The Food I Miss

Time quickly passed, and a few more days went by. Because of word-of-mouth among the Pokémon, the number of Pokémon coming for breakfast at Angie's place had actually increased compared to before his identity was exposed.

Some Pokémon that had never seen a human before even came by out of curiosity just to see what a human looked like. But once they caught a whiff of the enticing aroma coming from Angie's shop, they couldn't bring themselves to leave.

Angie also noticed that the Pokémon sent to watch him changed every day. First, it was Talonflame, then Altaria the next day, and Victreebel on the third day—one Pokémon was swapped out each day.

Today, it was Altaria's turn again.

"Good morning, Altaria," Angie greeted cheerfully when he came out to water the plants.

Altaria lay lazily on the rooftop of Angie's house, its head buried in its fluffy wings as it basked in the sun. Its soft, cotton-like feathers looked even puffier under the sunlight, so much so that Angie couldn't help but want to bury his head in them.

It must feel amazing to use them as a pillow.

Hearing Angie's voice, Altaria lifted its head to glance at him before lazily tucking its head back into its wings.

Seeing that Altaria wasn't too keen on responding, Angie didn't get upset. Instead, he smiled and asked, "You've been here all morning. You probably haven't eaten yet, right? How about I make you something to eat?"

"Chiiii~~~"

Altaria lifted its head and let out a soft cry. Though Angie couldn't understand it, it was clear from its expression that it was declining his offer.

"Alright then, no food it is."

With that, Angie shrugged and carried his watering can back into the shop.

A few minutes later, Swablu, Fletchling, and Spritzee flew up to the roof, using a string to hoist a basket of steamed buns. They placed the basket in front of Altaria.

"Chii~ Chii~~"

Altaria growled angrily at Swablu, clearly refusing to accept Angie's goodwill.

"Chiloo~ Chiloo~"

Swablu, however, found its mother's attitude to be utterly baffling. Angie was so kind, yet her mother always insisted that Angie had bad intentions. Frustrated, Swablu began arguing with her mother.

Seeing that Swablu couldn't win the argument, Fletchling and Spritzee joined in to back it up. Altaria was so furious that it was practically seething with rage.

These little ones are just so ungrateful!

In the end, the four Pokémon stormed off in anger, with Swablu leading Fletchling and Spritzee away in a huff.

But about an hour later, Swablu returned, bringing Fletchling and Spritzee back with it. The three of them stood in front of Altaria and solemnly apologized to her.

After some questioning, Altaria discovered that it was Angie who had convinced Swablu to come back and make peace with her mother.

Altaria found herself conflicted as she looked down at the now-cold steamed buns in front of her, lost in thought.

After days of observing, she realized that this human hadn't done anything to harm the Pokémon. On the contrary, thanks to his meals, the young ones were growing stronger by the day, and the burden of raising them had been significantly reduced for the parents.

But how could there be such a human in this world? He was completely different from the humans she had known.

Although Altaria's children were native to the Nebel Plateau, Altaria herself was not. Years ago, she had ended up wandering into the Nebel Plateau by accident and had been taken in and protected by Lord Volcanion.

As a young Swablu, Altaria had lived with her flock, migrating from place to place with the changing seasons. Life wasn't luxurious, but it was filled with love and support from her family, and she was content.

That was until she encountered her Trainer, who captured her, separating her from her family.

Her Trainer was a very strict person. His goal was to become one of the League's Elite Four, or even Champion, so he put immense pressure on his Pokémon during training, pushing them to their limits.

At the time, Swablu was still young and unable to meet many of her Trainer's demands, often receiving harsh scoldings as a result.

Due to various reasons, Swablu failed in several competitions, and her Trainer, in a fit of anger, abandoned her.

Though it had been many years, when Altaria recalled those memories, they still felt vivid and fresh in her mind.

As she stared at the untouched food in front of her, her thoughts began to drift far away.

Soon, the Pokémon finished their breakfast and left the small building one after another.

Just then, a cry echoed from the sky. Another Altaria appeared, and when she looked up, she saw it was her mate coming to pick her up. A soft smile flickered in her once-melancholy eyes.

