Pokémon: Trainers Returning from Monster Hunter

Chapter 93 What the heck is "Food Wars!" in the Pokémon world?

Twelve o'clock.

The office of the chairman of Orange Academy.

Xinli and Yeci stood by the window, watching the bustling scene of people coming and going in the academy.

After a moment of silence, Xinli asked, "Is it really impossible to lure Oreki to our Padiya?"

"I'd like to as well, but I've subtly hinted at his idea, and it doesn't seem like it'll work, after all—"

Yeci took out her Rotom phone and projected two photos onto the screen.

The first picture is a group photo of Oreki and several doctoral students when Oreki became a Level 2 Researcher.

The second photo is of him posing at Baidai City Airport, with a figure of long blond hair and a black leather jacket faintly visible in the background.

"After all, even if he has the idea of ​​developing towards the League, he will most likely go to Sinnoh."

Xin Li stood in front of the projector, and after a long pause, she took a deep breath and uttered the word "awesome".

She's been busy running around Padia lately and hasn't been keeping up with the league's internal news, unaware that Oreki has already made a name for himself in Sinnoh.

"That's such a pity."

Xin Li sighed softly.

"I feel that his understanding of Pokémon breeding is unique, not bound by the mainstream, nor limited by various tactics."

"Alright, alright, no matter how much you praise me, I can't compete with the Sinnoh League champion for players."

Ye Ci expressed that she really couldn't help.

"When will our alliance produce a proper fourth Heavenly King?"

Xinli asked the question she most wanted to ask.

The Padilla League is officially said to have three Elite Four members, but the Flying-type Elite Four member also serves as a Normal-type Gym Leader.

At most, there are only two and a half Heavenly Kings.

Aoki secretly took leave again during this period.

To be honest, it wasn't until Aoki took leave that she realized how outrageous his workload was.

Both she and Hachisaku were extremely busy.

Not to mention, when Hachisaku went to art class, it was a nightmare period for her!

"I know, I'm trying to find a solution, aren't I? Besides, don't you know what happened in the battle just now?"

Ye Ci pinched her brow and asked in return.

Doesn't she want to?

Today's battle event was indeed a warm-up for the anniversary celebration, but it also had its own ulterior motives. She wanted to take the opportunity to observe whether there were any potential wild trainers in Padia.

But what a result.

Just as she expected.

After two rounds of competition, Xinli and the other gym leaders found that none of their opponents were particularly strong.

Although they were indeed selected for the event and the Pokémon they bred were all strong, it still lacked something.

Two trainers who fit Yaji's mindset were found, one was Oreki and the other was Shiyu, but neither of them were wild.

As for promoting another one from the remaining owners—

When they saw Aoki's perpetually sleepy appearance, who would dare to agree?

Moreover, most of the other museum owners have their own main businesses.

Sure enough, Kosha and Tam cited creative and teaching reasons respectively, and did not participate in the battle event at all.

—It's worth mentioning that the former Gym Leader of Freezer Town was Ryme's sister, Tam, although there are rumors that the two seem to be going through a handover process.

"So the semifinals after that were pretty much meaningless."

Xin Li helplessly shrugged.

After two rounds, the remaining four contestants include one Elite Four member, two Gym Leaders, and one Oreki who is impossible to recruit.

It's fair to say that the battle event has become nothing more than a warm-up, and the selection of promising young trainers has been a major failure!

"And what if—" Ye Ci smiled, "you draw Oreki in the semi-finals this afternoon?"

"Um?"

Xin Li immediately perked up.

Since we can't dig them out, let's just beat them up!

m

Zhuotai City, Zhuotai Branch of the Chinese Restaurant Club.

"Oreki-senpai, your Pokémon are both cute and powerful! It seems I need to go back to the academy and keep working hard!"

""

At a round dining table by a floor-to-ceiling window along the street, Zi Yu rested her chin on her hand and sighed sincerely.

Besides her, there was naturally a strange tree on the table.

This guy doesn't participate in PvP battles, but he definitely wants to join in the fun.

Who knows when a brilliant idea will strike, and they might pull out a Rotom phone and start a live stream.

Upon hearing Ziyu's praise, Qishu, ignoring the food stuffed in his mouth, mumbled a reply.

"The second boy carrying a backpack was also unlucky; his prized Onix was completely outmatched by Tirion."

Oreki didn't know whether it was good luck or something else.

In the second round of the eight-person lottery, there were four Gym Leaders and one Elite Four member, but he ended up drawing a young backpacker who specialized in Rock and Ground-type Pokémon.

