Since the late-night snack he planned to make was not complicated, Ange did not ask his disciples for help. Instead, he had them sit in the dining room and wait to eat.
After entering the kitchen, he prepared the necessary materials one by one.
Warm water, rock salt, light soy sauce, Dolliv oil, and so on; finally, there was the most important ingredient—Chansey eggs.
That was right; what Ange planned to make was steamed egg custard.
He had been reluctant to eat the Chansey eggs he bought from Mesagoza before, but today, to comfort his saddened disciples, he was finally willing to take them out!
A Chansey egg was very large, roughly the size of an ostrich egg Ange had seen in his previous life. Consequently, he only took three out of the five eggs, leaving the other two to be eaten later.
It was a late-night snack, after all, so they shouldn't eat too much.
Actually, three eggs were already quite a lot and could make many servings of custard. However, with a big eater like Munchlax and a glutton like Pawmi in the house, the amount from three eggs could only be described as barely enough.
Once the materials were ready, Ange got to work.
First was beating the egg liquid.
He gently cracked the Chansey eggshells and poured the liquid into a bowl. Just one egg filled more than half of a large sea bowl.
Ange took some chopsticks to stir, breaking up the egg whites and yolks while adding an appropriate amount of rock salt.
The strength used to stir the egg liquid had to be moderate. He couldn't beat it too vigorously, or the steamed custard would have bubbles, which would affect both the texture and the appearance.
After the egg liquid was beaten, he moved to the second step: adding warm water.
The ratio of warm water to egg liquid is best at 1:1 or 1:1.5. He noted that warm water must be used; cold water or boiling water would not work, especially boiling water.
He stirred the egg liquid and water thoroughly to make the two blend together.
Then came the third step: filtering the egg liquid.
He poured the stirred egg liquid through a sieve into bowls. This removed the unbeaten egg strings and bubbles, making the steamed custard smoother and more delicate.
Of course, if one found it troublesome, this step could be skipped, though it would slightly affect the texture.
Ange never liked taking shortcuts when it came to culinary arts, so he made sure to include this step.
After processing the egg liquid, Ange poured it into individual porcelain jars. He then added a few drops of Dolliv oil, light soy sauce, and other seasonings into each jar.
Finally, he covered them with lids and arranged the jars neatly in the steamer.
The reason for covering them was to prevent water droplets from the steamer from falling into the jars, which would ruin the custard's texture.
These porcelain jars were bought by Ange from the System Store. The pure white porcelain was patterned with blue cranes and auspicious clouds, looking elegant and ancient. Ange liked them very much.
The water in the steamer bubbled and boiled, and steam curled upward as Ange waited quietly.
At that moment, he felt something hugging him. He looked down and saw that it was Pawmi.
"Didn't I tell you all to wait in the dining room? Why did you run in here?"
Paw paw~
Pawmi hugged Ange's calf like a koala, trying its best to look up at the stove to see what delicious food Ange was making.
Ange bent down to pick it up and said helplessly, "How can you be such a glutton!"
About fifteen minutes later, the egg custard was steamed. Ange opened the steamer and removed the lids of the porcelain jars. He sprinkled black sesame seeds or finely chopped green onions into each jar. Later, the Pokémon could choose between the sesame or green onion versions according to their own tastes.
After finishing this, Ange took out a tray, put on gloves, and removed the jars from the steamer, placing them one by one on the tray. He then carried them into the dining room and shouted loudly, "Late-night snack is here!"
Pawmi impatiently chased after Ange.
Seeing Ange come out of the kitchen, Diancie and the others immediately stood up to help carry the jars. Ange quickly said, "Sit down, sit down. No need for your help."
Hearing this, Diancie and the others had no choice but to sit back down one by one.
Ange placed a jar of egg custard in front of Munchlax, Diancie, Drizzile, Komala, and Metagross.
The yellow and white egg custard in the jars was topped with a layer of golden oil, garnished with black sesame seeds or bright green onions. It looked very pleasing to the eye.
A light fragrance rose with the heat and slowly spread throughout the dining room. The Pokémon all subconsciously swallowed their saliva.
The egg custard that had just been set down wobbled and trembled slightly due to the vibration. Just looking at it made one imagine how tender and smooth it was.
