After breakfast, Lucas began preparing to receive guests, eagerly anticipating what rewards the system would grant him upon completing the task.
He went to the kitchen and gathered the ingredients needed to make steamed buns: warm water, white vinegar, flour, yeast, and other essentials, then set to work.
First, he added a precise amount of yeast to the water and stirred it thoroughly. After letting it sit for a few minutes, he added flour and mixed until the mixture became flocculent, then incorporated more flour to begin kneading.
Throughout this process, the system imposed strict requirements on the ratio of water, yeast, and flour—not a bit more, not a bit less.
Even more attention needed to be paid to the pressure applied when kneading. It couldn't be too much or too little; he had to use just the right amount of force. The system had even rigorously trained Lucas on the direction his hands should rotate when working the dough.
The one supervising Lucas's training was Diancie.
Don't be fooled by Diancie's usually gentle and soft personality—she rarely even raised her voice. But once transformed into a system instructor, her attitude became incredibly strict.
Diancie's exacting standards were indispensable to Lucas's rapid improvement in cooking skills. Empowered by the system, her eyes missed nothing. She could easily spot even the slightest mistake Lucas made.
After kneading appropriately, Lucas spread a layer of vegetable oil on the surface of the dough, placed it in a basin to rest, covered it with plastic wrap, and waited for it to ferment slowly.
Applying vegetable oil allowed the dough and water to blend better, making the dough more elastic and softer while preventing moisture from evaporating.
After completing these steps, he washed his hands and called out to Diancie, "Diancie, shall we go outside and try our luck?"
Waiting at home for guests to take the initiative to visit was obviously unrealistic. It made more sense to go out and attract customers; otherwise, who would know there was a restaurant here?
It was a good opportunity to venture out while the dough was fermenting, and he could proceed with the next step of preparation upon returning.
"Okay!" Diancie peeked her head out from behind the door frame.
"Let's go then." Lucas walked out of the kitchen, closed the door, and changed into casual clothes.
All the resources Lucas currently used were provided by the system. According to Diancie, this was a newbie benefit. Once the newbie period ended, his food, clothing, shelter, and transportation—including cooking ingredients—would all need to be earned through his own efforts.
Before leaving, Lucas removed Komala's empty food bowl and placed a cup of warm water beside it. "Komala, please watch the house. Diancie and I are going out for a while."
Komala hugged its log pillow, turned over, stretched out its small paws, gently tugged at the small quilt covering itself, and continued to snore loudly. Its eyes never opened, and Lucas didn't know if it had understood him.
Lucas didn't dwell on it. Who could blame Komala for having such an unusual Ability?
"Diancie, let's go."
"Coming!"
The human and Pokémon walked out of the house with light hearts. Being able to go out together like this was also a happy thing for them.
They stepped onto the soft, verdant grass, feeling the gentle sunlight cast down from the sky, letting the breeze caress their faces, and admiring the beautiful scenery of the Nebel Plateau.
Lucas opened his arms and took a deep breath. "The air here is really good."
Diancie imitated Lucas, squinting her eyes and looking upward. "Yes, it is!"
At that moment, a Scatterbug walked across him. Lucas waved to it in a friendly manner. "Hi, hello there!"
"Scat~!" Oh no! It's a human, so scary!
However, when the Scatterbug saw Lucas, it reacted as if it had encountered something terrifying and quickly escaped.
Lucas stared blankly at Diancie and asked, "Diancie, do I look that scary?" First the Fletchling, and now the Scatterbug.
Diancie gave a thumbs up and said, "Lucas is handsome! The most handsome!"
"Really? Then why... Never mind, let's look elsewhere." With that, Lucas continued searching for Pokémon with Diancie.
After walking a short distance, a small mound suddenly appeared on the grass not far from them. Then, a Bunnelby poked half of its body out, holding a root of an unknown plant in its paws.
Bunnelby had just taken a small bite of the root when it heard a voice.
"Good morning, Bunnelby."
"Bun!"
Bunnelby was so startled that it immediately pulled its head back into the hole, even dropping the food it was holding at the edge of the burrow.
