[Over-Salted Noodles (C): A low-tier dish. Because too much salt was added, the original flavor has been ruined—though it's still passably edible.
Cooking Effect:
• Stamina Recovery (Medium)
• Salty Lv.1 – Slightly increases salt content within the body. Certain Pokémon might actually enjoy it.]
Looks like his hand slipped.
Fortunately, Hayato had prepared other dishes as well.
[Fried Egg (C): A low-tier dish. The sunny side looks just like a small sun. It can be paired with almost any dish to create unexpected combinations.
Cooking Effect:
• Versatile – A universal dish whose flavor changes depending on what it's paired with.]
[French Fries (C): A deep-fried snack. When eaten together with a burger, it can trigger a combo meal effect.
Cooking Effect:
• "Let's Grab Some Fries at the Pier" – After eating, Wingull will guide you toward schools of fish. Strength increases (Medium).]
Just as Hayato suspected, any dish he cooked—even something as simple as fried eggs—could produce special effects.
The power of his system was undeniable.
At this rate, he might become the Trainer and ranch owner in the Pokémon world who understood cuisine the best.
A Pokémon-world Master Chef.
He even wondered if one day he could cook glowing dishes like the ones from the anime Cooking Master Boy.
He had always wanted to try those.
While his thoughts wandered, Hayato 's hands kept moving. He placed the final dish onto the table.
It was a soup.
The liquid was even whiter than milk, and a gentle fragrance drifted through the air.
Just from the aroma alone, Hayato knew this attempt had been a success.
[Coconut Milk Soup (B+): A flawless dish. The combination of coconut milk with ingredients such as chicken, carrot, and corn is exquisite.
Cooking Effect: "Oh, the Sea!"]
"Oh, the Sea…?"
What kind of strange cooking effect was that?
A B+ grade dish—currently the highest-quality meal Hayato had ever produced.
Just reading the word flawless twice already made it easy to imagine how delicious it must be.
That only made him even more curious about the effect.
[Oh, the Sea!: Pokémon that eat this dish will gain the favor of the ocean. (Best suited for Water-type Pokémon.)
Special Effect:
A messenger of Manaphy, the Prince of the Sea, will arrive at the ranch in the near future.
The messenger will exchange a Gift of the Sea for Coconut Milk Soup. Please be prepared.]
"Huh?"
Hayato had never expected that a simple dish could somehow become connected to Manaphy.
Apparently, a messenger would even be sent.
And it would bring a Gift of the Sea.
What exactly could that be?
After thinking about it for a moment, Hayato decided not to dwell on it.
He called Kangaskhan and Cinccino over to wash their hands before starting lunch.
The zhajiang noodles were truly salty.
After taking just one bite, Cinccino's little face scrunched up immediately.
"If it doesn't taste good, don't force yourself. Try the coconut milk soup instead."
"Rooar~"
Kangaskhan raised her hand after finishing an entire bowl of noodles, signaling that she wanted another.
"Kangaskhan … it's not too salty for you?"
Even Hayato found it hard to swallow unless he paired it with a fried egg. Each bite required a big gulp of water.
"Roo!"
Kangaskhan shook her head.
To her, anything made by Hayato tasted delicious.
"Alright then, you can have Cinccino's bowl too."
Beside them, Cinccino had just taken a sip of the coconut milk soup.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
Carefully holding the bowl, she looked at Hayato with sparkling eyes.
"Lii lii!"
"Tastes good, right?" Hayato said with a smile, patting her head. "There's plenty more, so don't worry about running out."
He pointed to the large pot of coconut milk soup.
Even if Cinccino drank until she was full, the level probably wouldn't drop much .
"Burp… I'm so full."
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Hayato and the Pokémon lay down on the grass to enjoy a peaceful after-meal break.
Without realizing it, Hayato slowly closed his eyes.
The afternoon sunlight scattered across the sea like fragments of gold.
Waves carrying white foam rolled onto the shore.
Every now and then, a red Magikarp would flop onto the beach, uselessly performing Splash before bouncing back into the sea with the next wave.
"Ugh… you again, Magikarp."
At one corner of the beach, under a sun umbrella, Hayato wore sunglasses but still couldn't hide his exasperated expression.
He removed the Magikarp from the fishing hook and became more annoyed the more he thought about it.
Smack!
Smack!
Smack!
He gave it three quick slaps before tossing it back into the sea.
Five times.
It had already happened five times.
And every single time—it was the same Magikarp.
Had it seriously started treating him like a free buffet?
If it showed up again tonight, he was going to make Magikarp soup.
Thinking vicious thoughts, Hayato quickly reeled in his line.
He moved to another fishing spot.
Let's see you follow me here.
This time he waited a full thirty minutes.
No bites.
Still no bites.
Even though he could clearly see fish swimming nearby, none of them were biting.
"Well then… don't blame me for using special methods."
To avoid returning empty-handed, Hayato had prepared something in advance.
From his still-empty bucket, he pulled out a plastic bottle filled with golden fermented corn.
[Fermented Corn (D): A mysterious-looking bait. The final dignity of fishermen everywhere.
Cooking Effect:
Never Return Empty-Handed – Extremely attractive to fish and fish-like Pokémon.]
He hooked a piece of fermented corn onto the line and cast it again.
Then he scattered some extra corn around the water to lure fish closer.
Now all that remained was to wait.
And wait for victory.
Meanwhile, Hayato glanced at two adorable figures not far away.
Kangaskhan and Cinccino sat on the sand building a sandcastle, which was already starting to take shape.
Just as Hayato briefly looked away—
The fishing float suddenly sank.
The fishing rod bent sharply downward.
A sneak attack!
Fishing was always like this.
When you stared at the line nonstop, nothing happened.
But the moment you looked away—
Bam. Instant bite.
Fortunately, Hayato reacted quickly.
He grabbed the rod at once, bracing it firmly while releasing line from the reel and lifting the rod upright.
Feeling the powerful resistance traveling through the rod, Hayato 's mood instantly improved.
Heavy.
Definitely a big fish.
Fishing was all about endurance—a tug-of-war to see whose strength ran out first.
Especially when fighting big fish.
You couldn't rush it.
Half an hour later, Hayato could see a dark silhouette beneath the blue sea.
The struggle was nearly over.
Leaning back, he pulled hard with both arms.
Nearby, Kangaskhan and Cinccino blinked curiously, watching the scene unfold.
Whoosh—
A silver arc burst from the water's surface.
The shadow beneath the sea shot into the air uncontrollably, flying over Hayato 's head before landing on the sand.
It was a Pokémon resembling a plesiosaur, its body colored a soft ocean blue.
The fishing hook had snagged in a gap within the shell on its back.
"Oh… so it's a Lapras. No wonder it was so hard to reel in."
Hayato wiped the sweat from his forehead in relief.
Judging by its size, this one wasn't fully grown yet.
If it had been an adult Lapras, it was hard to say who would have ended up catching whom.
But while Hayato was still reflecting—
Lapras angrily slapped its fins against the sand.
It had been peacefully swimming in the ocean when suddenly it got hooked and dragged ashore.
Any Pokémon would be angry in that situation.
Even gentle Lapras was no exception.
A Water Gun attack began gathering power.
Well… it only began gathering.
Before Lapras could do anything—
Cinccino jumped onto its back and started smacking it repeatedly with her fluffy tail.
"Lapraaa~!"
(Ow, ow, ow! I surrender! I'm innocent!)