Chapter 155: Potato Mine Fruit Cake

"Now that I've finally bought this house, and it's even fully furnished and move-in ready, how come no weird little punks are coming around to give me trouble?"

[The social atmosphere of you ancient people is somewhat less than desirable.]

Mewtwo was wearing an apron and cleaning the dust from the corners. Primarily because a certain monkey had claimed that using psychic powers ruined the cozy feeling of a home, otherwise a full-coverage shockwave could have removed all the dust instantly.

Zhusuihan placed the brought-over furniture in their familiar spots, while Lapras and Milcery joined forces once more nearby, transforming into emotionless mopping machines.

"No, no, I'm just helping Officer Jenny understand the security situation in Goldenrod City. Still, I am rather curious about how those kinds of punks are generated."

Strictly speaking, given the conditions of the Pokémon world, it shouldn't really be able to breed typical punks. At most, they would just have somewhat strange attire and behavior.

[How could you possibly know what everyone is thinking? Just like how you thought the word 'whatever' was deeply annoying the first time we met, yet everyone else loves using it. It's the same logic.]

Zhusuihan took the window scraper handed over by Milcery and instructed Lapras to wet the windows with Water Gun.

"For someone responsible for cooking, those two words are genuinely a headache."

If only things like Senzu Beans from Dragon Ball or fasting pills existed, anyone who dared say 'whatever' would immediately get one thrown right at their face.

[There you have it. Who knows what those punks are thinking anyway?]

Mewtwo said, [If you're that interested in those people, I can scan Goldenrod City with my psychic powers.]

"Forget it. Honestly, I just wanted to satisfy my urge to beat up random NPCs on the street."

Zhusuihan shook out the washed curtains, handed them to Mewtwo to take outside and dry with Flamethrower, and put away the remaining cleaning tools.

"Thanks for the hard work. What would you like to eat?"

Lapras and Milcery exchanged glances, a mischievous gleam in their eyes.

The white-haired monkey's eyes turned chillingly narrow: "If you two dare say 'whatever', there won't be any dessert today."

Lapras immediately turned serious: "Muu."

Ramen, and potato-scallion vegetable pancakes too!

Milcery also grew solemn: "Milu."

Black pepper tail-meat rice bowl, and vegetable pancakes just like big sis!

Zhusuihan looked at Mewtwo, who was floating in the air hanging the curtains: "What about you? It's ordering time."

[A stale, hard steamed bun from yesterday with berry jam pickles.]

Zhusuihan: ?

"Are you planning to become a monk or something? Shall I send you to Violet City and have the masters there test your affinity with Buddhism?"

"Speak properly, or I'll really make you do that."

[Hamburger, cola, french fries, and a bowl of triple-delicacy mushroom soup.]

Not particularly wanting to comment on Mewtwo's dietary choices, Zhusuihan stripped the apron off him, put it on himself, and walked into the kitchen.

"You guys go play for a bit. Even if you're practicing moves, keep the scale down, or if Officer Jenny gets called over, I'll genuinely become famous."

Gossip spreads much faster than any research results.

Zhusuihan processed the ingredients, then turned around only to find Mewtwo walking back in with a fresh apron.

[I'll help you.]

Mewtwo put on a mask of agony: [They were discussing again what kind of clothes would look best on me. I'd rather take refuge in the kitchen first.]

"Then thank you for your hard work."

Zhusuihan handed the semi-finished items to Mewtwo: "Put these in the oven, then go take care of the vegetables and wash the mushrooms."

[Fine.]

Mewtwo breathed a sigh of relief. This kind of chore was much easier than discussing what clothes he should wear. With his psychic powers active, he could even multitask effortlessly, making it a breeze.

Zhusuihan took out the rest of the ingredients to process them. The speed of ingredient preparation praised by the company president was practiced right like this.

With orders like this at home, being fast was an absolute necessity.

[What did you put into the oven?]

Zhusuihan wiped the juice off the kitchen knife, turned it around, and smashed the garlic on the cutting board with a single slap.

"Diglett's relative."

[Speak human.]

"It really is Diglett's relative, I'm not lying to you."

After a ding sound, Zhusuihan put on gloves, opened the oven, took out the baked Diglett relative, and began the next preparation steps.

Mewtwo stared at Zhusuihan's gloves, deep in thought.

[Actually, I've always wondered—normally, moves are useless against you. But I wonder if fire-type or slashing-type moves would work on you.]

"I'm a human, not rubber. Stop letting Milcery feed you weird ideas all day long."

Zhusuihan recalled: "Slashing-type moves? You mean like Slash or Psycho Cut? Haven't tried them, we can test it later."

"Now, it's our family's favorite dessert time."

Zhusuihan carried the tray into the living room: "Cake is here~"

"Take a good look, everyone, it's Potato Landmine Chocolate Cake."

Lapras and Milcery looked at its rather peculiar appearance and voiced their doubts.

Is this Diglett's relative?

"Appearance-wise, yes, but that's about it."

Zhusuihan pointed at the soil clods next to the potato landmine to introduce them, which was a step done only after the cake was taken out of the oven.

