[Over-Salted Zhajiangmian (Rank C): A low-tier dish. The excessive salt has ruined the original flavor, yet it remains somewhat tasty.]
[Cooking Effect: Stamina Recovery (Medium), Salty LV1 (slightly increases internal salt levels, perhaps some Pokémon will like this).]
(T/N: Zhajiangmian is a Chinese dish. It's basically fried noodles with some extra stuff.)
His hand had slipped, but luckily he had made other dishes.
[Fried Egg (Rank C): A low-tier dish. The front looks like the sun. Pairing it with any other dish produces unusual effects.]
[Cooking Effect: Versatile, flavor changes depending on the paired dish.]
[French Fries (Rank C): Deep-fried puffed food. Eating these with a burger triggers a "Combo Effect."]
[Cooking Effect: After eating, Wingull will guide you to schools of fish. Strength Increase (Medium).]
It was exactly as Natsuki suspected: Any dish he prepared, even a simple fried egg, could manifest a trait or effect.
The power of his Golden Finger was beyond doubt. If he kept this up, he would become the most culinary-savvy Trainer-Rancher in the Pokémon world.
A Pokémon-version God of Cookery— he wondered if he could ever make glowing food like in the old anime...
As he pondered, Natsuki finished the meal by bringing the last item to the table: A soup whiter than milk, with a delicate fragrance.
Just by the smell, he knew this experiment was a success.
[Coconut Soup (Rank B+): A flawless dish. An exquisite pairing of coconut milk and side ingredients (chicken, carrots, corn).]
[Cooking Effect: Pokémon who eat this dish will gain the favor of the ocean (best for Water-types).]
B+ was the highest quality dish Natsuki had produced so far. Given the "flawless" description, he could only imagine how delicious it was.
This made him even more curious about the effect.
[Special Effect: A messenger of the Prince of the Sea, Manaphy, will arrive at the ranch in a few days to exchange a "Gift of the Blue Sea" for the Coconut Soup. Please take note.]
'Huh?'
Natsuki never expected a single dish to get him involved with Manaphy.
'A gift? What could it be?'
Unable to guess, Natsuki didn't dwell on it. He told the returning Kangaskhan and Minccino to wash their hands and get ready to eat.
The Zhajiangmian was indeed salty, and Minccino's little face wrinkled up immediately after one bite.
"If it's not good, don't force yourself. Try the Coconut Soup."
"Kangask-han!" Kangaskhan raised a hand after finishing a bowl, signaling she wanted more.
"Boss, isn't it too salty?" Even Natsuki found it hard to swallow without a fried egg, needing a gulp of water for every bite.
"Kan-long!" Kangaskhan shook her head, to her, as long as Natsuki made it, it was delicious.
"Then you can have Minccino's bowl of noodles too."
Beside them, Minccino's eyes sparkled after a sip of the Coconut Soup.
It carefully picked up its bowl and looked at Natsuki.
"Li-li!"
"It's good, right?" Natsuki patted it."There's more, don't worry about it running out."
He pointed to the container, which was still full. Given Minccino's small size, the level wouldn't even drop noticeably after it was full.
"Burp~ So full."
After eating and drinking their fill, Natsuki and the Pokémon lay on the grass, enjoying the post-meal bliss.
Unknowingly, Natsuki drifted off to sleep.
The afternoon sun gilded the sea with broken gold.
Waves carried sea foam onto the beach, where occasionally a red Magikarp would be stranded, using its useless Splash to hop around until a wave pulled it back into the ocean.
"Pah, you again, Magikarp."
In a corner of the beach, under a parasol, Natsuki's expression of annoyance was visible even behind his sunglasses.
He unhooked the Magikarp and grew angrier the more he thought about it.
Slap, slap, slap.
After three light taps on its head, he gave it a powerful throw, tossing the Magikarp back into the sea.
Five times. It had been five times already, and it was the same Magikarp every time.
It really thought this was an all-you-can-eat buffet.
'If it comes back again, I'm making Magikarp soup tonight!' Natsuki thought fiercely, though he quickly began packing up his rod.
He decided to move spots. He didn't believe the fish would follow him.
This time, he waited a full half-hour.
'No bites, no bites, still no bites...'
He could clearly see fish down there, but they just wouldn't take the bait.
'Since that's how it's going to be, don't blame me for playing dirty.'
To avoid getting "skunked," Natsuki had come prepared. He pulled a plastic bottle from his empty bucket, filled with golden, perfectly fermented kernels of corn.
[Fermented Corn (Rank D): A "pseudo-impressive" dish, the final shred of dignity for any fisherman.]
[Cooking Effect: Never Skunked. Has an extremely strong attraction toward fish and fish Pokémon.]
After baiting the hook and casting the line again, Natsuki also scattered a few kernels nearby as chum.
Now, all that was left was to wait for the final victory.
Natsuki shifted his gaze to the two little cuties not far away.
Kangaskhan and Minccino were sitting together building a sandcastle, which was already starting to take shape.
Just as Natsuki's attention drifted, the bobber shot downwards, and the rod doubled over.
A sneak attack!
That's fishing for you: When you stare at the line with total focus, nothing happens. The moment you zone out, it strikes, aiming for a total surprise.
Luckily, Natsuki's reflexes were sharp. He lunged forward and gripped the long rod.
Holding on for dear life, he stood upright, tightened the drag, and reeled while pulling the rod as high as he could.
Feeling the raw power vibrating through the rod, Natsuki's mood soared.
'This weight... it was definitely a big one.'
Fishing is essentially a duel, a war of attrition to see whose strength fails first. Especially with a big catch, you can't be impatient.
Half an hour later, Natsuki saw a dark shadow beneath the azure surface and knew the wrestling match was over.
He leaned back, his arms bursting with strength.
Beside him, Kangaskhan and Minccino watched with wide, blinking eyes, filled with curiosity.
Swish-swish-swish!
A silver arc exploded from the water. The dark shadow leapt uncontrollably from the sea, flying over Natsuki's head and landing on the sand.
A sea-blue Pokémon resembling a dinosaur stood on the beach, the hook caught in a gap in the shell on its back.
"Oh, it's a Lapras! No wonder it was so hard to reel in..."
Natsuki wiped the sweat from his forehead with a sigh of relief. Looking at its size, this one wasn't an adult yet.
If it had been a full-grown Lapras, he probably would've been the one getting reeled in.
As Natsuki marveled, the Lapras began angrily flapping its flippers.
It had been swimming perfectly fine when it was suddenly fished out. Any Pokémon would be ticked off.
Even a good-tempered Lapras was no exception.
A Water Gun was charging up.
Well, it stayed charging.
Before it could act, Minccino hopped onto its back and began hitting it repeatedly with its tail.
"Lapu!"
'Ouch, ouch, ouch! Wait, I'm one of the good guys!'