Chapter 70: Learning the Art of Poké Puffs
The Pokémon that liked to eat honey. Several figures flashed through Naoki's mind: Beautifly, Heracross, Snorlax, Teddiursa, and its evolved form, Ursaring.
Thinking of this, Naoki suddenly became interested. "Are there any Teddiursa in the back mountain?"
Kora was taken aback for a moment, a question mark popping up in her head, wondering if she had missed something. She replied, "Yes, this forest is vast and connects to Casseroya Lake at its edge. The unique geographical environment has created a rich Pokémon ecosystem. There are countless wild Pokémon living here. The locals call it 'Nature's Treasure Trove.'"
"I see," Naoki nodded.
He decided not to harvest the honey immediately but left it outside, allowing its aroma to spread further. As for whether wild Pokémon would harm the Pokémon on the ranch.
There was even less to worry about.
Not to mention Koraidon and Dragonite, the three Skiddo alone were enough to handle most threats.
Soon, the ruins of the Pokémon House were cleared.
After discussing the details with Naoki, Kora and her construction team began their work.
With all the ranch chores done and nothing else demanding his attention, Naoki decided to take advantage of his free time to visit the dessert shop in town and learn how to make Poké Puffs.
Before leaving, he went to the chicken coop to check on Pawmi.
On sunny days, Naoki would let the hens out for a stroll with their chicks. When he arrived, the hens were walking around on the grass with a group of fluffy yellow chicks. Sometimes they tilted their heads to look around, and sometimes they lowered their heads to peck for food in the soil.
Pawmi was lying nearby, basking in the sun and watching over the chickens.
Pawmi's work ethic was impeccable. Naoki had casually asked it to manage the chickens, but he hadn't expected Pawmi to take it so seriously and work so diligently.
In the past, he had always felt uneasy leaving the chickens unattended, fearing they might wander off or be harmed by wild Pokémon. But with Pawmi around, Naoki felt much more at ease.
Seeing him approach, Pawmi's eyes lit up.
"Pawmi!"
Naoki smiled and said to Pawmi through the fence, "I have to go out for a bit. I'll leave this place to you!"
"Pawmi!" Pawmi immediately nodded. It would definitely take good care of the chickens!
Looking at this scene, Naoki smiled.
Who wouldn't love such a cute Pokémon?
With a sigh of contentment, Naoki left the ranch. To avoid causing a commotion at the dessert shop, he chose to ride Cyclizar this time.
"Let's go! Please keep an eye on everyone at the ranch for me." Naoki patted Koraidon's head and then rode off on Cyclizar.
Only poor Koraidon was left standing at the pasture's entrance, longingly watching the man and Cyclizar disappear into the distance.
...
In the town, at the Petite Pâtisserie.
Standing on the red stone-paved street, Naoki looked at the glass display cases filled with various desserts and murmured, "This should be the place, right?"
At that moment, the shop door opened from the inside, and a girl wearing a red plaid apron emerged, hanging a wooden sign with the words "Open" on the door.
She then noticed Naoki and Cyclizar standing outside.
"It's you?" The girl recognized Naoki.
"Hello, I'm Naoki," he formally introduced himself. "I'm here to learn how to make Poké Puffs."
"I understand. Please come in!" The girl welcomed him with a smile.
As Naoki entered the shop, a rich, sweet aroma enveloped him.
The dessert shop wasn't very large. There were many glass display cases inside, showcasing a variety of desserts, including buns, toast, fruit cakes, chocolate pies, and more.
On the counter, Naoki also spotted a dozing Alcremie who seemed not to have woken up yet.
"My name is Lily, and I'm a pastry chef," the girl introduced herself.
She followed Naoki's gaze and saw the Alcremie. She smiled and said, "That Alcremie is my assistant. Thanks to it, I was able to open this dessert shop."
Naoki looked at the Alcremie and, judging by its color and scent, guessed it was a Vanilla Cream flavor.
"Please follow me!"
Under Lily's guidance, Naoki entered the shop's work area.
"There's all kinds of equipment here." Lily asked, "Have you ever made Poké Puffs before?"
Naoki shook his head honestly, "No."
Lily nodded thoughtfully. "In that case, I'll start from the basics!"
Naoki immediately adopted an attentive posture.
Lily explained, "Poké Puffs are a dessert that Pokémon love. Because they're made with a variety of Berries, the finished Poké Puffs can have some magical effects on Pokémon."
"For example, they can make them healthier, their fur shinier and smoother, less prone to shedding, and they can even make them stronger."
"There are many kinds of Berries in this world, each with a different flavor. By combining Berries with different flavors, we can create Poké Puffs with richer tastes."
"Every Pokémon has different preferences. I once met a Pokémon Breeder whose Poké Puffs were rejected by a Snorlax but loved by a Mamoswine. The Mamoswine even wanted to go with him because it liked his Poké Puffs so much."
Naoki blinked. Hearing this, he became even more curious about the magical effects his own Poké Puffs might have.
He started imagining himself feeding Poké Puffs to a group of wild Pokémon, and then all of them following him back to the ranch. All the Eeveelutions, Teddiursa, Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix, Snorlax, Mew, Mewtwo.
At that moment, Lily smiled sheepishly. "Oh! I got carried away. Let me show you how to make Poké Puffs now!"
Naoki came back to reality and watched Lily take out Berries, flour, eggs, milk, and other ingredients from the refrigerator.
She first mixed the flour with the milk, then added two different types of Berries to a pot of cold water, and finally started heating it.
When the water changed color due to the Berries, Lily poured the flour, egg, and milk mixture into the pot and explained, "Watch closely! During this process, you need to stir constantly to infuse flavor into the Poké Puffs. But you also need to pay attention to the temperature. Don't let the batter become mushy or spill over!"
Naoki carefully memorized the entire process and the steps involved.
After about ten minutes, Lily turned off the heat, poured the evenly mixed batter into molds, and finally put them in the oven. Soon, with a "ding" sound, a batch of Poké Puffs was ready.
A rich, mellow fragrance filled the room. Smelling it, Cyclizar next to Naoki couldn't help but gulp.
Seeing this, Lily offered a Poké Puff to Cyclizar with a smile. "It seems your Cyclizar really likes them! Here you go, Cyclizar!"
Cyclizar didn't immediately reach out but looked at Naoki inquiringly. "Cyclizar?"
"Go ahead and eat it!" Naoki thanked Lily on Cyclizar's behalf.
Lily chuckled and said, "Okay, you can try one too!"
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