Honk honk~
Honk honk~
While Ange was interacting with Camerupt and Rockruff, the two Oinkologne suddenly approached and tugged at his clothes, pulling him to the side.
"What is it, Oinkologne?" Ange asked, puzzled.
Honk honk~
Honk honk~
The two Oinkologne continued to pull on him forcefully.
Ange suddenly had a realization. "Did you find new ingredients again?"
Honk honk~
Honk honk~
Seeing that Ange understood them, the two Oinkologne jumped and bounced with excitement.
"Quick, take me there!" Ange was eager to see for himself.
Honk honk~
Honk honk~
The two Oinkologne immediately turned and ran in one direction. Ange followed quickly, waving goodbye to Camerupt and the others.
"Camerupt, Rockruff, Lycanroc, see you later! Everyone be careful next time!"
Cam cam~
Ruff ruff~
Roc~
The three Pokemon cried out in response, bidding Ange farewell.
Pawmi stood by Espathra's feet and patted its long leg.
Paw paw~ Were they talking about something tasty?
Espa~ Yes.
Espathra nodded.
Paw!!!
Pawmi's eyes lit up, and it immediately sprinted after Ange.
Espathra shook its head helplessly at the sight, then slowly followed with Arven on its back, accompanied by Mabosstiff.
Under the guidance of the two Oinkologne, the group arrived at a patch of sparse greenery where the ground was covered in a plant with leaves pressed close to the earth.
"This... isn't this Shepherd's Purse?" Ange exclaimed with surprise and delight.
Pawmi ran over and hugged Ange's leg, looking up to ask: Paw paw~ Shepherd's Purse? Is it tasty?
Ange knelt down and rubbed Pawmi's head. "We're having something delicious tonight!"
Paw!!!
Pawmi's eyes sparkled at the news, and it began picking plants without even waiting for Ange's instructions.
Ange hurriedly stopped it. "Hey, hey—you're picking the wrong one. That's just a regular weed!" He picked a real Shepherd's Purse to show Pawmi. "This is what you're looking for!"
Paw~
Pawmi quickly threw away the weed and bent down to pick a proper one from its feet to show Ange.
Ange laughed. "That's the one!"
Pawmi happily resumed its picking with renewed vigor.
Arven slid down from Espathra's back. "I'll help too."
The group began to harvest the plants cheerfully.
The meadow was full of Shepherd's Purse, and although other wild vegetables were mixed in, they were few in number.
As Ange picked, he instructed everyone, "Only pick the tender ones. Don't take the ones that have flowered or grown stalks."
He pointed out a Shepherd's Purse that had already bolted and flowered as an example.
Paw~ Got it!
"Okay!"
Espa~ Mhm~
Everyone nodded in response to Ange.
Soon, they had gathered a large crate full of Shepherd's Purse. Espathra was particularly efficient; using its psychic powers, it could harvest an entire patch at once, collecting more than everyone else combined.
Seeing that it was getting late, Ange stored the overflowing crate into his system space and said to Arven and the Pokemon, "We should head back. It'll be dark soon!"
Because of the unique terrain of the Great Crater of Paldea, the days were much shorter than the nights, and it grew dark very early.
"Coming!"
Arven was the first to reach Ange's side and nimbly climbed onto Espathra's back.
The group marched back in a grand procession. When they passed the entrance of Area Zero, the guards saw Ange returning safely and breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's good that you're safe. If you were any later, I would have had to send a team in to find you."
Ange said sheepishly, "I lost track of time. I'm sorry for making you worry."
The guard nodded with a smile. "As long as you're fine. Just don't stay out so late next time. The Pokemon in the lower layers are not to be trifled with."
There were many down there that even the guards didn't dare provoke.
Ange nodded. "Understood."
He waved goodbye to the guards.
By the time they returned to Research Station No. 1 in the upper layer, the sun was just beginning to set. Just like at noon, Diancie had already arranged the tables and chairs, waiting for Ange and the others to return and cook.
Ange walked over to Diancie and asked, "How did the experiment go this afternoon?"
"It's mostly finished," Diancie replied.
Ange nodded with a smile. "That's good. Let's start cooking. We're eating something fresh tonight."
