Chapter 293: A Cooking Duel

Chapter 293: Chapter 293: A Cooking Duel

A/N:10/10 Bonus Chapters

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Tapu Bulu could sense Julian’s sincere joy for farming.

In the past, Julian had thrown himself entirely into studying Pokémon knowledge and raising Pokémon.

Now, while striving for the chance to see his mother again, he also happened to find enjoyment in this task.

With two happy things arriving at once like this, how could Julian possibly not smile?

But it really was not easy.

One swing of the hoe, and the blade might sink into a tree root and refuse to come out.

Or it might hit stone, sending the shock straight back through the handle.

That alone could raise blisters across the hands.

But Julian was not afraid.

He was strong, physically tough, and had ways to heal and recover his stamina.

Aula looked at the sky.

"It’s getting late. Let’s return to my villa. I’ll have the chef prepare Ula’ula Island’s speciality dishes to entertain everyone."

Julian shook his head.

"I plan to cook here. If you need to go back and look after Acerola, then go ahead."

Aula paused.

Ever since he had begun this trial, he had not complained while reclaiming wasteland like the others.

But he really had never cooked here and experienced what it felt like to sit in his own field and eat.

"I’ll go back once, bring Acerola over, and also bring some Ula’ula speciality ingredients."

Julian nodded.

"I also brought some speciality ingredients from Sinnoh. Today, let’s taste each other’s hometown dishes."

Mohn waved his hand.

"I won’t participate in that. I’ll be the judge!"

Mohn was from Unova.

Although he was Unovan, he was not blindly protective!

Unovan cuisine had no place at this table. It was either burgers, pizza, cola and fried chicken, or barbecue.

Aula came from fallen royalty, but he also possessed excellent cooking skills.

He was especially skilled at Alolan-style local cuisine.

Of course, he was also proficient in Kalos cuisine and Paldean cuisine.

Cynthia smiled slightly.

"Why don’t we invite Tapu Bulu to be a judge after the dishes are finished and see whose cooking tastes better?"

Mohn clapped his hands in approval.

"Then Cynthia, Tapu Bulu, and I will serve as judges and score your dishes!"

Mohn was extremely sharp. The moment he heard Cynthia’s words, he understood what she was trying to do.

He immediately assisted her.

Aula nodded seriously.

"I’ll go back and get the ingredients now."

After he returned with the ingredients and cooking utensils, they began cooking.

Only after the fragrance spread did Mohn walk up to Tapu Bulu.

He invited him to serve as a judge.

Tapu Bulu liked farming.

And could someone who liked farming really not like eating?

Tapu Bulu maintained his dignity for a moment, then slowly nodded in agreement.

Julian and Aula each prepared five dishes.

Aside from the grand annual ceremony held on Ula’ula Island to worship Tapu Bulu, when he rarely ate Alolan-style cuisine...

Most of the time he ate Berries in the mountains.

Alolan-style cuisine tasted good, but for Tapu Bulu it was about the same as humans eating junk food.

Delicious, but not especially good for the body.

Julian’s cooking, however, gave him a completely different feeling.

Since Tapu Bulu was one of the judges this time, Julian paid attention not only to flavour, but also to the dishes’ nutrition.

He used various excellent ingredients he had collected on Poni Island.

The food he made could nourish the body while still being human cuisine.

It was basically Pokémon food in the shape of human food.

Mohn and Cynthia were both in excellent health, so there was no risk of them being overnourished to the point of getting nosebleeds.

Tapu Bulu nodded in satisfaction.

In Julian’s cooking, he felt Julian’s love for making food.

That was something Aula’s cooking did not possess.

Although Aula had made excellent dishes, the feeling that came through was... elegance.

Tapu Bulu cast his vote for Julian without hesitation.

Julian’s eyes lit up.

"Thank you for your recognition, Tapu Bulu."

Mohn looked rather troubled.

"Both of your dishes are delicious, but in terms of function, Julian’s cooking has the edge."

"I vote for Julian too."

Cynthia smiled slightly.

"Alolan cuisine has a naturally bold, untamed flavour, but Aula brought a surprising elegance to it."

"That contrast is handled beautifully. I like it very much, so my vote goes to Aula."

Cynthia definitely preferred Julian’s cooking.

But since Julian had already won, her vote was not that important.

They had to leave Aula some dignity.

Cynthia playfully winked at Julian, and Julian nodded slightly, signalling that she had done the right thing.

Cynthia rubbed Acerola’s head.

"Acerola, do you prefer your papa’s cooking or your big brother’s cooking?"

Acerola’s little mouth was stuffed full, and she struggled to say, "Papa! Papa’s cooking is the best!"

Aula walked over with a smile and rubbed Acerola’s head.

"Thank you for liking it, little Rola. Papa will work hard and try to make even better dishes next time, then beat big brother, alright?"

Acerola nodded hard.

"Mhm! Next time, I’ll help Papa too!"

After tasting the food, Tapu Bulu returned to his bed and went back to sleep.

After dinner, everyone else went down the mountain. Only Julian chose to stay.

He picked up a rake and began clearing the roots and stones from the soil.

Watching Julian work seriously, Tapu Bulu quietly observed him.

It was not until Julian worked all the way to midnight and finally cleared the debris from the soil that Tapu Bulu flew to his side and looked at him curiously.

"I can tell you respect the land, and that you’re not treating this as mere labour, but that alone isn’t why you’re pushing yourself this hard, is it?"

Julian leaned on the rake and slowly told him his family’s story.

After hearing the story, he looked deeply at Julian.

He said nothing and returned to the stone slab to sleep.

Julian did not ask whether Tapu Bulu was willing to help.

He simply washed up and returned to his tent to sleep as well.

At five in the morning, just as the sun released its first light, Julian walked out of the tent again and began levelling the land.

Tapu Bulu’s eyes were deep as he quietly watched Julian farm.

After levelling the mountain land into three terraced fields, Julian came before Tapu Bulu.

"Tapu Bulu, do these three terraced fields need to be planted with seeds you specify?"

Tapu Bulu nodded, then got up and led Julian to a cave.

"The seeds I collected from all across Ula’ula Island are inside. You may freely choose which ones to plant in the land you reclaimed."

Julian thought for a moment, and in the end, he chose Oran Berry seeds that were drought-resistant and could tolerate poor soil.

Julian selected five hundred Oran Berry seeds in total.

That was exactly enough for the cultivated area he had levelled across the three terraced fields.

One seed for every square metre.

After Julian planted them all and watered the seeds, Tapu Bulu rose and pressed his hoof against the land.

In an instant, Tapu Bulu and the earth bloomed with rich green light together.

Julian knew that Tapu Bulu had recognised him!

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