Pawmi also zipped over to a chair next to Metagross. It stood upright on its hind legs, tiptoeing with its front paws resting on the table, looking at Ange expectantly.
Because it was too short to reach, it simply climbed directly onto the table.
As soon as Ange placed a jar in front of it, it couldn't wait to reach out and grab it. Ange quickly warned, "Careful, it's hot!"
Siss~ haa~
Just as Ange finished speaking, Pawmi was burned and quickly pulled back its hand, blowing on its fingers non-stop.
Ange said reproachfully, "Got burned, didn't you? Why are you in such a hurry? Look at everyone else, who is like you?"
Pawmi gave Ange a pleasing grin and finally learned its lesson. It no longer tried to grab the jar directly with its hands but instead picked up a spoon to taste it carefully.
Pawmi's behavior reminded Ange of when Munchlax first came home. Back then, as soon as it heard there was good food, it would be just as impatient as Pawmi, very frantic indeed.
However, after staying home for a long time and eating many delicious things, although Munchlax was still a big eater, it was no longer as hurried as before.
Looking at it now, it gently blew on the porcelain jar, then picked up the spoon nearby to scoop a piece, unhurriedly putting it into its mouth.
As soon as the tender egg custard entered its mouth, its delicate texture and smooth feel, accompanied by a light fragrance, danced around the palate. It was as silky as water flowing over fingertips. This fragrance was not strong, yet it didn't feel bland.
It was just right!
Munchlax closed its eyes happily, cupping its cheeks with its hands. The satisfaction on its face made Ange cry out "cute" in his heart.
Diancie, Komala, Drizzile, and Metagross all tasted it impatiently and were subsequently conquered by the flavor.
Ange also sat down, placed a jar in front of himself, took a spoon, and put a piece into his mouth.
The moment it entered his mouth, he was stunned.
Egg custard was delicious, and Ange had liked it in his previous life, but he hadn't expected it to be this good! Was this still a common jar of egg custard?
That was it! This egg custard was not common. Although the method was simple, its main ingredient was the delicious and nutritious Chansey egg. Plus, there was rock salt from Garganacl to bring out the flavor and Dolliv oil to add fragrance, so the deliciousness was magnified several times over.
The final result was this incredibly delicious jar of egg custard in front of Ange!
Sure enough, the saying that top-tier ingredients only need the simplest cooking methods was true!
Without realizing it, Ange increased the speed at which he ate the custard.
Munch~ One more bowl!
Paw paw~ More! More!
At this time, Munchlax and Pawmi had already finished one jar and were shouting at Ange while holding their licked-clean jars.
"Fine, fine, fine!"
With a doting look, Ange went to the kitchen to bring them each another jar.
Not long after, Diancie also finished a jar. She gently wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, her posture elegant.
"This is delicious. I like it," she said to Ange.
Ange said helplessly, "Even if it's delicious, we can't eat it every day. Ingredients of this level are hard to come by."
"That's true," Diancie nodded.
"Would you like another jar?" Ange asked.
"No, one jar is enough," Diancie shook her head. She was different from Munchlax and the others; even if she liked it, she didn't want to eat too much this late.
That would not fit her status as a royal lady.
Ange didn't force her, as he himself stopped after eating only one jar.
Haunt~ I want more too!
At this time, Haunter also spoke while holding up its empty jar.
Diancie rose from her chair upon hearing this. "I'll go get it for you," she said, entering the kitchen.
Soon, the dozen or so jars of egg custard Ange steamed were eaten until not a drop remained. Munchlax ate the most, followed by Pawmi, then Drizzile, Metagross, Haunter, and Komala. Ange and Diancie ate the least.
If Pawmi's stomach weren't so small, Ange suspected it would have eaten more than Munchlax.
With the healing power of delicious food, the moods of Munchlax, Drizzile, and Haunter indeed improved.
After cleaning the dishes, Ange and the others went back to their rooms to sleep.
The next day, the bright sunlight shone on the Nebel Plateau. A new day had begun.
The Altaria family and the Fletchinder family spread their wings and flew toward the east and west sides of the Nebel Plateau. Today, they officially took up their posts as the Sky Patrol, and they were all very excited.
Fle fle~
Fletchinder rapidly flapped its wings and streaked across the sky, with Talonflame and Staraptor following closely behind.
