Pokémon: Starting with a Pokémon Ranch.

Chapter 20 Special Dishes for Growlithe

That evening, Su Yu practiced her cooking skills at home again after a long absence.

The ingredients used on a regular basis are mostly ordinary, but this time, Su Yu specially prepared olive oil produced by Olive and chili peppers produced by Hot & Spicy Baby.

"So what should we do?"

The reason Su Yu chose Spicy Baby's chili peppers was that he wanted to make a dish suitable for Fire-type Pokémon, since Growlithe also needed a boost.

But Growlithe is still too young, and it can't be made too spicy... After thinking about it, Su Yu still felt that making spicy strips would be more suitable.

Heat oil in a pot, then add star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves and other spices, and turn the heat down to low.

This step is mainly to extract the aromatic substances from the spices, giving the spicy strips a rich and layered flavor. But beyond that, the chili oil in the spicy strips is their soul.

However, Su Yu didn't know how to do this step either, so he could only try it himself step by step.

After trying for a long time, the chili oil was finally barely finished. Su Yu mixed it with sesame oil, dipped some dried bean curd in it, and then took a bite himself.

In an instant, the spiciness spread throughout his mouth, making Su Yu feel like he was breathing fire.

He took out a bottle of milk and gulped down several mouthfuls. After a while, Su Yu finally recovered, but his voice was still a little distorted from the spiciness.

"Cough...cough cough, the chili peppers produced by this hot kid are way too spicy! I only added a tiny bit..."

It's so spicy, Su Yu won't dare to add it casually when cooking in the future. Fortunately, this time, Su Yu's spicy strips were a success.

A notification popped up on the system:

"Crudely made spicy strips: Made with high-grade materials produced by various Pokémon, although they can be described as bitter and unpalatable, their intense spiciness is loved by Fire-type Pokémon."

"After consumption, the activity level of Fire-type energy within Fire-type Pokémon will slightly increase, slightly increasing the probability of them learning new Fire-type moves. (Crude Product Effect)"

"P.S.: When feeding Fire-type Pokémon, please keep them away from flammable materials, as they may actually breathe fire."

It seems... the spices were over-extracted; they're all a bit bitter now...

Su Yu chuckled inwardly. To be honest, his cooking skills weren't very good. The home-cooked dishes he could make were only average, let alone the dishes he had never tried before.

But... if a Fire-type Pokémon eats this spicy snack, is it really possible for it to breathe fire?

Seeing the system's tip, Su Yu no longer dared to let Growlithe eat inside the house. Although fire-resistant materials were used when building the house, the things inside weren't fireproof.

If it were all burned down by accident, the property loss would be enormous.

So Su Yu brought his Growlithe to the lakeside and mysteriously took out a plate of spicy strips.

Upon seeing the plate of spicy strips, Growlithe immediately thought of the milk pudding that Su Yu used to feed the Wooloos every day. Ever since eating that food, the Wooloos had become increasingly powerful.

Is it finally my turn this time?

Immediately, Growlithe picked up a spicy snack, but as soon as it entered its mouth, it put on a pain mask. This thing... is way too awful!

"What's wrong? Is it really that bad? At least the spiciness masks it..."

"I'm sorry, next time I make these dishes, I'll definitely ask a chef for advice first. But for now, you should still try eating it so I can see its effects. Eating it might just make you stronger!"

Su Yu said somewhat awkwardly.

With Su Yu's constant encouragement, Growlithe finally swallowed the spicy snack in its quest to become stronger. Growlithe has sacrificed so much to become stronger…

However, it seems to be not very good at handling spicy food. After eating the spicy snack, Growlithe's eyes looked like they were on fire. Urged on by the spiciness, it opened its mouth, and flames shot high out of its mouth.

After a long while, Growlithe finally recovered from the spiciness. Seeing this, Su Yu asked anxiously:

"How's it going? Did you learn any new moves?"

"...Woof!"

It seems there aren't any more, which greatly disappointed Su Yu.

However, according to Growlithe itself, it feels that its proficiency with the Flame move has greatly improved, and its fire-type energy seems to have increased significantly, so it should be able to learn new moves soon.

"Woof, woof!"