"The top is a combination of chocolate and berry jam, and it's even been chilled. One bite gives you a slushie-like texture on the outside, and a gentle melt on the tongue brings out a dense, fluffy texture and rich flavor."

"The cake itself is a berry-type cake, with the outer layer lightly dyed using a golden razz berry-based colored juice, which is why it looks so golden."

"The front teeth are white chocolate that I further processed, the two eyes are dark chocolate, and a little bit of Milcery's cream was added on top to enhance the color and brightness."

Zhusuihan pointed at the 'fuse' stuck on the top.

"As for this, it's an energy cube lollipop made from cookie sticks. The round shape is chilled jelly, apple-flavored."

"In short, everything is edible except the plate."

When the fruit cake was sliced open, it revealed a rainbow-like filling inside, with crystal-clear jam wrapping layer upon layer of berry bits, just like gemstones exposed after cutting away the rough stone.

This kind of color matching really tests knife skills and plating procedures, which was ample proof of how much free time the person making this cake had.

Mewtwo looked at the small chocolate cake next to the main one, feeling that whatever Suihan made basically only had the option of being eaten freshly made.

If these chocolate cakes were left out for too long, their peak tasting time would definitely pass.

Lapras stretched her long neck forward, took a bite, her eyes lit up, and without hesitation, she took another bite, entering a ferocious eating mode.

"Muu muu!"

Delicious!

Milcery directly took two pieces, preparing to save one and add extra toppings with her own cream before enjoying it.

Milcery raised her cream-formed knife and fork: "Milu!"

Let me properly interrogate the trainer's culinary skills!

Mewtwo's way of eating was rather unique: he divided his piece of cake into half, ate one half layer by layer by wiping it off, and ate the other half normally.

Just like eating mille-feuille, there are always people who like to peel off the layers one by one.

"You guys go ahead and eat. The heavy responsibility of wielding the knife is handed over to you."

Zhusuihan handed the cake knife to Mewtwo: "The rest of the kitchen work is easy; I can handle it all by myself."

[Aren't you going to eat?]

"Oh right, cut a piece and leave it in the kitchen for me to eat later."

Lapras and Milcery were in charge of directing, while Mewtwo was in charge of the knife, using psychic powers to precisely control the sizes.

Even the cookie stick and jelly on top were precisely sliced into a quarter by Mewtwo, placed in a small plate, and brought into the kitchen.

The monkey we keep at home has to eat the same things we do!

The bubbling giant pot emitted bursts of steam, and the alluring aroma drifted out the window, attracting passing wild Pokémon.

The mouth-watering wild Pokémon were still quite polite; even when their saliva accidentally dripped onto the window ledge, they quickly wiped it clean.

"Here, these are for you."

Zhusuihan was chewing on cake in his mouth and used the leftover ingredients to make a few vegetable and egg pancakes for these wild Pokémon, even mixing in some energy cubes formed into small portions.

After bustling around for a while, just as Mewtwo walked in carrying a tray, Zhusuihan finished the final dish, pouring the simmered broth over the bowl of ramen.

"Your burgers, fries, and the rest will be ready in half a minute. Carry these over first."

Zhusuihan pointed at the refrigerator: "Actually, there really are a few steamed buns in there. Do you need a midnight snack?"

[Hardly necessary. I thought you were going to buy fast food outside.]

"How could anything bought outside compare to what I make?"

Zhusuihan grew proud: "Cheese is the best, and so are the vegetable pickles, pickles, and meat patties. Even the sesame seeds on top of the bun have been specially treated to ensure they are crispy and fragrant."

[Hearing it like that, sandwiches sound much more convenient.]

"Then why don't you just eat energy cubes?"

Zhusuihan carried the remaining dishes to the table, arranging the seasonings according to Lapras's habits.

"That's all for ordering today. After all, I have to wake up early tomorrow to report to the Pokémon Center."

The three little guys looked at each other, then looked at the dishes in front of their respective selves, and finally unanimously fixed their gazes on Zhusuihan's bowl of fully-loaded egg fried rice.

Glances confirmed: they were sisters with the exact same thoughts.

Dinner dishes scan complete!

Even though I can only smell the aroma and see what the food looks like, that doesn't stop me from thinking the meal in front of you looks better than mine!

Zhusuihan picked up his cup with a blank expression and took a sip of fruit wine.

"I knew you guys would think that."

The white-haired monkey smiled: "Don't worry, there are several more portions waiting for you in the kitchen. Finish what's on the dining table first, and I guarantee you'll get to taste other dishes."

"Muu!"

"Milu!"

The trainer really understands us!

Lapras and Milcery buried their heads in eating. Mewtwo picked up a burger and took a bite. There was no unexpected weird taste; it seemed Zhusuihan was relatively devout when it came to food.

At least he wouldn't deliberately make some dark cuisine while eating, the kind where you want to spit out your tongue upon the first bite.

"We're going to work tomorrow, so everyone get to sleep early tonight."

Zhusuihan topped off the drinks of the three little guys, then raised his cup to toast with them one by one.

"Let everyone in Goldenrod City see what a true Master Joy looks like!"

"Muu!"

"Milu!"

Master Joy, preparing to sortie!

[Actually, I think 'Joy God Monkey' sounds catchier.]

"You're doing the dishes later!"