"What are we having?" Diancie asked with interest.
"Dumplings!" Ange replied. "Since we picked wild Shepherd's Purse today, we're going to make dumplings!" He pulled the crate of vegetables from his backpack.
Diancie had truly never eaten dumplings before. It picked up a plant from the crate and asked: "Are dumplings tasty?"
Ange said mysteriously, "You'll know once you eat them."
Diancie pouted. "Fine, keep your secrets."
Next, Ange summoned Munchlax and Drizzile from home.
Lately, Munchlax would finish its chores and prepare meals for the other Pokemon at home early every day, then sit on the front steps waiting for its master's summons.
It was not only diligent itself but also constantly nagged Drizzile to join in, nearly driving Drizzile to its wit's end.
As soon as it reached Ange, Munchlax threw itself into his arms and acted spoiled.
Munch munch~ Master, I haven't seen you in half a day. I missed you so much!
Ange patted the back of its head dotingly. "Alright, alright, I missed you too!"
Munchlax felt wonderful hearing those words.
Ange: "Okay, let's start cooking!"
Munch munch~
Fully recharged by its master's words, Munchlax was full of energy and raised its fist in response.
Then, it seemed to remember something and fumbled around its belly for a moment, pulling out two Poke Balls.
Munch~ Master, for you!
Munchlax handed the Poke Balls to Ange. When he opened them, two Charcadet emerged.
"Charcadet, how do you like it at home?" Ange asked with a beaming smile.
Chaka~
Chaka~
The two Charcadet were very happy, holding hands and circling around Ange.
They loved their new home. Everyone was friendly, and the house was very comfortable; they never had to worry about getting rained on again.
Their room even had a charcoal brazier that Ange had specially asked Munchlax to arrange. It was filled with charcoal, and they could sleep right on top of it.
Their natural high body temperature could ignite the charcoal, and the burning coals provided them with energy. Sleeping in the brazier was incredibly comfortable.
Ange said with a laugh, "I'm glad you like it. I'll have to trouble you to help with the cooking again today."
Chaka~
Chaka~
The two Charcadet nodded vigorously.
Next, Ange began assigning tasks.
"Munchlax, could you please help knead some dough?"
Munch~
Munchlax took this as a major mission, nodding with a determined face before taking a bag of flour and water to a nearby table to get to work.
"Arven, you, Diancie, and Pawmi can clean and prep the Shepherd's Purse," Ange continued.
"No problem!"
"Okay!"
Paw!
Arven, Diancie, and Pawmi answered simultaneously.
Finally, Ange looked at Drizzile. "Drizzile, you'll be in charge of washing the vegetables."
Driz driz~ Leave it to me!
Drizzile confidently gave Ange an OK gesture. It grabbed a basin, walked to the side, and pointed its finger to fill the basin with water.
As for Espathra, Oinkologne, and Mabosstiff, they just had to wait to eat.
The two Charcadet weren't busy yet either.
Having finished the assignments, Ange released the Scovillain family and let them play in the nearby grass so they could get familiar with everyone.
Ange himself walked to another table. He took out a large piece of pork and placed it on the cutting board. Today, he was making pork and Shepherd's Purse dumplings.
Ange took out a knife and finely chopped the meat into a mince.
Because it was for dumplings, the meat didn't need to be chopped too finely.
In his past life, the frozen dumplings Ange bought from the supermarket used meat ground by machines into a paste, which lacked any soul.
Ange felt that hand-chopped meat, which retained a bit of texture, was the best.
By the time the meat was ready, Diancie and the others had finished prepping the vegetables.
Seeing this, Ange said to the Charcadet, "Could you please boil a pot of water?"
Chaka~
Chaka~
The two Charcadet nodded repeatedly and ran under the pot Ange had prepared, their bodies erupting with bright red flames.
Meanwhile, Ange soaked the washed Shepherd's Purse in water mixed with salt.
The salt was rock salt from Garganacl. He noticed that after soaking, the color of the vegetables seemed even more vibrant, almost emerald green.
Once the water boiled, he blanched the soaked vegetables in the pot. He took them out after about 30 seconds, drained them, and chopped them up for later use.
Next was the meat filling.