Immediately afterwards, Growlithe criticized Su Yu's cooking skills. It seems that this disastrous meal had left a deep shadow on its young mind, which was less than a month old.

"...Okay, okay, I'll definitely consult with the chefs before making a new dish next time. I'm really sorry this time, I made you suffer."

Su Yu apologized sincerely.

Good news arrived the next day: Growlithe finally learned the move Fire Fang, which made Su Yu very happy.

—The dogs that herd sheep on our own ranch are finally starting to have some prestige.

Having just learned a new move, Growlithe wanted to get revenge on Wooloo, but Su Yu stopped him.

Su Yu explained:

"You've learned a fire-type move, and Wooloo's wool is meant to be sold for money. What if your flames destroy it?"

"...Woof!" 0.o What should it do? If it doesn't use fire-type moves, it can't beat Woolstaff.

Upon hearing this, Growlithe revealed a wise expression and asked Su Yu.

Su Yu said with a smile:

"Use your clever little brain! If you don't use fire-type moves, aren't there other methods?"

"For example, the Normal-type move Tackle is incredibly powerful. If you can learn this, defeating Wooloo will be a piece of cake."

Su Yu's true intentions were revealed: he wanted to keep these three Wooloos as opponents for Growlithe. If Growlithe defeated its opponents so easily, how would it have the motivation to keep trying?

Look how hard Growlithe has tried since being defeated by the Wooloos. Su Yu believes this is necessary.

With the milk pudding he makes, which is rich in Normal-type energy, Su Yu believes that it shouldn't be too difficult for Growlithe to learn this move.

Growlithe: 0.o So that's how it works?

It actually found that what its trainer said made a lot of sense, and it couldn't refute it.

Seeing this, Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that Growlithe believed him.

Just as he was about to say something more, Mei La, who was cleaning the ash behind the house, came up and said to Su Yu:

"Boss, the cliff face in the backyard is almost finished. Would you like to inspect it?"

Hearing this, Su Yu was very surprised. So fast?

The materials only arrived yesterday afternoon, how come it's finished so quickly?

"Let's go take a look together."

Su Yu was also very curious about what the new home of the hairy cliff crabs looked like.

……

Follow Mela to the backyard.

The hairy cliff crabs have already moved in. The cliff face is very wide, and Mela has made many caves on it for the hairy cliff crabs to live in.

The cliff face was constructed entirely of a material rich in rock-based energy, perfectly suited to the hairy cliff crabs. At this moment, these hairy cliff crabs were climbing up and down the cliff face, seemingly quite satisfied with their new home.

Su Yu then asked:

"How is it? Is it comfortable to stay here?"

Upon hearing this, several hairy cliff crabs waved their claws at Su Yu, indicating that living here was quite nice.

But one of the hairy cliff crabs looked dejected. Seeing this, Su Yu stepped forward and asked in confusion:

"What's wrong? Are you not happy with your stay?"

"Or are you missing your hairy cliff crab companions?"

When Su Yu last took these hairy cliff crabs away, there was still a large group of them left. Su Yu guessed that this hairy cliff crab was probably missing its companions.

Upon hearing Su Yu's words, the hairy crab nodded, indicating that it missed its companions.

Seeing this, Su Yu smiled and said:

"Don't worry, your accommodation has been arranged, and the ranch is now running smoothly."

"In a few days, I will go into the mountains to bring back your companions, and then you will be able to reunite with them."

Su Yuxiu prepared this huge cliff face not just for these few hairy cliff crabs, but as part of a long-term plan.

Seeing that the cliff face was completed without any problems, Su Yu paid the final payment to Meila. Meila was very happy to receive the Alliance Coins.

After all, Su Yu was supporting her entire family. This boss was a really good person; all the work this month was provided by him.

Having received the money, Meila prepared to return home. Before leaving, she said to Su Yu:

"Then we'll be going now, boss. If there's any new work in the future, you must call me. I promise I'll be there whenever you need me!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yu's smile faltered. You're not exactly always available, you're clearly out of work!

Looking at the cliff and the hut beside him, Su Yu was also puzzled.

This construction team is clearly very skilled, so why aren't they getting any work? It shouldn't be like this.

Do you want me to promote them?

……

……

I've created a book club group, feel free to join and chat!

(End of this chapter)