Chapter 11: Let's Go Training

"Munchlax~ Munchlax~~"

Munchlax quickly nodded and then obediently stood to the side, watching Andrew wash the dishes, scrub the pots, and clean the stove with great focus. It seemed to be learning very attentively.

Andrew glanced back and couldn't help but smile: it was so cute.

Soon, Andrew finished tidying up the kitchen, and at almost the same time, Diancie had finished cleaning the hall.

"Can you now tell me about the culinary training room?" Andrew asked.

"Did you forget that we have a third floor? The culinary training room is up there!" Diancie explained. "Let's go check it out."

"The third floor?" Andrew had almost forgotten there was a third floor until Diancie mentioned it.

When Andrew first moved into the building, he had wanted to explore every part of it. The first floor was the shop, and the second floor was where he and his Pokémon lived. However, when he tried to access the third floor, he was stopped by an invisible barrier.

At that time, Diancie had told him that he didn't have permission to enter the third floor.

"So, do I have permission now?"

"Yes, you do. Let's go quickly," Diancie said, pulling Andrew's hand toward the third floor.

Andrew waved to Munchlax, "Munchlax, you come too. This will be your home as well, so let's explore together."

"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"

Munchlax, hearing this, happily followed behind Andrew.

Just as Diancie had said, Andrew easily reached the third floor, which had many doors. He randomly chose one, but despite twisting the handle for a long time, it wouldn't open.

Seeing this, Diancie explained, "You have unlocked access to the culinary training room. Other doors will require you to unlock them step by step."

"Alright then."

Andrew let go of the door handle and continued with Munchlax and Diancie down the hallway.

When they reached the end of the corridor, Diancie stopped in front of a door labeled "Culinary Training Room."

"Is this it?"

Diancie nodded and signaled Andrew to open the door.

Andrew stepped forward, turned the handle, and successfully opened the door.

Inside the room was a vast, empty white space.

Diancie followed him in and guided Andrew according to the system's prompts, "Andrew, you need to say 'Culinary training begins!'"

Though puzzled, Andrew followed the instruction.

"Culinary training begins."

As soon as Andrew spoke, the empty room transformed dramatically into a spacious kitchen filled with various kitchen tools. Anything Andrew knew about could be found here.

At the front of the kitchen was a podium with a large screen behind it.

Diancie went up to the podium and explained, "From now on, you and Munchlax can practice cooking in this room. Time flows ten times faster here than outside, and ingredients are available without limit. However, both the ingredients and the food you prepare are virtual and cannot be taken out of the training room."

"Wow! That's incredible!" Andrew couldn't help but exclaim.

Diancie agreed, "I think it's amazing too!" Diancie hadn't known about these features for long either.

Munchlax was mesmerized by the luxurious kitchen, its eyes struggling to take in all the high-tech equipment.

Diancie pointed to the large screen and continued, "You can use this screen to select the food you want to practice making. The training room will automatically provide the ingredients for you.

But for now, Andrew, you've only unlocked the option to make steamed buns, so that's the only food you can practice."

Andrew looked at the screen and saw that the list only included steamed buns. He couldn't help but complain, "When will I unlock the next food item?"

Although he could make other foods, they wouldn't earn him happiness points as they weren't system-unlocked, making them impractical.

Diancie comforted him, "It'll be soon. Don't worry."

"Alright," Andrew accepted.

"Do you want to use the training room now?" Diancie asked.

Andrew shook his head, "I'll do it later. I have plans to plant vegetables with Litwick and its friends this afternoon."

"Okay, we'll discuss it later then," Diancie nodded.

After a brief tour of the culinary training room, Andrew, Diancie, and Munchlax went outside.

After lunch, they headed to the back of the small building, where Andrew planned to set up a vegetable garden.

Even if the vegetables weren't used in the shop, he could still use them for himself from time to time, as he couldn't earn happiness points from himself.

Soon, Litwick arrived with its friends to help, and to Andrew's surprise, they brought two new helpers he hadn't seen before.

