I Have a Restaurant in the Pokémon World

In the Kalos region, the Nebel Plateau.

The Nebel Plateau is known for its breathtaking natural beauty. To the northwest, endless mountain ranges stretch as far as the eye can see; to the northeast, dense, shadowy forests thrive; and to the south, a rushing river winds its way into the distance.

In the far-off view along the river, a bustling city can be seen. This city is the Kingdom of Azoth, renowned for its mysterious sciences.

Even though the world is now overseen by the Pokémon League, some regions still maintain old-era kingdoms and their royal aristocracy.

The Kingdom of Azoth is one such relic of the past.

Shifting focus back to the Nebel Plateau, the air is fresh, the sky is clear, and fluffy white clouds drift across the blue expanse, appearing almost within reach. Occasionally, small Fletchling or Fletchinder dart through the sky, their calls bright and cheerful.

At the heart of the Nebel Plateau stand two enormous trees, standing side by side. They rise from the flat meadow like two powerful arms holding up the sky, with various Pokémon making their homes in their branches.

In front of the two trees lies a smooth lake that mirrors the sky like a polished surface. A gentle breeze creates ripples on the lake's surface, and a Magikarp curiously pops its head out of the water, blowing a bubble.

Such a serene place might be expected to be deserted, but nestled between the giant trees and the lake is a striking three-story building with a red roof.

As we zoom in, we see that the large door on the building's first floor is firmly closed. Hanging by the door is an old-fashioned brass bell, and next to it is a wood platform covered with a soft blanket. On it, a small, adorable Komala sleeps soundly on a wooden log, its little belly tucked under a light blanket.

"Fletch~ling~~"

At this moment, a Fletchling flutters down lightly onto the building's eaves, gazing curiously at the newly appeared structure.

The Fletchling hops around, peering down at the sleeping Komala. As it tries to get a closer look, the wooden door on the first floor suddenly creaks open. A handsome young man in a white chef's outfit steps out.

The young man appears to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, standing about 1.8 meters tall. His short golden hair gleams under the sun, and his resolute face resembles the ancient sun god Apollo.

This young man is the owner of the building and the protagonist of our story, Andrew.

Upon seeing Andrew, the Fletchling is startled and quickly flies away.

"Hmm? Am I that frightening?" Andrew instinctively touches his face and asks.

Unbeknownst to Andrew, the Nebel Plateau is a unique place. Many of the Pokémon here have been abandoned or harmed by humans, leading to a widespread fear and aversion to humans among other Pokémon.

Shaking off the thought, Andrew places a bowl of steamed buns next to Komala and says, "Komala, time to eat!"

Upon hearing "time to eat," Komala's large ears twitch. It lifts the blanket, sets the wooden post aside, and rolls over to the bowl. It grabs a white bun, smaller than its head, and munches on it with visible delight, its eyes still closed but its face beaming with satisfaction.

Komala's ability is Comatose; it has been in a sleeping state since birth, even while eating, moving, or battling. No one has ever seen a Komala awake.

The wooden post it clutches is known as a Log Pillow, and it is said to have been with it since birth, showing no signs of parting with it.

Komala's meeting with Andrew was quite dramatic.

When Andrew first awoke from the royal tomb and arrived at the Nebel Plateau, he was in a daze. Komala fell from the sky and landed right at his feet.

At that time, Komala was covered in wounds and looked both pitiable and adorable. Unable to resist, Andrew took it into his arms.

Thus, It became attached to him, and soon after, they both settled into the current building.

As for Komala's injuries, Andrew asked it about them later, but it only knew how to sleep and did not answer any of Andrew's questions. Eventually, Andrew gave up asking.

Seeing Komala enjoying its meal, Andrew felt a surge of pride, knowing that his month of intense cooking practice had not been in vain.

Rubbing Komala's fluffy head, Andrew says, "Keep eating." He then turns and heads back inside.

The first floor of the building is a spacious dining area, with tables and chairs arranged neatly, each set polished to a shine, indicating meticulous care.

The dining area's décor is warm and inviting, giving a sense of home as soon as one enters.

At this moment, a Diancie is busily cleaning with a feather duster. This Diancie is Andrew's starter Pokémon.

Upon seeing Diancie, Andrew's vision immediately displayed detailed data about the Pokémon.

* Diancie *

- Type: Rock, Fairy

- Ability: Clear Body

- Gender: None

- Level: 50

- Moves: Tackle, Harden, Diamond Storm, Protect, Calm Mind, Ancient Power, Rock Polish, Light Screen, Rock Slide.

* Individual Values *

- HP: 31

- Attack: 31

- Defense: 31

- Special Attack: 31

- Special Defense: 31

- Speed: 31

Being able to access Pokémon data is one of the perks granted to Andrew by his "golden finger," a feature of his newbie package. Both Diancie's perfect stats and his current residence were gifts from this system.

