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Gardenia brought the kitchen utensils Luther had requested straight to the Gym, eager to taste the results once mealtime arrived.
Since it was the weekend, the trainee Pokémon Trainers didn't visit Luther's place as they usually did, giving him extra time to prepare the ingredients.
He set up the utensils neatly in a corner of the lounge.
"Roserade, pass me the salt."
Roserade extended a Vine Whip and handed over the small bottle. Luther took it and sprinkled the salt evenly across the chopped meat. He looked around for black pepper but couldn't find it, it seemed Gardenia had forgotten that part of his list.
A loud sneeze made Luther turn his head. Out in the yard, Ralts, Marill, and Tropius were all sneezing in a row, holding a small bottle between them.
"Seasonings aren't toys," Luther called out, amused.
He rubbed the black pepper into the meat, then added a touch of sugar, some oil, and a splash of soy sauce. After sealing the bowl, he let the meat sit and absorb the flavors.
"Oh right, you can head out now, Abomasnow. The temperature's dropped."
With the lounge's air conditioner out of order, Luther had earlier asked Abomasnow to cool the room down using its Ice-type abilities.
Abomasnow hesitated at the doorway. When Luther turned and saw him still lingering, he suddenly remembered something. Sheepishly, he grabbed a bag of Pokémon food from the counter and handed it over.
This time, Abomasnow cheerfully lumbered back to the yard.
Luther sliced some onions into long strips and minced the rest. He blanched tomatoes, peeled them, and diced them up. Then he poured oil into a small pot Gardenia had brought, added a bit of butter, and once it melted into the oil, placed the marinated beef into fry.
The aroma began wafting through the air, drawing curious Pokémon one after another. They surrounded him with wide eyes, noses twitching.
Using the remaining oil, Luther stir-fried the onions and tomatoes, added a small ladle of water, and put the beef back in the pot to simmer on low heat.
Now all he had to do was wait.
Holding the spare keys Gardenia had given him, Luther headed upstairs.
Gardenia's room on the second floor doubled as a storage space, but five bookshelves stood packed with reading material.
Since she loved Grass-type Pokémon, the majority of the books centered on them, even a few that looked as complex as advanced math textbooks.
Luther wasn't really into the overly technical stuff, so he picked up some lighter, more accessible reads about general Pokémon knowledge.
Mai arrived first, done early with her work at the Day Care. She carried a few drinks as she stepped into the lounge.
Then came Gardenia. Though she'd hosted several Pokémon Trainers that day, none had earned a Badge.
Judging by how every Rookie Trainer's Pokémon still looked energetic and completely unscathed, it wasn't hard to imagine why Gardenia looked more mentally drained than physically tired.
She didn't mind sharing chopsticks, but she was definitely curious if Luther had overcooked the food.
She had come back briefly to swap out her team nearly two hours ago, and the pot had already started simmering back then. Yet Luther was still reading, showing no signs of checking on the dish.
"Professor Quill's Complete Grass-type Pokédex."
"Professor Rowan's Pokémon Evolution Chart."
Gardenia flipped through the stack of books beside Luther and peered at the one in his hands.
"The Theory of Evolutionary Paths by Dr. Zishan?"
Luther set the book aside, stretched, and said, "Aside from the Grass-type stuff, the rest is kind of a mixed bag. Feels like you rescued them from a pile of unsold books."
"You're not wrong. A lot of the ones upstairs were printed in such limited batches and sold so poorly that they were never reprinted. I found a few gems at flea markets and just tossed them on the shelf."
Luther nodded, figured. Most people's bookshelves were for display; the books they truly liked were always near their bed or on their desk.
Glancing at the time, Luther stood and turned off the heat under the pot. Gardenia and Mai were already standing by with bowls and chopsticks in hand.
When he lifted the lid, a rich aroma spilled out, instantly whetting everyone's appetite. But when Gardenia and Mai tried to serve themselves, Luther stopped them, picking up his own chopsticks first.
This was his first time working with Tauros meat. It felt quite dense, so he'd been unsure whether simmering it for two hours would be enough to make it tender.
But his worries had been unnecessary. The flavor was spot on. The minced onions and tomatoes had practically melted into the sauce, bringing out the beef's natural richness.
After Luther gave the signal to dig in, Gardenia and Mai eagerly reached for their food.
Mai was clearly no match for Gardenia when it came to eating, Gardenia's appetite was as wild as her battle style.
Luther, meanwhile, cleaned out the pot and called out Chansey, asking her for an egg.
The egg was about the size of an ostrich egg he'd seen once, large, hefty, and warm in his hands.
As he cracked the shell, golden-yellow egg yolk spilled out, releasing a rich and savory aroma.
Using that single egg, Luther made several servings of scrambled eggs. He added half a tomato to create a classic-style tomato scramble. By the time he placed both dishes on the table, there was barely any meat left on the plate from earlier.
It was his first time cooking with a Chansey egg. Looking at Chansey's now-empty pouch, Luther felt a twinge of guilt. But then he remembered just how many eggs Chansey could produce in a single day. Not using them would be the real waste. That thought soothed his conscience, and he happily dug into the scramble.
Gardenia and Mai had already eaten their fill, but when they saw the scrambled eggs appear, they couldn't resist. Each scooped more rice into their bowls, gearing up for round two.
Out in the yard, the Pokémon glanced at their standard Pokémon food in the feeding bowls, and suddenly it didn't look so appetizing.
Chansey, who had stayed nearby, got to enjoy the leftover meat juices and a bit of the scrambled eggs. Meanwhile, Marill sat at the door, staring and drooling helplessly.
Noticing this, Chansey kindly left half her portion for Marill, worried the poor thing might start drooling to the point of dehydration.
"Total steal for the price!" Gardenia declared with a satisfied sigh.
"Enough with the compliments," Luther replied dryly. "If you want to eat, you have to pay. And if you want something fancier, pay a little more. I used a Chansey egg this time, that counts as an extra dish. Fair's fair."
The stack of Pokémon League coins in front of Luther now totaled forty. Mai quickly tossed in another twenty.
"Oh no… looks like I won't be eating here tomorrow," Gardenia groaned, smacking her forehead.
"Why not?" Luther asked mid-bite.
"I'm taking the trainee Trainers to Tajishi Town for some practice battles. They can't stay cooped up in the Gym forever. They've got to get out and face real-world opponents."
Luther paused, chopsticks hovering. If he remembered correctly, this might be the trip where Gardenia would encounter and bring back that Cacnea from Team Rocket.
Come to think of it, since arriving in this world, Luther hadn't run into Team Rocket even once. Had he somehow managed to avoid them entirely?
"So… the Gym's closed tomorrow, then? I get the day off, right?"
"Nope. Unless there's some kind of emergency, the Gym can still open as usual."
Luther casually scooped some of the tomato-egg sauce onto his rice, ready to finish his meal with one clean sweep.
"But the Gym Leader won't even be here, how is that not a big deal?"
Gardenia didn't even blink. "Just act as the stand-in Gym Leader," she said nonchalantly while sipping the drink Mai had brought earlier.
(End of Chapter)