Happiness has increased from 15% to 35%. Rewards: Golden Fertiliser x8, Rare Candy x1.】
Ethan: ???
Is it really that good?
He was starting to doubt his own cooking skills.
To test it out, he slurped up a mouthful of noodles himself...
Three minutes later...
With sweat dripping down his forehead, Ethan gulped down the last bit of broth and shouted, “Amazing!”
Beside him, the two Pokémon also wore expressions of utter satisfaction.
“But I didn’t do anything different, did I? Why does it taste so much better?”
Ethan couldn’t wrap his head around the change in flavour.
In the end, he chalked it up to some subconscious improvement in his technique, likely influenced by the system’s enhancement of his skills.
“Alright then, Sandslash, it’s your turn now.”
Ethan reached into the system storage and pulled out a small package of Golden Fertiliser. It wasn’t very large, only about 500 grams.
In this world, technology related to storage was maxed out.
There were even storage devices resembling Poké Balls.
Because of this, Ethan had no concerns about pulling items out of his system space in front of the two Pokémon—it wouldn’t raise any suspicion.
“Sand!”
Sandslash, still buzzing with excitement from the delicious noodles, looked visibly energised and eagerly promised to carry out Ethan’s instructions perfectly.
Leading the two Pokémon back to the plantation, Ethan began by evenly spreading the Golden Fertiliser over a plot of land.
According to the system, this fertiliser could boost the growth rate of ordinary crops by tenfold within a 10x10m area.
For standard crops, one bag of Golden Fertiliser was enough for one plot of land.
Honestly, the system is really generous with this stuff, Ethan thought.
He already had dozens of bags of it... not to mention over ten Rare Candies.
“Alright, Sandslash, just turn over the soil in this plot, and that’ll do...”