Ria ria~
Swablu also sang a pleasant song as it flew toward the clouds, while the two Altaria waved their cloud-like wings and soared into the sky.
They looked down at the Nebel Plateau and could see stretches of fruit orchards, neat wooden houses, Ange jogging below, and busy Pokémon.
On the fifth floor of the Secret Fortress, the Veluza were like swift arrows, jumping into the waterway one after another. They swam against the current toward Lake Nebel and led the Goldeen, Seaking, Magikarp, and Feebas toward the Great Waterfall.
Today's challenge was about to begin again!
Diancie had already come to feed them early in the morning.
Politoed, Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Azurill, and Marill woke up long after the Veluza had left. They leisurely went to Diancie's Grand Cafeteria for breakfast before going to work at the fishery.
The Poliwhirl sat on lily pads, watching the lake surface without blinking.
The Poliwag swam around in the water, checking the growth of the fish.
The Poliwrath stood like warriors on iron stakes, overlooking the situation below and guarding the Poliwhirl and Poliwag.
After breakfast, Croconaw, Buneary, Pachirisu, Deerling, and Bunnelby also took up their work posts.
Deerling and Bunnelby came to the chicken coop and scattered millet into the basins. The chicks immediately scrambled over to peck at it.
They recalled Teacher Metagross's teachings and knew they couldn't feed the chicks too much food, otherwise the chicks would keep eating until they were stuffed, or potentially even die from overeating.
After the millet was finished, the two Pokémon gave them water to drink. Then Bunnelby opened the door of the chicken coop, intending to let the chicks out for a walk.
However, these chicks were a bit dull. Even though Bunnelby had opened the door, none of them came out.
Did they want to lie down and sleep after being full? Bunnelby recalled that when it was full, it indeed wanted to find a burrow for a nap. Were the chicks the same?
But it couldn't let the chicks sleep.
Bunne bunne~
Bunnelby called out to Deerling.
Deerling understood. It leaped over the fence and easily jumped into the chicken coop. The chicks were instantly startled and ran out screaming.
As soon as the chicks left the coop, Bunnelby quickly chased after them. Deerling also jumped out of the coop and followed with swift steps.
Because it was their first time herding chicks, the two Pokémon had no experience. Dozens of chicks scattered and fled. Fortunately, Espathra happened to pass by. With its long legs, it chased down the chicks at extreme speed and gathered them all into one area.
Bunne bunne~
Deer deer~
Bunnelby and Deerling expressed their gratitude to Espathra before herding the chicks to wander around the grassland.
After herding for a while, they gained some experience and gradually became less frantic.
In comparison, Buneary, who was herding cattle, and Pachirisu, who was herding sheep, had it much easier.
Buneary had watched too much TV and wove a small straw hat to wear on its head, dressing up like a cowherd rabbit. It even used a tree vine to make a small whip.
After letting the two calves out, the calves moved slowly and didn't run around. they automatically looked for places with lush green grass and began to lower their heads to graze.
So Buneary climbed onto the back of one of the calves and sat there leisurely, feeling extremely relaxed. If any calf wanted to run elsewhere, it would flick its small whip, and the calves would immediately behave.
Pachirisu was the same; it was even more relaxed than Buneary. It sat on the back of a lamb. If any lamb dared to run around, it would shoot a bolt of lightning, and the lamb would immediately behave and go wherever they were told.
Seeing this, Buneary was very envious. It looked at the small whip in its hand and began to consider things very seriously.
Should I learn some Electric-type moves from Pachirisu?
Of course, the most miserable one had to be Croconaw.
After feeding the piglets, it also let them out. Teacher Metagross had said that pigs need to wander around a lot for their meat to taste good.
But the piglets were too lively. As soon as they left the pigsty, they started running wildly. Croconaw chased after them for a whole kilometer before the piglets finally stopped.
After using all its strength to restrain them, Croconaw led them to a mud puddle. The piglets immediately couldn't wait to jump in, rolling around and splashing mud all over Croconaw.
Croconaw thought: When can I transfer to be a guard!
When the piglets were finished playing in the mud, Croconaw drove them out, intending to take them to the river for a bath, only to get covered in mud again.
In the end, it took a bath in the river together with the piglets. One piglet almost ran into the deep water and drowned, but luckily it reacted quickly and fished it out.
Raising pigs was truly not easy!