Chapter 306:
"Alola."
"Alola..."
"This is really too much trouble."
Sitting inside the restaurant, Hayashi Kaede felt a bit embarrassed.
The reason was that Mallow, noticing his somewhat helpless expression, had come over and asked what was wrong.
After learning about Hayashi Kaede's current predicament, she invited him in and said she could prepare a room for him to stay.
"It's no trouble at all, Mr. Hayashi. Bounsweet told me today it really liked your Energy Cubes."
Mallow brought over a pot of butter stew. Steaming carrots and lettuce on the top half of the pot, with glimpses of ribs at the bottom.
"Wasn't there also a boy who could fly with you, Mr. Hayashi? Where did he go?"
Mallow glanced around the shop; it wasn't busy now, so she sat opposite Hayashi Kaede, looking at him curiously.
This Trainer from the Eastova region, had a very mysterious feeling about him.
Whether as a Trainer or as a Breeder.
Looking at the heaping stew, Hayashi Kaede couldn't help but swallow.
Throughout the day, apart from those few dried berry slices, he hadn't eaten anything.
But he still replied:
"About that boy that flew... he's not a human. He's Mewtwo, a Psychic-type Pokémon."
There was nothing to hide about that.
Usually, Mewtwo took human form just to avoid strange looks.
"A Pokémon?"
Mallow said in surprise.
No wonder it could fly; looks like Lana was right yesterday.
"He's probably a battle fanatic. He went to challenge other Pokémon."
Hayashi Kaede replied while eating.
Speaking of which, Mallow's cooking was pretty good. Although it didn't have any special dish effects, eating this pot of stew gave him a warm, comfortable feeling.
"Can I let my Pokémon out too?"
Hayashi Kaede thought of Dragonite, which had also been in its Poké Ball all day and hadn't eaten anything except a few Berry slices.
But Dragonite were very resilient Pokémon; the fat on their bellies could sustain them for many days without food.
Mallow nodded. "Of course."
Hayashi Kaede immediately took out a Poké Ball, pressed it lightly, and Dragonite appeared.
He took out another Poké Ball and released Tsareena as well.
"Tsareena?"
"It's a bit late now, and the place is too far. Let's rest first, and I'll take you back tomorrow."
Hayashi Kaede understood Tsareena's eagerness to see its daughter.
But for now, he could only comfort it like this.
"Have something to eat first."
Hayashi Kaede took out some Energy Cubes for Bounsweet from his storage capsule.
"Tsareena..."
Although somewhat distracted, Tsareena listened to Hayashi Kaede and started eating the Energy Cubes.
"Is this the Tsareena you caught, Mr. Hayashi?"
Mallow asked curiously from across the table.
"Actually, it's not really 'catching.' It's a bit complicated to explain." Hayashi Kaede smiled apologetically. "What I said on the beach earlier wasn't entirely true."
"The truth is, I had already caught a Bounsweet before. Due to various reasons, that Bounsweet was separated from its mother unnaturally, and it even ended up in the Eastova region."
"So, I came here this time to see if I could help find its mother."
"Alola!" Mallow showed a surprised expression. "So, this Tsareena is that Bounsweet's mother, and you flew all this way, Mr. Hayashi?!"
Hayashi Kaede patted the Dragonite beside him and said softly, "If there's no hope, then there's nothing to be done. But if there is hope, you have to try, right?"
"Dragonite?"
Dragonite looked at the scene before it, momentarily stunned.
Luckily, the restaurant's ceiling was high enough to accommodate it.
Hayashi Kaede served himself some rice and vegetables, then handed the large pot of stew to Dragonite. "The rest is all yours."
"Dragonite~!"
Seeing food, Dragonite's eyes immediately lit up with joy. It looked at the chair, thought it probably couldn't support its weight, and simply sat on the floor, holding the pot of stew.
Hayashi Kaede took out some more Energy Cubes from his storage capsule and gave them to it.
It smiled even wider.
Seeing this, Mallow couldn't help but express her admiration.
"Mr. Hayashi really cares deeply for his Pokémon."
Hayashi Kaede looked at Dragonite happily eating the stew.
"They are innocent creatures that are very easy to please, and I really love them..."
Before he could finish, a woman's call came from the back, "Mallow! Come get the dishes."
"Coming, coming."
Gradually, a few more customers arrived in the restaurant, so Mallow naturally couldn't stay seated here anymore.
She said "Sorry" to Hayashi Kaede and ran to the back.
"It's fine, it's fine..."
Hayashi Kaede waved his hand, watching Mallow leave.
He thought to himself.
Actually, when it came to harmonious coexistence between humans and Pokémon, the best region was probably Alola.
There was no shortage of food for Pokémon here, and the people of Alola, along with their Pokémon, shared a belief in their Guardian Deities.
After the history of the Blinding One was deciphered, this belief reached its peak.
Both Pokémon and humans were willing to provide grateful energy to the Blinding One who had lost its light.
If, say, King Calyrex were the ruler here, it could definitely maintain its peak period.
Shaking his head, these thoughts didn't linger long in Hayashi Kaede's mind.
He focused on the call he had just heard.
It was a woman's voice.
But in the Sun & Moon anime, later in the story, Mallow's mother had passed away from a serious illness before Ash arrived.
Bounsweet was the Pokémon she and her mother caught together.
It was also a keepsake her mother left for her.
But now, it seemed her mother was still alive.
...
Perhaps because he was a bit hungry, Hayashi Kaede and Dragonite ate quite quickly.
After finishing, Hayashi Kaede, feeling a bit embarrassed, wanted to help in the kitchen but was pushed out by Mallow.
Even though he showed his Advanced Breeder certificate from the Eastova League, saying he was quite confident in his cooking skills,
Mallow's mother still had her push him out.
And she had Mallow prepare a room for him to rest.
With no other choice, Hayashi Kaede spent the night here.
Early the next morning, Mewtwo appeared before Hayashi Kaede with an excited expression.
"Nothing went wrong, right?" Hayashi Kaede asked.
Mewtwo replied, "No. They each had their strengths, but none were my match."
"Mhm."
Hayashi Kaede wasn't surprised by this.
Although the four Tapu deities were powerful, one-on-one, they were definitely no match for Mewtwo.
It's just that last night must have been a chaotic night.
Some of Alola's current professors, or other people in Alola, probably didn't get much sleep.
"Mr. Hayashi, are you leaving now?"
Seeing Hayashi Kaede up so early, Mallow, who was preparing ingredients, couldn't help but ask.