Xia Huanao cleared security and boarded the plane, heading to the place he had always yearned for.
Not far behind him, the urban beauty made another call: "He's on the plane, destination Snow Sky City. I understand."
...
On the plane, Xia Huanao pulled his eye mask over his head and started sleeping. The best way to pass the time was sleeping, because once you closed your eyes, you never knew how much time could be lost. For example, when Xia Huanao opened his eyes again, a flight attendant from Blaziken Airlines was waking him up: "Excuse me, student, our flight has arrived at Snow Sky City Airport. You should disembark now."
Xia Huanao stretched his limbs: "Thank you for waking me. We'll meet again next time."
After leaving the airport, Xia Huanao walked the streets of Snow Sky City, taking in the "exotic" scenery. He took a deep breath: "What a great place. Even the air feels different from Lingling City."
Breathing in the hot, dry air, Xia Huanao arrived at the Snow Sky branch of the Pokémon League. After checking in, he entered his room, dropped his luggage, locked the door, and left.
Watching Xia Huanao rush out, the system asked:
"Host, is there something here that makes you so eager? Could it be that some girl is waiting for you here?"
Xia Huanao looked around as he replied to the system: "You don't know. Ever since my previous life, I've had a dream, a great dream."
The system became interested: "What great dream? I've never heard you mention it before."
Xia Huanao seemed to have discovered something and ran towards it: "It's to eat lamb skewers until I'm full!"
The system was helpless with Xia Huanao's dream. Who would have thought that Xia Huanao's definition of a great dream was so simple? By the time it reacted, Xia Huanao was already standing in front of the barbecue shop owner, ordering food.
Truly discerning eaters have a characteristic: they know exactly what they can eat and how much. While Xia Huanao wasn't an extreme gourmand, he knew his limits. He ordered some signature dishes, along with various other items he liked or had never tried before. Satisfied, Xia Huanao nodded.
After ordering, he sat at the table, waiting for the lamb skewers to arrive. The shop was doing brisk business, so the owner warned that the wait might be a bit long. But when Xia Huanao waited, he tended to overthink.
"System, what kind of meat do you think is used in authentic lamb skewers?"
The system was stumped: What kind of meat is used in lamb skewers? The system, which had just searched for Xia Huanao's previous life's lamb skewers, instinctively replied: "Lamb skewers are made of lamb, of course."
Xia Huanao shook his head: "I'm not asking you that. I'm asking, what kind of lamb is used?"
This was beyond the system's knowledge. Lamb skewers being made of lamb was a given, but what kind of lamb? That was debatable.
The system opened its database and searched for all Pokémon on Spirit Monster Star with "lamb" in their name. It seemed there were only Mareep and Gogoat.
So, the system asked Xia Huanao: "Do you think Gogoat is tastier than Mareep, or Mareep tastier than Gogoat?"
Xia Huanao genuinely pondered the question: "I think Gogoat would be tastier because Gogoat exercises more than Mareep, so its meat should be firmer. Mareep are Electric-type Pokémon, so their whole bodies, fur and meat, should store a considerable amount of electricity. Regardless of the taste, the texture of such meat probably wouldn't be very good. Even if the electricity is discharged through special means, it would still be lacking."
Seeing Xia Huanao's thoughtful answer, the system was also helpless, but it didn't say anything since it didn't know the answer either.
The barbecue shop owner, seeing Xia Huanao sitting there staring intently at the skewers, came over and said: "I know what you're thinking. Are you wondering what kind of meat is used in our skewers?"
Xia Huanao nodded: "Yes, I've always wanted to know."
The owner laughed heartily: "Many customers ask that question. Eat first, and after you're done, I'll take you to the kitchen."
Xia Huanao heard this and asked: "Is that okay?"
"It's fine. Even if we teach you the sauces and techniques, they won't be easy to learn. Don't worry, just come with me."
Xia Huanao, after hearing this, vaguely said "Thank you, boss" and began to feast. The owner, watching Xia Huanao eat with relish, simply chuckled and returned to his work.
While eating, Xia Huanao even chided the system: "System, do you know? This is delicious! Do you want to try? To borrow a line, I guarantee you'll want two after one, and ten after two."
The system's face darkened: "Behave yourself! Using this to stimulate me..."
Having eaten his fill, Xia Huanao rubbed his belly and sat on the chair: "I think I overate a bit. I'll need to digest it properly later." He then let out a belch: "Binging like this today could make me gain weight."
