LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 156: The Expensive Equipment Finally Comes In Handy
Angie returned home with Munchlax and Drizzile after cutting grass, only to see Dusknoir and Passimian standing at the door.
"You... Where did you come from?" Angie asked, puzzled.
Hearing Angie's voice, Dusknoir, Passimian, and the ten Shuckle simultaneously turned around to look at him.
Passimian and Dusknoir weren't particularly surprised by Angie's presence, as their good friend had told them that it was living with a human.
This must be the one.
"Passimian~ Passimian~"
Are you Angie?
Passimian asked.
Angie was stunned. "You know me?"
Passimian, Dusknoir, and the ten Shuckle nodded in unison.
"Dusknoir~ Dusknoir~"
Our good friend told us about you.
Dusknoir explained.
"And who's your good friend?" Angie asked, still confused.
"Passimian~ Passimian~"
It's Komala!
Passimian replied.
Then, as if realizing something, Passimian quickly asked.
"Passimian~ Passimian~"
You can understand what we're saying?
Angie nodded. "Yep!"
Passimian and Dusknoir exchanged curious glances before turning their fascinated gazes to Angie.
At that moment, Angie seemed to piece it together and guessed, "Could it be… you're Komala's drinking buddies?"
"Passimian~"
Drinking buddies? What's that?
Passimian asked, puzzled.
Angie explained, "Friends who drink together."
Hearing this, Passimian and Dusknoir nodded repeatedly.
Passimian excitedly said.
"Passimian~ Passimian~"
Yes, yes, we're drinking buddies with our good friend!
Strictly speaking, only Passimian and Komala were drinking buddies. Dusknoir didn't enjoy drinking but knew Komala through Passimian, as they lived together.
Passimian's hobby was brewing alcohol, and Komala had befriended it after being drawn in by the allure of its brews.
Angie smiled and invited them in. "Since you're Komala's friends, come on in. Komala's probably sleeping right now!"
Seeing how kind Angie was, Dusknoir and Passimian felt relieved and followed him to the square.
Munchlax and Drizzile walked beside them, subtly observing the new arrivals. When Dusknoir and Passimian noticed this, Munchlax responded with a friendly grin, while Drizzile cheekily winked at them.
The Pokémon's amicable attitudes further put Dusknoir and Passimian at ease.
Angie returned to the entrance, lifted the curtain to Komala's little house, and sure enough, found it sound asleep.
Angie softly called, "Komala, wake up! Your friends are here!"
But Komala didn't respond. It just smacked its lips, turned over, and tugged its little blanket closer before continuing to snooze.
Angie sighed and turned back to Dusknoir and Passimian. "Looks like it won't wake up right now. Come inside with me for now."
Dusknoir and Passimian nodded.
Once inside, Angie said, "You can put down all the Shuckle. Carrying them around must be exhausting."
Hearing this, Dusknoir and Passimian quickly set the Shuckle down and untied the vines securing them. The Shuckle, having been bundled up for so long, sighed in relief.
At that moment, Diancie, hearing the commotion, came downstairs.
"Angie, you're back…"
As it was speaking, it noticed several unfamiliar Pokémon in the house.
"We've got guests!"
Angie nodded and said, "Yes, they're friends of Komala."
"Oh, I see!" Diancie said, understanding at once. "Should I prepare something for them to drink?"
Angie nodded. "There's juice in the fridge that Magearna made earlier. Bring some over, please."
Diancie nodded and headed to the kitchen.
Seeing this, Munchlax and Drizzile took the freshly cut green grass to the kitchen, taking along the basket Angie had carried earlier.
Angie invited Dusknoir and Passimian, "Have a seat and rest."
The two Pokémon took seats on the nearby chairs. Before long, Diancie brought over refreshing, tasty juice for them and the Shuckle.
After setting the juice in front of Passimian and the others, Diancie tugged on Angie's sleeve and whispered, "There's a task!"
A task now? Angie instinctively glanced at Passimian and Dusknoir, guessing that the new task might involve them.
"Accept it."
Angie opened the system, and sure enough, the new task was related to Passimian.
[ (Capture Task) Capture Passimian — Pending Completion. ]
The task description was simple.
This was the second Pokémon, after Munchlax, that the system had actively requested Angie to capture.
Could it be that Passimian also had a talent for cooking?
