[Over-Salted Fried Bean Sauce Noodles (C): A low-tier dish. Because too much salt was added, the original flavor was damaged, yet it can still be considered a passable meal.
Cooking Effect: Stamina Recovery (Medium), Salty LV1, slightly increases the salt content within the body—perhaps certain Pokémon will quite like it.]
His hand had slipped—fortunately, he had prepared other dishes as well.
[Pan-Fried Egg (C): A low-tier dish, sunny-side up like a small sun. It can be paired with almost any dish to produce unusual effects.
Cooking Effect: Variable. A versatile, all-purpose dish whose flavor changes depending on what it is paired with.]
[French Fries (C): A puffed, deep-fried dish. When eaten together with a hamburger, it will trigger a combo effect.
Cooking Effect: "Let's Grab Some Fries at the Dock" (After eating, Wingull will guide you toward schools of fish; Strength increases (Medium)).]
Just as Silas had guessed, any dish he made, even something as simple as a fried egg—could produce special effects.
The power of his cheat ability was now beyond any doubt.
If things continued this way, he would likely become the Pokémon world's greatest gourmet-savvy Trainer and ranch owner.
A Pokémon-version culinary god—though he still wasn't sure whether he could cook glowing dishes.
Back when he watched Cooking Master Boy, he had really wanted to try those.
As these thoughts drifted through his mind, Silas's hands never stopped moving. He brought the final dish to the table—a soup, its liquid even whiter than milk, with a gentle fragrance curling around his nose.
Just from the aroma alone, Silas knew this experiment had been a success.
[Coconut Milk Soup (B+): A flawless dish. The exquisite pairing of coconut milk with supplementary ingredients (chicken, carrots, corn).
Cooking Effect: "Oh, the Sea!"]
"Oh, the sea…"
What kind of bizarre cooking effect was that supposed to be?
B+—the highest-quality dish Silas had produced so far. Just the words "flawless" were enough to convey how delicious it must be.
Because of that, Silas grew even more curious about its effect.
[Oh, the Sea!: Pokémon who consume this dish will gain the favor of the sea (Water-type Pokémon benefit the most).
Special Effect: The messenger of His Highness Manaphy, Prince of the Sea, will arrive at the ranch in the near future and exchange a Gift of the Sea for coconut milk soup. Please stay alert.]
Hm?
Silas had never imagined that a single dish could be connected to Manaphy.
And it even involved sending a messenger.
Not to mention a "Gift of the Sea"—what could that possibly be?
Unable to figure it out, Silas decided not to dwell on it further.
He called Kangaskhan and Minccino back, had them wash their hands, and prepared to eat.
The Fried Bean Sauce noodles were truly salty—after one bite, Minccino's little face scrunched up immediately.
"If it doesn't taste good, don't force yourself. Try the coconut milk soup instead."
"Kang~"
Kangaskhan raised her hand after finishing an entire bowl of noodles, signaling that she wanted more.
"Kangaskhan, isn't it salty?"
Even Silas himself found it hard to swallow without pairing it with a fried egg—each bite required a huge gulp of water.
"Kang!"
Kangaskhan shook her head. To her, anything Silas cooked with his own hands was delicious.
"Then you can have Minccino's bowl of noodles too."
Beside them, Minccino took a sip of the coconut milk soup, and her eyes instantly lit up. She carefully held the bowl and looked toward Silas.
"Min!"
"It's really good, right?" Silas said as he patted her gently. "And don't worry—there's plenty more."
He pointed at the container filled to the brim with coconut milk soup.
With Minccino's tiny size, even drinking her fill wouldn't make much of a dent.
"Burp~ I'm so full."
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Silas and the Pokémon lay down on the grass, enjoying a blissful post-meal rest.
Before he knew it, Silas closed his eyes.
…
The afternoon sun coated the sea in golden shimmer. Waves wrapped in foam crashed against the shore, and from time to time, a red fish would be stranded on the sand, flopping uselessly while using Splash, before being carried back into the ocean by the waves.
"Pfft—again? You, Magikarp."
In one corner of the beach, under a sun umbrella, even sunglasses couldn't hide Silas's speechless expression.
Removing the Magikarp from his hook, Silas grew more and more annoyed.
Smack smack smack—three loud slaps, then with a powerful throw, he tossed the Magikarp back into the sea.
Five times. Already five times.
And it was the same Magikarp every single time.
It had really started treating this place like an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Try coming again—come again and tonight you're becoming Magikarp soup.
Silas thought viciously, yet his hands smoothly reeled in the line.
He changed spots. Surely it wouldn't come again.
This time, he waited a full half hour.
No bite. No bite. Still no bite.
He could clearly see fish—but none of them were biting.
In that case, don't blame him for using underhanded tactics.
To avoid returning empty-handed, Silas had prepared in advance.
From the empty fish bucket, he took out a plastic bottle filled with plump, golden-yellow fermented corn kernels.
[Fermented Corn (D): A mysteriously powerful dish—the last shred of dignity for anglers.
Cooking Effect: Absolutely No Empty-Handed Runs. Extremely attractive to fish and fish Pokémon.]
Not only did Silas bait the hook with fermented corn, he also scattered some around to lure them in.
Now all that was left was to wait—wait for ultimate victory.
Meanwhile, Silas's gaze shifted to two cuties not far away.
Kangaskhan and Minccino sat cross-legged, building a sandcastle that was already taking shape.
Just as Silas slightly turned his head, the float suddenly sank—and the fishing rod bent sharply downward.
He'd been ambushed!
Fishing was like that: stare at it with full concentration and nothing happens.
But the moment you get distracted—bam, a sneak attack. Surprise was the name of the game.
Fortunately, Silas reacted quickly. With sharp eyes and swift hands, he grabbed the rod.
He braced it firmly, spinning the reel to let out line while raising the rod upright.
Feeling the force transmitted through the rod, Silas's mood instantly improved.
It was heavy—definitely a big catch.
Fishing was all about combat, a tug-of-war to see whose strength gave out first.
Especially with a big fish—you couldn't rush it.
Half an hour later, staring at the dark silhouette beneath the azure sea surface, Silas knew the contest was over.
Leaning back, he exerted all his strength with both arms.
Nearby, Kangaskhan and Minccino blinked rapidly, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
The water exploded into a silvery arc. The dark shape beneath the surface was forcibly yanked out of the sea, flying over Silas's head before landing on the sand.
A Pokémon resembling a plesiosaur, its body a deep ocean-blue, stood on the beach, the fishhook lodged in the gap of the shell on its back.
"Oh—so it was a Lapras! No wonder it was so hard to reel in."
Silas wiped the sweat from his forehead in relief.
Judging by its size, this Lapras wasn't fully grown. If it had been an adult, who would've caught whom was anyone's guess.
But just as Silas was sighing in amazement, Lapras angrily slapped its flippers.
It had been swimming peacefully in the sea and suddenly got hooked—any Pokémon would be furious.
Even a gentle-natured Lapras was no exception.
A Water Gun was being charged.
Mm!
Well—it only managed to charge it.
Before it could act, Minccino hopped onto its back, her tail tapping down repeatedly.
"Lap!"
(Ouch ouch ouch! Sir, I'm innocent, I swear!)
(End of Chapter)