Whimsicott held its special little spoon, looking back and forth between the tofu and the chicken wings.
‘Which one should I eat first?
Hmm, the tofu is good, but I want the chicken wings too.’
‘If only I could eat both at the same time.
Ugh, this is so hard.’
‘If only I could eat both at the same time.’
‘Eat both at the same time…
That’s it!’
Whimsicott’s ears twitched, and a soft white glow enveloped its body.
Shane’s chopsticks paused in midair just as he was reaching for a chicken wing.
“Is that…
Substitute?”
The white light suddenly split.
Another cotton puff landed across the dining table with a soft *poof*, its round orange eyes wide open.
Two Whimsicotts stared at each other through the steam rising from the sweet and sour ribs, simultaneously lifting their rice-speckled cheeks.
“You actually pulled it off?” Shane stood up abruptly, his wooden chair scraping loudly against the floor in the quiet room.
He crouched down to meet the two pairs of round eyes, his fingertips trembling slightly as they hovered between the two fluffy heads.
“We practiced all day and couldn’t get it, and now you’ve actually mastered it.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed back a lump in his throat, feeling the very real warmth of the fluff against his palms.
“Elfun!” ‘Time to eat!’
“Elfun!” ‘You take the left, I’ll take the right!
The food on this side is mine!’
The two cotton candies cheered in unison, forks and spoons flying.
The original body lunged at the amber-colored chicken wings, while the Substitute’s little spoon scooped up the meatball in the center of the tender tofu, leaving a shiny trail of sauce under its snow-white fluffy chin.
To think it actually mastered Substitute just to eat multiple dishes at once.
He really hadn’t seen that coming.
“Eat slowly, you did great today.”
“Elfun!”
After dinner, Shane started editing the video.
Thanks to his previous experience, he was much faster this time.
Whimsicott had practiced all day and was a bit tired, so it went to sleep first.
Shane finished editing the video around midnight, over an hour faster than last time.
Now…
join the Creator Program, upload the video, and send!
With all that done, Shane could finally wash up and go to bed.
…
The late-night champion, Solstice, had just finished a tragic battle of cooking instant noodles and was preparing to scroll through some videos to soothe his churning stomach.
Upon refreshing the page, a familiar ID and thumbnail made him sit bolt upright.
[Dinner Time with Song of the Forest 02: Double the Whimsicott, Double the Joy]
Thumbnail: Under warm yellow lighting, the dining table was set with glossy, mouth-watering cola chicken wings and rich, sauce-covered minced meat tofu.
In front of the camera, two nearly identical Whimsicotts were simultaneously pouncing on the food.
One’s fork was aimed at the chicken wings, while the other’s spoon reached for the tofu.
Their round orange eyes sparkled with boundless desire for the meal.
“Holy crap!
The boss Shane updated!” Solstice was instantly wide awake, but a glance at the time showed it was 1:20 AM.
The video started with the familiar shaky camera work and Whimsicott’s cheerful “Elfun, elfun” cries, focusing on the kitchen counter.
Wearing an apron, Shane prepped the ingredients with fluid motions.
The cola chicken wings sizzled in the pan, the sauce bubbling and rolling; the tofu was pan-fried to a golden brown, enveloped in a thick sauce along with the minced meat.
Whimsicott obediently acted as his little assistant, passing seasonings and pushing bowls.
The camera occasionally caught its adorable expression as it secretly gulped down saliva while staring at the delicious food in the pan.
The barrage of comments instantly came alive:
“Here we go!
The update-begging army is victorious!”
“Late-night terrorism!
Shane, you have no heart!
And neither do you, Whimsicott!”
“Cola chicken wings!
My absolute favorite!
Why is my screen wet?
Did I lick it?”
“That tofu looks so good with rice…
My instant noodles have lost again QAQ”
“Assistant Whimsicott is too cute!
I want to pet it!”
“Boss Shane’s cooking skills are still top-tier, that color is absolutely stunning!”
The scene shifted to the dining table, where Shane and Whimsicott sat across from each other.
Just as Solstice was getting swept up in the cozy atmosphere, a sudden change occurred!
A familiar soft white glow suddenly enveloped Whimsicott’s body!
“???
Substitute?
What are they doing while eating?”
“Again?
What is it this time?
Blocking drool?”
“Using Substitute to eat?
What kind of play is this?”
The white light split, and another fluffy cotton puff appeared across the table with a *poof*!
The two Whimsicotts stared at each other through the steam of the food, simultaneously lifting their rice-speckled cheeks.
On screen, Shane was clearly stunned as well.
His chopsticks paused in midair, his face filled with unbelievable surprise.
“Is that…
Substitute?
You actually pulled it off?
We practiced all day and couldn’t get it, and now you’ve actually mastered it?”
The next second, the cozy atmosphere was completely shattered!
As if receiving the ultimate command to dig in, the two Whimsicotts’ orange eyes erupted with astonishing light as they cheered in unison.
The camera clearly recorded the original body tearing through the chicken wings like a whirlwind, while the Substitute focused entirely on the tofu and minced meat, even getting sauce on its chin fluff.
Efficiency literally doubled!
The comments section completely lost its mind:
“????????????????????” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“What did I just watch????
It mastered Substitute just to eat chicken wings and tofu at the same time???”
“On How Chowing Down Unlocks a Pokémon’s Potential — by Shane”
“Hahahaha what the hell, just to eat different dishes!
Whimsicott, you really understand efficiency!”
“Shane: I taught you Substitute for battle.
Whimsicott: No, it’s for chowing down!”
“Whimsicott: What move mastery?
I just didn’t want to choose between chicken wings and tofu!
I want them all!”
“Am I the only one who feels bad for Shane?
It was supposed to be a cozy dinner for one man and his Pokémon, and now it’s one man watching two Pokémon fight over food…”
“Reported!
Reason: Using a cute Whimsicott and delicious food for a double mental attack!”
The video ended with the two Whimsicotts slumped back in their chairs in absolute satisfaction, and Shane looking at them with an expression caught between exasperation and deep affection.
The Substitute had actually lasted for quite a long time.
Solstice looked at his empty potato chip bag, then at the empty plates with leftover sauce on the screen, and let out his most tragic wail of the night.
“Shane!
Whimsicott!
You guys are too much!
Do you know how hard it is for me to get a hot meal?!
And you hit me with double the food terrorism!
I’m going to cook a second pack of instant noodles right now, and I’m adding a sausage!”
…
Mt.
Silver.
White mist rose from the hot spring pool, the warm vapor moistening the smooth pebbles along the edge.
Red and Green leaned against the pool wall, their muscular chests half-submerged in the crystal-clear spring water.
The heat blurred the silhouettes of the distant snow-capped peaks, leaving only the quiet sound of breathing and the occasional gentle ripple of water.
Red turned his head, water droplets sliding down his damp bangs.
“I heard from Professor Oak that Ash and Gary have already set out on their journey?”
Green kept his eyes closed, his head tilted back slightly to rest on a smooth stone at the edge of the pool.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
“Yeah.”
He gave a brief response, only opening his eyes a moment later to gaze at the mist-tinged sky.
“Yeah, the lab is a lot quieter now.
Sometimes…
it’s a bit too quiet.
I’m actually not used to it, you know?”
Red’s hand gently stirred the water beneath the surface, creating a ring of ripples.
“No one to annoy you, and you’re still not happy?”
He knew Green well.
The guy always complained about the noise, but when it was truly quiet, he felt like something was missing.