"Flabé~ Flabé~"
At the same time, a Flabébé passed by in the sky, humming a little tune. As it flew, its body swayed with the rhythm, as if dancing with the flower beneath it serving as a stage, looking very content.
But when it lowered its head and spotted Lucas...
"Flabé~!"
Flabébé instantly looked terrified, almost falling headfirst from its Fairy Flower, then screamed and fled.
Lucas: ...
Diancie: ...
After a long while, they saw a small paw sticking out from the Bunnelby's burrow. It groped around the edge of the hole, and after grabbing the dropped root, immediately and quickly retracted—as if there was something dangerous outside.
Lucas wailed, "Why is this happening!"
Flap! Flap! Flap!
Affected by his outcry, several Fletchinder and Fletchling passing overhead quickly flapped their wings to distance themselves. Their flustered appearance made Lucas wonder if they might fall due to their unsteady flight.
Seeing this, Lucas said with frustration, "I don't believe it. Do I really look like I eat Pokémon? Let's go, Diancie, let's try somewhere else!"
Diancie twisted her small hands in distress and said, "Could it be that they're afraid of seeing me?" After all, she looked different now than she had as a Carbink.
As soon as Lucas heard this, he responded without hesitation, "How could that be possible? My Diancie is so, so, so cute—who wouldn't like her? I like Diancie the most!"
Lucas's expression was exaggerated but sincere, and Diancie was immediately amused. She said happily and shyly, "Since Lucas said so..." Then I'll believe it.
"Let's look elsewhere," Lucas said, striding forward.
"Mmm~" Diancie quickly followed.
This time, Lucas approached the large lake not far from their building. Many pink lotus flowers grew on the lake surface near their home. Round lily pads covered portions of the water, and several Poliwag and Poliwhirl were leisurely resting on them, sunbathing.
From time to time, Surskit and Yanma glided over the lake, gently creating ripples on the water's surface before finally coming to rest on budding lotus flowers.
Then, a voice broke the silence.
"Hello everyone, anyone interested in making friends?"
When the Pokémon clearly saw Lucas approaching, the Surskit and Yanma immediately glided and flew away—so quickly they almost left afterimages. The Poliwag and Poliwhirl also panicked and scurried into the water one by one.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
One clueless baby Surskit didn't immediately flee. It blinked its round, large eyes, tilted its head, and curiously examined Lucas.
Lucas was delighted to see this and was about to step forward for deeper interaction with the young Surskit when a Masquerain emerged from the water, grabbed the Surskit's tail, pulled it underwater, and disappeared.
Lucas watched the ripples swaying back and forth between the lily pads as a sense of sorrow welled up inside him.
He now strongly suspected he carried some aura that Pokémon feared.
His greatest wish in this second life was to be able to freely interact with Pokémon to his heart's content. Could it be that fate had allowed him to arrive in the Pokémon world but wouldn't fulfill this wish? What cruel irony!
Lucas turned his gaze back to the lake to see several Wooper heads popping out of the water. They cautiously observed him, and when they noticed him looking back, they immediately panicked and submerged.
Lucas: ...
"Let's just go home for now."
By this time, the dough's fermentation was almost complete, so Lucas had no choice but to dejectedly return home with Diancie.
On the way back, Diancie comforted him, "Lucas, don't be discouraged. Everyone is probably just seeing you for the first time and isn't used to humans yet. It will be fine once they become familiar with you."
In the past, when Lucas had been weak and sickly, he couldn't help but secretly envy others who were lively and energetic. Every time he felt this way, Carbink would comfort him.
Although they couldn't communicate directly with words back then, their hearts were connected, and each time Diancie's comfort would calm his restless spirit.
This time was no different.
Lucas hugged Diancie tightly and said, "It's a good thing you've always been with me."
Diancie hugged Lucas back and gently patted his back, saying, "Of course, I will always be with you. Let's go home. Take your time with the task—there's no need to rush."
After the human and Pokémon returned home, Komala was still fast asleep, but when it heard Lucas's return, its large ears twitched slightly.
