Lucas slept until the sun was high in the sky before finally getting out of bed. After experiencing the rejections of the previous day and being feared by the Gulpin, he felt somewhat dejected.
The first thing he did upon waking was to open his system interface. When he saw the system's taskbar, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Lucas's system interface was divided into three main sections.
The middle section displayed his basic information. Below this were several boxes. The first was a backpack for storage, but since he didn't have anything to put in it yet, it remained empty.
The second box was labeled "Happiness Points." Previously, it had always shown a value of 0, and Lucas had never understood its purpose. Even when he'd asked Diancie about it, she hadn't known either.
But today was different. The 0 in the Happiness Points box had changed to 100.
The third box was a shop icon, but it had always been grayed out, and Lucas had no idea what conditions would activate it.
On the left side of the interface was a book labeled "Recipe Book." Lucas could browse through it freely, but currently, it contained only one recipe: "Steamed Buns."
On the right side was the taskbar. Before the first mission was activated, this area had been empty. After accepting the mission from Diancie, a line of text had appeared:
"Host 10 Pokémon, deadline 3 days. (1/10)"
Yesterday, the taskbar had displayed: Host 10 Pokémon, deadline 3 days. (0/10)
Having played games in his previous life, Lucas immediately understood what this change meant. His mission was one-tenth complete!
He could easily deduce that the Gulpin from the previous night was responsible for this progress.
Realizing this, Lucas jumped out of bed and hurried downstairs in his slippers.
By this time, Diancie was already awake, humming a cheerful tune while wiping the tables and chairs with a cloth.
Lucas scanned the first-floor hall but found no trace of Gulpin. He turned to Diancie and asked, "Diancie, where's the Gulpin?"
Diancie paused her cleaning and replied with disappointment, "It was gone when I woke up this morning. It must have left during the night."
"Really?" Lucas said, feeling somewhat letdown. "It's already gone..."
However, Diancie then added, "By the way, Lucas, you've obtained Happiness Points for the first time. Would you like to open the system shop?"
As the guide Pokémon, Diancie naturally learned about new functions as soon as they became available to Lucas.
Lucas was surprised by this. "First, explain to me what these Happiness Points are and what they have to do with the shop!"
Diancie nodded eagerly.
"Happiness Points are rewards you receive when Pokémon experience happiness from your cooking. They serve as energy for the system to operate, and for you, Lucas, they function as currency in the shop. That's why the shop becomes available once you've earned your first Happiness Points."
After listening to Diancie's explanation, Lucas nodded with understanding. "I see! Then let's open the shop right away!" He was eager to discover what he could purchase with his newly acquired Happiness Points.
"Okay!" Diancie made an OK gesture. Immediately, Lucas's system interface appeared automatically, with a pop-up window in the center.
[Open the shop?]
[Yes]
[No]
Lucas chose "Yes" without hesitation. The moment he selected it, the shop icon below his personal information instantly brightened.
He quickly opened the shop. Instantly, a dazzling array of goods filled his view: cooking utensils, clothing, footwear, vehicles of all types—almost everything imaginable was available, including the mineral bath sand that Diancie used. As long as you had sufficient Happiness Points, you could purchase anything.
"Wow! This is incredible!" Lucas couldn't help but exclaim.
Seeing his excitement, Diancie curiously leaned closer. "Let me see too, let me see!"
Lucas bent down toward Diancie, showing her the shop interface. Since Diancie was the system-appointed guide Pokémon, she could see the interface that remained invisible to others.
"Amazing! So many things I've never seen before!" Diancie marveled.
Before their awakening, Lucas and Diancie had lived five hundred years in the past. The technology of the Pokémon world had advanced considerably since then, and naturally, many modern items hadn't existed five centuries ago.
As someone from another world entirely, Lucas wasn't particularly surprised by the goods in the shop, but for Diancie, many of these items were completely novel.
Seeing Diancie's interest in various items, Lucas wanted to say generously: "Which one do you like? I'll buy it for you!"
However, when he noticed his balance of only 100 Happiness Points, he silently swallowed those words.
One hundred Happiness Points would only purchase trivial items, nothing substantial.
Better to save up more!
After exploring further, Lucas discovered that although the shop sold various crop seeds, it didn't offer prepared food or cooking ingredients. While it sold Poké Balls, it didn't stock Energy Cores, held items, or Berries.