They were two Digletts.

"Lit wick~ Lit wick ~"

Litwick introduced the two Digletts to Andrew. They were friends of Zigzagoon, who, upon learning that Andrew was starting a vegetable garden today, had specifically invited them to help.

Diglett's digging made the soil loose and more suitable for planting, and their droppings were richer in nutrients than those of other Pokémon.

Andrew gratefully thanked Zigzagoon, "Zigzagoon, thank you!"

"Zigzagoon~ zagoon~"

Zigzagoon shyly hugged its head with its small paws.

"Since everyone is here, let's get to work!" Andrew announced.

"Litwick ~"

"Pancham ~"

"Zigzagoon ~"

The Pokémons were eager to get started.

Andrew assigned tasks to the group, just as he had when they planted flowers previously.

This time, they didn't need to gather dead branches or compost, as the fertilizer from the previous planting was still sufficient. They also didn't need to collect stones, as Andrew planned to use wooden sticks to build a fence around the vegetable garden. The garden was much larger than the flower bed, and using wooden sticks for the fence was more practical than stones.

With the tasks set, Pancham, Scraggy, Skitty, Litleo, and Zigzagoon went off to find wooden sticks, leaving Andrew, Diancie, Komala, Munchlax, Digletts, and Castform at the original spot.

"Komala, I'm relying on you," Andrew said to the swaying Komala holding its log.

Komala rolled over to the designated area, lifted its log, and used its Wood Hammer move, forcefully striking the ground. The earth cracked, and a section was cleared.

Next, it was Diglett's turn. The two Digletts dug into the freshly turned soil, tunneling through it, and soon the large clumps of hard soil were loosened and made pliable.

This was much faster than the slow process of Andrew and Diancie using a hoe.

"Great job!" Andrew gave the Diglett a thumbs-up.

Encouraged by the praise, the Digletts worked even harder. Zigzagoon mentioned that good work would earn them some treats!

Andrew called out to Diancie and the others, "Let's get moving. No more standing around."

He, Diancie, and Munchlax entered the garden to remove grass roots mixed with the soil, and Litwick baked the soil.

By sunset, the garden was finally cleared.

Seeing the neatly divided plots, Andrew felt a deep sense of accomplishment.

He divided the cleared land into five sections. The first section was planted with scallions and garlic, the second with green and chili peppers, the third with ginger and leeks, the fourth with common spices like peppercorns, cumin, bay leaves, and star anise, each in small amounts. Since spices are used gradually, a small quantity would be enough for the shop.

The fifth section was planted with common vegetables such as leafy greens, spinach, tomatoes, and radishes, just a little of each to feed the family.

For the shop's vegetables, he planned to plant more as needed in the future. Vegetables grow quickly, so there would be time to harvest when the system unlocks new dishes.

Thanks to the special climate of the Nebel Plateau, crops could be harvested any time.

After planting, Andrew set up the fence and asked Castform, "Castform, please water the garden."

"Castform~~~"

Castform nodded and hovered over the garden. Soon, a gentle rain began to fall. Drawing from experience with watering flowers, Castform managed the rainfall perfectly.

After watering, Andrew told the Pokémon, "Let's head back, take a bath, and then have dinner!"

The Pokémon cheered at the mention of dinner.

After preparing the bathing supplies, Andrew placed Munchlax and Komala in the water, applying shower gel to them, and then said to the other Pokémon, "You're all grown-up Pokémon now. Isn't it time you learned to bathe yourselves?"

Upon hearing this, Stunky, Minccino, and Helioptile jumped into the other bathtubs, mimicking Andrew's actions by applying shower gel and scrubbing themselves.

Seeing this, Andrew reminded them, "Make sure to ask your friends to help with areas you can't reach yourself. Don't miss any spots."

Understanding the advice, Stunky, Minccino, and Helioptile quickly learned to wash each other. Minccino, who was especially meticulous, made sure every spot was thoroughly cleaned and supervised its friends to ensure they didn't miss any areas.