Originally, Andrew's starter Pokémon was just a Carbink. After Andrew fell into a deep slumber for five hundred years, the Carbink had evolved into the rare Diancie by the time he awoke.

Andrew suspects that the mutation of Carbink might be connected to the golden finger.

Reflecting on this, Andrew's thoughts drift back five hundred years.

Andrew was a transmigrator who was reborn into the royal family of the Azoth Kingdom five hundred years ago, becoming the only prince at that time.

He was born with a twin sister.

Unlike his healthy sister, Andrew was born weak and frail, unable to bear weight or walk properly.

As he grew older, his condition deteriorated further, and the royal doctors predicted he would not survive to adulthood.

Because of this, his parents, the king and queen of the Azoth Kingdom, showered him with affection, granting his every wish.

Under their care, Andrew managed to surpass the doctors' predictions and lived to the age of sixteen.

However, shortly after his sixteenth birthday, his condition worsened rapidly, leading to a coma from which he never recovered.

After the doctors declared him dead, his parents held a funeral and buried him in the royal tomb.

The Carbink, his longtime companion, refused to leave him and was interred in the tomb along with him, falling into a deep sleep.

However, Andrew, who was in a coma, did not die. He lingered on, and it was at that moment that the golden finger arrived.

It was a system.

The system provided Andrew, in his near-death state, with a newbie gift package.

1. Starter Pokémon with perfect individual values.

2. Shared life between host and starter Pokémon.

3. A base (awaiting summoning).

4. Observation Eye.

Thanks to the second item in the package, Andrew was able to regain a healthy body and now lives energetically.

With the system's help, the moment Andrew and Carbink shared their lives, Carbink began to transform into Diancie, and both fell into a deep slumber.

This slumber lasted for five hundred years.

Upon awakening, Andrew and Diancie emerged from the royal tomb and, in a dazed state, found themselves on the Nebel Plateau, where they encountered the injured Kamola.

Once fully awake, Andrew began to examine his newly arrived golden finger.

He had expected it to be a super trainer assistant system that would help him become a top trainer. Instead, he discovered that the system was named the "Master Chef System," also known as the Pokémon Feeding System.

Well, if he wasn't going to be a trainer, then so be it. After all, it's now popular for transmigrators to avoid becoming trainers. Plus, while he liked Pokémon, he wasn't fixated on becoming a trainer. As long as he could interact with Pokémon daily, that was sufficient.

After investigating the system, Andrew noted the newbie gift package provided.

The first, second, and fourth items were already in use, but there was still the third item to explore…

A Base

When Andrew first awoke from his slumber, he was in immediate need of a place to stay. Although he had been a prince of the Azoth Kingdom, five hundred years had passed, and Andrew couldn't be certain if the kingdom still existed. Even if it did, it was questionable whether the current royal family would recognize him.

Thus, Andrew decided to wait until he was fully settled before returning to the Azoth Kingdom to see if he could regain his former position.

Eventually, upon seeing the words "Awaiting Summoning" behind the base, he chose to summon it without hesitation.

Andrew had initially thought he could choose the location of the base, but to his surprise, he could not. After the summoning, he, along with Diancie and Komala, followed the system's directions and arrived at their new residence.

Andrew was generally pleased with the residence, though it was quite isolated, with no one around. Did this mean he would have to live in seclusion from now on?

At the time, Andrew didn't dwell on it too much. After emerging from the tomb, having a place to stay was already a significant improvement.

Returning to the present, Andrew approached Diancie with a smile. "Diancie, stop with the cleaning; the house is already clean enough. Let's have breakfast!"

Diancie stopped her work, clutching her small, empty stomach. "Okay, I'm so hungry my stomach is growling!" She set aside the duster and quickly ran into the kitchen.

Diancie could communicate with Andrew telepathically, so there were no barriers to their conversation.

When Diancie emerged from the kitchen, she was carrying a bamboo steam basket filled with plump, white steamed buns.

Andrew had prepared these buns himself early in the morning.

Since Andrew's golden finger was the Master Chef System, it was naturally related to cooking. Even the first floor of his residence was designed like a restaurant.

Over the past month, he had been honing his cooking skills according to the system's instructions.

However, Andrew was frustrated that he had spent the entire month merely kneading dough and steaming buns. Fortunately, following the system's training, his cooking skills had improved rapidly. Even though he had only been making steamed buns, he felt much more skilled than before.

In the past, if someone had suggested eating only steamed buns for a month, he would have thought them crazy and likely would have been sick of it. But after a month of eating his own buns, he hadn't grown tired of them.