Looking at the price of Poké Balls—500 Happiness Points each—he realized they were beyond his current means.
But that was fine. He wasn't a Trainer, and he didn't need Poké Balls to catch Pokémon. If he couldn't afford them, it wasn't a problem!
After browsing the shop, Lucas went upstairs to freshen up, then planned to go out with Diancie to see if they could attract more customers.
Though there would be no penalty if the mission failed, it wouldn't look good if his very first task ended in failure! No, he couldn't allow that to happen.
However, as he and Diancie approached the door, they noticed a bouquet of flowers placed on the steps outside.
"Where did these flowers come from?" Lucas wondered aloud.
Diancie tilted her head thoughtfully. "Could they be from the Gulpin?"
The only Pokémon they'd interacted with on the Nebel Plateau had been the Gulpin from the previous night.
"Probably," Lucas said with a smile. He bent down to pick up the bouquet and brought it to his nose for a gentle sniff. Instantly, a rich fragrance filled his senses. "What a sweet gesture."
Lucas walked over to Komala's little house, intending to ask it to watch the place again today, when Diancie spoke hesitantly, "Lucas, why don't you stay home today? I can go out by myself—maybe that will attract more customers."
Lucas was surprised by the suggestion, but quickly realized it was quite sensible. After all, he was the one the wild Pokémon feared and avoided. If only Diancie approached them, the situation might improve considerably.
After reflecting for a few moments, Lucas nodded. "That's a good idea. I'll stay home and prepare breakfast, waiting for you to bring back some customers."
Diancie clenched her tiny fist, full of determination. "Leave it to me! I'll definitely bring customers back!"
With that, they parted ways.
Diancie ventured out to attract customers, while Lucas returned inside to prepare food—both for potential customers and for breakfast for himself, Diancie, and Komala.
Before heading to the kitchen, however, he found a vase, filled it with water, and arranged the bouquet he'd discovered at the doorstep.
After placing the vase on the front counter in the hall and admiring it briefly, Lucas turned and entered the kitchen.
Sure enough, Diancie's approach proved effective. Without Lucas's presence causing alarm, she quickly managed to bring back a customer.
Lucas heard movement from the main hall while working in the kitchen. He was about to go out to investigate but suddenly remembered how Pokémon seemed to dislike him. He restrained himself and merely peeked out to observe the situation.
He saw Diancie leading a chubby, round Pokémon into the building. As it walked, the visitor looked around the restaurant with evident curiosity.
Lucas's eyes brightened with recognition.
It was a Munchlax! If any Pokémon would be easy to attract to a food establishment, it would certainly be this one.
Munchlax were even more gluttonous than Gulpin.
Munchlax
[Type] Normal
[Ability] Thick Fat
[Gender] Male
[Level] 18
[Moves] Tackle, Lick, Defense Curl, Recycle, Covet, Bite, Body Slam, Play Rough, Seed Bomb, Brick Break, Double Team
[Individual Values]
HP: 29
Attack: 16
Defense: 20
Special Attack: 6
Special Defense: 10
Speed: 31
After examining Munchlax's data through his Observation Eye, Lucas felt excitement building. One of its Individual Values was maxed out—it appeared to be an unusually nimble Munchlax.
Both Munchlax and its evolved form, Snorlax, were typically Pokémon with very slow Speed stats, but this Munchlax's Speed IV was at its maximum potential, which was quite remarkable.
"Come on, have a seat right here," Diancie said warmly as she welcomed Munchlax.
Munchlax obediently sat in the chair that Diancie pulled out.
The Pokémon asked uncertainly, "Munch~ Munch~ Is there really food here?"
"Of course! I wouldn't lie to you," Diancie assured it. "Please wait just a moment while I get your food."
Munchlax nodded and sat patiently.
Diancie hurried into the kitchen and asked, "Lucas, are the steamed buns ready?"
Lucas nodded and replied, "They're freshly steamed and piping hot."
As he spoke, he opened the steamer, releasing a cloud of fragrant steam. He carefully removed the soft, white steamed buns from inside.
Knowing that Munchlax could eat enormous amounts, Lucas filled a serving bowl to overflowing.
