A luxurious fruit platter, a work meal heavy on oil and salt, and freshly squeezed fruit juice with a hint of floral nectar added in.
Silas quickly finished preparing lunch, yet his movements did not stop there. He planned to make a special dish as a reward for the three Meowth. Being able to finish the entire harvest in a single morning was largely thanks to their help—nearly all of the picking work had been carried by the Meowth themselves. They had worked especially hard from start to finish, and Silas had seen every bit of it.
So the question was—what kind of food do cats like?
Lasagna, pizza, cake… Ah, that's it.
Silas suddenly thought of a certain round, blue, robotic cat's favorite food.
He cracked three rooster eggs into a bowl, added granulated sugar, floral nectar, Moomoo milk, and a small amount of corn oil, then mixed everything thoroughly until smooth. Next, he sifted in flour that had been mixed with baking powder, folding it into the liquid before stirring again until evenly combined. The batter was then set aside to rest.
He moved on to preparing the filling. Taking out a portion of sun-dried red beans, he boiled them over high heat until cooked through, then mashed them into a paste. He transferred the paste into a hot pan, added sugar, and continuously stir-fried it until the sugar melted completely. After that, he added a small chunk of butter to enhance the aroma and richness. Once the red bean paste clumped together into a cohesive mass, the filling was complete.
With that done, Silas began the final step—spreading the batter into round pancake skins one by one. After the pancakes cooled slightly, he sandwiched the red bean paste between two matching skins.
Ta-da—one dish beloved by a certain mechanical cat was complete.
At the same time, the cooking information appeared before his eyes.
[Dorayaki (B): A food dearly loved by a certain blue chubby cat. When consumed by Cat-type Pokémon, it may produce unexpected and magical effects.]
Dish Effect: Fourth-Dimensional Pocket: Toss one dorayaki into the fourth-dimensional pocket as a gift to Doraemon, and you may borrow one magical tool from him.]
"Uh!"
Silas blinked hard. This was already the third time something like this had happened, and he wasn't even surprised anymore. After all, effects like Century Soup Flavor from Morel Mushroom Chicken Soup and Tempered Transformation from Dragon Scale Jelly had already shown up, so adding a other dimensional effects wouldn't be a big deal.
"Kangaskhan, Cyclizar, come help bring the dishes out," he called loudly toward the kitchen entrance. The two Pokémon quickly trotted inside.
After they picked up the various dishes from the counter, Silas followed behind them carrying the plate of dorayaki. They arrived at the small dining table and took their seats.
All the Pokémon were already sitting obediently in their places, waiting eagerly for mealtime.
Gesturing for them to stay calm for a moment, Silas placed the dorayaki in front of the Meowth.
"Meow?"
The Alolan Meowth tilted its head in confusion.
"This is something I made especially to thank you for harvesting the coffee beans together," Silas explained. "Without your full effort, there's no way we could have picked so many beans in just one morning."
Seeing the Meowth still hesitating, Minccino suddenly hopped over and reached out with its little paws to grab one.
"Min~"
(I'll help the Meowth taste it first~)
Silas gently held Minccino back, then looked at all the Pokémon. "Since everyone's here today, I have an idea I want to tell you all."
As soon as he finished speaking, whether it was the Meowth hesitating over whether to eat, the Morpeko beside them stuffing its face enthusiastically, or Kangaskhan and Minccino nearby, all eyes turned toward him.
"I'm planning to establish a little red flower reward system. Every time you receive praise from me, you'll earn one little red flower. Once you collect ten, you can come to me and exchange them for one small wish!"
"As long as it's something within my abilities, I'll do my best to fulfill it."
"Min—!"
Minccino was shocked and immediately expressed that it wanted a whole table full of small desserts. Just imagining it made Minccino drool uncontrollably.
The other Pokémon also began imagining their own wishes, each one gazing at Silas with shining eyes and renewed motivation.
As if by magic, three small red paper flowers appeared in Silas's palm. He gently affixed one to the chest of each Meowth, like precious medals of honor, instantly drawing envy from the surrounding Pokémon.
The three Meowth lowered their heads in unison, covering the little red flowers with their paws as if protecting priceless treasures. This was a kind of care they had never experienced before.
At this moment, the Meowth finally felt truly integrated into the ranch, opening their hearts completely to Silas.
"Meowth!"
The regular Meowth picked up a dorayaki and took a huge bite, tilting its head up at a forty-five-degree angle to keep its eyes from watering.
It was too delicious, meow… waaah…
Soon after, the Alolan Meowth and Galarian Meowth also took bites, letting out the same heartfelt reaction.
Beside them, Silas blinked. Where was the fourth-dimensional pocket?
Unable to help himself, he asked, "Do you feel any changes in your body? Meowth?"
The Galarian Meowth shook its head, followed closely by the regular Meowth. Only the Alolan Meowth looked left and right—it felt like the spatial pouch it carried had become heavier.
The Alolan Meowth slowly opened it, and all the Pokémon turned their gaze toward it. Carefully, the Alolan Meowth pulled the pouch open.
In the next instant, a round, ball-shaped arm extended from inside the pouch and precisely snatched the last remaining dorayaki on the table. Before anyone could react, the round hand swiftly retracted back into the pouch, and a tablecloth was tossed out, landing in the Alolan Meowth's hands.
"Meow?"
The Meowth was first confused—then utterly shocked.
The delicious dorayaki had been stolen, meow!!!
Silas stepped forward to comfort the Meowth, his fingers brushing against the suddenly appeared tablecloth.
[Super Gourmet Tablecloth (Remaining Rental Time: 60 minutes): Simply spread out the tablecloth and speak the name of the food you want. After consuming equivalent ingredients, the corresponding dish will appear on the tablecloth.]
Good grief!
As long as the raw ingredients were prepared, finished dishes could appear instantly.
After Silas explained the Super Gourmet Tablecloth's effects to the Pokémon, they all eagerly wanted to try it.
"Meow!"
The Alolan Meowth generously spread out the tablecloth, signaling that everyone was free to give it a try!
The Pokémon then looked toward Silas, hoping for his approval. He didn't want to dampen their excitement, but producing too much food that couldn't be eaten wouldn't be good either.
"Each of you can choose only one dish," he said, "and you have to eat it all—no wasting food."
"Kang~"
"Min!"
"Cyc!"
"Morpe~"
The Pokémon nodded in unison, showing that they understood.
Minccino was the first to bravely try, making a wish to the Super Gourmet Tablecloth. Moments later, a small cake covered in matcha cream appeared. At the same time, two eggs laid moments ago in the ranch's chicken coop vanished into thin air, along with some flour and other ingredients.
The Super Gourmet Tablecloth skipped the entire cooking process.
Minccino took a few small bites, frowned slightly, then turned to Silas with a sheepish grin.
"Min~"
(Your cooking is still the best and most delicious, Silas.)
The other Pokémon followed suit. Kangaskhan asked for a steak, Cyclizar ordered a plate of vegetable salad, and Mudsdale wished for an extra-large mud cake. Each of them received exactly what they wanted, but the taste was far inferior to Silas's handmade dishes.
Before long, the Pokémon lost interest in the tablecloth. On the contrary, Silas found it quite useful—having it help process ingredients or juice fruits wasn't bad at all.
It was genuinely practical.
What a pity that it only lasted for sixty minutes.
(End of Chapter)