Despite having a general understanding of his new ability's function, William couldn't start experimenting right away due to some practical difficulties. After all, he had never studied alchemy, a seemingly magical discipline, so how could he possibly perform it in real life?
Carrying the full bucket of well water back to the cabin, William decided his first priority was to clean the place where he would sleep that night. He needed to solve his basic survival needs—food, clothing, and shelter—before figuring out how to use his "golden finger."
After sprinkling water around the dusty interior, William pulled a rag from the bag of tools the Mayor had left and wiped down the bed and a wooden table. Then, he began sorting through the previous owner's meager belongings in the burlap sack.
There wasn't much: a few sets of clean clothes, several bottles of seasoning, a few packs of dried noodles, some ingredients, and a neat stack of paper bills. And most importantly, six Poké Balls.
"Almost forgot you guys." William took out the Poké Balls. Only two contained Pokémon; they were the starter Pokémon the original William's parents had prepared for him: the Sinnoh Grass-type starter, Turtwig, and a Unovan Minccino.
"Come on out."
The two Pokémon, having been inside their balls all night, stretched as soon as they materialized.
"Ciino!" The small, cute Minccino's face fell as she saw the dusty surroundings. Her fluffy tail drooped to the floor and instinctively began sweeping.
"Twig?" The Turtwig looked somewhat dopey, glancing around blankly and using its vines to poke and prod at things. The sprout on its head seemed a little yellow, and the earthy shell on its back looked dry, probably from thirst. It promptly climbed onto the bucket and started drinking the well water.
Looking at these two adorable creatures, William recalled the original's tragic past and felt a fresh wave of pity.
"If I hadn't crossed over, these two would have lost their Trainer," he thought. The idea made him more determined to live well here, if only to ensure these two could have a happy life.
"Judging by the original's age, these Pokémon should have been with him for quite a while. It makes sense that Minccino hasn't evolved yet, since it needs a Shiny Stone. But why hasn't Turtwig evolved?"
Looking at the well-cared-for Turtwig, it seemed healthy enough. After some thought, William concluded that after losing his parents, the original William must have abandoned his dream of being a Trainer. He probably stopped training them for battle, instead treating them purely as pets and family.
In the original's heart, he likely believed it was his desire to become a Trainer that led to his parents' accidental deaths. That guilt became a permanent nightmare...
"Ciino!" "Twig!"
Noticing that William wasn't greeting them as usual, the two Pokémon approached him on their own. One climbed onto his shoulder, while the other rubbed against his leg.
Groooowl!
A loud, rumbling sound echoed through the wooden cabin.
William snapped out of his thoughts. "Ah, sorry. You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? It's almost noon. I'll make something right now."
Grabbing the rag, William ran into the kitchen to wipe down the cutting board and stove. The cabin might have been old, but it was fully equipped. Pots, pans, plates, and bowls were all there; there were even utensils in the cupboard.
He poured a basin of well water into a pot, used the wood he'd gathered earlier to start a fire in the stove, and began boiling the water.
"Wait, does this count as processing?" William suddenly remembered the description for the well water, which mentioned boiling it and using it for cooking.
"Cooking... seems like the easiest processing method to try right now. Let's give it a shot."
William picked up a pack of dried noodles from the sack. As he opened the packaging, the familiar panel appeared.
[Dried Noodles: Quality E, A basic staple food that barely satiates hunger. Recommend processing with nutritious ingredients. Recommended Processing: (Cooking/Alchemy).]
"That works too?"
So, simply taking something out of its packaging counted as "gathering." William then picked up a tomato he had set aside, but no panel appeared. However, after he chopped it with a kitchen knife, the panel popped up again.
[Chopped Tomato: Quality E, A nutritious vegetable. Recommended Processing: (Cooking/Alchemy).]
Just as he thought. William's understanding of his ability deepened. If he didn't obtain the raw material himself, he had to process it first to see the information panel for the resulting ingredient. Since this tomato was bought from a market by the previous owner and not harvested by William himself, the ability didn't recognize the whole tomato, only the pieces he personally prepared.
The water in the pot was boiling. William skillfully added the noodles, followed by the chopped tomato, seasoning, and finally, he cracked an egg into the pot.
Yes, the Pokémon world also had ordinary animals like those on Earth—chickens, ducks, cows, sheep. Most of the meat and eggs humans consumed came from these creatures. However, these animals couldn't compete with wild Pokémon and were now only found on farms or in zoos.
Smoke rose from the cabin's chimney. A few minutes later, the cozy space was filled with a delicious aroma. A hot pot of noodle soup was ready.
[Tomato and Egg Noodles: Quality E, Low-grade Cooking. A bland boiled noodle dish. Due to incorrect preparation method, only partially retains the nutritional value of the ingredients. Suitable only for satiating hunger, providing the lowest level of necessary nutrition.]
[Evaluation: Edible, but nutritionally unbalanced.]
[Recommended Processing: (Alchemy).]
"Are you serious? You can use tomato and egg noodles for alchemy?" William's eyebrow twitched in disbelief. This "alchemy" thing was just too versatile. Could you really use anything for it?
But what did "incorrect preparation method" mean? Was the heat wrong?
After serving a bowl each for himself and the two Pokémon, they sat around the table and finally began to eat.
"Let's eat."
Minccino, mimicking William, picked up a pair of chopsticks and started slurping the noodles. Turtwig, lacking dexterous fingers, simply buried its face in the bowl and ate in big mouthfuls.
"Hmm..." After tasting it, William found the system's evaluation to be extremely accurate. "It's edible... just really bland."
Minccino and Turtwig didn't seem to mind the lack of flavor. Watching the two Pokémon wolf down their food, William felt a pang of heartache. They were so hungry that even plain boiled noodles tasted delicious.
Back on Earth, William would never have chosen to eat plain dried noodles unless he was starving. Life was short, with only so many meals in a lifetime. The thought of having to suffer through even a few meals of this was depressing...
After lunch, the two Pokémon helped William wash the pots and bowls. The little guys had quite an appetite; William only ate a small portion of the large pot of noodles himself.
Full and satisfied, the trio continued cleaning. Minccino took care of various corners with her tail, while Turtwig and William wiped surfaces with rags. After finishing the interior, they used the tools left by the Mayor to clear the weeds and scattered stones outside. After a whole afternoon's work, they finally cleared a path to the front door.
At dusk, William stood outside the cabin, watching the sunset wash over his future home. He suddenly grinned.
"Running a ranch in the Pokémon world... not bad!"
"Ciino!" "Twig!" The two Pokémon stood by William's feet, looking at the results of their hard work, and cheered together, holding... vines and paws.
Groooowl!
The sound of a hungry stomach echoed again. William and the two little ones laughed even louder.
"Alright, well... it's time for dinner!"
He wondered what quality his cooking would achieve this time. William was full of anticipation.