Half an hour later.
Elesa leaned back in her chair with a look of utter disbelief, her dazed expression resembling someone who had just witnessed a Caterpie evolving directly into a Rayquaza—honestly, it was exactly the same as Gengar and Professor Oak's reactions back then.
Hilarious!
"So, what do you think?"
Hayashi scooted closer to Elesa, puffing up with pride as he asked smugly, "Isn't my dear Erina's cooking the best in the world?"
"I have to admit, this level of skill is something I've never encountered before," Elesa said, her pupils refocusing as she rubbed her face and spoke earnestly. "I never imagined health food could taste this incredible."
After all, to maintain her figure, she usually ate things like boiled broccoli and chicken breast—while they were low in calories, they were utterly flavorless!
Her nutritionist had tried their best to make these dishes palatable, but on one hand, these ingredients were inherently hard to season well, and on the other, adding too many condiments for flavor would defeat the purpose of eating healthily.
Wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?
"I'll pass the recipe to you later," Erina said with a faint smile, chuckling lightly. "You can have your nutritionist learn it, so you can enjoy delicious meals from now on."
"Whew—" Elesa raised a hand to rub her face again and said, "I don't even know how to thank you."
Erina waved her hand dismissively, laughing softly. "No need for thanks! I just felt like helping you tweak the recipes on a whim!"
Elesa shook her head. "No, Miss Erina! What might be a whim for you is a lifesaver for me—to be honest, eating bland food for so long, I was almost developing an eating disorder."
Erina looked surprised. "That serious? Has your world never considered this issue?"
Elesa smiled wryly. "Most of our world's focus is on Pokémon. Fighting-type Pokémon do eat health food to maintain their physique, but they can use Pokéblocks to improve their appetite, so there's never been a demand for this kind of thing."
Erina opened her mouth, then shook her head helplessly. "I really don't know what to say to that."
Elesa stared at the recipe in front of her, lost in thought. Noticing this, Hisako nudged Erina and Hayashi. The two exchanged a glance and waited patiently for Elesa to continue.
"Miss Erina..." Elesa licked her lips and said, "Could you invent a low-fat, sugar-free sauce? That way, we wouldn't need to modify the recipes individually—just spread the sauce on the food to make it delicious—"
Hisako clapped her hands and added, "Erina, that's a great idea! We could even sell the sauce directly as a product—it would definitely be a hit!"
Elesa couldn't help but widen her eyes. She had suggested the sauce idea just to avoid troubling Erina with revising all her recipes, never expecting it to go this far.
She glanced at Hisako and thought to herself, 'I always thought she was just a maid or something, but...'
Hayashi raised an eyebrow: 'To think of this angle so quickly—Hisako truly lives up to her reputation!'
After hearing Hisako's words, Erina pondered for a moment before saying, "Well, it's not impossible..."
Elesa eagerly leaned in. "Miss Erina! If it's too much trouble, the Nimbasa Gym can collaborate with you! We'll handle procurement, production, packaging, promotion, and sales—you just need to sit back and count the money!"
Erina, however, looked hesitant. After all, she wasn't from the Pokémon world and had little interest in starting a business there.
Just as Erina was wavering, Hayashi chimed in, "We can agree, but we have a few small requests. Would you be able to accommodate them, Miss Elesa?"
Elesa nodded. "Go ahead."
Hayashi continued, "I believe the Nimbasa Gym specializes in Electric-types, right? So, Miss Elesa, you must have Pikachu breeding methods? Erina happens to have a Pikachu, so..."
Elesa's expression brightened with understanding. She smiled and nodded. "No problem. Once I return to the Nimbasa Gym, I'll compile my Pikachu care notes and send them to you."
Hayashi added, "Also, could you help Erina obtain a Light Ball?"
Elesa blinked. "A Light Ball... Oh! You mean the kind Pikachu uses?"
Hayashi nodded. "As long as you provide the Pikachu care notes and a Light Ball, we'll agree to collaborate."
Elesa glanced at Erina and Hisako, and seeing no objections, she immediately extended her hand. "Deal—so, to a successful partnership?"
Hayashi shook her hand firmly. "To a successful partnership!"
...
...
After Elesa left, Erina and Hisako immediately approached Hayashi.
Erina couldn't hold back her curiosity. "I understand wanting Pikachu care notes, but what's that Light Ball for?"