Meanwhile, Dusknoir, Passimian, and the Shuckle were curiously examining everything in Angie's home.
Angie thought for a moment, sat across from them, and asked, "Why did you suddenly come here? Were you specifically looking for Komala?"
The two Pokémon exchanged glances, and Dusknoir nudged Passimian. Reluctantly, Passimian began explaining.
"Passimian~ Passimian~"
A terrible disaster struck the forest where we lived, and it's no longer habitable. We came seeking help from our friend.
"So that's what happened," Angie said with understanding. "I can take you in."
Hearing Angie's words, Passimian, Dusknoir, and the Shuckle lit up with joy.
"But I have one condition," Angie added.
"Passimian~"
"Dusknoir~"
Dusknoir and Passimian looked confused.
Angie continued, "I want Passimian to become my Pokémon and learn culinary skills with me."
Culinary skills? Passimian was even more puzzled. What did that mean? It voiced its confusion.
Angie thought for a moment and explained, "Culinary skills are the techniques used to make food taste better through cooking."
Passimian looked unsure. Could it really learn such a thing?
Angie asked, "Passimian, would you like to learn culinary skills?"
"Passimian~"
I'm not sure.
Passimian shook its head, looking bewildered.
"Passimian~ Passimian~"
I'd rather focus on perfecting my brewing techniques than learning culinary skills.
Hearing Passimian's response, Angie's eyes lit up. This was it! He finally understood why the system wanted him to capture Passimian.
This Passimian might have a natural talent for brewing, an area Angie knew very little about.
Thinking of the expensive brewing equipment rewarded by the system that was still lying unused at home, Angie became even more convinced of why the system wanted him to capture Passimian.
"Alright, you don't have to learn cooking. If you agree to become my Pokémon, I'll teach you how to brew!" Angie said, trying to suppress his excitement.
More precisely, the Culinary Training Room would teach Passimian; Angie just needed to unlock the brewing technique.
Since the system was insistent on him capturing Passimian, it was almost guaranteed that it would unlock brewing techniques for him, right? Angie had a decent grasp of how the system operated.
Hearing Angie's words, Passimian thought, Is this for real?
It knew well that human brewing techniques were incredibly advanced. If it could learn the craft from Angie, it wouldn't miss the opportunity for anything in the world!
"Passimian~ Passimian~"
I want to learn brewing! I want to learn brewing!
Passimian said eagerly, worried that Angie might change his mind.
Hearing this, Angie smiled in satisfaction. He extended his hand to Passimian and said, "Alright then, let's work together from now on!"
"Passimian~ Passimian~"
Let's work together! Let's work together!
Passimian shook Angie's hand with excitement.
At the same time, Angie received a system notification. Naturally, it was confirmation that the task had been completed.
Capturing a Pokémon didn't necessarily mean sealing it in a Poké Ball. As long as the Pokémon genuinely acknowledged you from the bottom of its heart, that too was considered a successful capture.
Angie glanced at the time and noticed that it was already getting late. He turned to Dusknoir, Passimian, and the 10 Shuckle and asked.
"Are you hungry? Let me whip up something for you!"
Dusknoir, Passimian, and the Shuckle hesitated. They felt awkward about freeloading as soon as they arrived—it just didn't seem right.
Angie chuckled and said, "Don't worry about it. You're all part of the Nebel Plateau family now. If you ever need help or have any requests, feel free to tell me."
He added with a grin, "Of course, whether I agree or not is another matter entirely."
With that, Angie went to the kitchen and served a bowl of cold noodles for each of them.
That afternoon, while Gengar had been preparing for its evening duties, Angie had casually mentioned craving cold noodles. Gengar had whipped up several bowls and stored them in the fridge—not just for Angie but also for Diancie and Magearna.
Now, these noodles were perfect for Passimian and the others to enjoy.
Unsurprisingly, Passimian and the others were instantly captivated by the flavor of Gengar's culinary skills.
They had never tasted anything so delicious.
Seeing how much they enjoyed their meal, Angie said, "The food you're eating now was made using cooking techniques. Tastes amazing, doesn't it?"
Passimian, Dusknoir, and the Shuckle nodded in unison.
Angie then asked Passimian, "So, have you changed your mind about learning to cook? If you learn how to cook, you can make delicious food for yourself anytime."
