A short while later, Chansey wheeled Swinub out of the emergency treatment room.
Swinub's condition had improved dramatically compared to before.
Swinub squealed softly, the bandages wrapped around her body making her visibly uncomfortable.
"Swinub, how are you feeling? Does it still hurt?"
Jack approached Swinub carefully, maintaining a respectful distance to avoid making her feel threatened.
Swinub turned her head away, looking quite aloof and distant.
Unfortunately for her, Jack had access to his special ability.
[Species: Swinub]
Type: Ice/Ground
Ability: Thick Fat
Known Moves: Icy Wind, Ice Shard, Earthquake, Rock Tomb, Ice Fang, Bite...
Base Stats: 250 (HP: 50; Attack: 50; Defense: 40; Sp. Atk: 30; Sp. Def: 30; Speed: 50)
Current Emotion: Confused
Physical Condition: Minor injury (recovering)
Friendship: 20 (She'll overlook the black truffle incident since you saved her life)
"Still acting like a tsundere, I see."
Jack pulled a round, glistening berry from his backpack. "This is for you."
Swinub, who had been hiding in the corner of the hospital bed, twitched her ears slightly. Her small eyes peeked out from beneath her thick fur to look at the berry, and her nose twitched as she tested the air.
But then she deliberately turned around, presenting her back to him.
"Don't you like it?"
Jack held the berry by its stem and shook it gently, causing its sweet aroma to spread even further through the room.
Just as Jack was about to put the berry back into his backpack, Swinub suddenly leaped from the bed, snatched the berry right out of his hand, and bolted toward the door.
Her small, fluffy body moved incredibly fast.
"Swinub, wait!"
Jack chased after her for a few steps, but she had already disappeared.
Only the fading sound of her tiny hooves echoed down the hallway.
He turned to Nurse Joy, who had just emerged from the emergency room, and couldn't help but ask with concern, "Will running off like that affect her injuries?"
Having just come out of emergency treatment, and even though his ability showed only minor injuries remaining, Jack was still somewhat worried.
Nurse Joy smiled warmly and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry. Pokémon have remarkably strong natural recovery abilities. She's almost completely healed already."
"That's a relief."
Jack let out a sigh of relief, then patted his bulging backpack.
He had spent the entire afternoon wandering through the forest.
His bag was now full of berries and mushrooms.
Although he hadn't been able to harvest the black truffle, he was still quite satisfied with the day's haul.
"Time to head home!"
After walking around for half the day, his legs felt heavy and tired.
Jack dragged his feet as he made his way back home.
"The leftover Corn and Spare Rib Soup from lunch should be enough for dinner. I'll just add one more dish..."
Right now, he just wanted to eat and collapse into bed. He didn't even have the energy to fire up the stove for anything elaborate.
He pushed open the kitchen door.
The soup bowl sat empty on the counter, containing only a few cleanly gnawed corn cobs and bone fragments.
"Meltan, Bulbasaur, Sandshrew—which one of you went into the kitchen? It's fine if you were hungry and ate it, but you should at least clean up after yourselves!"
"Melo—" (It wasn't me! I only ate half a bag of nuts!)
"Bulbasaur~"
Bulbasaur shook his head vigorously, indicating he definitely wasn't the culprit.
Jack's gaze, along with Meltan's and Bulbasaur's, all turned toward Sandshrew.
This made Sandshrew, who had only recently joined the household, quickly shake his head in denial.
The three Pokémon were called over for questioning, but none of them admitted to eating the Corn and Spare Rib Soup.
"None of you ate it?"
Jack picked up the trash bin to dispose of the scraps, wondering if perhaps a thief had somehow entered the house.
As he pondered various ways to catch the mysterious intruder, there came a "thump-thump" sound at the door.
Meltan scurried over to open it.
Outside stood the same Swinub who had run away earlier, this time holding a black truffle in her mouth. Its freshly cut surface gleamed with an oily sheen.
"Melo?" (Are you giving this to us?)
Meltan tilted its head curiously, examining the offering.
The little Swinub's bandages were completely gone, all her previous wounds had vanished entirely, and her fur looked smooth and shiny.
Swinub gently pushed the black truffle toward Meltan, rubbed her nose affectionately against Meltan's metallic body, and let out a soft, contented sound from her throat.
