"Your Highness? Your Highness!"
Minister Alva called out to Prince Raleigh, but the young prince had already walked out of the laboratory.
Following the enticing aroma, Raleigh made his way to his sister's office door. Noticing several people gathered there, he asked in confusion, "What are you all doing here?"
When the small crowd saw Prince Raleigh approaching, they respectfully shook their heads and replied, "It's nothing, Your Highness."
As they spoke, they gradually dispersed, continuing about their duties.
By the time Princess Kimia and the others regained their composure, not a single steamed bun or dumpling remained on the table.
Kimia licked her lips. "Flamel, I want more tomorrow."
"Florges~ Florges~" I want some too!
"Garde~" Me as well!
The two Pokémon also clamored enthusiastically for another treat.
"Of course, I'll bring some for the Princess again tomorrow," Flamel agreed, thinking that even if the Princess didn't finish them all, she certainly would herself.
Although she had anticipated the food must be delicious based on how many people were buying it, she hadn't expected such extraordinary flavor.
She had clearly miscalculated today and purchased too few.
Just then, the office door creaked open, and Prince Raleigh poked half his body through the doorway.
He sniffed the lingering aroma in the air and asked, "Sister, Flamel, what were you eating?"
"Oh! It's Raleigh," Kimia exclaimed, somewhat surprised that her brother, who typically buried himself in research, had actually taken the initiative to leave his laboratory.
"You're too late; we've already finished everything."
"What was it? It smells incredible—I've never encountered this aroma before," Raleigh commented as he stretched his neck forward and sniffed lightly, pushing the door fully open as he entered.
"They're called steamed buns and dumplings, Prince Raleigh," Flamel replied promptly.
"The Princess and I were also trying them for the first time."
"Steamed buns? Dumplings?" Raleigh repeated, looking utterly puzzled.
Flamel nodded. "They appear to be newly created food items—innovative and absolutely delicious."
Seeing Raleigh's intense interest in these foods, Kimia suddenly had an inspiration and said to her brother, "Raleigh, come here tomorrow, and I'll have Flamel purchase some for you as well. Would you like that?"
She didn't object to her brother's immersion in scientific pursuits—after all, the Azoth Kingdom was most renowned for its mysterious science—but Raleigh had become too intensely focused lately.
Moreover, in recent years, she had observed that Raleigh was growing increasingly dependent on Minister Alva.
While Alva was certainly an authority in scientific matters, and it was beneficial that the King had appointed him as Raleigh's instructor, Kimia felt cautious about the possibility that Alva might be attempting to mold one of the country's heirs into a puppet who would blindly obey him.
Raleigh wasn't even ten years old yet—an age when he could easily be influenced and misled. Unfortunately, both Kimia and their father were typically too occupied with royal duties to dedicate sufficient time and attention to Raleigh.
"Really?" Raleigh's face brightened with pleasant surprise.
"Of course! Has your sister ever broken a promise to you?" Kimia assured him.
"Then it's settled! I'll find you tomorrow," Raleigh replied happily.
After Raleigh departed, Kimia turned to Flamel with lingering desire in her voice, "Flamel, I'm counting on you again tomorrow."
Flamel nodded confidently. "Don't worry, Your Highness."
After they finished their meal, Flamel began clearing away the packaging from the table with help from Florges and Gardevoir. As she worked, her eyes fell upon the documents placed in front of Princess Kimia.
"Your Highness is still investigating Lucas..."
Halfway through her sentence, Flamel suddenly froze, her eyes widening in shock.
"Your Highness!!!" she exclaimed.
"What's wrong, Flamel?" Kimia was startled—she had never seen such an expression of shock on her secretary's face before.
"Your Highness, please come with me immediately!" With that, Flamel grasped Kimia's wrist and pulled her toward the door.
"Flamel! What's happening? Where are you taking me?" Kimia asked, thoroughly bewildered.
"Your Highness, you'll understand when we arrive," Flamel replied, maintaining her grip as they jogged through the palace corridors to a particular hall.
The hall featured numerous paintings hanging along one wall—all portraits of Azoth royal family members from generations past. Among them was a portrait of Queen Anna and her twin brother, Prince Lucas, from their youth.
Gazing at Prince Lucas in the painting, Flamel suddenly realized why the food vendor had seemed so familiar—wasn't he essentially an older version of Prince Lucas?
Kimia asked in confusion, "Flamel, is something wrong with this painting?"
Flamel turned to the Princess with a grave expression. "Your Highness, I believe I saw Prince Lucas in the royal city today!"
"Flamel, what nonsense are you suggesting? Prince Lucas passed away five hundred years ago," Kimia responded, thinking Flamel must be joking. "How could he possibly appear in the royal city..."