The food bowls used in Lucas's restaurant were specially designed for Pokémon—each at least the size of a washbasin.
After handing the bowl to Diancie, Lucas patted her shoulder and said, "Go quickly, don't keep Munchlax waiting."
"Got it," Diancie nodded and hurried out with the laden bowl.
The moment Diancie emerged from the kitchen carrying the steamed buns, she noticed Munchlax sitting with its eyes closed, an expression of pure bliss on its face as its nose constantly sniffed the air, clearly savoring the aroma wafting toward it.
Nevertheless, it had followed Diancie's instructions and remained seated without moving.
When Munchlax saw Diancie returning with a bowl of food, its eyes instantly lit up, and thin strands of drool appeared at the corners of its mouth.
Delicious! Want to eat!
Secretly swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Munchlax's gaze never left the bowl in Diancie's hands.
"Here you go. Eat up!" Diancie said as she placed the bowl on the table before Munchlax.
Upon hearing this, Munchlax reacted as if given a royal command, immediately grabbing a steamed bun and stuffing it into its mouth.
"MUNCH!!!"
So delicious!
Munchlax's vocabulary was limited, and it simply couldn't verbalize its feelings at that moment. It could only express itself through actions.
With one bun in each hand, Munchlax chewed heartily, and in the blink of an eye, half the bowl was already empty.
"Eat slowly, eat slowly," Diancie urged. "The buns aren't going to run away!"
"Munch~ Munch~"
Is this called a steamed bun?
Munchlax asked Diancie, holding up the bun in its right hand while its mouth was still full.
"That's right, it's called a steamed bun," Diancie confirmed with a nod.
"Munch~"
So delicious.
Munchlax couldn't help but express its appreciation.
"If you find them delicious, please eat as many as you like," Diancie said, watching Munchlax with obvious affection.
Meanwhile, Lucas was practically overflowing with joy.
He observed that the Happiness Points column was continuously updating:
+100
+100
+100
...
In just a short time, Munchlax had contributed 500 Happiness Points to his total.
Lucas had learned from Diancie that different Pokémon provided varying amounts of Happiness Points during meals, depending on the intensity of their happiness at the time. The stronger their happiness, the more points generated.
Clearly, Munchlax's happiness was exceptionally strong. As expected of the Big Eater Pokémon!
Lucas leaned against the door frame, secretly observing Munchlax. Watching it eat with such satisfaction filled his heart with accomplishment.
As he gazed at the round Munchlax, Lucas couldn't help but wonder: Munchlax's fur must be incredibly soft and comfortable to touch, right? How wonderful would it be to cuddle it while sleeping...
Munchlax was eating too rapidly and suddenly choked, pounding its chest vigorously. Diancie quickly brought over a large glass of water.
Munchlax gratefully accepted the glass and gulped down the water. After catching its breath, it gave Diancie a silly, appreciative smile.
Diancie found its innocent energy quite endearing.
After finishing every last bun in the bowl, Munchlax let out a satisfied burp, then asked hopefully, "Munch~~ Munch~~" Can I come again next time?
Diancie nodded and replied, "Of course, but you'll need to wait until tomorrow at least."
Each Pokémon was limited to one meal at the restaurant per day.
Although the establishment was created to benefit Pokémon, and the system was called the "Pokémon Feeding System," that didn't mean Pokémon could depend on it for every meal. The once-per-day rule ensured that Pokémon wouldn't become completely dependent, especially since meals were provided free of charge.
Even with this limitation, Munchlax was thoroughly satisfied. It hopped down from the chair, patted around its body, and suddenly pulled out a tuft of its own fur, offering it to Diancie.
"Munch~~"
"Are you paying for the meal?" Diancie asked.
"Munch~ Munch~"
Munchlax nodded repeatedly.
"Then I'll accept it with thanks," Diancie said, taking the small tuft of fur.
Seeing that Diancie had accepted its payment, Munchlax beamed with happiness and hopped out of the restaurant.
Lucas dared to emerge from the kitchen only after Munchlax had departed.
ε(┬┬﹏┬┬)3 This feeling of having to hide is really terrible. I wanted to pet Munchlax too, boo hoo hoo~~~
He examined the deep blue fur in Diancie's hand and saw a column of information appear through his Observation Eye: Munchlax's fur can be used to create a TM.
TM?