Chapter 38: No Doping for Beasts of Burden

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The system provided more than just information about their bond.

Among Misdreavus’s six basic stats, its most important attributes—Special Attack and Speed—were both as high as 40, while its Special Defense was 38.

A careful deduction from those two numbers revealed quite a lot.

It was already known that the system evaluated a Pokémon’s stats in the same way as the games from his previous life. In the games, Misdreavus had a base stat of 85 in each of Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed.

Without deliberate training after birth, those three stats should theoretically have been identical.

Yet in reality, they differed ever so slightly. This indicated that Pokémon in the real world also possessed something akin to “individual values.”

Although the system did not display them, Xia Chi could estimate them himself.

The Misdreavus he had just caught most likely possessed the exceptionally rare equivalent of two perfect individual values.

That could absolutely be described as extraordinary talent.

One should not underestimate two perfect values simply because they seemed far inferior to the highest possible six.

Reality was not a game. A Trainer could not catch hundreds of Pokémon and select the most talented among them, much less breed them in order to choose the best of the best.

Though, if someone really wanted to do that in the real world, it was not impossible.

They could simply spend a fortune selecting the Pokémon with the finest bloodline—and the highest price—from a large-scale breeding facility.

The odds of obtaining a highly gifted individual would indeed be much greater.

However, almost no breeding facility raised Ghost-type Pokémon on any meaningful scale.

So catching a wild Misdreavus with two perfect individual values—especially in the two attributes most useful to Misdreavus, Special Attack and Speed—was already close to perfection.

Xia Chi exited the system and returned to reality.

Now that its injuries had been healed, Misdreavus was fast asleep from the exhaustion of its recent battle.

Even while sleeping, the two tufts atop its head that resembled sideburns continued to drift in the air like ghostly flames.

Finding it amusing, Xia Chi gently pinched the slightly reddish tips of the tufts.

The sensation was wonderfully strange. They were not gaseous, as he had imagined, but could be kneaded and reshaped at will.

If he had to describe them, they were a fluid in a gel-like state.

Misdreavus seemed to sense Xia Chi’s touch in its dreams. Its body twitched slightly, and the “mane” atop its head instinctively fled from his palm.

Xia Chi had intended to study it a little longer, but then thought that continuing to play with it would be rather too mean. In the end, he stopped.

After staying up until well past midnight the previous night, the most immediate consequence was that Xia Chi did not wake until after nine the next morning.

“Oh no, I’ve already missed breakfast.”

After glancing at the time, Xia Chi hurriedly crawled out of his sleeping bag.

If this had happened a month ago, he would not have been flustered in the slightest.

Skipping breakfast? What was the big deal? How many college students actually managed to get up on time for it?

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But things were different now. There were still two mouths at home—no, two mouths—crying out to be fed.

They were both at the age when their bodies were growing. If they missed a meal, would he not be heartbroken?

Xia Chi, who had become the father of two at a remarkably young age, hurried out of the tent, only to discover that Sprigatito and Misdreavus had already begun eating outside.

More precisely, they were still cooking.

The pots left out from the night before were bubbling with thick soup. Misdreavus was using its elongated mane to control the handle of a spoon, stirring continuously.

The Beedrill honey they had obtained earlier was also slowly being mixed into the soup under the control of psychic power.

Each time it added a little, Misdreavus would lift the spoon and taste the soup with its pink tongue.

Its face would then reveal either slight dissatisfaction or deep contemplation.

Every so often, it would even squeeze a little berry juice into the spoon, experimenting with a new flavor.

Xia Chi stared in astonishment. What had been a prepackaged dish that merely needed water and heat before it could be eaten had somehow been transformed by Misdreavus into something that felt worthy of a three-star Michelin restaurant.

Sprigatito and the Oddish were not idle either.

Some were adding firewood to the flames, while others were mixing berries and unknown fruits with the sauce Xia Chi had brought to make a salad.

