Jack glanced at Swinub while serving the mushroom stew into bowls.
Species: Swinub (Mew)
Type: Psychic
Ability: Synchronize
Known Moves: Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, Transform, Waterfall, Dragon Rush, Sludge Bomb, Dragon Dance...
Current Mood: Anticipatory
Physical Condition: Perfect
Friendship: 50 (It absolutely loved your Corn and Poek Rib Soup!)
Mew, the legendary ancestor of all Pokémon, was supposedly capable of learning every single move in existence.
It was truly a primordial Pokémon of immense power.
However, none of that legendary status excused stealing and eating someone else's Corn and Pork Rib Soup!
"Wait a second... if the black truffle was with Mew this whole time, then doesn't that mean the real Swinub in Viridian Forest has nothing left to guard?"
...Meanwhile, in Viridian Forest
The actual Swinub, who had struggled so hard to run back to her territory, immediately went to check if her precious black truffle was still safely hidden.
Pushing aside layer after layer of decaying leaves, Swinub searched frantically everywhere but couldn't find the black truffle anywhere.
Not here... nothing.
Not there... nothing either.
Where is my black truffle?!
The Swinub let out an anguished cry. (My black truffle!)
...Back at the Ranch
Jack carefully portioned out six servings of the mushroom stew.
There was still a generous amount of stew remaining in the pot.
He ladled one portion into a porcelain bowl and placed it carefully in a basket.
This black truffle had been under Swinub's protection, and Jack felt it was only right to save a portion for her.
"Mew's Blessing at max level randomly grants you an ability or power that doesn't originally belong to you. The effect of this dish seems incredibly powerful."
Jack placed the mushroom stew on the dining table.
Mew was still perfectly disguised as Swinub, happily freeloading food and shelter.
What a clever way of using borrowed resources for personal gain.
"Time to eat, everyone. Mushroom stew is served."
Meltan was the very first to take a bite.
Following closely behind, the disguised Mew, Bulbasaur, and Sandshrew all began eagerly eating the mushroom stew.
The dish didn't display any immediately obvious effects yet.
Seeing no instant reaction from the others, Jack also began savoring the delicious meal for himself.
The thick caps of the shiitake mushrooms had absorbed all the flavorful broth, and with just a light bite, the savory juices burst delightfully in his mouth.
The oyster mushrooms were like soft, tender clouds—smooth with just a hint of pleasant chewiness—while the enoki mushrooms, with their long, slender forms, intertwined beautifully and were wonderfully slippery on the tongue.
Combined with the complex flavors added by the various berries, each ingredient had its own unique characteristics yet somehow didn't clash at all.
It was absolutely delicious!
After finishing his meal, Sandshrew let out a deeply satisfied burp, and suddenly a strange, unfamiliar power began coursing through his entire body.
"What's wrong, Sandshrew?"
Sandshrew immediately ran outside, and Jack, sensing something unusual was happening, quickly followed after him.
Several massive, sharp blades suddenly shot up from the ground, soaring high into the sky while radiating intense heat and flames.
"Melo!" (Oh my goodness, isn't that Precipice Blades?)
Meltan instantly recognized the attack—this was the signature move of the legendary Pokémon Groudon.
[Species: Sandshrew]
Type: Ground
Ability: Sand Veil
Known Moves: Precipice Blades, Dig, Swift, Fury Cutter, Stomping Tantrum, Sand Attack, Hone Claws...
Current Mood: Confused
Physical Condition: Perfect
Friendship: 50 (He's starting to genuinely like you now)
"So this is the 'power that doesn't belong to him'?"
The effect of this S+ ranked dish was absolutely incredible—it had even replicated a legendary Pokémon's signature exclusive move.
Jack had initially thought the dish would just copy a small fraction of Mew's power.
But apparently, any ability or power that didn't originally belong to the consumer could potentially be obtained?
"Wait, the base stats are no longer being displayed. Is that because of eating the dish?"
Jack quickly checked Meltan's and Bulbasaur's status information as well.
[Species: Meltan]
Type: Steel
Ability: Magnet Pull
Known Moves: Double Iron Bash (Steel and Psychic type), Dynamax Cannon, Ice Shard, Dazzling Gleam (Affected by unknown factors; unable to learn additional moves)
Current Mood: Shocked
Physical Condition: Perfect
Friendship: 100 (You gave it life; it will remain your most loyal companion forever)
[Species: Bulbasaur]
Type: Grass/Poison
Ability: Overgrow (Primary), Flash Fire (Secondary)
Known Moves: Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Growth, Toxic, Leech Seed
Current Mood: Surprised
Physical Condition: Perfect
Friendship: 70 (He likes you quite a bit)
"So once they consume one of my special dishes, their base stats can no longer be viewed normally?"
