Chapter 576: Candidate for Chef

The formation soldiers moved with remarkable unity, obeying every command without fail; the moment their leader halted before Luo Mu, the follower formation soldiers stopped in perfect unison, standing neatly in a row before him.

"Ta-da!"

Hello, Boss!

"Hello to you all; you look so spirited."

Luo Mu replied, unable to suppress a smile.

Gazing at these formation soldiers, whose small white eyes shimmered with the desire of "I desperately want to improve," Luo Mu cast a suggestive glance toward the Pokémon behind him: Ogerpon, the Eevee sisters, and Oranguru.

"Could you prepare a signature dish for us? Nothing too complex; something home-style will suffice."

Luo Mu stated his order requirements.

"Ta-da, ta!"

The leader formation soldier's eyes lit up, and it nodded vigorously.

The follower formation soldiers lined up beside it also became jubilant; under its leadership, they energetically let out a synchronized cheer of encouragement, leaped onto the cooking station, and plunged into intense culinary preparation.

Luo Mu led his Pokémon to their seats, and after he had fastened bibs onto the Eevee sisters to prevent their fur from getting stained by oil and sauce, he noticed that over there, ingredient preparation was already complete, and they had entered the fervent stir-frying stage.

Only the leader formation soldier was seen gripping the wok handle tightly with both hands and tossing the wok; as the fragrant dish inside flipped into the air, its body moved in rhythm with the motion.

Beside it, a follower formation soldier held a spatula, continuously stir-frying in coordination with the leader's movements.

Meanwhile, the other four formation soldiers occasionally added seasonings or ingredients into the wok.

What was astonishing was that among the six formation soldiers, not only did no mutual interference occur, but each fulfilled their own duty, completing the preparation of a dish with incredible fluidity.

As the fragrant stir-fried yellow beef was plated, the formation soldiers immediately devoted their full attention to preparing the second dish.

In just a short while, eight dishes and one soup were arranged on the table where Luo Mu and his companions sat.

In contrast, at the nearby cooking station of Blaziken, it had only just finished processing ingredients and was now preparing three dishes and one soup for another new customer.

Such a gap in speed... could this be the advantage of having multiple hands?

Under the expectant, starry-eyed gaze of the six formation soldiers, Luo Mu exchanged a glance with Oranguru, then began serving rice and portioning the meal, placing each serving before Popplio, Ogerpon, and the Eevee sisters.

The formation soldiers were very attentive; naturally, they had prepared dishes suitable for a human like Luo Mu, such as stir-fried yellow beef and boiled pork slices.

But even for Ogerpon, who does not care much for meat, they had prepared delicious vegetarian dishes; for Popplio, a clear soup with sliced cuttlefish flowers; and for the omnivorous Eevee sisters and Oranguru, dishes tailored to their tastes based on the formation soldiers' careful consideration.

The flavor had not diminished due to the speed; it remained above standard, just like those chef Pokémon, and suited their palates quite well.

Ogerpon, Popplio, and the Eevee sisters also gave highly positive feedback.

What talent! Tremendous talent!

Without any hesitation, Luo Mu immediately decided to prepare to sign the formation soldiers.

But at that moment, Amara leaned close to Luo Mu's ear and whispered a reminder: "Although formation soldiers count as a single individual Pokémon, they still consist of six entities; both their food consumption and wages would be six times the amount."

Because Luo Mu changed his mind so quickly, Amara hadn't had time to remind him earlier; by the time Luo Mu started conversing with the formation soldiers, it was too late for her to speak up.

In Amara's view, the reason the formation soldiers' area seemed somewhat deserted was not only due to its remote location but also because of the issue regarding their wages and compensation.

Whenever most recruiters showed interest in coming over to take a look, receptionists like them would offer this advance reminder to avoid hurting either party's feelings if negotiations over wages fell through.

If expectations were dashed, it would not only damage the reputation of this interview event but also cause emotional fluctuations among the formation soldiers.

"Six times..."

Luo Mu's impulsive enthusiasm cooled slightly.

Indeed, at six times the price, one could fully employ six chef Pokémon like Blaziken; their combined efficiency, if not surpassing that of the formation soldiers, would at least be comparable.

Not to mention, one could also choose six chef Pokémon specializing in different culinary styles.

Previously, Gardevoir, Machamp, Farfetch'd, and Audino had basically all been within reach.

But having said that, Luo Mu today only intended to recruit at most two chef Pokémon skilled in different culinary styles; this would be sufficient for the current farm, whereas six would be somewhat bloated.