Lucas noticed that the warm water he had given Komala had been drunk, so he gently pinched Komala's ears and said, "Komala, thank you for watching the house!"
Komala's short little tail twitched uncomfortably at the touch.
Despite Komala's petite figure and cute appearance, Lucas suspected it might be quite a powerful Pokémon.
He had tried to use his Observation Eye to check Komala's data but failed.
According to Diancie, Lucas's Observation Eye couldn't check data for Pokémon whose levels exceeded that of his starter Pokémon, which meant Komala's level was higher than Diancie's.
Diancie's level was 50, already quite high and far exceeding most wild Pokémon.
Diancie had been by Lucas's side since she was a small Carbink. Although Lucas had been weak and unable to train her properly, Diancie's level had steadily increased under the training provided by the Azoth Kingdom's royal family.
So for Komala to have a level higher than Diancie's was remarkable indeed.
But Lucas was now a chef, not a Trainer. He didn't expect Komala to battle for him, so levels and such didn't matter much in their relationship.
After taking away the empty water cup, Lucas returned to the kitchen to continue his work.
He examined the dough and found it had completely fermented. He lit a fire and boiled a pot of water, then placed the dough near the pot to continue fermenting with the rising steam.
After about thirty to forty minutes, the fermentation was complete. Lucas removed the dough and observed many small bubbles throughout its structure, with the volume nearly twice as large as before.
He continued kneading the dough by hand until all the small bubbles were worked out. Only then did he shape the dough into a long strip and cut it into equal portions.
Finally, it was time to steam the buns.
Before long, the rich aroma of steamed buns wafted from the kitchen.
Diancie poked her head in, asking with anticipation, "Are the steamed buns ready yet?"
Lucas could see she was practically salivating and asked with a smile, "What? Hungry again? Didn't you just have breakfast?"
Diancie giggled and said, "It smells so good!"
Lucas sighed inwardly—truly worthy of being a Mythical Pokémon, her digestive capacity was incredible!
These weren't ordinary steamed buns. The energy contained in them was by no means inferior to commercial Pokémon food. They were very beneficial for Pokémon to consume, yet Diancie could eat an entire basin at once.
Whenever Lucas teased Diancie about her large appetite, she would chase after him in mock anger.
Diancie: Nonsense! How can a lady have a big appetite! (Note: Diancie is officially genderless.)
After the steamed buns were ready, Lucas turned off the heat, opened the steamer, took one out, and handed it to Diancie. "Here, taste this."
Diancie eagerly took the bun, momentarily forgetting it was hot, and bit into it.
"Mmm~" She instinctively closed her eyes in enjoyment. "Delicious, so delicious! It's the taste of happiness! Lucas, I think these steamed buns are even better than before."
"Is that so?" Lucas was delighted to hear it.
After Diancie finished eating, Lucas saw she was still craving more, so he offered her another one and said, "Let's go outside and try to attract customers again!"
One couldn't be discouraged by a few setbacks. This was nothing!
"Okay!" Diancie took the steamed bun and clenched her tiny fist with determination. "Lucas can definitely do it!"
So the human and Pokémon left home once more.
The day passed in the blink of an eye. As the sun set, Lucas and Diancie returned home dejectedly, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Their efforts had yielded nothing. All the Pokémon on the Nebel Plateau seemed to view Lucas as something to be feared, avoiding him whenever possible and unwilling to make contact, let alone visit his restaurant.
In the end, all the steamed buns Lucas had prepared were consumed by Diancie and Komala.
"Sigh~ Sigh~"
After dinner, Lucas sat at his doorstep, sighing while enjoying the cool evening breeze.
Diancie approached, took Lucas's arm, and comforted him, "It's not such a big deal. Let's continue to work hard tomorrow!"
"That's all we can do," Lucas replied helplessly.
After working hard outside all day, Lucas was exhausted, his muscles aching. "Let's take a hot bath and go to sleep. We'll figure things out tomorrow."
"That's right!" Diancie agreed.
"Let's go too, Komala!" Lucas stood up and lifted Komala from its small bed. It was time for the sleepy Pokémon to have a good bath as well.