Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

"Wow—"

A thick white mist, accompanied by a fragrant aroma, billowed out and instantly filled the entire kitchen.

The aroma was more than ten times stronger than what I smelled in the restaurant.

Ash's nose twitched violently, and Pikachu sneezed.

The fog dissipated.

The scene inside the pot was clearly displayed in front of the three people and the rat.

A pot of clear, slightly milky-white hot water.

It's not soup, it's hot water.

But there was something soaking in the water.

No, it's not a "thing" either.

It's a Pokémon.

A giant green onion duck.

It was comfortably soaking in the hot water, its body half-submerged and half-floating, casually munching on the side dishes from the pot.

Its wings are also spread out comfortably, and the whole duck is in a "bathing" posture.

The most outrageous.

Its ever-present scallion was tucked under its wing, and it would occasionally pull it out to brush its back.

The movements were fluid and graceful, like scrubbing someone in the bath.

"Pickup truck?", "Fly onion duck?", "Is this real?", "You can do that?!"

Upon hearing the sound, the green onion duck suddenly froze.

It sensed something, slowly turned its head, and its round duck eyes met the eyes of the three people and the rat.

The air freezes.

Then--

"Gah! Gah gah gah!!!"

The green onion duck let out a series of terrified screams, and the whole duck bounced up from the pot with a "plop," splashing water everywhere.

It hurriedly held the scallion in front of it, trying to cover its body as much as possible.

A pair of eyes were fixed on the head chef, filled with accusation and the shame of being seen naked.

—It's taking a bath!

Why were you just standing there watching?

Water droplets slid off its feathers and fell back into the pot with a pattering sound.

"Pikachu!!"

Pikachu looked shocked, and the electric sac started crackling again.

The chef hurriedly put the lid on the pot and gave an embarrassed smile.

"Uh... that's about it."

The pot lid was pushed open a crack, and the scallion duck cautiously peeked out half of its head, stared at the chef for two seconds, and then beckoned him with the tip of its wing.

“Me?” The chef pointed to himself.

The green onion duck nodded.

The head chef obediently moved closer.

A large scallion was slapped right on the forehead.

"Gah!"

The green onion duck flapped its wings again and slammed the lid back on, letting out a muffled "quack quack quack" sound, which sounded like it was cursing.

Ok.

Xiao Zhi nodding is a form of cursing.

"cough!"

The chef wiped the water off his face and forced himself to stay upright.

"Big Green Duck is right, this soup is a bit bland."

"The secret to the soup base is the bathwater from the green onion duck!?"

Xiaoxia finally couldn't hold back and spoke up.

That's right.

"That's what the chef said."

"But don't worry, this scallion duck is willing; there was no coercion."

"This leek duck is a companion I brought back from the hunting grounds. When it comes to cooking, we hit it off immediately. It likes to take baths, and I like to make soup—and we gradually developed this... cooperative relationship."

"And it always takes a bath before cooking. It's very particular, even more so than me."

"I knew I couldn't taste the flavor."

Xiao Zhi nodded.

"Green onion duck and green onions are indeed a perfect match."

"And the spiciness too...?"

Xiao Gang vaguely guessed what was going on.

"Yes."

The chef smiled, walked to the other side of the cabinet, bent down and pulled out a white ceramic bucket.

The bucket wasn't very big, about the height of two fists, and it was covered with a wooden lid.

He carefully lifted the lid and tilted the bucket slightly toward the three people and the mouse.

It contains water.

Clear, transparent water that looks no different from ordinary water.

"That's it?"

Xiao Zhi peeked out and blinked.

"Try it."

The chef took out a small spoon, scooped out half a spoonful, and handed it to Xiaogang.

Xiao Gang took the spoon, smelled it first, then gently dipped the tip of his tongue in it and put it in his mouth.

"This is it!"

"That's the flavor! It's very subtle, but just a tiny bit makes all the difference in the dish!"

The head chef nodded in satisfaction, closed the wooden bucket, and explained.

"This is water made from the tail of a Slowpoke I captured after smuggling myself into the Galar region."

"It's not about harming it. Just let it soak its tail in pure water every day for a few days, and the water will take on this special, mild spicy flavor."

Xiao Zhi suddenly had a flash of inspiration and explained.

"That's right, the Slowpokes in the Galar region are different from those here."

"The tails of the Slowpokes here have a sweet smell. Although they have no nutritional value, they give you a feeling of happiness."

"They often immerse their tails in water, using sweetness as bait to attract large tongue shells and then fish them out, thus evolving their own methods."

"Due to their diet, Slowpokes in the Galar region like to eat Galar cardamom, which makes their tails spicy."

"But this is the first time I've tasted this flavor. So this is what it feels like...?"

Xiao Zhi nodded.

The head chef glanced at Xiaozhi with some surprise, clearly not expecting that this boy, who seemed to only know how to eat, would have such insight.

That's exactly right.

"Besides that, I also have Miltank and Chansey."

"The milk produced by my large milk tank has a higher fat content than usual, so it is especially suitable for making desserts."

"The dessert you just ate was made with its milk and jelly eggs."

There's a reason why his products are expensive.

Absolutely worth the price!

193. What about the bonds? What about the bonds between you?

Upon hearing this, the three of them immediately expressed their feelings.

The head chef is truly a reverse version of a trainer.

After all, in the Kanto region where everyone is a battle fanatic, it's rare to encounter a trainer who is so focused on pursuing the way of life.

It's even rarer than seeing a wild Dragon-type Elite Four member.

Ash, who was standing nearby, also became interested, since he had never seen a team like this before.

They immediately began discussing team composition with the head chef.

The two chatted about the flavor variations of Alcremie and how the ripeness of Sakura Treasure affects its sourness.

They then discussed the optimal humidity for fermenting tree fruits, starting with the sweetness gradient of sweet bamboo.

Even Chili Pepper, a Pokémon that can emit spicy flames, was brought up for discussion.

It covers everything from the temperature at which food is cooked to the richest spiciness to the temperature at which it is cooked.

The chef's eyes lit up as he spoke, feeling his horizons broaden. He wrote down several pages of his thoughts in his notebook without stopping.