Elf: Seriously? You only get a cheat code when you're about to die?

Chapter 136 The Gods' Holiday

After the initial shock, Anjie gradually regained her composure.

At this point, Xerneas asked, "May I eat now?"

Anja checked the time and realized it was only mid-afternoon, but since Xerneas wanted to eat it, he would make it!

"Xerneas, I'll make it for you now, can you wait a moment?"

"Of course," Xerneas said.

"Snorlax, Lizard, Gengar, come and help!" Anja said to his three apprentices.

"Gang~"

"Chirp~"

"Geng~"

The three Pokémon cheered and followed Angel into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Anjie prepared the ingredients while saying to her three apprentices, "We'd better give it our all today!"

"Gang~"

"Chirp~"

"Geng~"

Snorlax, Lizard, and Gengar nodded solemnly.

Before starting to cook, Gengar carefully took off the flower wreath his senior brother had given him and hid it in his system inventory.

That way it can keep the gift its senior brother gave it forever!

Outside, Xerneas lay down on the soft grass and said to the Pokémon, "Can you tell me about you all, and about the owner of this place?"

Upon hearing this, the Pokémon unconsciously gathered around Xerneas, including Diancie, Magearna, and Volcanion.

They told Xernias about Angel's story, how they went from being hostile to liking Angel, and about all the little things they had done with Angel.

Time passed by, and the tension they felt when they first met Xerneas had subsided. Diancie and Magearna chatted with it in a relaxed manner, while Bupba, Ralts, and Meowth even fell asleep leaning against it.

Xerneas also gleaned some insight into Angelina's character from the words of the Pokémon.

Just then, the two Charcoal Little Servant rode back on the Fragrant Pig. They had a very good haul today and were in a great mood.

At first, they saw everyone gathered together and wondered what was going on, since it wasn't mealtime yet.

When they saw Xerneas surrounded in the center, the four Pokémon excitedly ran over.

Zernias, of course, saw them as well.

"You're back?" Xerneas asked in a kind tone.

"Clap~ Clap~" My friend, you've finally arrived!

"Good boy Charcoal Servant!" said happily. At this moment, he still thought that Xernias was the Sprout Deer that Angel had mentioned.

"Yes!" Xerneas's voice was tinged with laughter. "Since I made an appointment with you, of course I had to come!"

"Cough cough~"

"Cough cough~"

The two fragrant dolphins excitedly gathered around Xerneas, who didn't mind their travel-worn appearance at all.

Seeing the two Charcoal Sprites and the two Fragrant Pigs being so affectionate with Xerneas, practically calling him buddy, Volcanion's jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

Hey hey hey!!! Do you even know who you're talking to? Don't you have any respect at all?

However, seeing Xerneas's attitude towards Charcoal Servant and Fragrant Pig, Volcanion swallowed his thoughts.

In the kitchen, Anjie and his three apprentices were busy at work. Anjie brought out all his treasured possessions, including two lucky eggs he had kept and the light cod meat he couldn't bear to finish, and cooked them all.

He gave the two lucky eggs to the lizard to make steamed eggs and tomato egg drop soup, respectively.

He himself used the meat of the light cod to make steamed fish and sauerkraut fish.

The pickled cabbage in the pickled fish was pickled by Anjie himself, along with his little Snorlax and the others.

The cabbages in the garden grew too fast; even if they were given to the mountain goats and lambs, they couldn't finish them all. So Anjie made a lot of sauerkraut and stored it in the warehouse of the secret fortress.

The aroma of the pickled fish was so strong that it filled the entire kitchen.

"Clatter~ Clatter~"

Just then, the well-behaved Charcoal Servant poked its head into the kitchen. Because the kitchen smelled so spicy, it couldn't help but cough.

Upon noticing Tan Xiaoshi's arrival, Anjie exclaimed in surprise, "You're back?"

"Clatter~"

The obedient Tan Xiaoshi nodded and handed the backpack to Anjie.

