Schwisch schwisch schwisch——
In front of the giant teppanyaki grill, a bright red giant octopus with its six tentacles enthusiastically prepared teppanyaki, waving its spatula like an extravagant display.
Fortunately, it didn't take the horrifying step of chopping off its own tentacles and mixing them into the dish.
Of course.
In the animated world, people generally don't eat octopus tentacles; normally, takoyaki is made from Octillery flour balls.
The spacious restaurant had four or five tirelessly working Octillery.
Baimu sat in front of one Octillery, appreciating its culinary techniques while savoring the restaurant's delicacies.
"Your signature Octillery wild fried rice is ready."
Thud.
A mountain-sized plate of fried rice suddenly appeared in front of Baimu, and the scantily clad young lady gave him a charming smile.
He said, "…Did you make a mistake with the portion size?"
"No, this is the normal portion~"
"Alright then."
Baimu nodded silently, amidst the wide-eyed stares and astonished glances of those around him, not expecting to meet a Gorgeous Competition enthusiast who was a Mawile fan during a simple meal.
The portion was far too large for him to finish, but that's where the Galarian Corsola came in.
This guy was a hidden glutton, able to devour any amount of food in one go, no matter how much you gave it.
"I'm counting on you..."
He placed the Galarian Corsola to the side.
The Corsola, awakened by the fragrance of the fried rice, was about to extend its tentacle towards the food when it noticed Baimu holding a spoon and paused.
Why are you calling me to eat?
The Galarian Corsola looked at him despondently, already somewhat depressed from the sun, and watching others eat just made it more so.
"We're sharing, haven't you ever shared a meal with someone?" Baimu raised an eyebrow.
Sharing...
The Galarian Corsola, with a mind that had been stiff for who knows how many years, really didn't understand what he meant.
Baimu didn't elaborate, scooping up a spoonful of fried rice and putting it in his mouth.
In an instant.
An inexorable burst of sweet and savory flavor spread from his tongue downward, the salty and fragrant rice mixed with crisp vegetables, creating a wonderfully harmonious waltz of flavors.
But in the next second, an intensely stimulating flavor hit him.
It was as if an Octillery stood before him, suddenly blasting an Octopus Barrel Cannon straight into his mouth.
The rapidly rising temperature and spicy tingle in his mouth left Baimu paralyzed, compelling him to breathe in to cool the heat in his mouth—
"Huh?"
He was taken aback, "It's not spicy?"
The stimulating taste came and went quickly, not resembling the terrifying spiciness of Chesto Berries, but rather a more complex medley of flavors.
Baimu took another spoonful to savor carefully, "Zhi Li Fruit?"
Upon saying this, the Octillery focused on wielding the spatula suddenly lifted its head, looking at him with some surprise, seemingly not expecting its culinary skills to be seen through so easily.
"True to its reputation... the reviews weren't wrong at all, want to try some?"
Impressed by the critic's assessment, he scooped a spoonful to the "mouth" of the Galarian Corsola. After about five to six seconds, it trembled slightly and extended its tentacle over the spoon.
By the time the tentacle retracted, the rice on it was gone.
"How do you like it? If it tastes good, extend a tentacle."
Baimu asked the Galarian Corsola in a low voice.
It seemed to be savoring the dish, maintaining its downward-turned mouth, suddenly stiffening as if sensing a spicy flavor, then returning to its previous expression.
"...Hiss."
It's alright.
It silently extended a tentacle—
Hmm!?
The Galarian Corsola was stunned, suddenly realizing how accustomed it had become to communicating with the Trainer.
It was astonished to discover that unwittingly, it could subconsciously respond to the Trainer's words, unlike its usual resistant stance of ignoring any Trainer's comment.
Speaking of which, how long have I been by his side?
The Galarian Corsola, with no real concept of time, fell into deep confusion.
"If it's tasty, eat more."
Unaware of the Galarian Corsola's complex emotions, Baimu scooped another spoonful towards it.
And once again, it instinctively devoured it.
"!"
Why is my body acting on its own again!
The Galarian Corsola was dismayed to find its body had been entirely tamed by the man before it.
This can't continue.
If this continues, it might end up becoming diligent.
It couldn't imagine the day it became hardworking; it was like a nightmare coming true.
After much thought, the Galarian Corsola watched Baimu eat spoonfuls of fried rice and decided to ignore him from now on...
Yeah.
After the meal, then decide.
Looking at the rice placed in front of it, the Galarian Corsola hesitated on deferring its decision again.
The portion size was way too large; soon, Baimu was full, and the rest was mostly fed to the Corsola beside him.
Just about to pay, the waitress brought over a parfait—a cup filled with various nuts, fruits, and creamy ice cream.
Baimu asked, "I don't recall ordering this?"
"Our chef sent it over; it appreciates customers who understand good food like you," the waitress smiled, pointing at the Octillery at the grill.
"Oh gooh!"
The Octillery cheerfully waved its spatula at him.
"Uh, thank you for the treat." Baimu was flattered, then accepted a notebook discreetly handed by the waitress, where she hoped he could sign his name.
How could he not satisfy such a small request?
He swiftly signed his name, and after some thought, drew a simple Mawile through Smeargle's art memory, which rarely came in handy.
"Ah!"
When the waitress retrieved the notebook, she was overjoyed upon seeing the Mawile sketch, delighted beyond measure.
While eating the parfait, Baimu occasionally fed a spoonful to the Galarian Corsola.
The Galarian Corsola reluctantly consumed the parfait, wondering why there were always unexpected interruptions to its plans?
Damn it!
——
After a satisfying meal.
And some dessert on the side.
Baimu walked along the coast contentedly, gazing at people and Pokémon playing and frolicking on the distant beach.
Although both Littleroot Town and Kanaz City were coastal cities, there was nothing like the beautiful beach in Martial Arts Town for enjoyment, and he decided to find a place to stay and schedule a Gym challenge, then relax here.
Learning to enjoy life is extremely important too.
Following the signposts, he found the Martial Arts Gym, whose door was expectedly closed, with a note saying the weather was great today, and the Gym Leader had gone out surfing.
Undoubtedly.
Rather than surfing the web, Gym Leader Fujishu from the Martial Arts Gym preferred real-life surfing, sometimes leaving challengers behind if the waves were good.
This was the most criticized aspect of him in online reviews,
But since the Gym appointment system was now in place, it was unlikely Fujishu was still the same as before.
Beep.
Appointment successful.
Baimu glanced at the time on top—8 AM tomorrow, and the number of challengers waiting in front—zero.
He didn't quite understand these people who loved surfing.
Don't they go to work in the afternoon?