Suddenly, her voice trailed off, and she stared at Flamel in shock. "Could it be that you've seen His Highness's stolen remains?"
Flamel shook her head vigorously and pointed to Lucas in the portrait. "No, I saw Prince Lucas alive and well, looking almost exactly like the person depicted in this painting."
A sudden thought struck her—could the blond man who had appeared at the palace gates some time ago have been Prince Lucas himself?
This idea seemed so outlandish that Flamel hesitated to voice it aloud.
"Impossible. Flamel, could you be mistaken?" Kimia found it difficult to accept that someone dead for five centuries could somehow return to life.
"Your Highness, I may be nearsighted," Flamel instinctively adjusted her glasses, "but I'm certainly not blind. The person I'm referring to is the vendor selling those steamed buns and dumplings."
Observing Flamel's earnest expression, without the slightest hint of humor, Kimia finally grasped the gravity of the situation.
"Come, take me to find this person immediately," Kimia commanded solemnly.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The two women hastily departed from the palace.
—————
Lucas remained entirely unaware that his presence had been noticed by the royal family.
His business had been so successful that he had exhausted his ingredients well before noon.
"I'm terribly sorry, everyone! We've sold out for today. Please return tomorrow!" Lucas announced loudly to the lengthy queue that still remained.
"What? Already? I've been waiting for so long!" someone protested.
"I sincerely apologize, but all ingredients are gone. There's really nothing more I can do," Lucas explained apologetically.
"Hey boss, could you implement a purchase limit next time? The people at the front buy so many at once—how are the rest of us supposed to get any?" someone suggested.
This recommendation immediately received enthusiastic support from the remaining crowd.
"Yes! We've queued for ages and still can't make a purchase. It's extremely disappointing."
Truthfully, Lucas wasn't keen on establishing purchase limits.
His primary objective was simply to sell everything quickly and close his stall.
He prepared a specific quantity of food daily, and whether every customer managed to purchase some wasn't his primary concern.
His goal was straightforward: sell everything efficiently.
"I understand your frustration—I truly wish everyone could enjoy my food, but I can't prevent people from buying as much as they want when they're paying customers. There's no reasonable justification for that," he explained with a conciliatory smile.
With no alternatives available, the remaining customers gradually dispersed, expressing their disappointment.
Lucas called out to them as they left, "Come earlier tomorrow!"
After bidding farewell to his customers, Lucas quickly packed everything back into his truck. After closing all the windows securely, he prepared lunch for his Komala, allowing it to eat first. Then, he began tallying the day's earnings.
That morning, he had sold 1,030 dumplings, earning 10,300 Alliance Coins, and 2,069 steamed buns, bringing in 41,380 Alliance Coins—a total of 51,680 Alliance Coins.
Additionally, he had accumulated 10,500 Happiness Points for serving Pokémon. Combined with the 5,600 earned the previous day and what Munchlax had earned at home over the past two days, Lucas's total Happiness Points now amounted to an impressive 45,000.
The Happiness Points spent on purchasing packaging bags were negligible in comparison.
Lucas also recalled receiving system notifications while selling his steamed buns and dumplings. He opened the system interface, and sure enough, a pop-up window immediately appeared in the taskbar:
[Congratulations, Master, for achieving the accomplishment: Served 1000 Pokémon. Reward: Intelligence +2.]
The system only counted Pokémon served; humans weren't included in the achievement metrics.
He examined his personal information interface and confirmed that the data had indeed been updated:
Lucas
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (+500)
Constitution: 13
Intelligence: 10
Culinary Evaluation: A novice who can cook edible food.
His Constitution points had increased by one as well—a result of consistent training in the culinary training room. Without this improvement, he truly wouldn't have been able to manage the intense activity level required today.
Looking at the stack of banknotes in his hand, and then at the abundant Happiness Points displayed in his system interface, Lucas couldn't suppress a broad smile of satisfaction.
After Komala finished its lunch, Lucas gestured grandly and said, "Komala, let's head home!"
When Princess Kimia arrived at Nikola Park on her motorcycle with Flamel, Lucas had long since departed.
Flamel dismounted quickly and approached a nearby crepe vendor's stall. The proprietor initially brightened at the prospect of a customer, but was surprised by her question:
"Excuse me, where was the vendor selling steamed buns and dumplings located?"
The vendor stared blankly for a moment.
"Oh! His business was phenomenal today—he packed up and left hours ago!" The uncle's voice carried undisguised envy.
"Do you happen to know where that vendor lives?" Flamel inquired, her brow furrowing.
"I'm afraid not. That young man has only been setting up his stall here for two days. I haven't even had an opportunity to properly introduce myself. Perhaps you could ask someone else?" the vendor suggested.
"I see. Thank you for your help," Flamel replied gratefully.
"You're welcome, you're welcome," the uncle responded with a dismissive wave.
