My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Chapter 266 The Little Chef and the Sharp-Tongued Mermaid

"Where do we go next?"

After leaving Mount Vera National Park, Jessica just wanted to find a less "enthusiastic" place to rest.

"How about we go to the Relics of Life? We can grab lunch in Coco City on the way."

"Agreed!"

So the group chatted and laughed as they traveled across most of the island, finally arriving in Koniko City at noon.

Located on the west coast of Akala Island, Canico offers a stark contrast to the fiery heat of Vila Volcano Park, with its breezy sea breezes and pleasant climate.

Moreover, what made Tong Hua feel even more at home was that the architectural style here was exactly the same as that of his hometown, China, on Earth in his previous life.

Thinking of the Alola region as its prototype, Tong Hua couldn't help but exclaim, "This is Hawaii's Chinatown!"

Tong Hua stood at the entrance of Kenico City, gazing at the familiar archway and red lanterns before her, feeling somewhat dazed for a moment.

The streets are lined with typical Chinese-style buildings, with upturned eaves, carved beams and painted rafters, and even the shop signs are written in Chinese characters.

"It feels like it's a completely different style from Almia's," Jessica said, looking around curiously.

The brightly lit streets are bustling with tourists from all over the world. It's lunchtime, the second busiest time of day in the town.

Nagi pointed to a teahouse by the roadside: "Look, there's a shop that specializes in selling tea."

"There are also traditional Chinese medicine, jewelry, cheongsams—so many interesting things!"

"Oh my god!" "Terrifying!"

Just as the two girls and their Pokémon were getting excited, a discordant tone suddenly rang out.

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle————"

Suddenly, someone's stomach growled, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

"Let's eat first!"

The group strolled along the cobblestone street, stopping frequently. They encountered many restaurants along the way, but all had long queues.

"Isn't there a single store where you don't have to wait in line? —"

They were starving; Chinchilla and the pickpocket cat looked like they were nearing their limit too.

With no other option, they continued their search while eating the biscuits and tree fruits that Tong Hua had given them to stave off hunger.

After a long while, they finally followed the smell and found a deserted restaurant in a deep alley.

"Aina Restaurant?"

There are only a few people here, is it reliable?

"But it smells quite nice—"

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle————"

There was no time for everyone to hesitate. Without thinking, Tong Hua stepped forward and pushed open the restaurant door.

"jingle!"

The bell at the door rang out crisply. The shop was indeed deserted, with only two customers sitting sparsely at a table in the corner.

Welcome!

A familiar voice came from the kitchen, and the shop's mascot, Mao, wearing an apron, quickly walked out.

"What would you like to eat? Hmm—"

When she saw Feng and Jessica, she was clearly taken aback for a moment, then smiled with delight.

"Oh, it's you guys! What a coincidence!"

"Water Lily, come out quickly! Look who this is!"

Shui Lian, wearing sandals, peeked out from the kitchen upon hearing the noise and greeted them shyly.

She wore loose trousers and looked like a tomboy. Her demeanor immediately revealed her to be a fisherman living by the sea, just like the wind.

"What a coincidence!" Jessica replied with a smile, surprised to run into an acquaintance while having a meal.

Although we're not particularly close, we're at least good friends who've played Royal Battle together.

"Do you own this restaurant?"

"Yes, yes! Come with me, I'll show you to your seats."

Mao enthusiastically led everyone to the window seats, with Shui Lian silently following behind her, holding a soup spoon in her hand.

"Actually, this restaurant is owned by my dad," Mao explained, "but he injured his wrist today, so I'm in charge of cooking for the time being."

Shui Lian added, "I'm here to help. Mao can't handle it all by herself."

"I see. That must have been quite tiring."

Tong Hua sat quietly to the side, watching the four beautiful girls chat with each other. Even if she wanted to chime in and join the conversation, she couldn't find an opportunity.

After a long while, Jessica finally remembered to introduce Tong Hua and the Pokémon to Mallow and Lana.

"Oh right, this is Tong Hua! He's the one who brought us to the Alola region!"

And the sweet and cool queen from last night is actually Tong Hua's Pokémon.

"So you're the trainer of Sweet Cold Beauty Queen!" Mao looked at Tong Hua with surprise. "Last night's match was so exciting!"

"To be able to raise such a powerful Pokémon, you must be a very skilled trainer."

Upon hearing this, Tong Hua chuckled and replied.

"Actually, I'm just an ordinary rancher. At most, I know a little about cooking, carpentry, planting, and fishing."

Sweet and cold, the Queen's strong combat ability is entirely due to her innate nature and interest in combat; it wasn't something I deliberately cultivated.

"Hey Tong, aren't you being a little too modest?" Jessica chuckled and lightly tapped Tong Hua's head. The two interacted like siblings.

"So you can cook too!" "So you can fish!"

Tong Hua's words were automatically identified as different keywords by Mao and Shui Lian.

"Hello, rancher. Kachi's family also owns a ranch, and he's quite strong in battle."

Just as the two were about to ask Tong Hua something else, another discordant sound came—

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle————"

"Haha—sorry, sorry. What would you like to eat?" Mao scratched her head awkwardly and quickly took out the menu.

Shui Lian added expressionlessly, "I suggest skipping the first two pages; those are dishes that Mao is still experimenting with."

"

Mao immediately protested, "Hey! My innovative dish isn't that bad!"

"The special berry fried rice I made during last week's big challenge gave all three challengers and Kachi diarrhea," Shui Lian calmly listed.

"That was an accident! It wasn't a problem with the food; they caught a cold after eating it!"

"What caused you to catch a cold?"

"Because berries and oils have conflicting properties —"

This left Tong Hua and the others bewildered, but they still listened to the advice and ordered dishes starting from the third page.

After ordering, while Mao went back to the kitchen to prepare the food, Jessica curiously asked Shui Lian about it.

"Speaking of which, what does 'great test' mean? I think I heard that term yesterday too."

The masked host said you two were captains of some kind of trial.

Water Lily gently put down the soup spoon in her hand and explained, "The Great Trial is a unique ritual in our Alola region's training."

All trainers who want to obtain the Z-Ring and use Z-Moves must participate in the Island Tour.

To complete the island pilgrimage, one must pass the tests of the captains and island kings of the four islands.

Only trainers who pass all the tests and collect all the Z-Crystals can be considered to have completed the Island Tour.

"That sounds amazing!" Jessica's eyes lit up. "So you're one of the captains?"

Water Lily nodded: "I am the captain of Stream Hill, and Mao is the captain of Shady Jungle."

"Is that the Z-Move that Mallow and Lantana used last night called—Radiant Splendor?" Feng recalled the dazzling light effects from last night and couldn't help but sigh.

"The flowers are in full bloom, a riot of color!" A hint of pride flashed in Shui Lian's eyes.

"Z-Moves are proof of the connection between the Trainer and the Pokémon. They require complete focus and dedication, along with a ritualistic dance, to activate."

"I really want to see it with my own eyes!" Tong Hua, who missed last night's Royal match, felt extremely regretful.

However, from another perspective, since Shui Ren and Mao have become captains of the Island Pilgrimage Trials, it means that at least at this point in time, it is definitely not like the Sun and Moon arc in the anime.

After all, in the anime, they were all Ash's classmates and attended school on Melemele Island!

Becoming team captain is something they can only do after they graduate!

Finally, Tong Hua spoke up and asked the question he most wanted to know the answer to.

"By the way, Lana—do you know Ash Ketchum?"

"Hehe, well—"