Chapter 168: Food is Heaven for Pokémon

No sooner said than done; nowadays, Pastry Aunt Lei Mu was no longer the tiny shop where Ah Feng had to juggle multiple roles. The store had hired several pastry chefs and clerks, so Ah Feng leaving temporarily posed absolutely no problem.

After giving instructions on matters needing attention, Ah Feng, beaming with a smile, led Luo Mu out the back door of Pastry Aunt Lei Mu, heading to the small house she had specially rented for practicing her dessert-making skills.

Coincidentally, that house was located right near the Paldea League office; after obtaining Ah Feng's consent, Luo Mu casually dragged Peony along to do some taste-testing.

"Although making Poffins involves only very basic operations, it severely tests a pastry chef's touch and proficiency; precise ratios, suitable stirring speeds, and accurately controlled oven temperatures are all indispensable."

When entering teaching mode, Ah Feng's normally approachable smile vanished, and her tone became much more serious; this was the tone and expression she had determined to be most suitable through her own exploration.

If too friendly, many novice Trainers wouldn't take your advice seriously; if too serious, it would make novice Trainers overly nervous.

Luo Mu felt that Ah Feng would be very well-suited to becoming a teacher.

Confident that his Ji Ben Gong would lose to no one, Luo Mu tightened the apron on his body and looked at Peony beside him.

Peony, who should have originally just been loafing around, was instead listening with great seriousness at this moment, even taking out a small notebook to write and draw, leaving Luo Mu utterly speechless.

If only Peony could devote half the passion and interest he showed for cooking to Pokémon battles and training, then adding the grand promises Luo Mu had painted for him as motivation, surpassing Hearing Hearing Nimo might be out of reach, but reaching the Elite Four should certainly be no problem.

After a period of explanation, Ah Feng began personally demonstrating the Poffin production process for Luo Mu and Peony.

The materials for making Poffins were basically not much different from ordinary desserts; to describe it in one sentence using Luo Mu's peculiar train of thought: Poffins were essentially baked paste.

Ah Feng's movements were quite skillful; first, she cut the prepared Berries into small granules and set them aside, then prepared a milk pot, added an appropriate amount of clear water, poured in the prepared Berry granules, turned on the heat, and began stirring slowly.

Once the heated Berries had completely blended into the clear water, Ah Feng picked up flour, eggs, fresh milk, maple syrup, and other ingredients, mixed them according to the ratio to create a suitable paste, poured it into the pot in batches slowly, while her dexterous wrist maintained a uniform speed for stirring throughout.

"When stirring, you must pay attention to the rhythm and speed; do not let it burn at the bottom, nor let it splash out; keep the temperature on low heat, stirring for about ten minutes is optimal."

Although this was work requiring full concentration, Ah Feng could still notice the movements of the two temporary apprentices, Luo Mu and Peony, and offer suggestions.

One could only say she truly deserved her reputation as a famous pastry chef in the Paldea region.

The time quickly arrived; Ah Feng swiftly turned off the fire but did not rush to pick up the milk pot, instead admonishing once more: "After turning off the heat, do not rush to move it; wait for its temperature to drop slightly and its structure to stabilize, and the texture of the baked Poffins will be even more wonderful."

These were undoubtedly words of wisdom gained from Ah Feng trial-and-error countless times, and Luo Mu, filled with gratitude, committed them firmly to memory.

After waiting a short while, Ah Feng picked up the milk pot; without needing any tools to assist, she skillfully used the pot itself to pour the paste into the molds, her control over the pouring amount being incredibly precise, resulting in neither overflowing paste nor extra specks spilled within the molds.

Once all this was done, it was time for oven baking; Ah Feng set the top and bottom heat to 170 degrees, with a baking time of eleven minutes.

The oven finally chimed "Ding-dong" to signal the completion of baking; Ah Feng put on heat-resistant gloves and took it out, and an intoxicating, delicate fragrance instantly spread throughout the kitchen.

Gazing at the golden-yellow Poffins before his eyes, Peony exclaimed in surprise, "Could this be... one of Pastry Aunt Lei Mu's Signature Desserts, the Special Maple Syrup Poffin!?"

Instantly, saliva secreted wildly in Peony's mouth; he couldn't wait to pick up a Poffin, sniffed it carefully as if it were a treasure, and then tasted it cautiously.

Luo Mu was also somewhat curious about this Signature Dessert, so he picked one up to taste as well.

The moment it entered the mouth, first came the maple syrup's faint sweetness, distinct from honey and more fresh and elegant, followed by the Poffin's delicate and soft texture that made one somewhat addicted, wanting a second bite after finishing the first.

Under Ah Feng's beaming gaze, this small portion of freshly baked Poffins was completely devoured by Luo Mu and Peony.

As a pastry chef, what she loved most was this moment of satisfaction; it made her unable to stop.

Luo Mu also saved some Poffins for Milcery to taste; it ate until its eyes sparkled, looking at Ah Feng with adoration.

It was simply too delicious!

"Those are the specific production details; since you have already memorized the process, here is the key to the kitchen; you may borrow it for use these three days, and I will come over to help when I have time, so make sure to practice hard!"

Ah Feng handed a string of keys into Luo Mu's hand, then took out a Poké Ball and released a Pokémon that Luo Mu found very familiar.

"Teddi!"

It was a small bear Pokémon with a crescent moon pattern on its fur—Teddiursa.

"This child has a very sensitive tongue and possesses its own unique insights regarding flavors; you can let it taste-test your experimental batches~"

Leaving these words behind, Ah Feng hurriedly departed the kitchen.

Knowing that another Gym Challenger had come looking for her, Luo Mu gazed admiringly at her retreating figure; if it were him, he would surely be driven mad by such busy work...

Teddiursa seemed very clear about its duties; after Ah Feng had walked far away, it somehow dragged over a stool suitable for its height, sat down heavily, lifted its head, and beckoned to Luo Mu and Peony with a hook of its hand: "Teddi, Teddi!" (If the food isn't tasty, don't blame Brother Bear for losing his temper!)

Luo Mu & Peony: "..."

Although they couldn't understand what Teddiursa was saying, their intuition told them it was mostly likely nothing good.

Seeing Teddiursa sitting there napping like an old master, Luo Mu's mind turned, feeling it was exactly the right time.

Beckoning Peony over, Luo Mu whispered, "Your Greedent hasn't eaten today, has it?"

Peony nodded blankly.

"Then let's take this opportunity while making Poffins to teach you this principle as well," Luo Mu crooked the corner of his mouth, looking as if he were about to impart some peerless martial art to Peony, "Regarding how to solve the problem of a Pokémon slacking off in training, leaving aside Pokémon of different personalities for now, your Greedent is the easiest to deal with."

"I wonder if you have heard the saying—Food is Heaven for Pokémon. It means that for most Pokémon, food is the most important thing, especially for gluttons like Greedent."

"If you want to make Greedent more active in training, the primary method is food temptation; through continuous training, form an equation in its mind—Training equals Delicious Food!"

(End of Chapter)