Not only was he fine with it, but Diancie and Komala were too, as shown by Komala's eating habits earlier.

Andrew's Observation Eye could not only see Pokémon data but also his own data.

* Andrew *

- Species: Human

- Gender: Male

- Age: 16 (+500)

- Constitution: 1

- Intelligence: 1

- Cooking Rating: Rookie Chef

Compared to the Pokémon's data, Andrew's own data was much simpler.

The system's evaluation of Andrew's cooking was very harsh. Even though Komala and Diancie liked his buns, the system still rated him as a rookie.

A month ago, the system had rated his cooking as "inedible trash!"

In his previous life, Andrew had been a chef, though his restaurant eventually went out of business.

Andrew's parents had died early, and he lived with his grandfather, who owned a restaurant. Andrew had never learned cooking from his grandfather.

After his grandfather passed away, Andrew left his job and returned to take over the restaurant, learning to cook from his grandfather's recipes.

Unfortunately, he was unable to grasp the essence of his grandfather's cooking, which led to the restaurant's closure.

Despite this, Andrew's cooking was quite good compared to most people, but the system still rated him as a "rookie."

The current "rookie" rating was a sign of leniency from the system.

"Let's eat. I can't wait any longer." Diancie placed the buns on the table and eagerly sat down.

"Yes, yes." Andrew said with a helpless smile. "What's the rush? Breakfast won't run away." He sat down across from Diancie and picked up a bun.

As soon as he touched the bun, Andrew felt as though he was touching soft cotton—light and fluffy, like clouds in the sky, pure and pleasing to the eye.

Each bun in the basket was the size of a fist, and all were identical in shape and size, as if produced by a machine. However, they were all handmade by Andrew.

Diancie couldn't wait and took a bite of the bun. Her mouth was instantly filled with a sweet and fragrant taste, the aroma of wholesome wheat flour, and the flavor of a rich autumn harvest.

Diancie closed her eyes, feeling as though her soul had ascended to the sky, freely drifting among the clouds. It was an exquisite sensation.

After a while, Diancie opened her eyes, her face full of satisfaction. She remarked, "No matter how many times I eat them, Andrew's buns are always so delicious."

Diancie felt a sense of pride for Andrew.

"Since you like them, eat more." Andrew said.

"Mm-mm~~" Diancie nodded, savoring each bite. Although she ate quickly, she chewed each mouthful slowly to appreciate the unique flavor of the buns.

Seeing Diancie enjoying the meal so much, Andrew's own appetite was stimulated.

Soon, the basket of buns was empty, mostly eaten by Diancie. Despite her small size, her appetite was remarkable. Even after eating, her stomach showed no sign of change, leaving Andrew wondering where all the buns had gone.

After breakfast, Diancie elegantly wiped her mouth with a napkin and said to Andrew, "Andrew, the system has issued the first mission."

How did Diancie know about the system? Because after sharing life with Andrew, she was assigned as his system guidance Pokémon.

This meant that all system missions would be conveyed to Andrew through Diancie.

The system itself had no intelligence; without a guidance Pokémon, its functions would be quite rigid. Thus, Diancie was assigned this role to better assist Andrew.

Of course, as the system's master, Andrew had the right to dismiss Diancie from this role, but he was more than happy to have her involved and had no intention of removing her.

Hearing Diancie's words, Andrew was slightly surprised and then thought: Finally, it's here?

"What's the task?"

Diancie replied, "Serve ten Pokémon in the store and receive their positive reviews."

Andrew thought: The system's nickname really lives up to its name. It's indeed a Pokémon Feeding System. The guests are not humans but Pokémon. No wonder the base is located on the Nebel Plateau.

"How will we know if the Pokémon give positive reviews?"

"The system will automatically determine that."

"Is there a time limit for the task?" Andrew asked after nodding.

Diancie shook her head, "Yes, three days. If the time expires, it will be considered a failure."

"Are there penalties for failure?" Andrew was concerned that his golden finger might be an exploitative system.

"Of course not. Failure just means no reward. There are no penalties." Diancie answered with a smile.

"That's good." Andrew sighed in relief and then asked with enthusiasm, "So what's the reward for completing the task?"

Diancie looked a bit pained and replied, "I don't know. Only after you complete the task will I find out."

"Alright." Andrew shrugged. "Serving ten Pokémon in three days doesn't seem too difficult."

There were many Pokémon living on the Nebel Plateau, and over the past month, he had often seen Pokémon observing his home from a distance, though they would run away whenever they saw him.

These Pokémon were quite shy.

At this moment, Andrew had not realized that the reason those Pokémon were avoiding him was not just shyness.

"Let's do our best!" Diancie said, pumping her fist in encouragement.

"Let's go!" Andrew bumped fists with Diancie.

(End of Chapter)