It seemed there was... nothing left for him to do.

Xia Chi felt as though he had returned to the New Year celebrations of his previous life, waking early at home only to watch the whole family bustle about while he sat there uselessly.

All that was missing was a television and a packet of sunflower seeds while he waited for the meal.

“Misdreavus!”

Seeing Xia Chi emerge, Misdreavus called out to him and beckoned him over to taste its handiwork.

Following the rich, fragrant aroma that differed from the previous night’s, Xia Chi walked over to Misdreavus and looked at the appetizing pot of improved cream of mushroom soup. He could not help feeling a little uneasy.

For one thing, this was his first time eating food prepared by a Pokémon, and the unknown naturally inspired some concern.

For another, Xia Chi had heard that Ghost-type Pokémon were particularly vengeful.

Could this little fellow still be holding a grudge because he had frightened it with ghost stories the day before—and added something unpleasant to his portion?

But when he saw the anticipation in Misdreavus’s eyes, Xia Chi felt that he should not assume the worst of a Pokémon that already belonged to his family.

He accepted the spoon Misdreavus offered and took a small sip. His eyes lit up.

The terrible taste of the dark cuisine he had expected never appeared.

On the contrary, the soup was smooth, rich, and delicate.

It retained the sweet, mellow flavor of the original cream of mushroom soup, while the added Beedrill honey brought a full floral fragrance.

The final touch was the Oran Berry juice. Its refreshing tartness perfectly balanced the soup’s slightly greasy richness.

These tiny alterations elevated the overall complexity of the flavor by more than one level compared with the straightforward version Xia Chi had cooked himself the day before.

It was not quite so delicious that it would make his clothes burst off his body, but Xia Chi still praised it without reservation.

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“It’s delicious!”

“You’re a genius, Chef Misdreavus! Your cooking quotient is definitely a damn 180!”

“Misdreavus~”

Misdreavus was delighted by Xia Chi’s praise. It narrowed its eyes happily and began spinning in circles through the air.

With the atmosphere just right, Xia Chi naturally continued, “So, starting today, you’ll be in charge of all three meals in our household!”

“Misdreavus?”

Misdreavus stopped in midair. Why did that sound... less than wonderful?

Seeing Misdreavus begin to hesitate, Xia Chi added, “Look, everyone loves the food you make. With your superb cooking skills, Sprigatito and I will both receive the best possible nutrition and grow up healthy and strong!”

Was it really needed by Sprigatito and Xia Chi...?

As it turned out, that was exactly the sort of thing Misdreavus wanted to hear.

After thinking for a moment, it stopped hesitating and nodded cheerfully.

“Misdreavus! I’ll make sure to cook properly from now on!”

Using stimulants to motivate the working animals might have been a little underhanded, Xia Chi thought guiltily, but it sure was effective...

* * *

Although he had originally planned to stay on Mount Mingchong for two or three days, Xia Chi decided to return to school ahead of schedule now that he had achieved his goal of catching a new Pokémon.

There were all sorts of matters to deal with: completing Misdreavus’s paperwork, purchasing the necessary supplies, and drawing up a training plan.

Before leaving, Xia Chi took a group photo with Pachirisu and the Oddish.

After all, this was his second Pokémon capture, and one of considerable significance. It deserved to be commemorated.

He did not encounter the seasoned driver with access to so many resources on the way back. Otherwise, Xia Chi had intended to thank him.

Of course, it had nothing to do with those resources. Xia Chi was an upright gentleman who could resist improper temptations.

Rather, he wanted to thank the man for warning him that Ghost-type Pokémon could be found on the southern side of the mountain.

In a sense, the capture of his second Pokémon was partly thanks to that driver.

But it did not matter that they failed to meet.

Once he returned, Xia Chi decided to properly appreciate and study the learning materials the man had shared.

That would count as paying distant tribute to the driving deity of Mount Mingchong.

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