Chapter 167: The Glowing Pineapple and the Ever-changing Pumpkin
Chapter 167: The Glowing Pineapple and the Ever-changing Pumpkin
The story begins with Motostoke.
Early in the morning, the dew of dawn dripped from the petals onto the grassy field.
After breakfast, Naoki set out to milk his riding goat.
Gouledun, as usual, took his Aerodactyl and Motostoke to play with the rubber balls Naoki had bought for them at the toy store yesterday.
The three Pokemon stood in a triangle, tossing the ball to each other.
When it was Motostoke's turn, it failed to control its strength, causing the ball to fly into the pineapple field.
It let out a "Gaoh" and chased after the ball into the field, eventually spotting it next to a pineapple.
Motostoke picked it up and was just about to turn away when something glowing in the distance caught its attention.
It stared, and then it saw something unbelievable.
The glowing object was a ripe pineapple!
Motostoke had never seen this crop before, and in its confusion, it quickly conveyed the message to Naoki.
Upon receiving the news, Naoki rushed over and immediately spotted the glowing pineapple.
In that instant, a delightful thought popped into Naoki's mind:
"The riding goat's grass field has produced another mutated crop!"
He quickly went over to inspect it, and information about this strange pineapple immediately appeared in his mind.
[Glowing Pineapple: A special type of crop influenced by the energy of the riding goat's grass, resulting in this unique produce. When used in cooking, it can impart a 'Flash' effect to the dish.]
Flash? Was it the same Flash technique he was familiar with?
The Pokemon's body would glow with light, dispelling darkness and illuminating the surrounding area, proving very useful in cave exploration and pitch-black environments.
Naoki couldn't wait to give it a try.
Just then, he suddenly wondered if there might be other mutated crops in the other fields. With this thought, he suppressed his urge to experiment and patiently started inspecting each crop, scanning them with his eyes.
As his gaze fell on each plant, information appeared in his mind.
[Ordinary Corn]... [Ordinary Corn]... [Ordinary Wheat]... [Ordinary Wheat]... [Ordinary Hops]... [Ordinary Pumpkin]...
"None so far?"
Naoki felt a bit disappointed, but looking at the pineapple in his hand, he began to console himself: "Finding one is already great; I shouldn't be too greedy."
He planned to take this pineapple back to his room and experiment with a dish.
However, just as he was about to leave the field, his peripheral vision caught a strange sight in the pumpkin patch.
Among the orange and golden giant pumpkins, there was one very unique pumpkin.
As Naoki watched, this pumpkin began to change size right before his eyes!
It slowly shrank to the size of an orange, and then it started to grow again, eventually becoming as large as a tire.
Naoki's eyes widened in shock as he witnessed this miracle.
The next second, information about this magical pumpkin appeared in his mind.
[Ever-changing Pumpkin: A special type of crop influenced by the energy of the riding goat's grass, resulting in this produce. When used in cooking, it can impart a 'Size Alteration' effect to the dish, allowing the consumer to change their size at will.]
Filled with curiosity, Naoki handed the glowing pineapple to his nearby Motostoke and went to pluck the pumpkin.
Even after being detached from its vine, the peculiar pumpkin continued to fluctuate in size.
What was even more intriguing was that its weight also changed as it shrank and expanded.
Naoki held it in his arms, feeling the peculiar sensation intensely.
He brought Motostoke along and placed the pineapple and watermelon in the kitchen. Naoki watched as the pumpkin, lying on the cutting board, continued to shift between its largest and smallest forms.
When it reached its maximum size, Naoki picked up a kitchen knife. With a soft, squelching sound, half of the knife embedded itself into the pumpkin.
Only then did this special pumpkin finally cease its transformations, returning to its normal size instead of remaining in its enlarged state as Naoki had expected.
"What a shame. I thought I could make a few more dishes with it," Naoki lamented briefly.
Now, it was time to try cooking with these two unusual fruits!
Based on the descriptions, it seemed that no matter what dishes he created with them, the effects would be consistently 'Flash' and 'Size Alteration'.
Thus, his first consideration should be how to make the most of these ingredients, using the least amount of food to create the most dishes, with no waste.
"I can use the pineapple to make pineapple sweet and sour pork, pineapple sticky rice, or even a pineapple cake, and I can also juice it..."
But the pineapple cake would be a bit wasteful. After a brief moment of contemplation, Naoki made his decision.
— He would cut the pineapple in half, scoop out most of the fruit to use for pineapple sweet and sour pork and juice, and use the remaining pineapple shell for the sticky rice dish.
As for the pumpkin...
Images of various pumpkin dishes flashed through Naoki's mind, finally settling on the idea of pumpkin pies.
This would allow him to make the most dishes with the available quantity.
Without further ado, Naoki sprang into action.
He first halved the pineapple, then used a spoon and a paring knife to scoop out all the fruit. Finally, he filled the two pineapple halves with soaked sticky rice and diced pineapple, placing them in the rice cooker to steam.
While the rice was cooking, Naoki took out more ingredients from the fridge, including pork tenderloin and eggs.
He cut the tenderloin into cubes, coated them in egg liquid, and then dredged them in starch before frying them in oil until they turned golden.
Next, Naoki mixed tomato juice, sugar, vinegar, and other seasonings to create a flavorful sauce.
In the final step, he tossed in bell peppers, pineapple chunks, and the fried pork, stir-frying them together.
When the dish was ready, Naoki turned off the heat and transferred the colorful and mouthwatering pineapple sweet and sour pork to a plate.
He glanced at the description that appeared before him.
[Pineapple Sweet and Sour Pork (B+)
: A dish made with freshly picked pineapple and pork tenderloin. It has a delightful sweet and sour taste and is nutritious and delicious.
Dish Effect: Flash - When fed to a Pokemon, there is a high chance they will learn the Flash technique, and their body will glow, illuminating the surrounding area for 30 minutes.
Evaluation: An excellent dish, a favorite for those who enjoy sweet and sour flavors.]
"Just as I expected," Naoki murmured, reading the description.
Flash...
That was indeed a useful technique, especially effective when exploring pitch-black caves.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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