Chapter 158: The Kids' Meal
Shigeru and Celestia packed up their things, and the group of four Pokémon and two humans set off. They were heading to a Pokémon Restaurant near the city center.
This era was not like the future, where the vast majority of restaurants offered food for both trainers and their Pokémon, allowing them to dine together. In this period, people who knew how to make Pokémon food were still rare, and the profession of "Pokémon Breeder" had not yet been established. So, restaurants that allowed Pokémon inside were few and far between and were given the special title of "Pokémon Restaurant."
These establishments were incredibly popular among the trainer community. Basically, if there was a Pokémon Restaurant available, trainers wouldn't even consider going anywhere else. And right now, almost everyone was a trainer. So, it was clear that these restaurants would soon replace traditional ones and become the new trend in the culinary world.
The one they were going to was near the city's training grounds and the Pokémon Hospital, making it the most popular restaurant in Jubilife, bar none.
On the way to the city center, Will and Meowscarada watched as the number of Pokémon on the streets grew, the variety becoming dazzling. They occasionally saw Pokémon from Kanto and Johto, but since Sinnoh was relatively close, it wasn't particularly surprising.
In terms of sheer aesthetics, Sceptile and Meowscarada were in a league of their own. Meowscarada, in particular, with her 1.8-meter height and mysterious, alluring mask, was a natural head-turner. Realizing she was the center of attention, she immediately put on a cool and aloof expression, perfectly playing the role of an "ice queen" beauty. Some of the younger Pokémon were staring at her with hearts in their eyes.
While there were many battle-focused trainers in the world, the vast majority were just ordinary people. They didn't pursue strength above all else; they cared more about a Pokémon's looks and personality. So, on this street, a Pokémon like Will, who looked super strong, was not as popular as the beautiful Meowscarada.
"The training grounds were just an ordinary field a few years ago. They say that hundreds of years ago, it was where the residents of Jubilife practiced martial arts. Now it's been converted into a place for trainers," Shigeru explained to Will.
"That's right. It's a gathering place for battle trainers. Some of the stronger ones hold matches there," Celestia added, then looked at Will curiously. "Sceptile, you'll definitely be challenged when you get there. You'll have to be careful not to overdo it."
"I know," Will grinned. If he met a Pokémon three or five levels higher than him, he might be interested in a fight. But that level of opponent was already at the Gym Leader tier. He didn't think some unemployed Gym Leader would just be hanging around a public park in this era. As for the rest... they could try to beat his Meowscarada first. Will had no hobby of beating up children.
...
They arrived at the restaurant. From the outside, it looked a bit like the Krusty Krab from Bikini Bottom, but a super-sized version. The two glass doors alone were four or five meters wide and seven or eight meters high.
"Meow..." Meowscarada stood outside the window, staring inside, completely stunned. There were so many Pokémon! And they all looked so happy.
"Let's go," Shigeru said, pushing open the door.
Inside, a faint sweet and sour aroma wafted through the air. The restaurant clearly specialized in that flavor profile.
"Long time no see, long-ears," Shigeru said, walking up to the counter and greeting the Lopunny waitress.
"Turtwig~" Turtwig bounced up and down.
"Lopun~" The Lopunny smiled and waved back, clearly familiar with them.
Will gave it a second look. A Lopunny, aside from being fast, wasn't anything special from a battle perspective. But from an aesthetic perspective... it was a popular character in certain online communities. Unfortunately, Will didn't get the appeal, so he quickly looked away. In his opinion, it wasn't even as good as a male Meowscarada or Gardevoir.
"Lopun?"
"Recommend a few combos for us. We've got some new friends," Shigeru said, pointing to Celestia and the three Pokémon behind him.
"Lopun? Bun," the Lopunny peeked over the counter. She could tell they were all Grass-types.
At this, a voice suddenly sounded. "Meow."
Meowscarada had come up beside Will. She shyly raised a paw and pointed to a combo on the menu.
"Does Meowscarada want that one? That's the Kids' Meal," Shigeru said, scratching his head. He thought the portion size might not be enough for her.
"Hahaha," hearing this, the surrounding trainers couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't mocking, just amusing. Such a large cat, wanting a Kids' Meal.
But the laughter made Meowscarada lower her head in embarrassment, thinking she had done something shameful.
"You want the prize that comes with it?" Will asked, stroking her ear. How could he not understand her? She wasn't interested in the food; she just wanted the little toy.
"Meow..." Meowscarada buried her head in his embrace, her little tail drooping.
"You idiot," Celestia sighed at Shigeru, then stepped forward. "We'll have four Kids' Meals."
"Bun, bun?" The Lopunny nodded, then pointed to several small toys on the menu, asking which four they wanted.
"Meowscarada, Sceptile, what do you want?" Celestia asked, pulling them over to choose.
"Thank you, I don't need one. Meowscarada, which one do you want?"
"Meow," she shyly pointed at a small Treecko toy.
"Alright, one Treecko, one Budew, one Turtwig, and... hmm, there's no Sprigatito. Then just give us a random one," Celestia decided quickly. She was nothing like her indecisive descendant, Cynthia.
The Lopunny soon returned with a large tray. On it were the four toys. The random one turned out to be a Piplup. As a native Sinnoh Pokémon and a future starter, it was normal for it to be a popular choice.
"Here you go," Will said, taking the Treecko and Piplup toys from the tray and giving them to Meowscarada. They were made of wood and looked a little rough, but she loved them.
They all started eating at the table. Meowscarada, however, just sat on the side, holding the Treecko and Piplup and making them fight. The Piplup was being stomped on by the Treecko over and over again, as pitiful as Dawn's Piplup being tormented by Gible in the anime.
Smack!
Will smacked her on the back of the head. "Eat your food!"
"Meow..." she cried out, wronged. She put the two wooden puppets aside and obediently started to eat. She quickly forgot about them, completely immersed in the delicious human-made food.
"Sceptile is like Meowscarada's older brother," Celestia commented with a slight smile from across the table. She loved watching these Pokémon interact. They were so simple and cute.
"I'm her father, and her master," Will replied, putting the two forgotten puppets into his backpack. He and Meowscarada were only a week apart in age, so they did look more like siblings. But in terms of temperament and mental age, he was definitely a father figure to her.
"Meow," Meowscarada swung her little legs, not caring at all. Whether he was her father or her master, he was family. That was all that mattered.
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