"That boy is quite capable."

Origami will provide a brief explanation.

"I only won in the 1v1 match mode. In the 2v2 mode, his Onix with its shattered armor, combined with some tricks, could actually be very effective in battle."

"Ugh—I don't like Ground-type Pokémon."

Qishu wrinkled her small nose; as an expert in Electric-type Pokémon, she had no interest in knowing the strategies of Ground-type Pokémon.

After taking another bite of the food in front of her, she suddenly lowered her voice and said.

"Speaking of which, I feel like Uncle Haidai's cooking skills aren't as good as Tilei's, hehe~"

"Cough cough!" Oreki coughed dryly.

Zi Yu suddenly sat up straight, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and made an "X" shape: "I don't think this is good!"

"Huh? I'm serious." Kiju looked at Shiyu very seriously. "Shiyu, you little cutie, you haven't tasted Oreki-senpai's Tirey Nyan—mmm!"

Suddenly, the purple flute covered the mouth of the strange tree, and the little magnetite on the tree's head flew around in a panic.

But the next second.

A large, warm hand patted her shoulder.

"!!!"

Qi Shu immediately shuddered, his head turning mechanically backward.

Upon recognizing the owner of the large hand, she immediately closed her eyes and lay down in Zi Gan's arms.

Caught red-handed talking bad about Uncle Haidai, Mama Qishu is unable to fight—

"Uncle Haidai, your cooking is delicious."

Oreki gave a slightly embarrassed but polite smile.

Indeed, the visitor was Hai Dai, the founder of the Chinese Restaurant Club.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to participate in the battle event, he also took the chance to visit his branch in Takada City and showed off his skills to the diners who were having lunch.

But unexpectedly, Qishu, who was also the owner of the museum, felt that his skills were not as good as those of a Tire Cat.

"Oriki, right? It seems you're not only outstanding in combat and training, but also quite skilled at cooking."

Haidai suddenly had a "fired up" expression.

"In that case, let's have a thrilling food competition!!"

"???"

Qishu, look what you've done!

After a while.

The restaurant kitchen.

Oreki refused Haidai's challenge: "If you meet someone's eye, you must have a food competition."

But at the other party's repeated requests, I had no choice but to let Tire Meow show off her skills and make a classic tree fruit steak.

Hmm—a version with secret seasoning.

As the head chef, Haidai did not stand idly by; instead, he became a diner and sat on the edge of the restaurant waiting to be "fed".

Meanwhile, the other diners who came to eat also gradually learned about this inside story and quietly gathered around.

Most of the people who came to the restaurant to eat at this time were those who had watched the morning's matches.

So, Oreki and Kaidai were acquaintances.

However, they couldn't figure out why, during a perfectly normal meal, Oreki was asked by Chef Haidai to cook in the kitchen.

Judging from Chef Haidai's expression, he even seemed somewhat expectant.

Not long after.

Tirey came out carrying the food, with Oreki following behind.

Seeing so many people gathered together, it paused briefly before deliberately meowing.

Upon hearing the sound, the crowd turned around and instinctively made way for Tiremy and Oreki.

At this moment, someone realized something and suddenly spoke up.

"It's a special dish!!"

"Special cuisine?"

"Yeah, it's that unscientific dish by Oreki-sensei that makes your Flame Fist have a paralyzing effect."

"ah??"

Listening to the whispers around her, Tire Cat was quite pleased with herself.

Heh heh, you didn't expect that, did you! This cat can also enjoy the praise of onlookers!

Gently setting down the plate, Tilley made a "please" gesture in a very professional manner.

Oreki remained silent throughout.

He had already spoken to Tire Cat and agreed that it would be in full charge of his cooking.

Upon seeing this, Haidai exclaimed in amazement. Just looking at Tire's confident and elegant demeanor, he could be described as a master chef.

He looked down at the steak on his plate, his nostrils flaring.

Yes! It has both "color" and "scent"!

Before learning about the "taste," Haidai asked curiously, "What's this dish called?"

"Meow."

Oreki translated it as: "Tree fruit steak".

"Oh? It's a tree fruit?"

Hai Dai's eyes lit up.

The Padiya sandwich is deeply ingrained in people's minds. In his search for a different kind of deliciousness, he unexpectedly discovered a cuisine called "Chinese cuisine".

The restaurant's dishes are mostly things like Mapo Tofu, Shredded Pork with Green Peppers, and even Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

It does not use berries, a material used to make power cubes.

This is indeed a new direction.