Subsequently, Flamel approached about a dozen people in the vicinity to inquire, but no one seemed to know the origins of the vendor selling steamed buns and dumplings.
"Any success?" Kimia asked anxiously when Flamel returned to her side.
Flamel shook her head in disappointment. "The vendor packed up and left long ago, and nobody knows where he resides."
"What should we do now?" Kimia fretted.
"Princess, he will certainly return tomorrow. We should arrive early in the morning to wait for him. We're bound to encounter him then," Flamel reassured the princess.
"You're right," Kimia agreed, her deeply furrowed brow finally relaxing slightly.
"Should we report this matter to His Majesty?" Flamel inquired cautiously.
Kimia shook her head decisively. "Let's meet this person first. It would be unwise to raise an alarm if this turns out to be a misunderstanding."
"Understood!" Flamel nodded in agreement.
The two women then mounted their motorcycle and returned to the palace.
Meanwhile, Lucas had already arrived back at Nebel Plateau. The moment he reached his door, he was greeted by Munchlax bounding enthusiastically toward him.
"Munch~ Munchlax~" Master, you're home!
The small Pokémon wrapped its arms around Lucas's waist and nuzzled against him affectionately.
Lucas reacted with mixed amusement and exasperation. He found his Munchlax's attachment quite endearing, if somewhat excessive. Despite being separated for merely half a day, the Pokémon behaved as though they had been apart for months.
Every time he returned home, Munchlax would follow him around persistently, apparently concerned that its trainer might vanish if it didn't maintain constant vigilance.
"How was the shop today?" Lucas asked, gently patting Munchlax's head.
"Munchlax~"
Munchlax raised one stubby thumb approvingly while confidently patting its chest with its other paw.
"Excellent work!" Lucas praised, appreciating Munchlax's enthusiastic demeanor. "It seems our Munchlax can indeed manage independently!"
Munchlax beamed with joy at Lucas's commendation.
"Alright then, let's go inside. Have you and Diancie had lunch yet?"
Master and apprentice walked toward the house together, exchanging cheerful conversation.
Later that afternoon, Lucas found himself with little to do. After inspecting his vegetable garden, he arranged two chairs on the front porch, where he and Munchlax reclined to bask in the pleasant sunshine.
The weather on Nebel Plateau was particularly delightful that day—no wind, few clouds, and sunshine that provided warmth without excessive heat.
Lucas nearly dozed off while enjoying the sun's rays, and Munchlax was already snoring softly beside him.
Taking advantage of the favorable weather, Diancie had carried everyone's bedding to the balcony for airing. After being thoroughly dried and fluffed by the sun and gentle breeze, they would provide exceptional comfort for sleeping that night.
In the backyard pond, even the Barboach and Whiscash brothers had surfaced from the water to lie on the shore, basking in the sunshine with their eyes contentedly closed.
Suddenly, Lucas heard the sound of laughter. Opening his eyes, he noticed two Marill approaching, conversing animatedly with each other.
Lucas also observed that the Marill appeared to be carrying something between them.
As they drew nearer, Lucas could finally discern what they were transporting—a collection of emerald-green, seaweed-like aquatic plants.
"What's this?" Lucas asked the two Marill, puzzled by their offering.
"Marill~ Marill~"
"Marill~ Marill~"
The two Water-type Pokémon gestured expressively with their tiny paws.
Lucas ventured a guess: "Is this for me?"
"Marill~ Marill~"
The Marill nodded energetically. They had been frequent dinner guests at Lucas's home recently and wanted to express their gratitude with a gift. These aquatic plants had been obtained from their good friend, a local Poliwag.
"Is it edible?" Lucas inquired further.
"Marill~ Marill~"
Again, the Marill nodded vigorously. One of them even tore off a small piece and consumed it to demonstrate to Lucas.
Lucas stroked its round head and smiled warmly. "Alright, I believe you."
As he spoke, he followed the Marill's example, tearing off a sample and chewing it tentatively. Suddenly, his eyes brightened with interest.
This texture... so crisp and refreshing!
Although the aquatic plant resembled seaweed in appearance, its flavor was reminiscent of jellyfish, yet even more delicately invigorating than that.
"Thank you so much. I genuinely appreciate this," Lucas expressed his gratitude with a sincere smile.
When the Marill heard his words, they bounced joyfully in place, delighted by his positive response.
After delivering their gift, the two Marill hopped away happily.
Lucas waved to them as they departed. "Come to the stall for dinner tomorrow!"
"Marill~ Marill~"
The Pokémon turned back briefly, waving in acknowledgment of Lucas's invitation.
After the Marill left, Lucas contemplated the pile of aquatic plants on the ground, deep in thought.
How should I prepare these intriguing ingredients?