Chapter Twenty-Two: Doromesia Is a Foodie

“Hm?” When he saw this claw, Zhao Fang was a bit stunned. Although it appeared somewhat ethereal, he could still tell that it belonged to Dodragomecia.

Confused, Zhao Fang looked up, only to find that Dodragomecia, who had just been eating Pokémon food over there, had somehow floated right in front of him. It was urgently stretching out its claw, making a series of gurgling noises from its mouth.

“Does this mean you’re willing to travel with me?” Zhao Fang’s eyes shone with delight as he looked at Dodragomecia.

“Hot... hot pot...” Suddenly, such a voice echoed in Zhao Fang’s mind. This time, however, he wasn’t startled. He was well aware by now that this was Dodragomecia’s ability.

Though he didn’t know the reason, Dodragomecia seemed able to communicate with him telepathically. However, it couldn’t form complete sentences, and most of the time its words were rather vague.

“Do you want to travel with me? If you do, I’ll make you delicious food every day,” Zhao Fang guessed, adding another line.

Dodragomecia hesitated for a moment, then once again, the words “hot pot” echoed in Zhao Fang’s mind.

Good grief, Zhao Fang almost laughed—just how much did this Dodragomecia want to eat hot pot?

“If you travel with me, I’ll make hot pot for you. How about that?” Zhao Fang, carefully stroking the Poké Ball at his waist, asked cautiously.

Dodragomecia nodded immediately. Zhao Fang could even see drool-like liquid dripping from its mouth. He almost wanted to ask if this was the legendary “dragon’s saliva” he’d heard of.

At this moment, Zhao Fang’s heart brimmed with joy. Though he found it a bit ridiculous that Dodragomecia could be tempted by hot pot, it didn’t matter—he finally had a chance to capture this rare Pokémon.

Once Dodragomecia joined him, Zhao Fang was confident he could immerse this dragon-type Pokémon in the depth and variety of Huaxia cuisine. Even if he changed recipes every day, Dodragomecia would never tire of it.

“Then I’ll take out the Poké Ball. If you want to travel with me, you’ll need to enter it,” Zhao Fang said, showing Dodragomecia the Poké Ball he took from his belt.

Dodragomecia didn’t react at first, but then it suddenly darted backward, making Zhao Fang’s heart sink. Was he still unable to capture it...?

But then Zhao Fang’s expression grew strange. He saw Dodragomecia rush over to the plate of unfinished Pokémon food, devour it all in one go, pat its belly contentedly, and then float back to him.

“Don’t resist. I’ll make you hot pot in a bit, the kind that’s fragrant, spicy, and delicious...” Zhao Fang coaxed as he took out the Poké Ball and pressed the button, tossing it in front of Dodragomecia.

A beam of light shot out, pulling Dodragomecia inside. The ball dropped to the ground, and as Zhao Fang watched anxiously, it didn’t even wobble before lighting up to indicate a successful capture.

“Wow, a critical capture?” Zhao Fang was a little surprised. That was almost too quick.

Immediately, a wave of joy surged through him. This was the first time he’d managed to catch a Pokémon through his own effort—and not just any Pokémon, but a rare pseudo-legendary!

“Whew... Dodragomecia, I’ll be counting on you from now on...” Zhao Fang picked up the Poké Ball, grinning with happiness.

He didn’t forget his promise either. He soon released Dodragomecia, used the last of his Pokémon food to prepare a hot pot, and let Magikarp out as well.

The words [A Simple Hot Pot] appeared before Zhao Fang’s eyes.

“Looks like I still need to add some berries.” Stroking his chin, he reluctantly took his last Mist Lotus Berry from his bag, peeled it, and tossed it in.

Just one would suffice. When paired with other berries, the Mist Lotus Berry added a single point to a Pokémon’s base stats.

[A Simple Hot Pot: Eating the entire portion will increase base stats by 1.]

Zhao Fang nodded. That would do. Now he just needed to teach them how to eat hot pot.

After all, hot pot was different from other Pokémon food. Dishes like sweet and sour pork could simply be devoured, but for hot pot, you needed utensils. For Dodragomecia, it was fine—it had claws that could be adjusted slightly in shape. But as for Magikarp...

Zhao Fang watched as Magikarp bounced around, unable to grasp the chopsticks. Shaking his head helplessly, he went over, picked up a slice of meat with the chopsticks, dipped it in the hot pot, and fed it directly to Magikarp.

“At this rate, I might as well change my title from Trainer to Chef and Waiter,” Zhao Fang said with a wry smile.

Why was it that other trainers focused on nurturing Pokémon, battling, and challenging legendary creatures, but he himself was always cooking for his Pokémon—and now even feeding them by hand?

Dodragomecia handled the chopsticks with ease. For it, using them wasn’t difficult at all. Yet, seeing Zhao Fang personally feed Magikarp, Dodragomecia couldn’t help but glance at the poor creature.

Tsk tsk, it thought, how pitiful to have no hands; eating such delicious food so slowly.

After both Magikarp and Dodragomecia finished all the food, Zhao Fang packed up his tent and cooking gear, planning to recall them to their Poké Balls. Magikarp obediently went in, but Dodragomecia stubbornly coiled itself around Zhao Fang’s neck like a scarf, refusing to go back into the Poké Ball.

“Just remember to stay invisible, or it could be troublesome if someone sees you,” Zhao Fang said, a little helpless. He couldn’t force Dodragomecia in, so he simply explained the situation.

“Do-dragon~” Dodragomecia chirped happily, and in the next instant, it vanished from sight.

But the sensation around his neck told Zhao Fang that Dodragomecia was still there, just invisible. That was the advantage of a ghost-type Pokémon—easy to carry around. Zhao Fang certainly didn’t want to be like Master Zhi, with Pikachu always out in the open.

With Dodragomecia’s unique coloring and appearance, if Roger’s people spotted it, things would get very interesting indeed.