Chapter 112: Simple Cooking Method, Exquisite Cuisine!

Since the midnight snack was not complicated, Andrew decided not to let his apprentices help and instead asked them to sit in the dining area and wait to eat.

Entering the kitchen, he prepared the necessary ingredients one by one.

Warm water, pure salt, soy sauce, Dolliv oil, and most importantly, the key ingredient—the eggs from Chansey.

That's right; Andrew was going to make savory egg pudding.

He had been saving the Chansey eggs he bought in Mesagoza City, and today, to comfort his sad apprentices, he finally decided to use them!

The eggs from Chansey were quite large, about the size of an ostrich egg that Andrew had seen in his previous life. He used three out of the five eggs, leaving two for later.

After all, one shouldn't eat too much for a midnight snack.

Three eggs were already quite a lot, capable of making plenty of egg custard, but given the presence of Munchlax, a big eater, and Pawmi, a greedy little kid, three eggs would barely suffice.

Once he had everything ready, Andrew got to work.

First, he prepared the egg mixture.

Gently cracking open a Chansey egg, he poured the contents into a bowl. Just one egg filled up more than half of a large sea bowl.

Using a beater, Andrew began to whisk the egg mixture, breaking up the egg whites and yolks while adding an appropriate amount of pure salt.

The whisking needed to be done at a moderate pace; if he whisked too vigorously, the resulting custard would be full of bubbles, affecting both its texture and appearance.

After preparing the egg mixture, he moved on to the second step: adding warm water.

The ideal ratio of water to egg mixture was about 1:1 or 1:1.5. It was important to use warm water—neither cold nor boiling water would do, especially not boiling water.

He thoroughly mixed the egg mixture and water, ensuring they were well combined.

Next came the third step: filtering the egg mixture.

Andrew strained the whisked egg mixture into another bowl, removing any unmixed egg strands and bubbles, which would ensure that the steamed custard was smooth and delicate.

Of course, if one found it troublesome, this step could be skipped, although it would slightly affect the taste.

Andrew, who never liked to cut corners in his cooking, made sure to include this step.

After finishing with the egg mixture, Andrew poured it into several porcelain bowls, adding a splash of Dolliv oil and soy sauce to each one.

Finally, he covered the bowls and arranged them neatly in the steamer.

The lids were essential to prevent water droplets from falling into the bowls during steaming, which would affect the custard's flavor.

These bowls were a beautiful white porcelain adorned with blue crane and cloud designs, which Andrew had purchased from the system shop. He was quite fond of them.

As the water in the steamer bubbled away, steam rose gently, and Andrew patiently awaited the finished product.

At that moment, he felt something cling to him. Looking down, he saw it was Pawmi.

"I told you to wait in the dining area, didn't I? How did you get in here?"

"Pawmi~"

Pawmi clung to Andrew's leg like a koala, trying to peek at what delicious food he was preparing.

Andrew bent down to pick it up, shaking his head in amusement. "How can you be so greedy?"

About fifteen minutes later, the custard was ready. Andrew opened the steamer, removed the lids from the bowls, and sprinkled each with black sesame seeds or finely chopped green onions, allowing his Pokémon to choose according to their taste.

After completing this, Andrew grabbed a tray, put on some gloves, and carefully removed the bowls from the steamer, placing them one by one on the tray before carrying it to the dining area, calling out, "It's ready!"

Pawmi eagerly chased after him.

Seeing Andrew come out of the kitchen, the others immediately stood up to help, but Andrew quickly said, "Stay seated! You don't need to help."

Reluctantly, they sat back down.

Andrew placed the bowls of custard in front of Munchlax, Diancie, Drizzile, Komala, and Metagross.

The pale yellow and white custard glistened with a layer of golden oil on top, sprinkled with black sesame seeds or bright green onions, making it visually appealing.

A subtle fragrance wafted up with the steam, gradually filling the dining area, making all the Pokémons instinctively swallow.

The custard, just set down, wobbled gently, and just looking at it made one imagine how tender and smooth it must be.

Pawmi quickly jumped onto the chair next to Metagross, standing on its hind legs, with its front paws resting on the table, eagerly waiting for Andrew.

Due to its short stature, it couldn't reach the table, so it decided to climb right onto the table.