Anjie took the backpack and asked, "Are all four of you back? Did you encounter any danger today?"

"Clatter~ Clatter~" They're all back, without encountering any danger.

The obedient little charcoal servant answered with his eyes narrowed, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Charcoal Servant, you seem to be in a good mood!" Anjie asked with a smile.

"Clatter~ Clatter~" Mmm~ My friend is here.

"Good boy Charcoal Servant said."

"Friend? You mean Xerneas?" Angel was taken aback.

"Chaka?" Xerneas?

This time, it was the well-behaved Charcoal Servant who was stunned.

"Cha-cha~ Cha-cha~" My friend is the Sprout Deer!

Only then did Anjie realize that Tan Xiaoshi and the others were unaware of his blunder. So he smiled and said, "I made a mistake last time. I thought you had encountered a Sprout Deer. Your friend's name is actually Xernias."

"Clatter~"

The obedient little charcoal servant suddenly realized.

Anjie guessed that Tan Xiaoshi and the others probably didn't know the meaning behind the name Xerneas, which was why they said so calmly that they were friends with Xerneas.

However, since Tan Xiaoshi and the others didn't realize it, Ange didn't intend to point it out. If Xernias himself acknowledged Tan Xiaoshi and the others as his friends, then he, as an observer, had no right to comment.

Having learned Xerneas's name, the obedient Charcoal Servant happily left the kitchen.

Anjie then opened the backpack that Tan Xiaoshi had given him.

When he saw what was in the backpack, he was overjoyed—it was bamboo shoots! Fresh, tender bamboo shoots!

Yes, it's springtime now, the season when bamboo shoots are abundant!

With these bamboo shoots, Anjie has even more room to maneuver.

After much thought, Anjie decided to make a stir-fried bamboo shoot with pork, a simple and delicious dish.

After quickly peeling the bamboo shoots, he took out the seasonings needed for stir-frying bamboo shoots with meat: pork, rock salt, MSG, sugar, cooking wine, Anjie's special fermented bean paste, Orino oil, scallions, ginger, and garlic, etc.

After Anjie prepared the seasonings, the Snorlax and Gengar, who had just finished making stir-fried green beans and garlic greens, came over.

"Gang~" Master, what is this?

The little Snorlax pointed at the bamboo shoots that Angel was slicing and asked, "There is no bamboo on the Nibel Plateau, so the little Snorlax naturally doesn't recognize bamboo shoots."

Gengar, unaware of the situation, also looked at Anja with curiosity.

Anjie replied, "These are bamboo shoots."

"Just now?" Bamboo shoots?

Little Snorlax still didn't understand.

Anjie thought for a moment and explained, "Bamboo shoots are the seedlings of bamboo."

What is bamboo? Munchlax shook its head, indicating it still didn't know.

Anjie laughed and said, "I'll take you to see the bamboo when I have time. As for explaining... I can't really explain it clearly."

After all, he wasn't a biology student.

"Gang~"

"Geng~"

Snorlax and Gengar nodded at the same time.

While processing the ingredients, Anjie still made sure to use a waveguide to comb them.

After cutting the bamboo shoots, Anjie took out the pork and separated the lean and fatty parts.

The lean meat is cut into strips and then marinated with sugar, salt, oil, special fermented bean paste and starch.

Cut the fatty meat into slices, then stir-fry it in hot oil until the oil is rendered.

While doing this, Anjai said to Munchlax, "Mushlax, could you help me stir-fry the dried bamboo shoots?"

"Gang~"

Snorlax nodded, then reheated a dry pan, added the chopped bamboo shoots, and a little rock salt to remove the moisture, making the bamboo shoots crisper.

Stir-fry for about a minute.

On Anjie's side, after stir-frying the fatty meat, he added garlic and ginger to the pot to sauté until fragrant, and then added the marinated lean meat to stir-fry.

After stir-frying the lean meat until it turned white, Anjie reached out to Munchlax and said, "Mushroom, bamboo shoots."