On the contrary, the formation soldiers before him were not large in size; lined up in a row, they occupied only about three meters in length, and even stacked vertically, the difference was negligible.

Their cooperation was seamless; while the taste of their dishes might not be breathtaking, it was far more stable.

Luo Mu felt he had no reason not to choose them.

It was merely six times the wages and food supply; the farm lacked nothing less than that!

Since he had found a preferred candidate, Luo Mu naturally would not hesitate any longer.

"Signed!"

This single, simple word sparked cheers and jubilant cries from the formation soldiers.

Even the steady leader could not help but beam with joy at this moment.

Amara was momentarily stunned, while Oranguru displayed a smile akin to that of a proud uncle.

For the young master of today, there were many ways to make money; six times the wages was nothing significant.

In the future, they were even going to construct an ecological dome belonging to the farm!

The six formation soldiers counted as one slot; with one more slot remaining for a chef Pokémon, Luo Mu planned to wait until he reunited with Luxray and the others, then make a selection based on everyone's collective opinion.

However, he already had a few candidates in mind; he was just uncertain whether, after consulting the Pokémon's opinions upon reuniting, those candidates would still be present at the interview event.

After all, those few stations were extremely popular; even the station for Gardevoir at the beginning had seen many people attempt it thanks to his own pioneering effort.

Just like at the Pokémon Butler Academy, interviews were a two-way selection process.

Although the formation soldiers had already favored him due to Luo Mu's unadorned money-spreading strategy, the relevant procedures still needed to be followed.

The formation soldiers could only line up, bow to Luo Mu—or rather, nod (?)—and then, under Amara's guidance, proceed to a dedicated conference room to review the work environment and farm data that Oranguru had submitted on Luo Mu's behalf.

As for salary and benefits, those details would be discussed in depth later.

Not long after the formation soldiers departed, Luo Mu successively reunited with Luxray and the others.

Luxray and Swampert shared with Luo Mu information about two chef Pokémon who, when combined, possessed grilling skills rivaling those of Cangyan Cangyan Rengui.

Torkoal plus Alakazam.

Milotic found the musical seafood cuisine of a Ludicolo quite interesting.

The Dragonite and its mother were basically just here to eat for free; the Shuang Nai Xian preparing the desserts was more than enough.

As for Luo Mu, he shared with them the names of several Pokémon chefs he favored.

They returned first to Cooking Station No. 28 in Area A, only to find it already "empty of people and deserted," with just a few "Nana-chan" fans left behind, discussing quietly with sighs on their faces.

From their words, Luo Mu learned that the Gardevoir had already been recruited by a Pokémon café on Melemele Island.

The timing was shortly after they had left; by now, the signing should already be complete.

Although somewhat regretful, Luo Mu still walked toward the other cooking stations.

The Machamp, Farfetch'd, and Delphox in Area B had all already departed; he even heard that several restaurants had nearly come to blows fighting over the Farfetch'd as a chef.

Luo Mu had also wanted to try the Torkoal and Alakazam combination, as well as the Ludicolo's musical seafood cuisine, only to discover they too had been recruited.

It seemed he had somewhat underestimated just how popular this interview event would be.

With a slight sigh, Luo Mu arrived near Cooking Station No. 31 in Area C and found that the Audino, who specialized in medicinal cuisine, was still there.

However, it was currently receiving a new recruiter.

"It is truly quite delicious, but I wish to look around a bit more before deciding whom to hire."

A woman with wavy hair, looking quite mature and beautiful, departed gracefully under the Audino's gaze.

Seeing that others nearby were looking at the Audino with eyes seemingly moved by interest, Luo Mu simply walked over quickly without hesitation.

At that moment, the Audino was cleaning a stew pot that still emitted a faint aroma of medicinal herbs; upon noticing Luo Mu's arrival, its eyes brightened slightly.

The Audino remembered Luo Mu, the guest who had brought along quite a few Pokémon that looked very young.

It thought Luo Mu must be someone who loved Pokémon very much; if not for the other party proposing to look around a bit more, the Audino would actually have been willing to sign a contract with Luo Mu.

"Ahem... hello, I'm back again."

Feeling strangely as if he were hitting on someone, Luo Mu cleared his throat lightly and met the Audino's blue eyes.

"Do you have an appointment now?"

In response to Luo Mu's inquiry, the Audino shook its head gently.

"Bune~"

It felt that Luo Mu might return later; it had politely declined invitations from several recruiters earlier.

