Drakloak, Get☆Daze!

Jubilife City, Meria House.

Li Wei asked tentatively, "Could we stay here for dinner tonight? I'm a chef. I can cook."

Li Wei wanted Dragapult to stay here a little longer, even if it was only a little.

Rosa looked skeptical. "You can cook?"

What young Trainer these days became a chef instead of challenging Gyms, competing in the League, or entering Pokémon Contests?

Especially with his silver Metagross and Lucario, Li Wei looked like a strong Trainer at a glance.

Li Wei simply showed her his Eevee Network account, which won Rosa over.

Rosa exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, that's your account! I never made the connection. Sorry for the trouble, then!"

"Arcanine, Metagross, stay here. Lucario, let's go buy ingredients."

"Arroo!"

"Metang!"

A moment later, Arcanine and Metagross were surrounded by the children from the orphanage.

"We have ingredients here!"

"We're adding to the menu!"

Li Wei had already run off.

Li Wei soon bought a huge pile of ingredients, along with ten cases of canned Moomoo Milk as a gift for the children.

The cooking process was nothing short of chaotic.

"Xiao Wei, don't touch the pot!"

"Xiao Yu, no running around in the kitchen."

"Xiao Yin! Put that flour down!"

"Xiao Qin!!!"

The little girl who had tugged on Li Wei's trouser leg to ask questions earlier nearly turned herself into a stew.

Li Wei lunged forward and scooped her up.

This was clay pot rice, not kid-in-a-pot rice!

Director Rosa brought out her ultimate move. "Let's see who can stir the best! The top three get lollipops!"

"Yay!!!"

The move was simple, but effective.

One good trick really could take you anywhere.

For the main dish, Li Wei made meat congee, mincing all the meat to help keep the children from choking.

A few generous batches of stir-fried dishes would take care of the rest.

The chef here seemed eager to compete with Li Wei, but Li Wei wasn't interested...

Normally, he might have been interested, but after what had happened with Dragapult today, he wasn't in the mood.

Part of the reason he had suggested staying at the orphanage was that he hoped the children's energy would ease his sadness.

Steamed egg custard, meat congee, a sweet version of kung pao chicken, beef stewed with carrots...

Li Wei made only homestyle dishes, and not too many, since the chef here was cooking too.

The orphanage's dining hall was so tastefully decorated that it didn't look like part of an orphanage at all.

There were no wild Pokémon here, only a few Goldeen kept in a tank.

Rosa had already explained this earlier.

"Meria didn't want these children to grow up in hardship. She wanted them to have a better life."

Meria truly had been an angel.

No wonder Dragapult had never forgotten her.

Carrying some food, Li Wei approached Dragapult, who had been quietly watching everything, and the Drakloak beside her.

"This is for you two. Eat up."

"Grrlu."

(It says it has no appetite.)

"Meria is still here. She's watching you. You wouldn't want to make her sad, would you?"

Oh no. Why did I have to phrase it like that?

"Grrlu..."

In the end, Dragapult ate.

[Ding! Gained 364 Pokéblock proficiency.]

"Director Rosa, do you ever organize field trips or outings for the children?"

Rosa nodded. "Yes, we have an outing like that once a month."

"If you'd like, you could bring the children to our Breeding Center for a field trip. There's plenty of space, and quite a few wild Pokémon."

Rosa seemed tempted. "But what about safety...?"

"Lucario and Metagross already rule the surrounding area. Not a single Pokémon there can beat them."

"I see. That's wonderful, then. Our next outing is in two weeks..."

Li Wei and Director Rosa exchanged contact details.

"In exchange, would you let me bring Dragapult here to visit regularly?"

"Of course. Dragapult can even come on her own. This is Meria House, and it's her home too."

"Thank you so much."

"I should be thanking you. You've fulfilled a wish I'd never been able to realize."

That evening, after playing games with the children for a while,

"We'll be heading out, then."

"Take care, and please visit often!"

"Bye, big brother Li Wei!"

The children's innocent cheer had swept away Li Wei's gloom. "Bye! Go get some rest!"

Jubilife City was still bustling at night, its lights as bright as day.

Standing beneath a streetlamp, Li Wei looked at Dragapult.

"I won't catch you. Will you come home with me? My home is very close to Misty Mountain."

"Grrlu!"

Dragapult nodded.

Li Wei turned to the Drakloak beside her and took out a Luxury Ball. "Drakloak, would you like to become my Pokémon?"

"Drrrulu!"

Drakloak gently bumped the button on the Luxury Ball, turned into a beam of red light, and entered it.

A chime rang out.

"I caught Drakloak!"

"Luca!"

Drakloak, Get☆Daze!

"All right, let's go home!"

Li Wei had intended to have Metagross carry him, but Dragapult lifted him herself.

At nine thirty that evening, only the streetlights were still on at the Breeding Center. Everything was peaceful.

Even in sorrow, life had to go on.

"Dragapult, Drakloak, this is your home from now on. Misty Mountain is in that direction."

Grrlu! Drrulu! Meri!

Before returning to his room, Li Wei went to check on the Arcanine staying in one of the adjoining rooms.

It was still curled up in a corner, trembling at the slightest disturbance.

Li Wei rubbed his Arcanine's head. "Arcanine, help your companion out, all right?"

"Arroo!"

Arcanine flashed a confident, toothy grin.

(Leave it to yours truly!)

Arcanine was actually easier to treat than Feebas.

Li Wei had already worked out a treatment plan for Arcanine: all he had to do was take it out for exercise.

Exercise was good medicine for the soul.

Though tiring, it could relieve plenty of negative emotions and help Arcanine build confidence.

Li Wei opened the door to find his dad eating a late-night snack in the living room. "Son, you're back? I thought you weren't coming home tonight."

Seeing the suggestive look on his dad's face,

Li Wei nearly rolled his eyes. "What exactly did you think I was out doing? Cut back on the late-night snacks. They're bad for your health."

Hearing Li Wei's voice, Wen Hui emerged from her room with a face mask on. "Huh? Aren't these...?"

"This is Drakloak and Dragapult. I just caught Drakloak. As for..."

Li Wei briefly introduced Drakloak and Dragapult to his parents.

"So this is what you went out for today?"

"What else would it be?"

His dad poked his fingertips together and muttered,

"I thought you were going on a date..."