Chapter 173

Chapter 173: Chapter 173

"Stop eating everything. Save some for your wife!"

Mike noticed the supply disappearing alarmingly quickly.

"Get up and help me. I’m making dinner."

Nidoking looked mournfully at the few remaining Poffins, smacked his lips, and finally left all of them with Nidoran♀ before reluctantly following Mike out of the cave.

"Go catch a few fish with Beedrill. We’re making fish soup tonight."

Mike gave Nidoking a kick on the backside.

"Nido."

[Can’t you just talk normally instead of always getting physical? That’s uncivilized.]

Mike narrowed his eyes.

"Hm?"

Nidoking immediately ran.

’Damn Mike. He only bullies me because Gengar and the others are around.’

’Fight me one-on-one if you’re so tough!’

Nidoking disappeared into the bushes after Beedrill to catch fish.

Mike began preparing dinner while Snivy and Gengar helped.

Glameow sat lazily in a nearby tree, yawning while playing with her red ball of string.

Hatenna eventually came out of the cave as well.

She watched for a while, and when she noticed Mike reaching for something, her eyes glowed faintly as she used Confusion to float it into his hand.

Mike stared at the kitchen knife hovering in front of him, then looked toward Hatenna and smiled.

"Thanks, Hatenna."

"Haten~"

Hatenna happily bounced from side to side.

With Hatenna helping retrieve ingredients and utensils through psychic power, preparing the rest of dinner became wonderfully easy.

Eventually, Beedrill and Nidoking returned from the bushes.

Two fish were skewered neatly on Beedrill’s stingers.

Nidoking’s arms were completely empty.

Mike stared at him.

"Don’t tell me you didn’t catch a single fish."

Nidoking scratched the back of his head and gave him an awkward grin.

’Hehe.’

Mike closed his eyes briefly.

"You’re unbelievable."

He accepted the fish from Beedrill, placed them on the cutting board, and began cleaning them with practiced movements.

Gengar hummed to himself while arranging the table and chairs.

Snivy carried the finished dishes over and then sat down to wait.

Glameow jumped from the tree and settled into her usual place.

Gengar held his chopsticks in one hand and a container of Poffins in the other.

He distributed a few to every Pokémon, then hugged the container against himself and continued eating directly from it.

"Go get your wife for dinner."

Mike carried the fish soup over and looked toward Nidoking.

The moment Nidoking heard the word dinner, he immediately hurried into the cave, carefully brought Nidoran♀ out, and placed her on a chair.

He was about to sit beside her when Mike stopped him.

"Do you have any idea how big you are? If you sit on one of my chairs, I won’t have a chair anymore. Go find a big rock."

Mike lightly kicked at him again.

Nidoking easily dodged the harmless kick, grinned, and fetched a large stone to use as a seat beside Nidoran♀.

Mike then noticed Hatenna still standing some distance away.

"What are you doing all the way over there? Come eat."

"Haten?"

[There’s some for me too?]

"Of course. You helped with dinner, so why wouldn’t there be?"

Mike pointed toward Nidoking.

"Look at him. He contributed absolutely nothing and he still gets fed."

Nidoking: Σ(°∀°ﾉ)ﾉ

’Why am I catching strays again?!’

Gengar, meanwhile, was delighted.

’Yes! Finally someone else gets used as the bad example instead of me!’

Hatenna happily ran over and climbed onto the table.

Because she was so small, she ate directly on the tabletop just like Glameow.

Mike filled a bowl of fish soup for each Pokémon, then clapped his hands.

"All right, everyone. Dinner time~"

"Glug glug glug~"

"NIDO!"

[Another bowl!]

Mike had barely finished speaking when Nidoking drained his entire serving and thrust the empty bowl toward him.

Mike was speechless.

Then silently took it and filled it again.

Gengar immediately became alert.

(｡•ˇ_ˇ•｡:)

’Damn it. I forgot Nidoking eats like a Snorlax!’

Refusing to lose, Gengar gulped down his own fish soup and held out his bowl.

"Gar—"

[Me too.]

Mike refilled it.

When both of them immediately looked ready to hand over empty bowls again, Mike’s expression darkened.

"Serve yourselves."

He lowered his head and began carefully removing the bones from Glameow’s fish.