As soon as Andrew placed the bowl in front of it, Pawmi couldn't wait to grab it, but Andrew quickly reminded, "Careful, it's hot!"

"Hisshiss"

No sooner had Andrew spoken than Pawmi pulled back its hand, having been burned, and began blowing on its fingers.

Andrew scolded, "See, you burned yourself, didn't you? Why the rush? Look at how patient everyone else is!"

Pawmi smiled sheepishly at Andrew, finally learning its lesson. This time, it carefully picked up a spoon to taste instead of directly grabbing the bowl.

Pawmi's behavior reminded Andrew of Munchlax when it first came home. Back then, it was just as eager for food, bursting with impatience.

However, after spending time at home and enjoying plenty of treats, Munchlax, while still a big eater, had learned to be less hasty.

Now, it gently blew on the bowl before using the spoon to scoop up a piece and slowly placing it in its mouth.

As soon as the velvety egg custard touched his lips, its delicate texture and smooth taste, accompanied by a subtle fragrance, danced around in his mouth, gliding like flowing water over fingertips. The aroma was neither overpowering nor bland, achieving a perfect harmony.

Just right!

Munchlax blissfully closed its eyes, cupping its cheeks with both hands, and its look of satisfaction made Andrew internally remark how adorable it was.

At that moment, Diancie, Komala, Drizzile, and Metagross eagerly began to taste the custard, quickly falling under its spell.

Andrew also sat down, placing one of the bowls before him. He took a spoon and scooped up a piece to pop into his mouth.

The instant it hit his taste buds, he was amazed.

The egg pudding was incredibly delicious; Andrew had always enjoyed it in his past life, but he never expected it to taste this extraordinary! Was this truly just a standard egg pudding?

Ah, right! This egg pudding was anything but ordinary. Although the cooking method was simple, the main ingredient was the delicious and nutrient-rich Chansey egg, enhanced with pure salt from Garganacl and fragrant oil from Dolliv. These elements combined to elevate the flavor exponentially.

What resulted was the incredible savory egg pudding sitting before Andrew!

Indeed, the saying that top-quality ingredients need only the simplest cooking techniques held true!

Unconsciously, Andrew began to eat the egg pudding faster.

"Munchlax~" I want another bowl!

"Pawmi~ Pawmi~" More! More!

At that moment, Little Munchlax and Pawmi had quickly finished their bowls and were holding their sparkling clean porcelain bowls, shouting at Andrew.

"Alright, alright!"

With a doting smile, Andrew went back to the kitchen to serve them each another bowl.

Before long, Diancie also finished her bowl, elegantly wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"This is delicious. I really like it," she said to Andrew.

Andrew replied with a hint of resignation, "As tasty as it is, we can't have it every day. Ingredients of this quality are rare to find."

"That's true," Diancie agreed, nodding.

"Would you like another bowl?" Andrew asked.

"No, one bowl is enough," Diancie shook her head. Unlike Munchlax and the others, even if she enjoyed it, she didn't want to eat too much this late at night, as it wouldn't fit her royal and ladylike image.

Hearing this, Andrew didn't press the matter further, since he himself had only eaten one bowl.

"Haunter~" I want more too!

At that moment, Haunter raised its empty bowl, calling out for more.

Upon hearing this, Diancie got up from her seat. "I'll get it for you," she said as she headed to the kitchen.

Soon, all the dozen or so bowls of egg custard that Andrew had steamed were completely consumed. Munchlax had eaten the most, followed by Pawmi. Drizzile, Metagross, Haunter, and Komala were next, while Andrew and Diancie had eaten the least.

If it hadn't been for Pawmi's smaller stomach, Andrew suspected it could have eaten even more than Munchlax.

With the comfort of delicious food, Munchlax, Drizzile, and Haunter's moods certainly improved.

After washing the dishes, Andrew and the others returned to their rooms for the night.

The next day, bright sunlight streamed down onto the Nebel Plateau, signaling the start of a new day.

The Altaria family and the Talonflame family spread their wings, flying towards the east and west of the Nebel Plateau. Today, they were officially beginning their duties as the Sky Patrol Team, and each of them was brimming with excitement.

"Fletch~ Chinder~~"

Fletchinder flapped its wings rapidly, streaking across the sky, with Talonflame and Staraptor closely following.