"Gang~"

The little Snorlax immediately handed the freshly cooked bamboo shoots to Anja.

Anjie took the bamboo shoots and poured them into the pot. With a sizzling sound, the bamboo shoots and meat mixed together.

While stir-frying quickly, he added rock salt, scallions, green peppers, and a small amount of fermented bean paste to the pan for color.

As time went by, the aroma filled the air, and Munchlax, Gengar, and Lizard all gathered around Angel.

After the bamboo shoots and pork were cooked, Anjie specially set aside some for Munchlax, Gengar, and Lizard.

"None of you have ever tried bamboo shoots before, have you? Here, have some." Anjie handed them a plate.

The three Pokémon cheered, took the plate, and ran to the side to enjoy it.

Soon, the three Pokémon let out happy exclamations. Whenever their master made a new dish, they would feel incredibly happy because their master would let them taste it first.

"Gang~" Master, I like bamboo shoots!

After all the dishes were prepared, Anjie and his three apprentices brought them out together.

Since Xerneas's size wasn't suitable for eating at a table, Angel laid out a picnic blanket on the grass and then placed all the food on it.

There were more than a dozen dishes in total, and the aroma they emitted made even Xerneas swallow hard.

Anja said with a smile, "Xernias, try some, these were made especially for you."

Xerneas nodded. "Then I won't be polite." With that, it lowered its head and began to eat.

The first dish that Xernias ate was stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork made by Angel.

The moment the bamboo shoot enters your mouth, the perfectly balanced broth, a perfect blend of meat and vegetables, flows into your mouth. One bite, and the crisp, tender texture is simply amazing.

What surprised Xerneas even more was that the food contained a power that slightly increased its stamina limit.

If used over a long period, Xerneas believed that his physical strength would definitely increase to a very formidable level.

Food that could affect its physical abilities was unheard of, and it was different from the buns and steamed bread that Tan Xiaoshi and Piaoxiangtun had given it last time.

Moreover, the food has a strangely harmonious taste, as if it has been specially processed!

After swallowing the food, Xernias looked at Ange and said, "Your cooking seems to have undergone some special changes compared to before."

Anjie explained with a smile, "Actually, the food you ate before was made by Munchlax."

"Gang~"

The little Snorlax scratched the back of its head sheepishly.

"Is that so..." Xerneas said in surprise.

"But you're not wrong, my cooking skills have indeed changed a lot compared to back then," Anjie added. "I've awakened the power of waveguides, so I use waveguides to process ingredients when cooking."

Xerneas suddenly realized, "I see, that's a brilliant idea. I've never heard of anyone using waveguides for cooking."

Anjie chuckled. If it weren't for the system, he would never have known that waveguides could be used for cooking!

"Xerneas, how is it? Does the food suit your taste?"

Xerneas nodded. "Very good."

This was the most special meal it had ever eaten.

Anjie: "I'm glad you like it. You can come anytime you want to eat my cooking."

Xerneas nodded, then lowered his head and continued eating.

Xerneas quickly devoured all the dishes with rice, much to the surprise of Angel, who had never imagined that the legendary god of life could eat so much.

Seeing that Angel and the Pokémon were looking at it in surprise, Xerneas showed no embarrassment. It calmly said to Angel:

"I ate a bit too much, please excuse me."

Anjie shook her head. "It's my honor that you like the food I cook."

While Xerneas was eating, Angel received a system notification. Although he didn't know what the notification was about, he was certain it was related to Xerneas.

Ange and Xernias were talking, while Diancie and Magiana were putting away the dishes.

Just then, Ange noticed a speck of dust on Xerneas's clothes and asked, "Xerneas, you look travel-worn. Would you like to take a shower at my place?"

Xerneas was taken aback for a moment, hesitated for a second, and then nodded in agreement, "Then I'll trouble you."

Anjie smiled and shook his head, "It's no trouble at all. I bathe my Pokémon all the time."