"Chii~ Chii~~"

Swablu's father landed gently beside Swablu's mother, nuzzling her neck affectionately. Swablu's mother responded by nuzzling him back.

Once they saw that most of the young ones had left, the couple flew away from Angie's house together.

A little while later, Angie came out to check on things. Seeing that the food was left untouched, he let out a deep sigh.

After returning inside, Angie, along with Diancie and Munchlax, started cleaning up. It was then that Angie noticed a pile of something in the corner.

"Where did this come from?" Angie asked, picking up the item.

It was lotus root, still covered with bits of mud, clearly fresh.

Diancie glanced over and thought for a moment before replying, "I think Bellsprout brought that in. Why, what's the matter?"

"This is great stuff!" Angie exclaimed.

He had been eating steamed buns every day and had long been craving something fresh. But there wasn't enough lotus root here to make a full dish, especially since Munchlax, his resident glutton, had an enormous appetite.

"Gaaang~~"

Can we eat it?

Munchlax had wandered over, staring intently at the lotus root in Angie's hand.

"Of course, and it's delicious too," Angie answered with a smile. After thinking for a bit, he said to Diancie, "Diancie, you and Komala stay here to watch the place. Munchlax and I are going to find Bellsprout and ask where this lotus root came from. Maybe we can get some more."

Imagining all the dishes he could make with the lotus root, Angie couldn't help but start drooling.

There was a lake not far from Angie's home, filled with blooming lotuses. He had thought about trying to dig up some lotus roots before, but the water was too deep, and without a Water-type Pokémon to help him, he had given up.

"Sure, go ahead and don't worry," Diancie nodded.

"Munchlax, let's go!" Angie called out.

"Gaaang~~"

Munchlax happily followed along behind Angie.

As Angie reached the doorway, he was surprised to see a Vivillon fluttering around his flower garden. He stared in astonishment and said, "Vivillon? You've evolved?"

Thinking back, it seemed like it had been a while since he'd last seen the Spewpa. So, it had quietly gone off to evolve!

"Liii~~"

Vivillon happily nodded and expressed her gratitude to Angie. If it weren't for Angie's feeding, she wouldn't have gathered enough energy to evolve so quickly.

"Have you had breakfast?" Angie asked.

Vivillon shook her head. She had come to Angie's place right after evolving, eager to share the joy of her transformation.

"Well, go inside and let Diancie prepare something for you. You haven't eaten in a while, so you must be hungry," Angie said, extending his arm for Vivillon to perch on gently. "I'm heading out with Munchlax for a bit, so I'll be back later."

"Lii~"

Vivillon nodded and, out of nowhere, presented Angie with a vibrant red flower.

Angie took the flower, inhaling its fragrance. "It smells wonderful, thank you! I love it."

"Lii~~"

Vivillon, delighted, fluttered around Angie twice before entering the house at his encouragement.

"Let's head out," Angie said, placing the flower behind Munchlax's ear.

As they walked, Munchlax reached up, gently touching the flower.

"Gaaang~"

Do I look good?

It shyly asked Angie.

Although Angie couldn't understand what Munchlax said, its proud expression made it clear. He chuckled, "You're such a vain little guy, aren't you? Cute though."

Munchlax grinned from ear to ear.

As they strolled along, still not having found Bellsprout, a sudden system notification chimed in Angie's mind. When he opened the system interface, a popup appeared.

[ Congratulations, Host! You've served a total of 100 Pokémon. Achievement unlocked: Intelligence +1. ]

Angie blinked in surprise. A pleasant surprise, no doubt. It must have been because Diancie had served Vivillon. Sure enough, his happiness points had increased by 150.

He checked his personal stats.

...

[ Angie ]

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 16 (+500)

Constitution: 4

Intelligence: 3

Cooking Skill Evaluation: A fledgling beginner.

...

Feeling stronger, Angie beamed. Although he wasn't entirely sure which aspect of his intelligence had improved, he certainly didn't feel any smarter.

Closing the system interface, Angie turned to Munchlax and asked, "Munchlax, do you know where Bellsprout's house is?"

