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After dinner, Lucas's family followed their usual routine: chatting, watching a bit of TV, then heading to the cooking practice room to train. When their session was over, they cleaned up and went to bed. Before sleeping, as usual, Lucas collected his daily task rewards.
[Daily Task Reward] [Congratulations, you have received: a bundle of giant Leek sprouts (if planted by Farfetch'd, the flavor will be even more delicious)]
Lucas: ...
This giant Leek seemed like a good item, but pairing it with Farfetch'd conjured up a dark joke in Lucas's mind—Farfetch'd is best with Leeks.
"Too wicked!"
He set the Leek sprouts aside, deciding to plant them in the vegetable garden tomorrow, and then moved on to claim his second reward.
[Congratulations, you have received: an Exp. Charm.]
"Hmm?"
Lucas paused in surprise. He'd just gotten a bundle of giant Leek sprouts, and now an Exp. Charm too! Did this mean the charm worked the same as in the games, helping Pokémon level up faster?
As far as he knew, items like Exp. Charms, Shiny Charms, and Oval Charms didn't exist in the current Pokémon world.
"I'll try it out tomorrow," he thought happily and drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning, Lucas opened the door with a yawn and immediately noticed Meowstic curled up on the doorstep.
"Meowstic?" Lucas's eyes widened. "How long have you been here?"
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~~" I just got here!
Meowstic turned its head and smiled slightly, ears twitching nervously.
"Come in, come in!" Lucas quickly invited it inside. Feeling the dew on Meowstic's fur, he knew it must have been waiting for a while.
As he fetched a towel to dry its fur, he said, "Why'd you come so early? You could've come at the scheduled time! Didn't I tell you the time yesterday?"
"Meowstic~" I was worried I'd be late.
Meowstic replied, looking slightly embarrassed, its ears drooping.
"You..." Lucas chuckled in exasperation, shaking his head.
Once Meowstic's fur was dry, Lucas said, "Since you're here, let's set off."
"Meowstic~~"
Meowstic nodded its head with fighting spirit, its eyes gleaming with determination.
"Here, have a little snack first." Lucas pulled a Sitrus Berry from his system's backpack, a reward he'd received a few days ago, and handed it to Meowstic.
Gratefully accepting the berry, Meowstic followed Lucas while nibbling on it in small bites.
'So tasty!' Meowstic thought, savoring the berry, which was the best it had ever tasted.
Before setting off, Lucas handed the bundle of giant Leek sprouts he'd received last night to Diancie, asking her to pass it to the Dugtrio brothers so they could plant it in the garden.
He also hung the Exp. Charm around his neck. The charm looked like a decorative accessory and fit well with his outfit.
Holding Komala, with Meowstic by his side, Lucas crossed through the space portal. Meowstic curiously observed the portal, and when it came to its senses, it found itself in an unfamiliar room.
Lucas introduced, "This is our new store in Azoth Kingdom, though it's not open today. You'll be joining me in the park to set up a stall. There will be a lot of people, so I hope you can adapt."
"Meowstic~~"
Meowstic nodded gently, clenching its paws with determination to do its best.
"Here, put this on."
Lucas took an outfit out of his system backpack and handed it to Meowstic.
"Meowstic~~"
Meowstic nodded and quickly put it on. It had seen Gardevoir, Gallade, and Diancie wearing similar attire in Diancie's cafeteria.
Once Meowstic was dressed, Lucas nodded in satisfaction.
It was more like an apron than an outfit.
Gardevoir, Gallade, and Diancie had white aprons with a cute and playful Diancie design in the center, while Meowstic's was sky-blue with a chubby, adorable Munchlax in deep blue.
The styles were all the same since Lucas bought them from the system store.
"Let's go," Lucas said.
The two Pokémon and Lucas headed downstairs.
He opened the door, intending to find a hidden corner to retrieve the food cart, only to see Raleigh and Slurpuff already waiting outside.
"Your Highness Lucas!" Raleigh and Slurpuff, who were crouched in the corner, stood up excitedly when they saw him.
Lucas chuckled, "Why did you come here? You could've gone straight to the park; it's okay to be a little late."
