Cooking

Although Tong Hua had gained a general understanding of his Golden Finger's functions, some technical difficulties kept him from starting his experiments right away.

After all, alchemy was the stuff of magic. Tong Hua had never learned even the basics, so how could he possibly perform it in reality...

Carrying a bucket full of well water back to the cabin, Tong Hua decided to clean up the place where he would be spending the night first.

Once he had taken care of his basic needs, he could think about how to use this Golden Finger.

After sprinkling water throughout the cabin, Tong Hua pulled a rag from the tool bag the old village chief had left behind and wiped down the bed and wooden table. Then he began sorting through the sack containing his predecessor's worldly possessions.

There wasn't much in the sack: a few sets of clean clothes, a few bottles of seasonings, several packs of dried noodles, some ingredients, and a neatly stacked pile of banknotes.

And, most importantly, six Poké Balls.

"I almost forgot about you." Tong Hua took out the Poké Balls. Only two contained Pokémon-the starter Pokémon his predecessor's parents had prepared for him.

They were Turtwig, the Grass-type starter Pokémon from the Sinnoh Region, and Minccino from the Unova Region.

"Come on out."

The two Pokémon had spent the night in their Poké Balls and couldn't help stretching as soon as they emerged.

"Cin, cin!" When the tiny, adorable Minccino saw the dust covering everything around them, their little face immediately fell.

Their fluffy tail trailed along the floor as they instinctively began sweeping.

"Turt?" Turtwig, meanwhile, looked rather dopey, gazing around blankly and poking here and there with Vine Whip.

The sprout on his head looked a little yellow, and the earthen shell on his back was somewhat dry. He was probably thirsty from a lack of water, so he crawled straight over to the wooden bucket and began drinking the well water inside.

Looking at the two adorable little creatures, Tong Hua recalled what had happened to his predecessor and couldn't help feeling sorry for him again.

"If I hadn't transmigrated here, these two little ones would've lost their owner too." The thought made Tong Hua feel even more strongly that he needed to live well now, if only to give the two little ones a happy life.

"But judging by my predecessor's age, he must have been raising these two Pokémon for quite a while.

Minccino needs a Shiny Stone to evolve, so that's understandable, but why hasn't Turtwig evolved yet?"

Looking at the shiny-shelled Turtwig before him, Tong Hua could tell that he had been raised fairly well. Nothing seemed wrong with him.

After giving it some thought, Tong Hua concluded that his predecessor had probably abandoned his plans to become a Pokémon Trainer after losing his parents. That would explain why he had stopped training the two Pokémon for battle and simply treated them as pets and family instead.

After all, his predecessor had always believed that his own desire to become a Pokémon Trainer had led to his parents' accidental deaths. That guilt had become a nightmare that haunted him forever...

"Cin, cin." "Turt."

When Tong Hua didn't show them affection as usual, the two Pokémon approached him themselves. One climbed onto his shoulder, while the other rubbed against his trouser leg.

"Grrr-!"

Suddenly, a rumbling sound echoed through the cabin.

Only then did Tong Hua snap out of his thoughts. Looking at the two Pokémon, he said, "Ah, sorry. You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? It's almost noon already. I'll make something right now."

Tong Hua grabbed the rag, ran into the kitchen, and wiped down the chopping board and stove. He had to admit that, old as the cabin was, it had everything he needed. There were pots, bowls, and all sorts of kitchen utensils, and even tableware in the cupboard.

He poured a basin of well water into the pot, then lit a fire in the stove with the wood he had collected earlier to bring the water to a boil.

"Come to think of it, does this count as processing?" Tong Hua suddenly recalled the description he had seen for the well water. It seemed to have mentioned boiling it for drinking, along with a suggestion to use it in cooking.

"Cooking, huh... That seems like the easiest processing method to get started with. Let's give it a try."

Tong Hua picked up a pack of dried noodles from the sack. Once he opened the packaging, the familiar panel appeared before him.

[A handful of dried noodles: Quality E. A staple food that barely fills the stomach. Processing with nutritious ingredients is advised. Recommended processing methods (cooking/alchemy).]