With Stunky leading the way, the other Pokémon also began helping each other with their baths.

Andrew had prepared two extra bathtubs this time, so there was no worry about them running out.

As they bathed and played with the water, Skitty, who disliked baths, was dragged into the water by the others, letting out a dramatic wail.

Litwick and the two Digletts, who didn't need baths, watched quietly from the side. The setting sun bathed everyone in a soft glow, making the scene look like a harmonious painting.

Litwick thought this life was incredibly beautiful, almost like a dream that could end at any moment. It glanced at Andrew, who was chatting and laughing with Munchlax.

Recently, the Pokémon had become more comfortable and close to Andrew, including Litwick itself. Litwick both cherished this beauty and felt a fear of losing it, reminiscent of a past experience when its trainer had suddenly fallen ill.

Litwick once had a beloved trainer, and they shared many wonderful times together. However, one day, its trainer fainted, and Litwick learned that it had accidentally absorbed its trainer's life force, leading to the trainer's weakness and eventual coma.

To save its trainer, Litwick had to leave. It was quietly sent away by its trainer's mother and eventually found itself wandering onto the Nebel Plateau.

Litwick understood the trainer's mother's actions. Even if she hadn't sent it away, Litwick would have left quietly on its own. Yet…

"Alright, we're done with baths. Let's go eat; I'm starving."

Andrew's voice snapped Litwick out of its thoughts. It followed Andrew into the house, and they all enjoyed a hearty meal. Afterward, they returned home with Andrew, Diancie, and Munchlax sending them off.

After dinner, Andrew, Munchlax, Komala, and Diancie went to the culinary training room.

"Let's try out the features of this training room!"

As Andrew spoke, he saw Diancie standing at the podium, holding a teaching stick.

Andrew's heart skipped a beat. "Diancie, what's this about?"

Diancie waved the stick and said, "You train, and I'll supervise. What's the problem?"

"You're not going to punish the students, are you?"

"Of course not," Diancie said with a kind smile. "I'm just the supervisor."

"Okay… okay."

Remembering Diancie's cold attitude during their previous culinary training, Andrew felt a bit nervous.

Diancie selected the training project on the large screen, and the ingredients for making steamed buns appeared on the kitchen counter: flour, yeast, water…

"Practice begins. Munchlax, follow Andrew and learn," Diancie said, turning into a strict instructor and cracking the stick against the podium.

Munchlax nodded obediently, dressed in a chef's outfit similar to Andrew's: a white apron and a tall hat, looking the part of a culinary apprentice.

However, since Munchlax was a bit short, it stood on a stool to reach the counter and cutting board.

As the training began, Munchlax followed Andrew step by step, looking serious and focused.

*Smack* — the stick hit the podium sharply.

"Munchlax, you've added too much water!" Diancie's stern voice rang out.

Andrew flinched, looking at Diancie and then at Munchlax. Thankfully, it wasn't directed at him.

Wait, I'm the head of the family. Why should I be scared? Thinking this, Andrew straightened up.

*Smack* — the stick cracked against the podium again.

"Water is still too much!"

Diancie's eyes, enhanced by the system, were sharp and unforgiving. Munchlax scrambled to correct the mistake.

*Smack*

"Knead the dough more gently. Not so hard."

*Smack*

"I said gently. Don't you understand what 'gently' means?"

*Smack*

"Gently doesn't mean not using effort. Did you not eat enough dinner? Who ate all the buns?"

Diancie was harsher than ever in the training room. Munchlax, feeling chastised, kept its head down and said nothing.

"Diancie, maybe we should take it slow…" Andrew attempted to plead for Munchlax but fell silent under Diancie's stern gaze. His words turned into, "Munchlax, enduring hardships now will lead to a better future. Work hard now for a better life ahead. I'm firmly on your side."

Munchlax accepted Andrew's encouragement and seemed to gain more determination, working harder.

Komala, on the other hand, had the easiest time, rocking back and forth on the podium with its log, seemingly asleep.

(End of Chapter)