"Swablu~ Blu~"

Swablu sang a melodious tune as it flew towards the clouds, while the two Altaria flapped their cloud-like wings as they soared high.

They looked down upon the Nebel Plateau, spotting vast orchards, tidy wooden houses, Andrew jogging below, and the busy Pokémons.

In the Secret Fortress on the fifth level, Veluzas leaped into the waterway like arrows, swimming upstream towards Nebel Lake, accompanied by Seaking, Goldeens, Magikarp, and Feebas, heading towards the great waterfall.

Today's challenge was about to commence!

Diancie had already been up early to feed them.

Politoed, Poliwhirls, Poliwags, Azurill, and Marills only awoke after the Veluza group had long departed. They took their time to head to Diancie's dining hall for breakfast before going to the fishing grounds.

Poliwhirls squatted on lily pads, watching the lake's surface intently.

Poliwags swam back and forth, checking on the growth of the fish.

Politoed stood like a sentinel atop an iron pole, overseeing the situation below, guarding the Poliwhirls and Poliwags.

After breakfast, Croconaw, Buneary, Pachirisu, Deerling, and Bunnelby also reported to their respective duties.

Deerling and Bunnelby arrived at the chicken coop, where they scattered millet into the trough. The chicks quickly rushed over, pecking at the grains excitedly.

They remembered the teachings of their instructor, Metagross, understanding that they shouldn't feed the chicks too much food. Otherwise, the chicks would continue eating until they were stuffed, even risking overeating.

Once the millet was finished, the two Pokémon gave the chicks some water. Then, Bunnelby opened the door to the chicken feed, intending to let the chicks out for a little walk.

However, the chicks seemed a bit slow. Even with the door wide open, they didn't come out.

Are they just going to lie down and sleep after eating? Bunnelby recalled how it felt when it was full, wanting to find a burrow for a quick nap. Could the chicks be the same? But it couldn't let the chicks sleep.

"Bun~ Bunnelby~"

Bunnelby called out twice to Deerling.

Deerling understood and leapt over the fence, easily jumping into the chicken coop. Startled, the chicks screamed and scrambled out.

As soon as the chicks emerged from the coop, Bunnelby quickly chased after them, while Deerling jumped out as well, swiftly catching up.

Since it was their first time herding chicks, the two Pokémon lacked experience, and dozens of chicks scattered in all directions. Fortunately, Espathra happened to pass by, using its long legs to quickly herd the chicks together into one area.

"Bun~ Bunnelby~"

"Ling~ Ling~"

Bunnelby and Deerling thanked Espathra before continuing to guide the chicks as they wandered through the grassland.

After some time herding, they gained experience and gradually became less flustered.

In comparison, Buneary, the cowherd, and Pachirisu, the shepherd, had a much easier time.

Having watched too much television, Buneary crafted a small straw hat for itself and dressed up like a cowboy rabbit. It even made a small whip from vines.

Once it let the two calves out, they ambled about, not running off, and automatically sought out patches of lush grass to graze on.

Buneary then climbed onto one of the calves' backs, sitting comfortably. It was so relaxed! If any calf tried to wander away, it would flick the small whip, and the calves would obediently follow.

Pachirisu had an even easier time, sitting on the back of a lamb. If any lamb dared to run off, it would zap them with a bolt of lightning, causing the lambs to behave and follow wherever Pachirisu directed them.

Seeing this, Buneary felt quite envious. It glanced at the small whip in its hand, seriously pondering.

Should I learn some Electric-type moves from Pachirisu? However, the one in the worst situation was Croconaw.

After feeding the piglets, Croconaw let them out as well. Metagross had mentioned that pigs should get plenty of exercise for their meat to taste good.

But a few of the piglets were too lively; once they exited the pen, they took off running, and Croconaw chased after them, running two miles before they finally stopped.

After a tremendous effort to catch them, Croconaw led them to a muddy puddle. The piglets couldn't wait to jump in, rolling around and splattering mud all over Croconaw.

Croconaw thought: When can I change my job to be a guard?

Once the piglets finished playing in the mud, Croconaw rounded them up, planning to take them to the river for a bath, but ended up muddy again.

In the end, it was bathing in the river along with the piglets. One piglet almost ran into the deep water and nearly drowned, but luckily, Croconaw reacted quickly and pulled it to safety.

Raising pigs is truly not easy!

(End of chapter)