The dinner service was already running by the time Looker donned his coat again and left the Checkpoint. Of course he didn't just leave. He left a word that he would wait for them around 8 in front of the restaurant.
Which, Ludwig countered. He said Looker should enter the restaurant rather than lounging around the town which would make him look suspicious. Not it's a hard thing to do.
The kitchen behind the counter moved without him. Bilo stood at the centre of it with a ladle in hand, turning a pan with the same careful wrist he had developed over the past few months. Finka in the meantime focused on both the steak and the drink bars. Moved from one station to another.
The oil in one of the shallow pans murmured quietly. A tray of sliced vegetables moved past him in practiced hands. Plates, glass, and tankards came and went across the counter, each one disappearing into the dining room with the same quiet efficiency the restaurant had learned over time.
Ludwig rested his forearms against the counter and watched the room the way he usually watched a simmering pot. But as he scanned around the restaurant, the restaurant whispered to him.
When the door opened, he did not turn immediately. The small burst of cool air reached him first, followed by a voice he recognized.
"Is there anything left?" Rimuru stepped inside as if the answer might already be no.
Behind him came Cless. The girl slipped past Rimuru and into the warmth of the restaurant before sprinting towards Claire. Her fox followed at her heels. Hedwig's coat was a soft silver right now, though it shifted quickly as Cless started running.
"I'm hungry, Aunt Claire."
The administrator of Ravenhall patted the girl's head as the little one crashed into her embrace. "Is that so? You're not eating at Tempest?"
Cless frowned at the question. "There's no way I can eat what Aunt Shion makes."
Rimuru bursted into a laugh just after he climbed the stool. The answer was probably too funny for him.
And to be honest, Ludwig also felt it was some kind of inside joke now. Even though he had never seen Shion cook anything in this life, he knew perfectly well just how bad that Kijin was when it came to cooking.
"C-cless." Rimuru said in between his laugh. "D-don't let Shion hear that, okay?"
Cless stepped back from Claire's embrace and turned around to look at Rimuru. "Whyyyy? If someone is bad at something, we should let them know so they can improve!"
"You are correct, there." Rimuru laughed. "But you shouldn't tell her except if you are ready to eat her food."
That shut Cless' mouth instantly. It was apparent just how averse she was on eating her food even when she wanted Shion to be better.
Without answering, Cless went to a stool beside Claire and climbed up. When her eyes landed on the menu, Ludwig swore he could see a shine there.
"Fish n chips?" She said. "I want that one! I missed it so muchhhhh."
Hedwig turned pinkish as Cless said so, maybe because she's excited.
Vilera heard the order before Ludwig said anything.
"Fish and chips, one serving. And, lemonade?" She called toward the back before looking at Cless.
"Yes, Lemonade."
"Coming right up." Bilo and Finka answered.
The kitchen shifted slightly to accommodate the request. Bilo lifted a chunk of fished that had already been coated in batter before plunging it into the pan. The sound deepened from a murmur to a sharper hiss as the batter met heat.
Cless leaned forward on the counter immediately.
"That's mine."
Claire rested a hand lightly on the girl's shoulder.
"You still have to wait."
"I know." Cless said it quickly, but her eyes stayed fixed on the fryer.
Hedwig had climbed halfway onto the rung of the stool beneath her. The fox's coat had turned a warmer shade now, somewhere between peach and pink, the color shifting faintly each time Cless bounced her heel against the stool.
Rimuru watched the scene with an amused expression.
"You missed fish and chips that much?"
Cless nodded without hesitation.
"They don't have it in Elos."
"You could ask someone to make it."
"They tried."
"And?"
Cless paused. Then she looked at Ludwig.
"It wasn't the same."
Ludwig lifted one shoulder slightly.
"That happens."
The oil continued its steady hiss behind the counter. Bilo lifted the basket once, giving it a short shake before lowering it again. Another pan had been set on the range. Thick slices of potato waited on a board beside it.
Rimuru leaned an elbow on the counter before opening his mouth. "Now I smelled it and heard the frying sound, I want one too. Also, a beer. It should be the best combination."
Vilera shouted the order to the kitchen and another fish joined the hot bath of oil.
Meanwhile, the restaurant continued around them.
A tray of drinks passed down the counter toward the dining room. Someone near the far table raised a hand for another round. Finka moved from the grill to the drink station without needing to check the order twice.
Then, the restaurant whispered again.
Someone was approaching.
But they were not yet at the door.
Outside.
By the time Ludwig looked at the entrance, the door opened. Beyond that, the scenery was familiar to him. Another city with medieval architecture. But it's not Elos, also not Tempest. It was the city where Raon normally went from. Though he still didn't know the name until now.
Just as he thought, Cale walked in with his usual detached manner. In of his shoulders, Raon perched. Meanwhile, the two cats were trailing slightly behind, walking in a half-hop while their tail moved left and right.
On the contrary to his looks, the redhead noble offered Ludwig a nod as their eyes met. And that's enough for him. Someone didn't have to shake the other's hand or walk over to them in order to be polite.
Ludwig reciprocated. Then, the redhead noble walked towards the dining area. Vilera was already walking toward him. Or maybe toward Raon. Definitely toward the dragon. By the time Ludwig's attention returned to the bar. Cless was already eating her food. Of course not before pouring some vinegar to both the fish and the chips. Proper English way.
Rimuru too gets his food soon after. And just like when he's behind the counter, Bilo prepared a small raw fish for Hedwig. Which, the fox gobbled down in seconds.
The two pairs of fish and chips eaters went quiet. Ludwig and Claire too. After all, it was best to talk to someone when they are full. It made things far easier.