Hayashi thought for a moment before explaining, "Well, to put it simply in gaming terms, the Light Ball is Pikachu's exclusive item—it doubles the power of Pikachu's moves."
Erina and Hisako exchanged surprised glances, with Erina unable to hold back her words: "That sounds incredibly powerful."
Hisako quickly nodded in agreement, adding, "Double the damage from moves—it instantly makes it so much stronger!"
Indeed, that was the case. After all, Pikachu's base Attack stat was only 55, and its Special Attack stat was merely 50. But with the Light Ball equipped, Pikachu's Attack and Special Attack stats effectively doubled, reaching 110 and 100 respectively—enough to rival Arcanine's offensive capabilities.
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu seemed to know she was about to receive a divine artifact. She proudly hopped in front of Erina, patted her chest with her tiny paw, and declared that she would protect her master from now on!
"Pikachu is so sweet—" Erina giggled as she hugged Pikachu, saying, "Then I'll be counting on you to protect me from now on!"
"Pika!" Pikachu thumped her chest, signaling that she had it covered!
Meanwhile, Hayashi rested his cheek on his hand, watching with a doting smile.
...
...
Time flew by, and soon it was the day the cruise ship docked. Due to work commitments, Elesa had to bid farewell to Hayashi and the others after disembarking. After exchanging PMline contacts, they parted ways.
"Mmm—"
Once back on solid ground, Erina stretched her arms high and sighed contentedly, "It really does feel better to have my feet on the ground!"
Hayashi glanced at Erina's breathtaking figure and suggested, "The train to Rustboro City won't leave until this afternoon. Why don't we find a place to rest for a bit?"
Erina clasped her hands behind her back as she walked ahead, saying, "I looked it up earlier—Lilycove City has the Lilycove Art Museum. It's said to house many paintings of Pokémon that won in Contests. Shall we go take a look?"
"Lilycove Art Museum? Contest winners?" Hayashi blinked in surprise before quickly catching up to her. Curious, he asked, "Does that mean Erina-chan is interested in Contests?"
Although Hayashi had shown the Shokugeki no Soma crew information about Pokémon, the anime series was simply too long. They had only watched a few episodes of the original series to get a basic understanding before stopping. If not for Elesa mentioning Contests on the cruise, Erina wouldn't have even known about this competition that didn't focus on Pokémon's battle prowess.
"Hmm, I'm interested, but not overly so." Erina playfully poked Pikachu in her arms and said, "Contests don't emphasize Pokémon's strength, right? That seems perfect for me and Hisako."
The official Pokémon League was far too competitive, making it unfriendly for someone like Erina and Hisako, who had devoted all their energy to culinary arts.
Hearing this, Hayashi nodded immediately. "If that's what Erina-chan wants, how could I refuse? Let's go! Destination: Lilycove Art Museum, onward!"
...
...
Upon entering the museum, the first thing that caught their eyes was a statue of a strikingly handsome man with long, gradient blue-green hair dressed in flamboyant attire. Beside him coiled a lifelike Milotic.
Without a doubt, this was Hoenn's second Champion, a top-tier Coordinator and devoted Contest enthusiast—Wallace!
Erina, Hisako, and Sabrina were all entranced by the Milotic statue before them.
Erina murmured, "So this is Milotic? Truly worthy of being called the most beautiful Pokémon—"
Isn't she just breathtaking? Like a celestial fairy! Let's be beautiful together, shall we? Let's become school idols!
Indeed, worthy of being hailed as the most beautiful Pokémon, it instantly captivated the eyes of Erina and Hisako Arato, immersing them in its charm—even though it was merely a statue of Milotic.
"After all, it is Milotic—" Hayashi also couldn't take his eyes off it, muttering, "Just a statue is this mesmerizing. How much more stunning would the real Milotic be?"
Hisako Arato nodded in agreement. "If only we could see a real Milotic!"
"Hmm—"
Hayashi thoughtfully glanced at Erina and Hisako beside him, stroking his chin as he pondered: 'I remember in the games, Feebas evolves into Milotic under two conditions...'
Either by reaching a Beauty stat of 170 and leveling up, or by holding a Prism Scale and being traded. The question was—did the same rules apply in the real world?
'If so...' Hayashi discreetly pulled out his Pokédex and sent a message to Professor Oak: "Professor Oak, has the evolution condition for Feebas into Milotic been confirmed? I might have some leads..."
After sending it, he put away the Pokédex and flashed Erina a knowing smile, keeping his achievements hidden.
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