He added Garganacl's rock salt, oyster sauce, eggs, pepper, light soy sauce, and starch to the meat. After stirring it well, he added scallions and ginger in stages, continuing to stir until the filling was springy.
By now, Arven, Drizzile, Diancie, and Pawmi had finished their work and gathered around. Pawmi was too short, so it stood on its tiptoes but still couldn't see. Helplessly, Diancie had to pick it up and hold it.
Paw~
Pawmi happily kicked its legs in Diancie's arms.
Seeing Drizzile and Arven watching intently, Ange began to explain the seasoning steps in detail. Both the human and the Pokemon listened with great interest.
Once the pork filling was seasoned, he added the chopped Shepherd's Purse and a suitable amount of oil from Dolliv, stirring until everything was thoroughly combined.
"Munchlax, is the dough ready?" Ange called out after setting the filling aside.
Munch munch~ Ready! Ready!
Munchlax trotted over, carrying a basin of dough.
"Great, let's roll out the wrappers!"
Ange moved to another table, sprinkled some flour, and took the dough from Munchlax. He rolled it into long strips and cut them into even pieces.
He bought a rolling pin from the System Store and got to work.
Ange was highly skilled at rolling wrappers. In no time, a pile of nearly identical dumpling wrappers appeared—thick in the middle and thin at the edges, perfect wrappers.
Watching Ange's smooth movements, Munchlax was filled with admiration and quickly said:
Munch munch~ Master, let me try! Let me try!
Ange readily handed over the rolling pin. "Sure, give it a go!"
Munchlax excitedly took the pin, recalled Ange's movements, and began rolling with great enthusiasm.
Since it didn't quite have the knack for it, the first wrapper Munchlax rolled was not only oddly shaped but also full of holes.
Driz driz~ Hahaha~ So ugly!
Drizzile mocked Munchlax without hesitation.
"How about you try then?" Ange suggested.
Drizzile looked confident.
Driz driz~ You can't stump me. I'm amazing!
"Alright, let's see how amazing you are!" Ange said, buying another rolling pin for Drizzile.
As it turned out, Drizzile was no better than Munchlax. Its first wrapper was just as misshapen and riddled with holes.
Munch munch~ Hahaha~ Look at you!
Now it was Munchlax's turn to laugh at Drizzile.
"Now you know it's not that easy, right?" Ange said with a laugh, then began teaching his two disciples the proper technique.
Both Pokemon were very perceptive. Before long, they successfully rolled out wrappers. Although not as pretty as Ange's, they were perfectly usable.
"Alright, the task of rolling the wrappers is yours. We'll start folding them," Ange said.
Munch! Munchlax nodded.
Driz driz~ Drizzile gave Ange a thumbs-up.
Ange laid out the wrappers one by one, added a suitable amount of filling, and began folding them with practiced ease. In the blink of an eye, a beautiful dumpling was finished.
The dumpling was plump, and the pleats on top were as pretty as a skirt—even and neat.
"Is this a dumpling?" Diancie carefully cupped the dumpling Ange had made in its hands, its eyes full of surprise. "It's so beautiful!"
Pawmi was also full of curiosity and reached out to poke the dumpling's belly, but Diancie slapped its hand away.
"Don't touch it! You'll break it!"
(ó﹏ò) Paw~ Pawmi held its hand with a wronged expression.
"Brother Ange, can I help too?" Arven asked.
"Of course, I'll teach you." As he folded, Ange explained the steps to Arven.
Arven was quite talented. Under Ange's guidance, he soon folded his first dumpling. While not as beautiful as Ange's, it at least looked the part and the wrapper didn't tear.
"Not bad," Ange praised. "With more practice, they'll look even better."
"Mhm, got it." Arven nodded happily and continued with a second one. Being a beginner, his speed was quite slow.
Ange's hands were a blur as one beautiful dumpling after another took shape. He checked on Arven occasionally, and seeing that Arven was doing well, he focused on his own work.
Soon, Munchlax and Drizzile finished rolling the wrappers. Ange began teaching his two disciples how to fold dumplings. At first, they couldn't get it right either, and many oddly shaped dumplings were born, but gradually, they got the hang of it.