By the time Rimuru finished his food and dunked a healthy amount of ale to his stomach, he let out a long breath. "Now that's what I call a good combination."
Ludwig chuckled at his words. Yeah, fried food and beer came together really well.
He let Rimuru breathe for a few minutes more. But only that much. When he thought it was the best time, he opened his mouth. "Rimuru, Looker came here a few hours ago."
Those words instantly got Rimuru's attention. His eyes that was looking at him showed that he's quite excited about it. Maybe he already thought he'd come for what he promised.
"Well, his request regarding us has been approved. So, now we can go there and have a legal ID there."
Rimuru blinked once. Then he leaned forward on the stool, elbows resting on the counter.
"That fast?"
Claire nodded lightly. "According to him, it's also faster than he expected."
Cless slowed her chewing slightly, though she did not stop eating. Hedwig had already finished the small fish Bilo gave her and now rested beneath the stool again, tail curled neatly around her paws.
Rimuru rubbed his chin. "I see. So like, we can now go there and catch a pokemon?"
Ludwig flinched a little at the wording. Cless was there. As someone who also came from Earth, she might have heard about the franchise.
Thankfully, she saw no reaction whatsoever.
Only after that Ludwig let himself relax again.
Though, Rimuru noticed the brief pause anyway. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No." Ludwig shook his head once. "But the answer to your earlier question is also no. We need to get our ID made first."
"Huh?" Rimuru let out a noise. "He didn't make it for us?"
Claire joined the conversation at that point. "No. He needed us to come to an administration branch office ourselves to make the ID. He said the ID requires a photograph and bio…meter? Metrics? Whatever it's called."
"Ah, okay." Rimuru nodded. "Another trip then. When should we go?"
At that question Ludwig smirked. Rimuru might have thought they would go there in their usual fashion. Through long preparation. But unfortunately for him, "Tomorrow. We'll go tomorrow. Looker wanted us to be done with it as early as we can."
Rimuru looked at him in silence. Meanwhile Claire just giggled behind him.
When the slime opened his mouth again, the trace of his suspicion was still clear. "Are you serious?"
"100%" Ludwig smirked. "I'm not joking right now."
Rimuru finally looked like he believed his words. He surrendered his body to the bench and looked straight at both him and Claire. "Tomorrow, huh? At what time? And where should we go?"
Claire set her cup down before answering. The tea had cooled enough that the steam no longer rose from the surface, though she still turned the handle slightly between her fingers as if deciding how much of the explanation Rimuru actually needed.
"Viridian City Administrative branch at nine in the morning. We gathered here before that."
Rimuru blinked.
"That early?"
"That was Looker's preference."
He leaned forward again, resting his elbows on the counter as if the detail required a second look. "He really wants it done quickly."
"Yes." Claire replied. "His exact reasoning was that earlier is cleaner."
Rimuru snorted softly. "Cleaner."
"Fewer observers." She added. "And fewer variables before the registration enters the system."
That part seemed to satisfy him more than the time itself. Rimuru rubbed his chin again while thinking through the explanation.
"So tomorrow morning," Rimuru said eventually. "We go to Viridian City, meet Looker, take a picture, sign some forms, and suddenly we're trainers."
"Essentially."
Rimuru leaned back again.
"That's actually smoother than I expected."
Claire shook her head slightly.
"It was not entirely without conditions, though."
That caught his attention immediately.
"What kind of conditions? Something new or about the thing we have talked about before?"
Ludwig glanced sideways at her but did not interrupt. He already knew the explanation would be clearer coming from her. Claire was better at delivering structured information without sounding like she was delivering a lecture.
"Both. The previous agreements still stand. But, we will not be required for the trainer's duty to assist and help in case of emergency. But, he wanted us to help when he called us.
"There's also conditions about the ID. Once the IDs are issued, we will have access to Pokemon Centers, legal ownership of Pokemon, and the ability to travel through regional borders without triggering enforcement review."
Rimuru nodded slowly. "That's a lot of doors opening."
"Yes, and it will also be used to tracks us."
Rimuru froze for a moment before nodding. "Indeed. But I guess, that's normal."
"In your precious world and maybe Ludwig's previous world. But in mine, it's not." Claire clarified.
"Duh, we know that. Else Ilea will not be able to be as free as she is now. What else?"
"Well…" Ludwig could felt Claire's fingers on his waist as she said so. He got the signal immediately. He wanted him to take over. Not because she didn't know about the topics, but more like Ludwig was more knowledgeable in it than her.
That's just how Claire operated.
"He wanted us to get Pokemon and trained them. 3 should be enough, but I doubt he will scold us if we have a full team of them."
Rimuru's head tilted to the side, confusion apparent on his face. "Like… Isn't that obvious? What else should we do there after getting an ID?"
Ludwig chuckled at his answer, after all, that's also what was on his mind when he heard Looker said it.
"He wanted us to be more serious about it. Maybe not challenging gyms and taking a shot at the champion throne. Just trained our Pokemon to be strong enough that people will stop asking questions when we appear and solve a problem."
Rimuru's face told him that he finally understood. If it's not enough, his nod should be. "Ah, I see. That's fine, it's not like I want Pokemon to just be a pet anyway."
Rimuru paused at the end.
Then he continued. "I was planning to name them and see what kind of evolution they will achieve."
Now, it's time for Ludwig and Claire to be shocked.
One Bonus chapter for 50 powerstone.
Leave a review, ratings, a comment, or gib me your powerstone please~
And to those who want to read 50 chapters ahead, be my Patron at https://www.p*treon.com/c/imjustaboy_/membership
Or just search Imjustaboy_ in the search bar. Thankiess!