Seeing that Xia Huanao was full, the owner called towards the kitchen: "Xiao Yue Liang, take the guest to the kitchen."
"Okay, I'll be right there."
As the voice spoke, a girl about Xia Huanao's age emerged from the kitchen and approached him: "You're the one who wants to see the kitchen, right? Follow me."
Xia Huanao followed Xiao Yue Liang into the kitchen and saw a sheep lying on the chopping board. Xia Huanao looked closely. It wasn't a Mareep or a Gogoat. It was just a plain sheep, no different from the ones he had seen and eaten in his previous life.
Seeing Xia Huanao's expression, Xiao Yue Liang smiled: "Surprised? It's this kind of sheep. Haven't seen one before? This is a sheep specifically bred for meat over dozens of generations."
"So it's just a regular sheep. But thinking about it, if it were Mareep, there might not be enough Pokémon for everyone to eat."
After saying this, Xia Huanao turned and left the kitchen, approaching the owner: "Thank you for clearing my doubts, boss. Your lamb skewers are delicious. How much do I owe you?"
After paying, Xia Huanao left the barbecue shop, satisfied. Xiao Yue Liang then went to the owner: "Dad, do you know he said that the meat sheep that took generations to develop is just a regular sheep!"
The owner didn't look up: "Is there a problem? It is just a regular sheep."
...
After eating his fill, Xia Huanao walked the streets of Snow Sky City: "I should have known. Lamb is just regular lamb. Similarly, roast suckling pig should be just regular pork, not some 'Chao Chao Pig' or other Pokémon."
Strolling along the street, he looked at the surrounding scenery. After walking for a while, Xia Huanao rubbed his stomach: "This is unscientific. Why am I hungry again? I just ate not long ago. Why do I need another meal so soon?"
Xia Huanao looked around and saw a lamb skewer stall set up by the roadside: "Fine, I'll buy a few more and eat as I walk."
The system agreed: "Exactly. Eat as you walk, then I won't have to expend so much effort."
Hearing the system's words, Xia Huanao was taken aback: "Huh? What do you mean by that? Does that mean those lamb skewers I ate..."
"Nonsense. I can't eat, but that doesn't mean I can't simulate the taste by using the energy from what you eat. Of course, this is very energy-consuming."
"So, if I suddenly get very hungry, it's because you've drained a considerable amount of energy to simulate it?"
"You can think of it that way. You can continue to eat now."
Xia Huanao approached the barbecue stall and asked: "Boss, are these lamb skewers?"
The owner fanned himself with a fan and replied: "That's right. The lamb in Snow Sky City is famous no matter how it's prepared."
Xia Huanao glanced at the items on the grill: "Are these real lamb? Aren't you using some other kind of meat?"
The owner got angry: "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm not that kind of person. I only use the finest lamb."
"Is that so? Mareep or Gogoat?"
"Meat sheep, proper meat sheep."
After arguing with the owner for a bit about whether they were "proper" lamb, Xia Huanao took out his wallet and pulled out a bill: "That's wonderful! Here's this much."
The owner took the bill: "Alright, please wait a moment."
The owner's skill was evident. The skewers flipped and danced in his hands, and soon a rich aroma wafted through the air. Xia Huanao couldn't help but give the owner a thumbs-up: "Boss, excellent craftsmanship!"
The owner replied while handling the skewers: "Of course. Would I dare to set up a stall without some skill?"
Xia Huanao sat by the small stall, drinking juice and eating skewers. He had reached an agreement with the system: for this meal, the system would not absorb any energy in any way. One reason was that the system already knew the taste of lamb skewers quite well, and the other was that Xia Huanao had many other things in his mind that the system had never tasted...
Xia Huanao stayed at the stall until nine in the evening. He and the owner felt they had met too late, and they chatted very happily. After nine o'clock, the owner had to pack up and go home, thus ending their conversation.
As the owner released two Pokémon to pull his cart and leave, Xia Huanao's eyes were fixed on the two Pokémon: "What kind of unconventional method is this boss using? Bringing Mareep and Gogoat to sell lamb skewers?"
Xia Huanao felt he no longer understood what kind of "sheep" people were talking about.
Returning to the Pokémon League branch, smelling of lamb skewers, Xia Huanao went back to his room and began to arrange things for the next day's trip to the secret realm.