"Grandpa Qin, I'll bring this little one back to you later this afternoon…"
Outside a small villa, Lin Feng stood with Snivy on his left and Sandshrew on his right, greeting Grandpa Qin.
"Alright. By the way, Xiao Lin, is this Snivy your Pokémon?"
Grandpa Qin chuckled as he glanced curiously at Snivy, who was hiding nervously behind Lin Feng.
That question immediately made Snivy tense up.
She was terrified that Lin Feng might reveal the truth to this human. If that happened, she'd lose all her dignity.
No, no, no…
Please don't tell him…
"Yes, she's mine. I figured, with such a large plantation, I should at least have a Pokémon to help me out, right?"
Lin Feng responded smoothly.
"Hahaha…"
Grandpa Qin burst into laughter.
…
After leaving Grandpa Qin's house, Lin Feng stopped in town to buy some Tamato Berries. The smell alone left Sandshrew, who'd come along, practically drooling.
Pokémon: Sandshrew
Gender: Male
Ability: Sand Veil
Potential: White-tier
Individual Values: HP (14), Attack (15), Sp. Atk (12), Defense (18), Sp. Def (16), Speed (11)
Level: 11-12
Moves: Scratch, Defense Curl, Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Rollout
Description: A Sandshrew who's easily satisfied
Friendship: 65 (It feels quite fondly toward you.)
Happiness: 60 (In a good mood)
"Shrew shrew~"
"Don't rush. I'm going to cook some noodles with these for you later."
Lin Feng couldn't help laughing at Sandshrew's intense stare fixed on the Tamato Berries.
"Shrew shrew…"
Sandshrew nodded eagerly, unable to resist rolling in circles right there on the street.
Snivy looked at him with an expression that clearly said, Pathetic.
How good could a few noodles with Tamato Berries possibly taste?
Definitely not as delicious as Pokéblocks.
By the time they returned to the plantation, it was nearly noon. Lin Feng didn't immediately set Sandshrew to work but instead headed into the kitchen.
Years of living alone had honed Lin Feng's cooking skills, and he kept a well-stocked pantry at home.
Now, with his newly acquired knowledge as a Master-tier Pokémon Breeder, even he wasn't sure just how good his cooking might have become.
He set a pot of water to boil, tossed in some egg noodles he'd bought in town, then added a spoonful of pork lard to infuse the broth with richness. He seasoned it lightly with basic spices.
A simple clear broth noodle soup was ready in no time.
But that was only the first step.
After transferring the noodles to bowls, Lin Feng cracked several eggs, beating them lightly, then poured the mixture into a pan slicked with gently heated canola oil. Once the eggs set into a thin omelet, he removed them quickly.
Next, he chopped the Tamato Berries into small cubes and stir-fried them over medium heat until they broke down into a thick, saucy texture. He returned the omelet to the pan, giving everything a quick toss.
The bright golden omelet quickly turned a vibrant red from the spicy berries. Finally, he added a splash of cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce before pouring it over the noodles.
And just like that, his slightly sticky, spicy Tamato noodles were finished!
B-rank Cuisine – Spicy Tamato Noodles
Although made with humble ingredients, thanks to the chef's exceptional skills, this dish has become a delicious masterpiece. After all, who could resist a steaming bowl of spicy, tangy noodles?
Dish Effect: Boosts Special Attack. Eating it increases a Pokémon's Special Attack by 10% for one hour. Regular consumption can permanently enhance a Pokémon's Special Attack.
"Incredible…"
Lin Feng couldn't help exclaiming as he read the effect through his Appraisal Eye.
He felt like the cooking process hadn't differed much from how he used to make it, yet the results were worlds apart.
"Come on…"
Lin Feng glanced down at Sandshrew, who'd already wandered into the kitchen and was waiting expectantly. He was about to hand over a bowl of the noodles when he noticed that, besides Sandshrew at his feet, Snivy had also appeared.
From the slight drool at the corner of her mouth and the hopeful gleam in her eyes, it was obvious she'd been waiting a long time.
"You want some too?"
"Sni sni!" (Yes!)
No further explanation was needed.
Just one word summed it up: "Delicious."
Snivy had completely forgotten how disdainful she'd just been toward Sandshrew.
"Well then…"
Lin Feng couldn't help laughing. Although he hadn't seen Snivy's earlier expression, seeing her craving food so adorably left him utterly amused.
"Here."
He split the two bowls of noodles into three portions and set them down in front of the two Pokémon.
Sandshrew, who didn't bother with chopsticks and didn't care about the heat, immediately scooped up the noodles with his paws and began to eat.
The moment the spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors exploded in his mouth, his eyes went wide.
Then, unable to help himself, he practically buried his whole face in the bowl.
Congratulations, Host! Sandshrew's Happiness has increased from 60% to 85%. You've earned ten bags of Golden Fertilizer, one Rare Candy, and 500 grams of Fine Sand.
"Sni…?"
Snivy and Lin Feng were both stunned by his over-the-top reaction.
What the heck…
Was it really that good?
Seeing Lin Feng pick up his chopsticks, Snivy deftly used her Vine Whip to grab a pair of chopsticks from the table.
She realized that ever since she'd started practicing weeding with her vines, she'd become much more adept at controlling them.
Even these delicate chopsticks now felt easy to handle.
As soon as she slurped up her first mouthful of noodles…
Snivy's entire expression changed.
Congratulations, Host! Snivy's Happiness has increased from 15% to 35%. You've earned eight bags of Golden Fertilizer and one Rare Candy.
Lin Feng blinked in disbelief.
Was it really that delicious?
He couldn't help doubting his own culinary skills.
Tentatively, he slurped a bite of noodles himself…
Three minutes later…
Sweating profusely, Lin Feng drained the last sip of broth and let out a loud, satisfied shout.
"Awesome!"
Beside him, both Pokémon wore identical expressions of blissful satisfaction.
"I don't really feel any other changes though… Why did the taste improve so dramatically?"
Even Lin Feng couldn't quite understand why his noodles suddenly tasted so much better.
He could only chalk it up to the system, guessing that he'd subconsciously altered his cooking techniques under its influence.
"Alright, now that we've eaten, I'm counting on you, Sandshrew."
From his system storage, Lin Feng pulled out a packet of Golden Fertilizer. It wasn't large about five hundred grams or so.
In this world, storage technology was extremely advanced.
There were even storage capsules similar to Poké Balls.
So Lin Feng had no worries about pulling items out of his system space in front of his two little Pokémon.
"Shrew shrew!"
Having eaten such delicious food for the first time in his life, Sandshrew was visibly pumped up, practically vibrating with excitement as he promised to do whatever Lin Feng asked.
Taking both Pokémon back to the plantation, Lin Feng evenly sprinkled the Golden Fertilizer over one of the plots of land.
According to the system's parameters, this fertilizer could boost the growth rate of ordinary crops tenfold within a 10x10-meter area.
If he was only planting basic crops, one bag of Golden Fertilizer per plot was plenty.
Come to think of it, the system was being pretty generous with these rewards.
He already had dozens of bags…
And more than ten Rare Candies…
"Alright, Sandshrew, go ahead and till this plot for me."