Doduo: "You Call That a Bean Sprout?" (Please Keep Reading)

Latias and Wyrdeer stayed at the Manor for the time being.

Besides them, there were still Torterra and the other Pokémon who had yet to wake up.

"They said they'd come deal with this in a few days, but what am I supposed to do if they won't wake up...?"

Electivire and Torterra had been like this ever since they were purified. Pikachu, Eevee, and the others, though, had been drugged unconscious by Team Rocket. They would wake once the drugs wore off.

There was nothing he could do about that for now. Mingyou checked his phone; it was already time for dinner. He turned to Ogerpon apologetically. "Sorry. With everything that happened today, I can't throw a party to celebrate. I still have to look after them tonight."

"Wum..."

Ogerpon was a little disappointed. It had been looking forward to it for a while... But it quickly cheered up and showed that it understood.

Seeing how considerate it was, Mingyou stroked its head and smiled. "Let's do it at the end of the month, then. A lot of crops at the Manor will be ready to harvest, and we can use them for the party."

"Wum~"

"Okay, just wait a bit."

With that, Mingyou headed for the kitchen. He had bought plenty of ingredients today. If he couldn't throw a party, he could at least cook for these Pokémon.

As he sorted through the ingredients, he remembered the bean sprout seeds he had bought. He took them out and used the Bellsprout and Weepinbell cards, instantly gaining forty Trumpet Bean Sprout seeds.

Then he took out one of the mutant seeds from the Weepinbell card and checked its information...

[Trumpet Bean Sprout seed: Growth cycle of three days. Yield increases when tended by Grass-type or Poison-type Pokémon. Chance to gain a learnable move (Vine Whip, Ingrain, Worry Seed, Acid, Gastro Acid, Grassy Glide).]

"That fast?"

Mingyou was surprised, but bean sprouts generally grew in just a few days, so it wasn't that strange. He wouldn't even need Speed-Gro.

The only thing he wondered about was the yield increase. A bean sprout was tiny; even all these seeds together wouldn't make enough for a stir-fry. What exactly did "yield increases" mean?

He would have to wait until they grew to find out. For now, he soaked the seeds in water, planning to plant them somewhere shady after dinner.

"Come to think of it..."

Just as he put the seeds in water, Mingyou suddenly remembered something. He quickly took out his phone and opened Magikarp King.

Sure enough... The message he had missed because he'd had no signal was from Misty!

Her message was furious: "What kind of tangerine did you sell me? The flesh was as hard as a rock! I nearly broke my teeth!"

"..."

Well, now he finally knew what the last gray tangerine did.

Misty hadn't asked for a refund, though. Perhaps she understood that not everyone could eat these fruits. Or maybe she had used it to prank someone...

After a quick reply—"Sorry, I should've explained"—he got back to work.

Quite some time later, he finally carried all the food he had made into the living room. As soon as Ogerpon saw him, it ran over to help.

"Phew... Done!"

Mingyou caught his breath. He was starting to feel the pressure. Looking after this many Pokémon at once really was a little difficult.

He shook his head, collected himself, and called outside, "Dinner's ready!"

"Munch~"

Munchlax was always the first to come running.

Latias flew back too. She had been scouting nearby for a place to stay and had finally decided on the large pond in the backyard.

Wyrdeer came in as well, along with the Bellsprout, who poked their heads in curiously... There might not have been a party, but the place had gotten lively all the same.

"I'm not that great a cook, so go easy on me. Of course... if you like it, have as much as you want. I'd be happy."

Mingyou smiled as he spoke. Latias, however, loved it. She had never been among humans before and had always lived on an isolated island, so this was her first time tasting food like this.

"Wuu~"

So delicious~

Latias looked utterly satisfied. She was even starting to want to stay here forever.

The sight made Mingyou laugh. Then he looked at Wyrdeer, who had lowered his head to sample the food, and asked curiously, "Does your Trainer cook too?"

"Deer~"

Wyrdeer nodded. As far as he remembered, his Trainer was a good cook, but desserts were another story. Every time his Trainer made one, it was a disaster for them.

"Haha, I see... I'm pretty good at desserts, actually. The little ones like them."

"Wum~"

Ogerpon suddenly chimed in. It loved the sweets Mingyou made. They were super tasty!

"If you like them, have some more."