"Hehe~" Raleigh scratched his head sheepishly. "I wanted to come early."
"Did Kimia's guards bring you here?" Lucas asked.
"Yep," Raleigh nodded, then noticed Meowstic standing behind Lucas. "It's Meowstic!"
Meowstic was startled and hid behind Lucas's leg, clinging to it nervously, its blue fur bristling slightly.
Lucas introduced, "Meowstic, this is Raleigh and Slurpuff. They help me out too. If you can't even handle Raleigh, it'll be hard to work for me."
"Hello, Meowstic."
"Slurpuff~ Slurpuff~"
Raleigh and Slurpuff both greeted Meowstic warmly.
Seeing their kind smiles, Meowstic's paws were sweaty with nerves, but after thinking it over, it bravely stepped forward.
It had to earn money to support everyone!
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~ Meowstic!"
Meowstic greeted Raleigh and Slurpuff stiffly, trying its best to appear confident.
"Well done!" Lucas smiled with satisfaction, then introduced them to Raleigh and Slurpuff. "This is Meowstic, who lives with me in the Nebel Plateau and may work at the store in the future."
Raleigh nodded, understanding that he couldn't always help Prince Lucas, so he accepted the need for another employee.
"Meowstic, I'll be counting on you!"
"Slurpuff~ Slurpuff~" I'll be counting on you!
Raleigh and Slurpuff said cheerfully.
"Meowstic~~ Meowstic~" G... Good to work with you.
"Now that everyone knows each other, let's head to Nikola Park!" Lucas said.
However, he suddenly paused, looking at Raleigh and Slurpuff in front of him. Lucas felt a bit torn—how was he going to take the food cart out of his system bag with them here?
Ah, forget it!
Lucas clenched his teeth; he hadn't hidden the fact that he could summon Diancie and Munchlax from home, so maybe there wasn't a need to keep this secret either.
But when he did pull out the cart right in front of Raleigh, Raleigh's eyes went wide with shock.
Although the Pokémon world has convenient items like space backpacks, they aren't typically large enough to fit an entire cart.
"Your Highness Lucas, you're... you're amazing!" Raleigh exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.
Lucas chuckled, deflecting the topic, "It's getting late; let's get going."
Raleigh, thinking that since His Highness could summon Diancie and others, summoning a cart didn't seem that unbelievable. Without giving it much thought, he eagerly got in the cart with Lucas, and they set off for Nikola Park.
Along the way, Meowstic was perched by the window, gazing intently at the passing people and buildings outside, mentally bracing itself for the crowds ahead.
Lucas glanced at it briefly, then refocused on driving.
They soon arrived at Nikola Park, where people were already waiting for Lucas's stall. Seeing Lucas's food cart pull up, they bustled about for a moment before quickly forming a line.
Meowstic, seeing so many people, felt cold sweat dripping down, its head spinning with anxiety. But it stood firm, remembering why it was here.
As soon as Lucas opened the window, he announced, "Everyone, starting tomorrow, I won't be setting up my stall here anymore!"
The crowd erupted with wails of dismay.
"Young boss, you're not joking, are you? That's a terrible joke to play on us!"
"Don't say that, I live for my daily buns!"
"Are you facing some difficulty, young boss? Let us know, and we'll try to help."
"Is it the royal family not allowing you to make public appearances? Try talking to them again!"
Seeing the crowd in an uproar, Lucas quickly clarified, "Please don't misunderstand! Hear me out—what I mean is, I won't be running a stall anymore because I'm opening a shop. The new location is on the next street in the tourist district."
Just as he finished speaking, Slurpuff set up a sign on the cart, clearly indicating the new shop's location and name.
Hearing that the new shop was close by, the crowd relaxed. After all, it was only a few steps away, and it wouldn't interrupt their enjoyment of steamed buns in a better environment.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack, young boss! Don't keep us in suspense like that!"
Lucas thought to himself: Who's keeping anyone in suspense? You all didn't give me a chance to explain!
Soon, the buns and steamed dumplings were ready, and Raleigh, Slurpuff, and Meowstic got to work.