Intuition told the Audino that, compared to those restaurants that would treat it merely as a selling point for operations, perhaps accepting Luo Mu's invitation would allow it to live a career it liked more and was better suited to.

The Audino's answer, translated by the Oranguru, brought a slight look of joy to Luo Mu's expression.

Having experienced the regret of seeing several Pokémon chefs he favored being signed away one after another, since the Audino had even declined other invitations for his sake, how could he let down its kindness?

"Then, shall we go sign the contract?"

Luo Mu asked aloud.

Its gaze first swept over the Pokémon behind Luo Mu, whose numbers had not decreased but rather increased.

"Tabune~"

The Audino broke into a happy smile and nodded gently, indicating that after it finished cleaning the cooking station thoroughly, it would go with Luo Mu to the conference room to sign the contract.

Since the interview event would continue for several more days, this cooking station would welcome a new chef by then; doing things to this extent was a polite behavior it ought to perform.

In a short while, under the Audino's deft movements, the cooking station was restored to a spotless state, free of even a single water stain.

The Audino then picked up its own toolkit box and walked out from behind the cooking station.

A moment later, inside the conference room specially prepared by the Akala Pokémon Chef Academy, the organizing party.

The sound of paper rustling—"swish, swish"—rose up as the Audino browsed the farm data that the Falinks had just reviewed.

Meanwhile, under Amara's moderation, the Falinks had already discussed with the Oranguru and determined the wage amount to be allocated to each individual Falinks.

It was not a large sum; collectively, it was even slightly less than the salary Luo Mu earned as the Battle Studies Department Head at the Grape Academy.

As for the Audino, because it excelled in medicinal cuisine—a skill many Pokémon chefs lacked—the wage singled out for each individual Falinks was not as high as its own.

Amidst the cheers of the Falinks, Luo Mu signed his name on the contract, while at that same moment, the Audino finished reviewing all the materials.

The look in its eyes as it gazed at Luo Mu and the Pokémon beside him gained several degrees more of closeness.

Although not in the Alola region, working on this farm would surely be a quite happy affair.

Especially after seeing some of the photographs attached to the supplementary pages of the data, the Audino became even more certain of this fact.

This was precisely the working environment it had longed for.

"Bune."

Under the slightly inquiring gazes of several pairs of eyes, the Audino nodded gently and was about to sign its own name on the contract.

"Wait a moment—"

As if suddenly remembering something, Luo Mu abruptly interrupted the Audino's action.

Of course, he had no intention of reneging.

After all, doing so would neither show respect to the Audino nor align with his personal style of conducting affairs.

The reason Luo Mu interrupted the Audino's signing was simply that he had remembered one matter.

"I would like to ask, do you have any insights regarding treatment and healing?"

Luo Mu looked at the Audino and asked with great sincerity.

In his impression, Audino in the Unova region often served as partners to Nurse Joy, much like Chansey and Comfey.

So, what about the Audino before him?

Surely it wouldn't be like Meowth, who learned human culinary arts only to cause all its other abilities to degenerate?

Not expecting Luo Mu to ask such a question, the Audino pondered for a moment before looking toward Amara.

Were these matters not written on the resume?

"Ahem... since you attended a chef academy, there was indeed no significance in adding this."

Amara cleared her throat lightly and explained aloud.

Then she immediately turned and called the dean, demanding that he send someone over right away with the enrollment records for the Audino, or else she would quit on the spot!

Before long, the records arrived.

With the Audino's consent, Luo Mu began to browse through them.

She had formerly worked at a private clinic; after the clinic went bankrupt due to lack of profit, she chose to apply to the Pokémon Chef Academy, and her already considerable skill in medicinal cuisine became even more formidable after receiving professional training.

Moves mastered: Helping Hand, Refresh, Heal Pulse, Safeguard, Heal Bell, Wish, Life Dew, Healing Wish, Lucky Chant.

Her Ability is Healer.

Frankly speaking, Luo Mu was already stunned.

Could this be what they call a innate Saint Body of a Healer!?

At this moment, the Falinks nearby, who had begun performing a human pyramid celebration upon completing their contracts, also stepped forward to testify.

"Ta-da, ta-da~"

Back when we were studying at the Chef Academy, if we accidentally got injured, we would often ask the Audino for help with treatment~

In no time at all, wounds from kitchen knives would heal!

At this point, the Audino, in Luo Mu's eyes, was no different from those hidden master sweepers.

They were all powerful experts concealing their true abilities.

Blinking his eyes, Luo Mu asked, "How about I issue an additional salary, and you serve part-time as the farm's medical Pokémon?"

(End of Chapter)