Haidai seemed to be thinking about something, then asked again, "Did Tire Cat really make it all by herself?"

"Meow!"

Tire Cat revealed a smug little expression.

Oreki continued translating: "Genuine, no doubt about it!"

"That's truly unbelievable!"

With a sigh, Haidai finally picked up his knife and fork, cut off a small piece of meat, and put it in his mouth.

! !

The moment it entered his mouth, Haidai's arched eyebrows suddenly jumped up.

This unique flavor, a blend of salty and sweet, has a soft yet chewy texture!

Before anyone could react, he cut a larger piece of meat.

This time, I chose a part that was slightly brownish-red.

Although it has a slightly crispy texture when you first bite into it, this makes the steak even juicier after you chew it!

The key is.

He felt all the fatigue from the morning's battles and the cooking he had just done had vanished.

Is this really just food?

I have a feeling there's something strange mixed in with this—

Haidai's expression, a mixture of enjoyment and surprise, caused everyone present to involuntarily swallow.

For the chef of Patia's most famous restaurant to show such an expression, just how delicious must that steak be?!

Soon, Haidai, having recovered his composure, explained the situation to them.

Tell me in detail how you felt just now.

Oreki was stunned by what he heard.

The chef truly lives up to his reputation; even his adjectives are more sophisticated than others.

If you ask him for his evaluation, all he can say is "Wow, awesome!"

In a short time.

The onlookers stared blankly at the half-eaten meat patty on the table.

After all—most of them had joined the group during their meal and were still hungry!

After being tormented like this, how could anyone bear it?

They immediately dispersed and returned to their seats, each enjoying the food on the table.

Well, I always feel that, um—it's not as exaggerated as Haidai described?

The thought that "Chef Haidai is not as good as Tire Miao" gradually formed in their minds and lingered.

After this little incident, Oreki won't be able to eat in a good mood.

Customers who have finished their meals often come to order cat food.

So he got up and prepared to ask Haidai to pack up his own portion.

Unexpectedly, as if the other party had anticipated this, they walked over carrying a lunchbox.

But—why is there something strange and familiar on the lunchbox?

"Haha, Oreki, are you planning to ask me to pack your things?"

Haidai smiled happily.

The tree fruit meat steak that Tire Cat just made gave him a lot of inspiration.

Although it stemmed from his sixth sense as a chef over the years, he always felt that there was something he didn't understand mixed in, which he figured was probably Oreki's secret recipe.

But the direction of "tree fruit" is correct.

He usually uses only the most common seasonings available on the market.

It now appears that different tree fruits have their own unique flavors.

He might be able to use this feature to create his own unique seasonings.

The fruit is a bit pricey, but its taste and the energy it provides are definitely worth the price!

After all, his restaurant also runs a gaming club business.

Who wouldn't want to win a berry dish that can restore a Pokémon's stamina after a heated battle?

Unaware of Haidai's thoughts, Zhemu thanked him, took the lunchbox, and picked up the small box on top.

I was a little surprised and a little excited.

Could it really be that thing?

"Open it and take a look. This is my recognition of Tire Nyan's cooking skills as the head chef and dojo master."

Upon hearing this, Oreki thought to himself, "Just as I expected."

Upon opening the box, a round badge with a teardrop design lay quietly inside.

【Ding! 】

[Hunter's Certificate successfully obtained. Current certificate count: 5]

"As for the TM (Move Training Device), if you want one, you can come to Glass Bottle City later and challenge me! I'm really looking forward to Tiremy's new dishes!"

Haidai emphasized one point.

After all, it doesn't seem right to give them all away without having conducted any formal gym challenges.

If the opponent wants a learning tool, it's a good opportunity to play a match.

But clearly, it's the badge that Oreki wants.

Unless it's a learning tool with a wide range of applications, such as one for earthquakes or 0 volts, he doesn't care much about the zero value for other learning tools.

It can't be converted into cash, so it's just going to gather dust.

"Then I'll thank Uncle Haidai on behalf of Tiremy."

Oreki responded politely.

"Hahaha! I have high hopes for you, Oreki-kun!"

Haidai patted Zhemu heavily on the shoulder, and then—

My arm went numb from the shock.

Without leaving a trace, he hid his trembling right hand behind his back, and said goodbye to Oreki and the other two with a smile.

At 1:30 PM, the Orange Academy lottery system was activated.

Looking at the opponents displayed on the lottery device, Oreki's expression turned slightly bitter.

Looking up, she met Ye Ci's pursed-lip smile.

So, I must have been set up, right?!

I hit Xin Li, really?