"Gaaang~~"

Munchlax shook his head gently.

"Alright, let's ask another Pokémon."

"Gaaang~~"

Munchlax nodded eagerly and immediately began scanning the area. Suddenly, a Flabébé came into its view, causing Munchlax's eyes to light up. He excitedly waved and called out to her.

"Gaaang~ Gaaang~~"

Flabébé hovered in mid-air. She had seen Munchlax and recognized Angie, though she had run away before because she was scared of Angie being a human.

This time, however, while she was still fearful, she didn't flee right away. Curiosity had gotten the better of her since lately, stories about Angie had been spreading all over the Nebel Plateau.

Some said Angie must be plotting something sinister, while others defended him, claiming he was a kind human who could make delicious food. Some remained neutral, refusing to take a stance. Regardless, the debate continued.

Flabébé was curious about the truth.

Responding to Munchlax's call, Flabébé slowly descended from the sky.

Seeing that Flabébé didn't run away immediately, Angie felt that his relationship with the Pokémon of Nebel Plateau was steadily improving. This made him even more cheerful.

"Flabébé, do you know where Bellsprout's home is?" Angie asked, trying to appear as friendly as possible.

Flabébé hesitated for a moment but then gently nodded.

"Could you lead the way? I have something I need to ask Bellsprout for help with," Angie continued.

"Flooo~ Flooo~"

Sure, follow me.

With that, Flabébé chose a direction and floated ahead, while Angie and Munchlax quickly followed.

On the way, Angie tried to make conversation with Flabébé, but every time she made eye contact with him, she became nervous and couldn't carry on a proper conversation. However, Munchlax and Flabébé were having a lively, albeit sporadic, chat.

"Gaaang~ Gaaang~~"

Do you think I look good?

Munchlax held his head and proudly displayed the flower behind his ear to Flabébé.

"Flooo~ Flooo~"

Hmph, not as pretty as my flower.

Flabébé swayed her Fairy Flower beneath her, speaking with a proud and haughty tone.

"Gaaang~~ Gaaang~~~"

No way, I'm definitely cuter. My master even said so himself!

Munchlax immediately protested.

"Flooo~ Flooo~"

Who's your master? What's a master?

Flabébé looked puzzled.

"Gaaang~ Gaaang~ Gaaang~~"

My master is Angie, of course! A master is... well, a master.

Munchlax confidently replied, though he wasn't entirely sure what a master was either.

Angie didn't understand their argument but smiled at their animated expressions.

Under Flabébé's guidance, they passed through a thicket and eventually arrived at a meadow. From a distance, Angie could hear the voices of Bellsprout, Weepinbell, and Victreebel.

Peering through the layers of leaves, Angie saw Victreebel, Weepinbell, and three Bellsprout playing and laughing on the meadow.

Angie recognized Victreebel as Bellsprout's father, and Weepinbell, its mother, as Victreebel's mate.

As soon as Angie and Munchlax approached, Victreebel noticed their presence.

"Ah~~"

Who's there? Show yourself!

Since they had been spotted, Angie walked out confidently.

The moment Victreebel saw him, it leapt to the front, shielding its family, its face full of caution.

Has this human finally shown his true colors?

Bellsprout was thrilled to see Angie and was about to run toward him, but its siblings held it back.

Seeing their defensive stance, Angie quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand me. I'm just here to ask Bellsprout for a favor."

Though Victreebel's expression didn't relax, a hint of curiosity flickered across its face.

Angie took out the piece of lotus root he had brought with him. "I just wanted to ask where Bellsprout got this."

Bellsprout finally wriggled free from its siblings and tried to run over to Angie, but its mother, Weepinbell, yanked it back with a Vine Whip.

Suspended in the air by her vine, Bellsprout flailed its arms and legs while babbling something unintelligible to Angie.

Angie turned to Weepinbell and Victreebel. "Can Bellsprout show me the way? If you're worried, you can come along too."

Victreebel scrutinized Angie for a few seconds, hesitated, then finally nodded. After exchanging a glance with Weepinbell, she gently lowered Bellsprout to the ground.