Cyllage City.
Known as the city of peaceful strolls, it sits nestled between the vast ocean and towering mountains.
Upon arriving, the chef did exactly what he did in Santalune City: he headed straight for the local restaurants to experience how the regional geography influenced the local palate.
[You arrived in Cyllage City, eager to taste the local delicacies.]
Being by the sea naturally meant eating what the ocean provided. Compared to the heavy seasonings of the inland, coastal cuisine focused more on the natural "umami" of the ingredients, often avoiding overly complex cooking techniques.
[You unlocked the secrets of "Umami." You and your Pokémon are extremely satisfied; your culinary level has increased.]
Watching the narration unfold, Kashiwagi felt less like he was watching a Pokémon simulation and more like he was watching a high-end food documentary. Challenging Gyms seemed to be nothing more than a side quest.
As per his routine, the chef proposed a "Cook-off" to the head chef of a famous restaurant. However, compared to his time in Santalune, he had become more strategic—at least he knew how to ask the restaurant owner for permission first.
Unfortunately...
He was a nobody. He wasn't a dual-heavyweight in both the training and culinary worlds like Siebold, nor was he some "God of Cooking" in the gourmet scene. The head chef of a popular seaside restaurant had no time to waste on a random kid.
He was thrown out again.
[You feel regret over your inability to exchange culinary techniques with others. You decide to vent your emotions by challenging the Gym.]
The way the system phrased it made it sound like Gym challenges were just a way for him to blow off steam.
—And in reality, that's exactly what they were.
Kashiwagi noticed that Psyduck's Confusion power level seemed to be directly tied to the chef's mental stress. Every time the chef encountered something unpleasant or frustrating, Psyduck's attacks became significantly more violent. By contrast, its actual Water-type moves—its supposed primary typing—had almost zero presence.
[You arrived at the Cyllage Gym. Gym Leader Grant has accepted your challenge.]
On the battlefield:
Psyduck used its psychic power to swing an Onix around like a whip. Holding its head and screaming "Psy-psy!", the duck looked like it was shouting, "Let the world feel pain!"
It was brutal and efficient. Neither the "Honey Machine" nor the "Big Eater Diner" even got a chance to step onto the field.
[Your Psyduck defeated Onix.]
[Your Psyduck defeated Tyrunt.]
[You defeated the Cyllage Gym Leader, Grant, and earned the Cliff Badge.]
Psyduck's raw power earned Grant's praise, but what truly left the Gym Leader speechless was the glowing dish the chef prepared afterward.
Grant was a mountain climber, but he was also a legendary sweet-tooth who struggled with self-control. There had even been news reports of him standing motionless in front of bakery windows, staring at sweets.
Knowing this, the chef used Combee's Honey to create a low-calorie but intensely satisfying glowing dessert. The light it emitted was so bright it looked like radioactive fallout; Grant looked dazed just from smelling the aroma.
The "dosage" in this dish was likely measured in tons. Truly terrifying.
Most importantly:
[Through a TV program, you learn of the friendship between Grant and Elite Four member Siebold. You hope to learn about Siebold's true culinary level from him.]
On the screen, a 5-star rating appeared over the chef's head in Grant's estimation. Then Siebold appeared, followed by a string of stars so long it went off the screen.
Clearly, while Grant was floored by the chef's sweets, he remained objective.
[You realize you are still light-years away from Siebold. You decide to continue your journey, pursuing even more perfect culinary techniques (and increasing the dosage).]
"Why is the system using parentheses now?" Kashiwagi muttered. The system was getting sassier by the minute.
The chef set out from Route 10.
Soon, he arrived at a small town along the way—Geosenge Town. This was a place famous for merchants selling various stones. It was here that Korrina, the Shalour Gym Leader, eventually found her Lucarionite.
Kashiwagi's heart raced with anticipation. He wondered if the chef would stumble upon a Key Stone or something similar.
But he had overthought it...
[You arrived in Geosenge Town. Hearing that the "Rock Cuisine" here is famous, you excitedly rush toward a restaurant.]
Fine. The kitchen is your true home, Kashiwagi sighed. Although the chef didn't currently have any Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution, it was a staple of the Kalos region. To do well in the League, a Mega was practically a requirement.
On screen:
The chef tasted the so-called "Rock Cuisine"—ingredients roasted on top of scorching hot stones. Apparently, different types of rocks imparted unique flavors to the food. Kashiwagi suspected the "flavor" was just the restaurant owner not washing the rocks properly.
Suddenly:
The Combee beside the chef began to tremble. It was enveloped in a brilliant white light, undergoing a total transformation.
[Your Combee evolved into Vespiquen.]
...It evolved?
So it was a female Combee. But Kashiwagi hadn't seen this thing fight a single battle! Did it really just evolve by collecting honey and eating gourmet food?
He strongly suspected the chef's cooking acted like Rare Candies, possessing the power to raise a Pokémon's level through sheer emotional bliss and "nutritional accumulation."
After finishing the meal:
The chef's request for a cook-off was rejected again. Dejected, he wandered into the local stone market. Kashiwagi's expectations peaked again.
However:
[You see a very special Pokémon at a stall. Hearing that this Pokémon possesses the power of fermentation, you purchase it from the stall owner.]
[You obtained Shuckle. The "Fruit Fermenter"—your traveling companion—has increased.]
Unbelievable.
Kashiwagi never imagined that the treasure the chef would find in Geosenge Town wasn't a Mega Stone, but a Shuckle.
After obtaining the new Pokémon and absorbing the "Rock Cooking" techniques, the chef left immediately. He had zero interest in further sightseeing.
[You arrived at Route 11. You begin collecting ingredients.]
The first thing the chef did in the wild was always "scavenge." Munchlax, acting as a professional freeloader, showed off its "Gourmet Radar"—no root, vegetable, or fruit could escape its nose.
However, Psyduck's workload didn't lighten up. Since they were traveling along the coast, the chef frequently tossed Psyduck into the ocean, hoping it would bring back some deep-sea delicacies.
Of course, the chef didn't always produce glowing food. Sometimes he misidentified an ingredient or used an unknown plant incorrectly. In those cases, the glowing gold turned into a deep purple or pitch-black mosaic—symbolizing a Lethal Dish.
The chef and the others would nearly faint just from one bite, but Munchlax would happily polish off the entire plate. Kashiwagi suspected that when this thing evolved, it would definitely have the Immunity ability.
Shalour City.
The city of legends regarding mysterious stones.
But compared to Mega Stones that could guarantee a trainer's strength, the chef was clearly more interested in the local snacks. Unfortunately, not every town had a unique culinary identity; Shalour's flavors were too similar to Cyllage's, and the chef gained little experience.
Stung by another rejection from a local chef, he headed to the Shalour Gym to vent.
[You challenged the Shalour Gym Leader, Korrina.]
Kashiwagi fully expected to see a Mega Evolution this time, but it didn't happen. As Psyduck and Munchlax teamed up to take down Korrina's Lucario, the narration said:
[You defeated Korrina, snapping her "Small Goal" of a 100-win streak. This left Korrina devastated. To comfort her, you decide to prepare a gourmet meal for her.]
A 100-win streak?
Ah!
So the timeline was before Ash's journey! Kashiwagi remembered that Korrina set out to find her Mega Stone in Geosenge Town only after winning 100 consecutive battles. Since the chef broke her streak, this simulation was set even earlier in the timeline.