Ange slept until late in the morning. After yesterday's emotional blow and being despised by Gulpin at night, he couldn't muster much energy today.
The first thing he did after getting up was open his System interface. When he looked at the task list, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Ange's System interface was divided into three sections.
The middle section contained his basic information. Below that were several boxes. The first box was his backpack, which could store items, though it was currently empty since he didn't have anything to put in it.
The second box was something called Happiness Points. It had always shown a zero before, and Ange had never figured out what it was. When he asked Diancie, it said it didn't know either.
But today was different. The zero in the Happiness Points box had become 100.
The third box was the Store. Its icon had always been grayed out, and Ange had no idea what conditions were required to unlock it.
On the left side of the System interface was a book labeled "Recipes." Ange could flip through it with his thoughts, but at the moment, it only contained one recipe: Mantou.
The right side of the interface was the Mission List. Before he received his first mission, it was empty, but after accepting one from Diancie, a line of text appeared.
"Serve 10 Pokémon within 3 days. (1/10)"
Yesterday, it had displayed: Serve 10 Pokémon within 3 days. (0/10)
Having played games in his previous life, Ange naturally knew what this change meant. His mission was ten percent complete!
It was obvious what caused it; it must have been the Gulpin from last night.
Thinking of that, Ange jumped out of bed, slipped into his slippers, and ran downstairs.
By then, Diancie was already awake, humming a little tune while wiping the tables and chairs with a cloth.
Ange glanced around the first-floor hall but didn't see Gulpin anywhere. He looked at Diancie and asked, "Diancie, where's Gulpin?"
Diancie paused and sighed helplessly. "I didn't see it when I woke up this morning. It probably left."
"Huh?" Ange sounded disappointed. "It already left?"
But then Diancie said, "Oh, right, Ange! You just earned your first Happiness Points. Do you want to unlock the System Store?"
As the guiding spirit, Diancie immediately knew the function of the Happiness Points the moment Ange earned them.
Ange blinked, then said, "Explain what Happiness Points are first, and how they're related to the Store!"
Diancie nodded repeatedly.
"Happiness Points are rewards you get when Pokémon feel happiness from being fed by you. For the System, they're a source of energy. For you, they're the currency used for shopping in the Store. That's why the Store unlocks when you earn Happiness Points for the first time."
Hearing Diancie's explanation, Ange suddenly understood. "So that's it! Then hurry up and open the Store!" He could hardly wait to see what he could buy.
"Alright!" Diancie made an OK gesture, and the System interface popped open automatically. A message box appeared in the center.
[Open Store?]
[Yes/No]
Ange chose "Yes" without hesitation. The moment he confirmed, the Store icon under his personal info lit up.
He quickly tapped it open, and an array of dazzling products filled the screen: pots and pans, clothes and shoes, cars, ships, even aircraft. There was almost everything imaginable, even the bath sand Diancie used. As long as he had enough Happiness Points, he could buy them all.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Ange couldn't help but exclaim.
Seeing how excited he was, Diancie curiously leaned closer. "Let me see too! Come on, show me!"
Ange bent down beside Diancie and showed her the Store. As the System's appointed guide, Diancie could see what others couldn't.
"Wow! So many things I've never seen before!" Diancie gasped in awe.
Before Ange and Diancie had awakened, they lived five hundred years ago. Back then, the Pokémon world's technology wasn't nearly as advanced, so many of these items didn't even exist.
Ange, being a transmigrant, wasn't surprised, but Diancie was. This was truly its first time seeing such things.
Seeing her excitement, Ange almost wanted to say, "Pick anything you like, I'll buy it for you!"
But when he noticed his remaining balance, only 100 Happiness Points, he silently swallowed his words.
With just 100 points, he could only afford trivial items. Nothing useful.
Better save up for now.
After looking around the Store, Ange discovered that while it sold all kinds of crop seeds, it didn't sell any ingredients or food. It sold Poké Balls, but not Pokéblocks, held items, or Berries.
He checked the Poké Ball's price: 500 Happiness Points each. He couldn't afford one.
Oh well, he wasn't a Trainer anyway. He didn't need Poké Balls. If he couldn't buy one, so be it.
After finishing his exploration of the Store, Ange went upstairs to wash up. Then he planned to go out with Diancie to see if they could attract more customers.
Even if failing the mission wasn't a big deal, it would be embarrassing to fail the very first one. He couldn't let that happen.
But just as they reached the door, they noticed a bouquet of flowers sitting on the steps.
"Where did these come from?" Ange wondered.
Diancie tilted her head. "Could it be Gulpin?"
On the Nebel Plateau, the only one they had interacted with was Gulpin.
"Probably," Ange said with a smile, bending down to pick up the bouquet. He brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply. The rich fragrance filled his heart. "What a sweet little guy."
Ange walked to Komala's little house, planning to ask it to watch the place again today. But before he could, Diancie hesitated and said, "Ange, how about you stay home today? I'll go out alone. Maybe that way we'll attract more customers."
Ange froze for a moment, then realized she was right. After all, Pokémon feared and avoided him. If only Diancie went, it would probably go much better.
After a few seconds of thought, Ange nodded. "Alright, I'll stay and prepare breakfast, waiting for you to bring some customers back."
