[Rich Sour Poké Poffin (C): A delicious dessert made by a beginner using Berries and Moomoo Milk. Although the flavor is somewhat lacking, it is deeply loved by certain Pokémon.
Dish Effect: Sturdy LV1 — when consumed over a long period of time, the Pokémon's body will gradually become stronger.]
Being able to reach the rich tier on his very first attempt showed that Silas's talent in cooking was far from low.
The quality tiers of Poké Poffins, from lowest to highest, were: Inedible, Thick, Rich, Fragrant, and Ultra-Fragrant, five levels in total.
Closing the panel in front of him, Silas looked toward Noivern ahead, his expression full of anticipation as he asked,
"How is it? Does it suit your taste?"
"Noi!"
Noivern happily nodded. It really liked the sour flavor, rubbing its ferocious-looking head against Silas's chest. Gently stroking it, Silas smiled and said, "As long as you like it. Go ahead and finish the rest too."
"Noi!"
With his approval, Noivern began eating one Poké Poffin after another, a satisfied smile spreading across its face. The sour fruity aroma mixed with a faint milky fragrance was something Noivern loved immensely.
"Teacher Silas, you're amazing!"
The Alolan chef who had followed along praised him enthusiastically, giving a thumbs-up. As expected of the cooking god highly recommended by Chef Siebold—this learning ability was simply unbeatable.
Because of this, he became even more serious about teaching Silas, hoping that through guiding him, he might also find the reason why he himself was unable to make Ultra-Fragrant Poké Poffins.
"Haha~" Silas chuckled softly. His golden finger really worked—it could enhance Poké Poffins after all.
That meant that no matter what flavor of Poké Poffin he made in the future, he could use the panel's description to find Pokémon that liked it.
Then he could lure them all back to the ranch, hehe!
From now on, when he went into the wild, Pokéblocks in his left hand and Poké Poffins in his right—Pokémon from all under heaven would fall right into his net.
"Teacher Silas, that's basically how Poké Poffins are made. The rest just requires a lot of practice," the Alolan chef said.
"Great! I can't wait to get started."
And so, for the entire day, Silas stayed in the dessert shop helping out, adjusting different combinations of Berries to create Poké Poffins of various flavors. With the panel available to him, he could clearly see the different effects attached to each Poké Poffin.
Every customer who came to the dessert shop that day left fully satisfied, their Pokémon happily hugging their favorite Poké Poffins as they departed.
A fulfilling day passed in the blink of an eye. Silas took out the last batch of Poké Poffins from the oven. A rich, spicy aroma spread through the air, and pink-colored spicy Poké Poffins appeared before his eyes. Just from the smell alone, Silas wore a satisfied smile.
Success.
Fragrant-quality Spicy Poké Poffins.
A whole day of practice had not been in vain.
The Alolan chef beside him was already stunned. The gap between people could really be this huge. He could still understand making rich-quality Poké Poffins on the first try—after all, that was just talent in cooking.
But what truly shocked him was Silas's repeated growth and improvement afterward. In just a single day, he had produced fragrant-quality Poké Poffins.
Back then, it had taken the Alolan chef more than a year to achieve fragrant quality. Only after that had he opened this dessert shop that became wildly popular across the entire Alola League.
The cooking effects of the Poké Poffin appeared before Silas's eyes.
[Fragrant Spicy Poké Poffin (B): A brand-new creation by a beginner. The spicy flavor is deeply loved by certain Pokémon.
Dish Effect: Spicy Heat LV2 — when placed in the wild, it will attract nearby Pokémon that like spicy flavors. When consumed long-term, Pokémon will become more handsome and elegant.]
Not bad at all.
Making Pokémon more handsome—Silas immediately thought of Pyroar. It would definitely like this. Maybe he could even use the cooking effect to lure a few more female Pyroar from elsewhere and further expand the size of the pride.
Casually placing the Poké Poffin into the Poké Poffin box, Silas saw that it was already filled with many Poké Poffins, all made according to the tastes of Kangaskhan and the others. He couldn't wait to bring them back for all his Pokémon to try.
"See you tomorrow!"
Waving goodbye to the Alolan chef, Silas mounted Noivern. Noivern lowered its body to make it easier for him to climb on, the white fur around its neck wrapping him snugly.
"NOOOI—"
With a high-pitched cry, Noivern shot straight into the sky.
At the same time, down below, after Silas had left, the Alolan chef closed the dessert shop and went off with Oranguru to enjoy their time off. When the shop was empty and quiet, a shadow silently appeared inside, snatching a blue Poké Poffin from the counter.
"Nom~ (≧▽≦)ノ"
Meanwhile, on the other side, Noivern carried Silas across the sea and returned to the vacation grounds. After not seeing him for a whole day, a group of Pokémon immediately surrounded Silas.
"Kang~"
"Min!"
"Cyc~"
"Meow~"
"Maa~"
"Noi!"
"Morp~ Morpe~"
"..."
There were too many to pet—he couldn't possibly pet them all at once.
Silas had no choice but to go around and stroke each one in turn, then took out the Poké Poffin box to divert their attention.
"I brought gifts for all of you!" Opening the Poké Poffin box, a special fragrance spread out. "These were all made by me today."
"Min~"
(Delicious sweets! Silas, I want some!)
The greedy Minccino eagerly raised its little hands, acting cute as it begged. Pinching its big ears, Silas picked up a pink Poké Poffin and handed it over. This was a sweet Poké Poffin made from Pecha Berries and Mango Berries. Minccino took a bite and immediately fell in love with it.
Its round eyes squinted shut as it rubbed against Silas's chest affectionately.
"As long as you like it."
Smiling, Silas gave it another gentle pinch, then began sharing Poké Poffins with all the other Pokémon. Kangaskhan received the fragrant spicy Poké Poffin—it tasted great, though it was a bit spicy for her. Cyclizar, Mudsdale, and all the others received Poké Poffins from Silas as well.
Watching the Pokémon nearby and seeing the excited smiles on their faces made Silas just as happy.
Taking two Poké Poffins from the box, he walked over to the other side. Rowlet and Popplio were staying there—they hadn't dared squeeze into the crowd earlier.
"These were specially made for you. Try them and see if they taste good," Silas said with a smile as he handed the Poké Poffins over.
"Lioo?"
Popplio blinked—did they get some too?
Rowlet jolted awake from its nap, its snot bubble popping. Catching the scent of food, it opened its beak and grabbed its portion.
"Rowl!"
(So tasty!)
Rowlet pecked at it enthusiastically, quickly finishing the entire Poké Poffin. Then it tilted its head ninety degrees, looking at Silas with dazed yet longing eyes.
"I'll get you more in a bit."
After saying that, Silas placed the Poké Poffin onto Popplio's flippers. "Of course you have your share too. Actually, I also want to invite you to join my ranch."
"The ranch is currently lacking one Pokémon to help with watering and another to watch over the fields at night. Would you be willing to come to my ranch and help out?"
Silas extended the invitation, his gaze falling on the two little ones.
"Rowl!"
Rowlet looked at Silas, recalled the food it had just eaten, and readily agreed.
"Lioo~"
Popplio glanced toward Minccino and the others not far away. After several days together, it had already blended right in with them. Faced with Silas's invitation, it had no reason to refuse and happily accepted.
"Welcome to Silas Ranch, Rowlet and Popplio!"
(End of Chapter)