บท 139: Courage Fried Rice, be brave!
After planting the fruit seedlings, Naoki went to brush the Gogoat's fur, then cleaned the chicken coop, picking up seven or eight fresh eggs along the way.
When everything was done, he started preparing lunch.
Naoki happened to have some fresh eggs on hand, and thought, why not make some egg fried rice for lunch today?
Come to think of it, it seems he has never made egg fried rice since arriving in this world.
'In that case, let's give it a try today and see what magical effects a simple dish of egg fried rice might have.'
Near noon, Naoki invited Carter to stay for lunch, but Carter politely refused.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality, Mr. Naoki!" Carter said. "But I have to leave now. This extracurricular activity only lasts for half a month, and I need to head back to prepare for the midterm exam! The shuttle bus will take me back to school this evening."
"All right."
Naoki stood in front of the ranch, said goodbye to the boy, and watched him leave.
But soon after, he remembered something.
'Oh no! I forgot to ask Carter to help promote the ranch at school to attract more trainers!'
Naoki felt a little regretful but figured it was a matter of fate.
"Forget it, let's deal with it later!"
After all, there would be trainers passing by the ranch from time to time.
With that thought, Naoki returned inside and continued preparing lunch.
The method for making egg-fried rice is quite simple.
Naoki cracked the fresh eggs, separated the whites from the yolks, and used his hands to loosen the leftover rice from last night. He then added the yolk and stirred thoroughly, making sure every grain of rice was coated with the golden egg mixture.
Then, Naoki heated the oil in a pan. The oil, produced by Dolliv, was high-quality and perfect for cooking.
Once the oil was hot, Naoki cracked two eggs, beat them, and added them to the pan to fry. He then tossed in diced ham and carrots. Finally, he poured in the rice, added a pinch of pure rock salt, and stirred it continuously.
Soon, the rice in the pan turned golden, each grain coated in the egg mixture. The dish looked golden and glossy, with a distinct color and a mouth-watering aroma.
Even Pokémon like Koraidon were drawn in, eyeing the fried rice with envy.
Seeing their eager expressions, Naoki smiled and said, "Hold on a little longer, it's almost ready!"
When it was done, he turned off the heat, served the egg-fried rice onto a plate, and served the Pokemon that were waiting. He thought of preparing a few steaks for Koraidon, Dragonite, and Cyclizar.
Egg-fried rice alone would fill up smaller Pokémon like Alcremie and Pawmo, but the larger ones needed something more substantial, so extra preparations were necessary.
Naoki took the steaks out of the fridge, placed them in the pan, and began frying them. As he cooked, he checked the information about the fried rice.
[Courage Egg Fried Rice (B+): A dish made with ordinary eggs, simple rice, premium olive oil, and pure rock salt.
Effect: Take courage! After eating, both humans and Pokémon will feel more confident and determined to do things they've been hesitant about.
Comment: Very delicious fried rice! A favorite of Pawmo!
"Huh?" Naoki blinked in surprise. Courage egg fried rice?
Just then, he heard a loud noise behind him. He turned around quickly and saw Koraidon charging into his room and collapsing onto the brand-new bed he had just bought.
Koraidon lay on the quilt with a happy look on its face, eyes closed as it contentedly drifted off to sleep.
Seeing this, Naoki suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and shouted, "Koraidon!"
Koraidon instantly opened its eyes, jolting awake. Realizing the situation, it panicked and quickly shook its head, trying to explain, "Raao! Raao!"
Naoki was about to say something, but then suddenly remembered—Koraidon wasn't the only one that had eaten the egg-fried rice!
His eyes darted toward the dining table nearby.
The fried rice in front of Cyclizar, Alcremie, Pawmo, and Dragonite was also half-eaten.
Naoki's gaze moved upward, and when he saw the expressions on the faces of the Pokémon, his heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough, in the next moment, Alcremie dashed into the kitchen and began making cream in various spots, as if turning the kitchen into its personal cream workshop.
Cyclizar ran up to Naoki, licking his face affectionately with its big tongue, just like Koraidon had done, and hugged him tightly.
Meanwhile, Pawmo and Dragonite were brimming with energy and dashed out of the house.
Seeing this, Naoki held Alcremie in one hand, dragged Cyclizar with the other, followed by Koraidon, and hurried outside to check on the situation.
Outside, Dragonite rushed directly to where Gogoat and Dolliv lived and called out to Gogoat: "Awoo!"
It seemed as though Dragonite was challenging Gogoat.
Pawmo, on the other hand, soared high into the sky and unleashed all the electric energy stored in its body, wanting to test its limits.
Soon, a massive thundercloud was drawn toward Pawmo, and thunder and lightning exploded across the sky, while the red cloak on Pawmo's back flapped in the powerful winds.
As the sky was filled with thunder and lightning, Pawmo's eyes glowed a vivid blue. Lightning connected it to the heavens, and it resembled a true god of thunder.
In front of the sheepfold, the Gogoat trio gladly accepted Dragonite's challenge.
They formed a unified front, with one creating a grassy terrain, while the other two held giant blades of grass in their mouths, attacking Dragonite from both sides.
Before Dragonite could even take off, it was overwhelmed by the combined assault and lost its ability to fight.
The Gogoat calmly returned to the sheepfold and resumed grazing, leaving Dragonite lying on the ground, eyes rolling in circles, tongue hanging out limply.
"It's a mess! Complete mess!"
Naoki shouted. "Stop!"
At his command, many Pokémon snapped out of their trance-like state. They blinked, suddenly realizing they had been doing the things they had always wanted to, but had been too afraid to attempt.
Naoki sighed helplessly, grabbing Dragonite by the tail and dragging it over. He took out some juice and milk to help it regain its strength.
Soon, Dragonite woke up, looking confused: "Awoo?"
Naoki then turned to face the lineup of Pokémon in front of him, each of them standing, waiting to admit their mistakes. He paced back and forth, making them all nervous.
He stopped in front of Cyclizar and said with a sigh, "You wanted to lick me like Koraidon, didn't you?"
Cyclizar looked guilty: "Gaa."
Even Koraidon seemed innocent at the moment.
Next, Naoki approached Alcremie.
"I know you love making desserts, but don't worry. When we have a big house in the future, I'll build you your own cream workshop."
Alcremie, who had been anxiously expecting a scolding, cheered with joy: "Alcremie!" 'Long live Naoki!'
Naoki then stood in front of Dragonite, recalling its attempt to challenge the three Gogoat. With a smile, he asked, "How does it feel?"
Dragonite, covered in dust and dirt, groaned weakly: "Awoo."
Finally, Naoki turned to Pawmo.
Reflecting on its earlier display, he said thoughtfully, "It seems the energy in your body is more powerful than I thought, but releasing it fully here on the ranch might cause a panic. Koraidon and I will take you to the sea later so you can try it out there."
Pawmo nodded enthusiastically: "Pawmi!"
Lastly, Naoki walked up to Koraidon.
Recalling the scene from earlier, Naoki couldn't help but be amused. "This is the second time, Koraidon."
Koraidon's entire posture slumped: "Raao."
Seeing Koraidon's dejected expression, Naoki's temper quickly faded.
What else could he do? It was his fault. He never should have made that egg-fried rice on a whim!
"Never mind."
With a resigned sigh, Naoki instructed the Pokémon to return to their meals. He then started cleaning the kitchen, which Alcremie had covered in cream, all the while making plans to head into town later that afternoon to buy a new bed.
...
"😩 Sign... I don't even have the energy for words today, just gimme those Power Stones! Let's hit that goal, folks! 💥"
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