"Wum~"

Dinner ended in that warm, lively atmosphere. The Bellsprout returned to the Orchard. Wyrdeer lay down outside the Villa's front door; he didn't like resting inside buildings, and from here he could keep intruders out.

After eating her fill, Latias ignored the place she had found by the pond, kicked Munchlax aside, and claimed the sofa for herself.

"..."

Munchlax stood beside her in silence for a long moment before going to lie down on the smaller sofa across the room...

"She's only just arrived..."

Mingyou gave a helpless smile. His Ogerpon was much better behaved. Still, Latias couldn't stay like this forever. At the very least, by the time Latios came looking for her, he wanted him to see a whole new sister!

After cleaning up, Mingyou found a wooden crate, filled it with sandy soil, planted the Trumpet Bean Sprout seeds, and set it in the living room.

Once he had finished, he wiped his brow and turned to Ogerpon. "Go upstairs and rest. I still need to look after Pikachu and the others. I don't know when they'll wake up. It might be a while."

"Wum~"

Ogerpon shook its head. It wanted to stay with him. If it went upstairs alone, it wouldn't have anyone to talk to. That would be too lonely.

"..."

For a moment, Mingyou was lost for words. Warmth rose unexpectedly in his chest. Smiling, he reached out and gently stroked Ogerpon's head. "All right. When the apples in the Orchard ripen in a few days, I'll make you some candied apples."

"Wum~"

Seeing Ogerpon grow more thoughtful by the day made Mingyou proud.

They stayed together until the early hours of the morning. At last, an Eevee slowly opened its eyes. The drugs had only just worn off, and it was still dazed.

Mingyou immediately prepared food and water for them. Then Pikachu, Torchic, and the others woke up. Only Torterra and Electivire remained unconscious.

But once they came to their senses and saw the unfamiliar surroundings, they all grew wary. Some even attacked, while a few ran out the door.

This was Mingyou's turf, though. How could they get away? The commotion woke Wyrdeer at the entrance, and he blocked every one of them.

"This is going to be a headache..."

Looking at the chaos, Mingyou could already see what lay ahead. For the next two days, he did little besides care for the unruly Pokémon and try to reassure them, with little success.

Unfortunately, all of them had Trainers. That was why they were so distressed: they thought Mingyou was the villain who had captured them. Not one of them would let him get a card...

By the third day, the Pokémon were still asleep, enjoying pleasant dreams under Wyrdeer's Hypnosis.

Mingyou got up early and opened the front door.

The Trumpet Bean Sprouts were ready to harvest today. He had watched them grow over the past few days, and they were doing well—though they had grown a little bigger than expected.

He dragged the heavy wooden crate into the sunlight. Inside stood row after row of yellow bean sprouts, each more than half as thick as his wrist. Now he finally understood what "yield increases" meant.

"Are these even bean sprouts anymore...?"

Mingyou couldn't help laughing. He leaned in to examine the best one. Up close, it looked a little like a pitcher plant, especially at that size.

Then he checked its information...

[Trumpet Bean Sprout (B-): Despite its name, it hardly looks like a bean sprout. Tender and crisp, with a distinctive, fresh bean-sprout fragrance. Even children who hate bean sprouts will enjoy it.]

[Additional effect: Eating it grants an understanding of Grassy Glide and accelerates mastery of the move. The higher the quality, the faster the mastery.]

A simple, straightforward effect. It was essentially a Technical Machine, except it also helped the user understand and master the move faster.

In other words, even if a Pokémon had only just learned Grassy Glide and could barely use it, eating this sprout would quickly make it more proficient!

"A Technical Machine plus!"

Mingyou finally understood exactly what these things did. Now he could sell them without worrying.

He checked the other sprouts, but not every one had an additional effect. Some were high-quality yet were only good for eating.

"That's fine. If every sprout had an effect, I wouldn't even know how to price them."

Mingyou wasn't too disappointed. He was about to pull out all the sprouts without additional effects when, just as he tugged one free, a steady voice tinged with surprise came from behind him.

"Kid, what's that you're holding?"

"Huh? This? A bean sprout."

"...You call that a bean sprout?"

"Yeah, it's a little big, but..."

Mingyou turned toward the voice without thinking. The instant he saw the cloaked figure, he shot to his feet, disbelief written all over his face.

"Do... Doduo?!"

"???"