Diancie clenched her fists confidently. "Leave it to me! I'll definitely bring some!"
They split up after that.
Diancie went out to find customers, while Ange stayed home to prepare food for them, and also for himself, Diancie, and Komala too.
Before heading to the kitchen, he found a vase, filled it with water, and placed the bouquet inside.
Setting it on the front desk, he admired it for a few moments before turning to the kitchen.
As expected, Diancie's plan worked perfectly. Without Ange around to scare anyone off, she quickly returned with a customer.
From the kitchen, Ange heard movement outside. He wanted to go see but stopped himself, remembering Pokémon didn't like him. Instead, he peeked through the doorway.
He saw Diancie leading a round, chubby Pokémon inside. It looked around curiously as it walked.
Ange's eyes lit up.
It was a Munchlax! Of course, that kind of Pokémon was the easiest to attract.
Munchlax could eat even more than Gulpin.
Munchlax
Type: Normal
Ability: Thick Fat
Gender: Male
Level: 18
Moves:Tackle, Lick, Defense Curl, Recycle, Covet, Bite, Take Down, Charm, Seed Bomb, Brick Break, Counter
Individual Values:
HP: 29
Attack: 16
Defense: 20
Sp. Atk: 6
Sp. Def: 10
Speed: 31
Reading Munchlax's stats, Ange whistled in his head. One of its IVs was perfect! A surprisingly agile fatty.
Normally, Snorlax and Munchlax were slow, but this one had a maxed-out Speed IV. Truly impressive.
"Come, come, sit here," Diancie said warmly.
Munchlax obediently let her guide it to a chair.
"Munch~ munch~?" Is there really food here?
"Of course! I wouldn't lie to you," Diancie promised. "Just wait a moment, I'll bring it right out."
Munchlax nodded and sat quietly.
Diancie ran to the kitchen. "Ange, are the mantou ready?"
Ange nodded. "Just steamed! Still hot." He lifted the lid, and a cloud of steam rose up. He took out the soft, fluffy buns.
Knowing Munchlax's appetite, Ange filled an entire feeding bowl to the brim.
In their restaurant, Pokémon-sized bowls were about as large as washbasins.
Handing the bowl to Diancie, Ange patted her shoulder. "Go ahead, don't keep it waiting."
"Got it!" Diancie nodded, carrying the bowl out.
As she entered the dining area, Munchlax was already sniffing eagerly, eyes closed, savoring the aroma.
But it remembered Diancie's words and stayed seated.
When it saw Diancie carrying the bowl, its eyes lit up instantly, drool glistening at the corners of its mouth.
Delicious! I want it!
It swallowed hard, eyes fixed on the food.
"Here, dig in," Diancie said, placing the bowl on the table.
At once, Munchlax grabbed a bun and stuffed it into its mouth.
"Munch!!!" So good!
With limited vocabulary, it couldn't describe how it felt, only show it through action.
Left hand, right hand, bun after bun, it devoured them. In seconds, half the bowl was gone.
"Eat slowly," Diancie said quickly. "They're not going anywhere!"
"Munch~ munch~" So this is called mantou?
Munchlax pointed at one with a chubby hand, cheeks full.
"That's right," Diancie nodded.
"Munch~" So tasty.
"Eat as much as you like," Diancie said kindly.
Meanwhile, Ange was overjoyed.
In the Happiness Points column, numbers appeared one after another:
+100
+100
+100
In a short while, Munchlax had given him 500 Happiness Points.
Ange already knew from Diancie that the number of points varied depending on each Pokémon's happiness level; the greater their joy, the higher the reward.
Clearly, Munchlax was in bliss. As expected!
Peeking from the doorway, Ange watched the satisfied Pokémon eat, feeling deeply fulfilled himself.
Before long, he found himself staring at the round little Munchlax, thinking, Its fur must feel so soft... How nice it would be to sleep hugging it...
Munchlax suddenly choked from eating too fast and began pounding its chest. Diancie hurried over with a big cup of water.
Munchlax gulped it down, then grinned foolishly.
Diancie laughed at its silly look.
When it finally finished the entire bowl, Munchlax burped contentedly and asked with hopeful eyes, "Munch~ munch~?" Can I come again tomorrow?
Diancie nodded. "Of course, but only tomorrow, okay?"
Each Pokémon could only eat here once per day.
Although the restaurant was made to help Pokémon, and the System was called the Pokémon Feeding System, that didn't mean Pokémon could freeload daily. Meals here were free, after all.
Even so, Munchlax was delighted. It jumped off its chair, fumbled around its body, then plucked off a tuft of fur and handed it to Diancie.
"Munch~"
"Your payment?" Diancie asked.
"Munch~ munch~"
Munchlax nodded vigorously.
"Then I'll accept it." Diancie took the fur.
Seeing that Diancie accepted its "payment," Munchlax beamed with joy and bounced away happily.
After it left, Ange finally dared to step out of the kitchen.
ε(┬┬﹏┬┬)3) This sneaky feeling was just awful… He really wanted to touch Munchlax too, sniff sniff~~~
He looked at the dark blue fur in Diancie's hand, and a line of information appeared in his Eye of Observation:
[Munchlax's fur can be used to craft a Technical Machine.]
"Technical Machine?"