However, Passimian shook its head. While the food was undeniably tasty, it wasn't enough to sway its resolve to master the art of brewing.
Angie saw this and praised Passimian, "Not bad! Having determination is the mark of a Pokémon destined for great things."
To succeed in any endeavor, one needed persistence, resolve, and determination.
"Passimian~ Passimian~"
Passimian felt a bit embarrassed by Angie's compliment.
As Passimian and the others ate, Angie activated his Eye of Observation to check Passimian's stats.
...
[ Passimian ]
Type: Fighting
Ability: Defiant
Gender: Male
Level: 30
Moves: Tackle, Leer, Rock Smash, Focus Energy, Beat Up, Scary Face, Take Down, Fling, Brick Break, Seed Bomb, Shadow Ball, Uproar, Coaching, Quick Attack.
...
[ Individual Values (IVs) ]
HP: 16
Attack: 19
Defense: 20
Special Attack: 16
Special Defense: 24
Speed: 28
...
The stats were average, but that was to be expected. Not every Pokémon could be as exceptional as Pawmi or Mareep!
Once Passimian and the others were full, Angie called over Diancie and Magearna to assign living arrangements for them.
Since Passimian would be training in brewing in the culinary training room, it naturally had to live at Angie's house.
As for Dusknoir and the Shuckle, they were assigned to the employee dormitory!
Angie himself took his two apprentices to prepare meals for the Pokémon.
Munchlax and Drizzile worked on making regular food, while Angie focused on preparing fish feed for the aquatic Pokémon and green dumplings for the Gogoat, Skiddo, and Miltank.
The consumption of fish feed by Pokémon like Veluza, Seaking, Magikarp, and Feebas was enormous, and Angie's stockpile had been completely depleted.
Of course, eating more meant training harder, and Angie could feel them growing stronger by the day.
Although the stock of green dumplings was not entirely gone, it was running low, so Angie decided to make more alongside the fish feed.
Ever since eating grass-based treats, Angie had noticed a significant increase in the milk production of Gogoat and Miltank, as well as a substantial improvement in milk quality.
No one was more delighted by this than Magearna, who used large amounts of Gogoat milk and Moomoo milk in her dessert-making.
With the improved quality of the milk, her desserts became even more delicious.
Meanwhile, on Dusknoir and the Shuckle's side...
After being led to the employee dormitory, Dusknoir looked at the empty rooms and couldn't help but ask Magearna,
"Dusknoir~"
Are we the only ones living here?
Despite being a large Ghost-type Pokémon, Dusknoir was surprisingly afraid of loneliness—and of ghosts too.
"Magearna~"
Of course not. You see those rooms with nameplates? Those are already occupied by other Pokémon.
Magearna pointed them out one by one to Dusknoir.
"Magearna~"
It's just that everyone's either working or playing outside right now, so they're not home.
"Dusknoir~"
Hearing this, Dusknoir let out a sigh of relief.
"Magearna~"
Why don't you and the Shuckle pick a room? Any unoccupied room is yours.
"Dusknoir~"
Dusknoir nodded and began scanning the rooms along the corridor, noting that the doors to empty rooms were usually left open.
"Magearna~"
Shuckle, do you want to share a room with Dusknoir?
Before the Shuckle could respond, Dusknoir answered for them.
"Dusknoir~"
We'll stay together!
It didn't want to live alone—it was too scared.
Magearna looked at the Shuckle, who all smiled and nodded in agreement.
"In that case, you'll need a spacious room," Magearna said.
Dusknoir's large frame, combined with the ten Shuckle, would make a cramped room uncomfortable.
Dusknoir and the Shuckle nodded and continued their search.
Soon, with Magearna's suggestions, they settled on a roomy, ideal space. Not only was it spacious, but it also had individual small beds designed for Pokémon like Shuckle.
After choosing their room, Magearna took them to Greninja to select some living essentials.
Dusknoir hadn't expected the accommodations at its friend's place to be this good. It deeply regretted not coming to seek its friend's help earlier.
At the mini-mart and supply shop, Dusknoir and the Shuckle met Delphox and Greninja. The two guardians warmly welcomed their new companions.
Dusknoir loved lively environments, and meeting new friends made it very happy. It quickly became well-acquainted with the two guardians.
It seemed that Dusknoir was indeed a social butterfly.