Once he had prepared a clean portion of meat, he placed it on her plate.

"Here."

Mike gently stroked Glameow’s head.

Glameow didn’t even look up. She simply began eating the fish he had prepared.

Across the table, Hatenna watched Mike carefully picking bones from Glameow’s food.

Her eyes remained hidden beneath her fringe, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

"Don’t like it?"

Hatenna snapped back to attention and realized Mike was looking at her.

He had noticed her staring and assumed something might be wrong with the food.

Hatenna quickly shook her head.

"Haten~"

[It’s really good~]

"Good. Then eat before Gengar and Nidoking finish everything."

Hatenna nodded and returned to her dinner.

After everyone finished eating, Mike sent Gengar and Nidoking away to wash the dishes.

"You two are useless at everything except eating. Go clean up."

He patted Nidoking on the head.

Nidoking burped loudly, staggered upright with his stomach full, and followed Gengar toward the water.

Since they were staying inside Nidoking’s cave tonight, there was little need to maintain a guard outside.

Beedrill insisted on remaining outside anyway.

Mike knew arguing wouldn’t change his mind, so he simply let him stay.

Snivy returned inside and prepared to sleep beside Mike.

Mike himself sat cross-legged on the blanket with a tablet in his hands, editing the Water-type footage he had recorded over the past few days.

Once the editing was complete, he cleared his throat and began recording narration.

"The weather was clear, and a gentle sea breeze drifted across the coast..."

As Mike began speaking, Glameow stopped fiddling with the Soothe Bell around her neck.

She quietly walked over, slipped into his lap, and settled there while listening to him narrate.

Snivy sat beside Mike and listened as well.

Nidoking and Gengar had originally returned to the cave making plenty of noise, but the moment Gengar realized Mike was recording, he immediately grabbed Nidoking and dragged him back outside.

Gengar leaned closer.

"Gar."

[Didn’t you say you found somewhere with a ton of Honey? Take me there.]

Nidoking looked at him.

"Nido?"

[You mean...]

Gengar’s grin widened.

"Gar gar gar gar~"

Nidoking slowly developed the same expression.

"Nido nido nido~"

Gengar briefly informed Beedrill that they were heading out, then disappeared into the forest with Nidoking.

Hatenna lay inside the small nest Nidoking had made for her and watched Mike curiously.

She noticed that none of the other Pokémon interrupted him, so she remained quiet too.

From time to time, Glameow used a paw to push Mike’s hand away when his absentminded petting became annoying.

Mike never got upset.

He simply moved his hand somewhere else and continued narrating.

Hatenna remained curled in her little nest, watching Mike speak while Glameow rested comfortably in his arms.

Without realizing it, she became completely absorbed in the scene.

After some time, Mike finally stopped.

He put on his headphones and listened through the finished audio.

Once he confirmed there were no problems, he uploaded the video.

Then he put the tablet away and immediately started petting Glameow properly.

"What’s gotten into you today? You’re unusually clingy."

Mike smiled down at her.

Glameow didn’t answer.

She simply kept adjusting her position until she was as comfortable as possible, allowing Mike to continue stroking her fur.

Snivy glanced at Glameow, who was openly cuddling in Mike’s lap for the first time, then looked across the cave toward Hatenna, who was still watching them.

She said nothing.

Instead, Snivy sat beside Mike, held a Leaf Stone between her hands, closed her eyes, and continued absorbing the energy inside.

A short while later, she opened her eyes and looked toward the Stone.

Cracks had appeared across its surface.

"Sni."

Mike turned.

Snivy was holding up the Leaf Stone for him to see.

Its once-vivid color had faded almost completely, leaving it dull and fractured.

"Finished absorbing it?"

Snivy nodded.

Mike reached over and stroked her head.

Snivy closed her eyes contentedly and rubbed her head against his palm.

"No problem. I already prepared another one."

Mike reached into his pocket and produced a fresh Leaf Stone.

Snivy gave him a gentle smile, accepted it, closed her eyes again, and resumed absorbing its energy.

Mike looked around the cave at Nidoran♀ sleeping peacefully on the leaf bed, Hatenna quietly lost in thought, and the conspicuous absence of Nidoking, who had apparently gone off somewhere with Gengar to commit more Honey-related crimes.

A smile naturally appeared on his face.

This is really nice.