And the effects of this particular dish were extraordinarily powerful!
Meltan's move set was already overpowered to begin with, and now Double Iron Bash had gained an additional Psychic typing on top of its Steel typing.
Who could possibly counter that combination now?
And that Flash Fire ability on Bulbasaur...
Although Jack didn't immediately recognize what it did, it certainly didn't seem like something a Grass-type Pokémon should naturally possess.
"Thank goodness they're all my Pokémon. If word about this got out to others, they'd probably want to dissect them for research."
"If anyone ever asks, I'll just say a friend gave them to me as gifts. Yeah, that'll work."
Jack couldn't help but wipe the nervous sweat from his forehead.
This dish had truly left Jack utterly astonished by its effects.
As for Mew's status...
Its information panel was far too complex and extensive.
Jack couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed from before. He couldn't even tell if an additional move had been added to its already massive repertoire.
Only its friendship level had increased by five points.
"Zhi Zhi!" (I feel like I've completely mastered this new move!)
"Bulbasaur~" (Me too! I feel like I'm not afraid of Fire-type moves anymore!)
"Melo—" (That's because of Jack's special cooking. It has the power to help us grow stronger.)
Meltan patiently explained the situation to the two newer Pokémon.
He had known from the beginning that Jack had come to the Pokémon world with some kind of special advantage, but he hadn't expected it to be quite this extraordinarily powerful.
This level of ability was basically equivalent to having cheat codes enabled, wasn't it?
"Do I not have any special powers or changes myself?"
The information panel had clearly stated that the dish would grant power that didn't originally belong to the consumer.
But Jack felt like he hadn't changed at all.
His legs still felt exactly the same as before.
His physical strength hadn't increased.
His eyesight and other senses didn't seem to have improved either.
He appeared to have absolutely no changes whatsoever from head to toe.
"Oh well, forget about it. I'll figure it out eventually, and it doesn't really matter even if I don't."
Jack calmly returned to the table to continue enjoying his mushroom stew.
Mew made a soft sound. (Well, I should probably get going now. See you next time!)
Mew had not only completely finished the mushroom stew in its own bowl but had also eaten every last drop of the stew remaining in the pot.
Now full and thoroughly satisfied, it intended to bid farewell to Jack and the others.
"Melo."
"Bulbasaur~"
"Zhi Zhi—"
The three Pokémon were still politely seeing off who they believed to be Swinub.
"Wait just a moment." Jack had also finished eating his portion.
He knew the full truth about the dish's effects now. It was time to address the real issue at hand.
"Mew, you stole my Corn and Pork Rib Soup, and you also took the real Swinub's black truffle. Did you honestly think you could just leave without any consequences?"
Mew froze mid-step, then slowly turned around to face Jack.
Jack took several large strides forward and stood directly in front of the disguised Mew.
"Melo—" (Wait, Mew was the one who stole the soup?)
The three Pokémon also quickly gathered around Mew, forming a semicircle.
It didn't matter if you were Mew, a legendary Mythical Pokémon, or some kind of dream deity.
Stealing someone else's food was absolutely wrong.
And not cleaning up the table afterward was even worse!
"You're coming with me to apologize to the real Swinub!"
Jack held up a basket firmly in his hand, which contained the carefully saved portion of mushroom stew.
Jack had even taken the time to warm it up again so it would be fresh.
"Mew~"
Soft, pink light began emanating from Swinub's body, and its brown, furry appearance transformed into that of a small, pink, cat-like creature.
It was Mew in its true form!
Mew spun playfully in the air, covering its mouth with one tiny paw while laughing mischievously.
Its long, slender tail kept floating and swaying back and forth.
It seemed to be taking Jack's stern words rather lightly.
"If you don't come with me right now, I won't cook anything special for you ever again."
Mew, who had just been acting so playful and carefree, immediately straightened its posture the instant it heard that it might lose access to Jack's cooking.
"Mew~ Mew~" Mew flew over and rubbed affectionately against Jack's cheek, displaying an obviously apologetic and pleading expression.
Jack finally allowed himself to relax and breathe a sigh of relief.
"Alright then, let's get going. Otherwise, the stew is going to get cold, and it won't taste as good."