With that, Ange got up and led Xerneas home, taking it to the bathroom of a guest room.

This was Xerneas's first time visiting a human's home, and a hint of curiosity lingered in its eyes.

"Xerneas, come in."

After preparing the bath supplies, Anjie filled the tub with hot water.

Xernias nodded slightly and stepped into the bathroom.

Anjie: "Take a hot bath first to relax your body, and then take a shower."

Xernias had only ever bathed in the wild and didn't know how humans bathed, so it did whatever Angel told it to do.

Immersed in the bathtub, enveloped in warmth, Xernias couldn't help but sigh.

Anjie laughed and said, "How was it? A hot bath felt good, didn't it?"

Xerneas nodded. "It really feels comfortable."

It's not that I haven't soaked in hot springs, but the probability of encountering a hot spring while traveling is extremely small.

After Xerneas finished soaking in the hot water and its fatigue subsided, Ange gestured for it to come out and squeezed out some fluffy Pokémon shampoo to apply to its body.

Soon, a large amount of bubbles enveloped Xerneas, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

"What is this?" Xerneas asked in confusion.

Anjie explained, "This is a Pokémon-specific shampoo. It has a very strong cleaning effect and can also nourish the fur. My Munchlax and Bulbasaur both use this."

Xerneas nodded. "You humans are indeed very wise in this respect."

Ange gently brushed Xerneas's fur while pressing lightly on its body with his hands.

This is a massage technique he specifically learned, which he used to give massages to Munchlax, Brutus, and Ember Spirit.

"How is it? Is it comfortable? How's the pressure?" Anjie asked.

"It feels so good, all my fatigue has disappeared. Thank you, Ange," Xernias said sincerely.

"You're welcome," Ange said with a smile as she bathed Xerneas. "Am I the first human to bathe you?"

Xerneas nodded. "That's true."

It never imagined that one day humans would help it take a bath and eat food cooked by humans.

After Xerneas's body was thoroughly cleaned, Angel rinsed off the foam with water and then used a dry towel to dry it.

"Let's go out," Ange said to Xerneas after he had done all that.

Xernias nodded and followed Angel into the living room.

"Xernias, wait a moment." With that, Angel ran into his room.

Although Xerneas didn't know what Angel was going to do, he still stood quietly in the living room and waited.

Anjie returned quickly, carrying something else with her.

"What is this?" Xernias asked curiously, examining the object in Angel's hand.

Anja replied, "It's a hair dryer, a tool that can quickly dry hair." As he spoke, he walked over to the sofa, sat down, and waved to Xerneas.

Zergius obediently walked over and stood beside Angel.

Anjie plugged in the hairdryer, adjusted the setting, and carefully began to blow-dry Xerneas's fur.

"How is it? Does this make the hair dry faster?" Anjie asked.

Xerneas nodded. "A magical gadget."

After it used to take a bath, it would stand quietly on a high place and let the mountain wind dry its fur.

The warm breeze made Xerneas feel drowsy, and in the end, it lay down on the sofa, closed its eyes comfortably, and let Angel touch it all over.

Once Xerneas's fur was completely dry, Ange turned off the hairdryer and said, "All done!" As he spoke, he stroked Xerneas's back; the smooth, satin-like fur was simply irresistible.

Xerneas opened his eyes and slowly got up from the sofa, feeling incredibly relaxed, as if he had been reborn.

"Thank you, Angie," it said gratefully.

Anjie waved her hand and said, "It's nothing, it's just that you've come all the way to my house."

Xerneas didn't say anything more. It looked out the window, gazing at the setting sun, and said, "I should go."

Anjie was taken aback. "You're leaving already?"

Xernias nodded.

Ange didn't try to stop him, but instead said generously, "Have a safe journey, Xerneas."

Xerneas: "Thank you."

Then, the person and their Pokémon went downstairs.

The other Pokémon seemed to have a premonition that Xerneas was leaving, and they all stood downstairs waiting.

(End of this chapter)