"That works too?"

Apparently, taking something out of its packaging also counted as gathering it. Tong Hua picked up the tomato he had set aside, but no panel appeared.

Once he cut it into pieces with the kitchen knife, however, the panel appeared again.

[Tomato Pieces: Quality E. A nutritious vegetable. Recommended processing methods (cooking/alchemy).]

Sure enough, Tong Hua now understood his Golden Finger a little better.

"If I didn't gather a material myself, I have to process it first before I can see the Material Panel for the processed material."

For instance, his predecessor had bought this tomato at the market yesterday; Tong Hua hadn't picked it from a vegetable garden himself. That was why his Golden Finger hadn't displayed a panel for the tomato, only information about the pieces after he had personally processed it.

The water in the pot came to a boil. Tong Hua deftly added the dried noodles, followed by the chopped tomato and seasonings, then cracked in an egg.

Yes, the Pokémon world also had ordinary animals like those on Earth, such as chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep. Most of the meat and eggs humans ate came from these animals.

However, these animals couldn't compete with wild Pokémon, so nowadays they could only be found on various ranches and in zoos.

Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the chimney outside the cabin. A few minutes later, the whole cabin was filled with a delicious aroma, and the steaming noodle soup was ready.

[Tomato and Egg Noodles: Quality E. Low-grade cooking. Bland boiled noodles. Due to errors in preparation, only some of the ingredients' nutritional value has been retained. Can only fill the stomach and provide the lowest level of required nutrition.]

[Evaluation: At least it's edible, though the nutrition is somewhat unbalanced.]

[Recommended processing method (alchemy).]

"Does this ever end? Even Tomato and Egg Noodles can be used for alchemy?"

Tong Hua's brow twitched. He was at a loss for words. Wasn't this alchemy stuff a little too versatile?

So literally anything can be used for alchemy, huh?

But what's this about errors in preparation? Did I get the heat wrong?

After serving a bowl of noodle soup for himself and each of the two Pokémon, Tong Hua sat down with them around the dining table, and they finally began eating.

"Let's dig in."

Minccino copied Tong Hua, picking up a pair of chopsticks and slurping away.

Turtwig didn't have such nimble fingers, so he simply buried his whole

face in the bowl and began taking great mouthfuls.

"Hmm..." After tasting it, Tong Hua immediately felt that his Golden Finger's evaluation had been extremely accurate.

"It's good, just... not much flavor."

Minccino and Turtwig didn't seem to find it bland at all. Watching the two Pokémon wolf it down, Tong Hua suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.

Look how hungry these kids are. Even plain boiled noodles taste amazing to them...

Back on Earth, Tong Hua would never have chosen to eat dried noodles unless he was practically starving to death.

A life was only thirty thousand days or so. Even at three meals a day, that added up to fewer than a hundred thousand meals, and he still had to waste a few of them on dried noodles. Just thinking about it made him miserable...

After lunch, the two Pokémon helped Tong Hua wash all the pots and bowls. Both little ones had pretty big appetites. Of that enormous pot of noodles, Tong Hua had only eaten a small portion.

With their bellies full, the three resumed cleaning. Minccino took care of all the nooks and crannies, while Turtwig and Tong Hua wiped everything down with rags.

After cleaning the cabin's interior, the three used the tools the old village chief had left behind to clear the weeds and scattered rocks outside.

By the end of a busy afternoon, they had finally cleared the path in front of the door.

At dusk, Tong Hua stood outside the cabin. As he watched the setting sun bathe his future home in light, he suddenly broke into a grin.

"Running a ranch in the Pokémon world... Not bad!"

"Cin, cin!" "Turt!" Standing beside Tong Hua's feet, the two Pokémon looked at the results of their hard work, held hands, and cheered together.

"Grrr-!"

The rumble of an empty stomach sounded again, and Tong Hua and the two little ones laughed even louder.

"All right, now that we've come this far... let's eat first!"

What quality would his cooking turn out to be this time? Tong Hua was full of anticipation.