"Melo!"
Meltan's single eye lit up with excitement, and it immediately turned to call into the house, its tail tapping rhythmically against the ground.
Jack had just finished tidying up the table.
He turned around to see Swinub following Meltan inside and quickly went to greet her. "You recovered that quickly?"
Jack was genuinely surprised. The Pokémon Center's medical technology was truly remarkable.
They had completely healed a severely injured and unconscious Swinub in just about an hour.
He looked down at the black truffle that Meltan handed to him, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
This was a premium gourmet ingredient!
He couldn't help but wonder how delicious it would taste!
Swinub shook her head at him in what seemed like acknowledgment, rubbing her nose against the edge of his wicker basket while making soft sounds.
"This is for me?"
Swinub nodded her head in confirmation.
"Then I absolutely have to show off my cooking skills!"
Jack felt instantly energized.
The exhaustion from earlier seemed to have been completely chased away by this precious black truffle.
"This is the perfect opportunity for you to taste my cooking!"
"Melo—" (Jack's cooking is absolutely delicious!)
Meltan nodded enthusiastically beside him, its Metal Claw tapping excitedly on the table.
He had only been seriously learning to cook for two days now.
But Meltan had already come to accept that Jack's natural talent for gourmet cooking far surpassed his abilities in Pokémon battles.
Swinub nodded and followed Meltan deeper into the house.
Jack was now fully energized and motivated. With the black truffle in hand, the leftover Corn and Pork Rib Soup could definitely wait!
Swinub had brought him such an incredible gift—he absolutely had to demonstrate his culinary prowess!
"Just watch! I'm going to make Black Truffle Mushroom Stew! Bulbasaur, come help me!"
"Bulbasaur~"
The iron pot on the stove began to glow with intense heat.
Jack placed the freshly washed black truffle on the cutting board, and his knife fell with crisp "thud-thud" sounds.
Thin slices mixed with an incredibly rich aroma wafted out, causing Meltan to poke its head out from under the table, its nose—if it could be called that—sniffing continuously at the air.
"Bulbasaur, help me peel these berries." Jack gestured toward the berries with his chin.
Bulbasaur immediately wrapped its vines around the berries. Its pointed leaf tips sliced cleanly through the skin, revealing the vibrant orange-red flesh inside. Sweet juice dripped onto the cutting board, forming small glistening puddles.
Bulbasaur worked meticulously, even using its leaves to scrape away any bits of flesh that clung stubbornly to the berry seeds.
Meltan squatted beside the table, its small Metal Claw gripping the edge.
It carefully gathered all the berry peels that had fallen during the preparation, pushing them into a neat little pile.
Jack poured a generous spoonful of oil into the hot pot.
As the oil began to sizzle and pop, he gently tilted the porcelain bowl containing the sliced truffle along the rim of the pot. The black fragments tumbled into the hot oil, instantly releasing an even more intense and captivating aroma.
Then he added the berry pulp into the pot. The orange-red berry chunks hit the hot oil with a satisfying sizzle, and golden-brown edges quickly began to form around them.
Meanwhile, Meltan was still diligently working on cleaning up the mess scattered across the table.
Jack hadn't finished tidying earlier, so the task had fallen to the little Pokémon.
"Bulbasaur~" (The mushrooms are ready!)
Jack took the freshly cleaned mushrooms that Bulbasaur handed to him and tossed the entire bowl into the pot to stir-fry. The white mushroom caps absorbed the flavorful broth, gradually taking on a beautiful orange-red color.
He added another generous spoonful of clear water to the pot.
When he placed the lid on top, steam immediately began escaping through the small gaps, carrying with it the sweet, earthy scent of truffle mingled with berries. The aroma filled every corner of the kitchen.
Half an hour later, the mushroom stew was finally ready.
[Mushroom Stew (S+): A harmonious medley of various berries and mushrooms with perfectly intertwined flavors. The black truffle, infused with Mew's abundant life energy, acts as a natural flavor enhancer, elevating the dish's texture and purity of taste to extraordinary levels.
Dish Effect: Mew's Blessing (Max Level) - Randomly grants one ability or power that does not originally belong to you. This effect only activates upon first consumption.]
"Wait... why does this black truffle contain Mew's abundant energy?"