Third day, evening.
Vulpix's fur had finally grown back. It dashed excitedly to the mirror, turning left and right, spinning around nonstop—it seemed utterly mesmerized by its own beauty.
At the same time, Caleb, who had been locked in the room for three whole days, was finally able to step outside.
For the past three days, he'd been living on instant noodles, to the point where he was practically turning into a Mr. Noodles mascot.
When he came downstairs to the living room, the scene before him filled him with warmth.
The four little ones were sprawled across the sofa watching TV—not a peep, not a fuss, peaceful and quiet.
Caleb was deeply satisfied, and suddenly, a wave of longing swept over him. After all, he hadn't seen them for three days.
He made a silent vow to cook them a good meal, really treat them.
"Chansey, come help out."
Caleb rarely cooked, so naturally, his kitchen was bare. But Old Man's warehouse had everything.
Chansey was already the one in charge of all the family meals, so bringing it along made perfect sense.
Old Man's warehouse, freezer section.
Chansey easily pushed open the five-meter-wide heavy freezer door. A wave of icy air rolled out.
Caleb had no recipes and no idea what to cook, so he just grabbed whatever caught his eye.
With Master Chef LV3, everything tasted good anyway.
...?
Wait—if everything turns out delicious, then why the heck do I even need recipes?
A lightbulb moment.
As he walked through the freezer, the sheer variety of ingredients dazzled him—basically everything you could find in a store.
Then, on one shelf, he spotted a scallion.
A scallion?
Why was there a scallion in the freezer? He picked it up—and instantly felt a powerful Grass-type energy.
This... this wasn't just any scallion. It was Farfetch'd's scallion!
When carried by Farfetch'd or Sirfetch'd, it increases critical hit rate by two stages.
Now that was a find.
Perfect for scallion-roast duck.
(Note: The duck here is just regular duck, though Farfetch'd would be edible too.)
He handed the scallion to Chansey and continued picking out a few more ingredients, when something else unusual caught his eye.
A bone club.
As soon as he touched it—an intense Ground-type energy surged through his hand!
It was Marowak's bone! When carried by Cubone or Marowak, their attack doubles.
This... this would make the perfect bone broth.
He kept collecting ingredients, and when he turned around, he realized Chansey had disappeared under a mountain of supplies.
Okay, maybe he overdid it.
"Chansey, are you good? Need me to take some?"
"Lucky~"
Chansey tossed the entire towering pile of ingredients into the air, and with a single hand, caught them all gracefully mid-air—signaling it was totally fine.
Caleb's eyes drifted to the nutrient egg on Chansey's belly.
They said Chansey and Blissey's eggs were just as nutrient-packed as Miltank's milk.
Now that was another good ingredient.
He'd use it to make a fried egg.
...
"Chansey, hand me that Slowpoke tail."
Since he didn't cook often, Caleb decided to start with the hardest dish: Slowpoke Tail.
First, wash the tail thoroughly, then steam it for twenty minutes. After that, coat it with a golden, creamy layer of mashed potato, wrap it in crispy bacon, tie it all together with string, and garnish it with rosemary and other spices.
Pour in red wine and butter for that aromatic richness...
Wait—no red wine?
Eh, yellow cooking wine works. Wine is wine.
After the sauce reduced and thickened to the right consistency, he plated and decorated it.
Perfect!
With such a strong start, the rest of the dishes came naturally.
Scallion-roast duck with Farfetch'd's scallion. Corn and bone soup using Marowak's club. Faux crab dish made from Kingler's claws...
One by one, the dishes came together beautifully. As a final touch, he cracked open Chansey's nutrient egg.
Crack!
As the pristine white shell split open, a stream of purple egg fluid poured into the bowl.
Purple? Since when was egg white that color?
Caleb turned to look at Chansey. Chansey returned the glance with an innocent expression.
Yep, our eggs just look like that.
Okay... maybe it just looks weird. Might still taste amazing. He picked up a spoon and quickly beat the egg liquid, then gently poured it into a pan with oil at medium heat to start frying.
BOOM!
As soon as the egg hit the sizzling oil, it exploded like a firecracker, sending shockwaves through the kitchen.
Back in the living room, Haunter was watching TV in peace. The blast startled it so badly it nearly fainted, spinning around in disbelief toward the kitchen.
Wait a minute—wasn't he cooking? Why did it sound like a bomb went off?
Coughing and scrambling, Caleb burst out of the kitchen. Instantly, a cloud of thick, purple smoke billowed out from behind him.
Cough, cough... "Damn! I didn't expect Chansey's egg couldn't handle frying at high heat," Caleb coughed violently, shaking his head in frustration.
So much for fried egg—it was a literal exploding egg.
Fortunately, the other seven dishes were still intact. Caleb quickly plated them and called out to the three Pokémon in the living room.
One after another, the dazzling dishes were set on the table, glowing with radiant golden light.
They looked mouthwatering—but something was off.
Normally, Pachirisu couldn't resist food, but this time, it sat before the table, hesitant, not daring to pick up its spoon.
It stared at the feast, seemingly deep in thought.
Roast duck, bone soup, crab, tail...
Farfetch'd, Marowak, Kingler, Slowpoke...
Wait... is this really food for Pokémon?!
After a long moment of internal struggle, it quietly pushed the spoon toward Haunter.
You're a Poison-type—you try it first.
"Haun~?"
Haunter followed Pachirisu's gaze to the table. It hesitated too.
Then it turned to look at Litten.
As soon as Litten felt Haunter's stare, it shivered in terror.
"Meow!"
Why are you looking at me?! I'm just a kid!
You never act like a kid any other time. Haunter sighed and picked up its spoon.
No choice. I am a Poison-type, after all.
It steered clear of the Farfetch'd and Slowpoke, and scooped up a perfectly golden potato.
Now this looked normal!
Haunter smirked to itself.
"Don't eat that—it's ginger!" Caleb warned.
Haunter: ???
That's ginger?! Why's the piece so huge?!
But... it was the only thing that looked edible. Haunter looked at the ginger, then back at Pachirisu and Litten.
Remember me... I'm the bravest man in this house!
With that, it popped it into its mouth.
Pachirisu and Litten held their breath, watching closely.
Two fat tears slid down Haunter's face. It mumbled as it chewed, tears streaming.
"So... good... ( ?_? )"
So... tasty... ( ?_? )
Turns out Haunter liked ginger. Caleb made a mental note.
I don't get it, but hey—respect.
"Haun~ Haun~"
Then Haunter realized... the tears wouldn't stop.
"Oh right, I used a lot of onions in that one. Half a pound, actually. Stir-fried the juice into the sauce," Caleb explained.
Haunter sobbed, nodding rapidly, mumbling through mouthfuls.
"Goo... good. Lo... love it. (?_?)"
"Haha! Eat up, eat up!" Caleb was thrilled with the praise on his first ever home-cooked meal.
He turned to Pachirisu and Litten. "Come on, dig in. I made it all for you guys."
Pachirisu: !
"Pachi? (You're not eating?)"
"I'm good. Just watching you eat is enough."
In that moment, Caleb finally understood why his mom used to leave all the good food for him.
A mother's love—it's truly selfless.
Haunter: ?
Pachirisu: ?
Litten: ?