Slurpuff, as always, helped Lucas by arranging buns and slicing steamed dumplings to place in the steamers, while Raleigh handed out buns and steamed dumplings to customers.
Meanwhile, Meowstic was tasked with greeting customers seated at the stall, so it could truly get some hands-on experience.
Seeing Meowstic's nervous face, a customer remarked while eating, "Ah, there's a new staff member here today! No need to be so tense; we won't bite."
The customer was very friendly, his eyes crinkling with warmth.
"Pachirisu~~"
The Pachirisu on the table, sharing buns with the customer, also greeted Meowstic warmly, its fluffy tail swishing happily.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~~"
With a tense expression, Meowstic set a dish of pickled green beans in front of the customer, then quickly pulled its paw back, amusing the customer, who burst into laughter.
"Hahaha~~ So cute, thank you, Meowstic."
At that moment, someone at the next table called out, "Meowstic, could you bring me a dish of pickled radish cubes? We've run out over here."
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~~" C-coming right up!
Meowstic scrambled about, trying to keep up with the demands.
When it finally brought the radish cubes over, the guest saw how flustered it was and kindly said, "There's no need to rush. With so many customers, everyone understands."
Guests at nearby tables nodded in agreement, showing support for the new employee.
One of them, a Pichu, hopped onto the edge of the table and patted Meowstic on the shoulder like a tiny adult.
"Pii~ Pichu~" Take your time, take your time!
Its adorable manner made everyone nearby burst into laughter.
Seeing how cute Pichu was, Meowstic suddenly felt much less nervous about serving humans.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~ Meowstic~" T-thank you all.
Meowstic sincerely thanked the kind guests around it, its eyes softening with gratitude.
Lucas, who was wrapping dumplings, accidentally caught a glimpse of this scene and couldn't help but smile proudly at Meowstic's progress.
As time passed and the sun climbed higher, the stall grew busier with more customers arriving. Meowstic became even busier but felt increasingly relaxed as it encountered more friendly faces.
At first, it was too anxious to even use its psychic abilities. But as it gradually calmed down, it began skillfully using its powers to pass items to customers without causing any disruption.
"Great job, Meowstic!"
"Thank you, Meowstic!"
"You're so helpful, Meowstic! Soon, you'll be the young boss's right hand!"
Encouraging words from the customers brought a bright smile to Meowstic's face, and its confidence grew by the minute.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted. Meowstic turned instinctively to see a little girl holding a steaming bun, losing control and stumbling towards a Graveler. She was about to collide with its rocky exterior, and her mother reached out in fear, but there wasn't enough time.
In that critical moment, Meowstic's eyes glowed bright blue, freezing the girl mid-fall with its psychic powers.
Everyone watching breathed a sigh of relief.
The little girl's mother quickly hugged her, soothing her with a relieved expression. "Are you okay, honey?"
The girl nodded, "I'm okay, Mom. It was so strange; something held me up."
"Good, good," the mother said, breathing out in relief. "But be more careful next time, okay?"
The girl had been so eager to eat her steamed buns that she hadn't watched where she was going.
"Sorry, Mommy. I wasn't being careful," the little girl replied sweetly.
After calming her daughter, the mother turned around to Meowstic and quickly bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much, Meowstic."
If not for Meowstic's quick intervention, her daughter could have seriously injured herself on the Graveler's rocky body.
Meowstic was startled by the bow and took a few steps back in surprise, unused to such formal gratitude.
Customers joined in with cheers:
"Great job, Meowstic!"
"You're amazing, Meowstic!"
"Meowstic, you're a hero!"
Amid the applause, Meowstic thought that maybe humans could be pretty adorable too, not so different from Pokémon after all.
The rescued little girl then shyly walked over, hugged Meowstic warmly, and gave it a big kiss on the cheek.
"When I grow up, I want to find a boyfriend as awesome as Meowstic," she said earnestly.
"Hahaha~~~"
Everyone burst out laughing, including Lucas and the girl's mother.
Meowstic stood there, blue fur turning slightly pink with embarrassment, but its heart was filled with a new kind of warmth.