Chapter 36
After hearing that Mike would be cooking dinner that night, the other assistants all rushed to volunteer for grocery duty.
None of them knew how to cook, so they ate staff meals almost every day.
Since the others had claimed the job of buying ingredients, Mike could only sit with Professor Rowan in the laboratory and drink tea.
"Young people should eat more walnuts."
Professor Rowan placed a bag of walnuts on the table.
"Thank you, Professor."
Mike grabbed a handful and passed some to Gengar beside him.
He held two walnuts in one hand and squeezed as hard as he could, but they would not crack.
Professor Rowan, sitting across from him, simply pressed down with his broad palm.
Crack.
The walnut shells shattered.
Mike fell silent.
’Good lord...’
’People from Sinnoh really are built differently.’
While Mike was still wondering how to open his walnuts, a small, chubby hand reached toward him.
Several pieces of walnut rested in its palm.
Mike turned and found Gengar looking at him while chewing.
"Gar—"
[These are mine. You can have them.]
Warmth filled Mike’s chest.
He took the walnut pieces, tossed them into his mouth, and began chewing.
Then curiosity got the better of him.
"Gengar, how did you open them? I couldn’t do it."
Hearing the question, Gengar swallowed what was in his mouth and placed three walnuts on the table.
Then he raised his eyebrows at Mike, telling him to watch carefully.
Under Mike and Professor Rowan’s gazes, Gengar lifted Kakuna and slammed him down onto the walnuts.
Crack!
The shells broke apart instantly.
Mike: "..."
Gengar put Kakuna aside, picked out the walnut pieces, then gave half to Mike and half to Professor Rowan.
"Oh? You’re giving me some too?"
Professor Rowan looked surprised, but he still accepted them.
"Thank you, Gengar."
Mike watched as Gengar continued using Kakuna to crack walnuts and finally gave up trying to stop him.
Gengar had found far too many uses for Kakuna!
When Kakuna had still been a Weedle, Gengar swung him around like a flail and used him as a sword.
Now that he had evolved, Gengar was using him like a brick!
Worried that Gengar might eventually break him, Mike opened Kakuna’s status screen.
{Kakuna}
{...}
{Description: He is improving his physical strength through training with Gengar. By the time he evolves, he will certainly have an exceptionally strong body.}
’Of course he’ll be strong.’
’He’s being used as a brick!’
Before long, the assistants returned with the ingredients.
Mike stared at the bags they carried and was startled.
"Did you empty the whole supermarket?"
"Hehe. We didn’t know what you planned to cook, so we bought a little extra."
"Thanks. Leave the rest to Gengar and me!"
...
In the backyard of Professor Rowan’s laboratory, Gengar bent over with his round backside in the air as he washed vegetables.
At the same time, he kept listing everything he wanted Mike to make.
"Gar—"
[I want cola chicken wings, garlic ribs, braised pork, steamed egg, shredded chicken...]
"I heard you. Stop distracting me and wash the vegetables. If we have the ingredients, I’ll make them."
"Gar—"
[I knew Mike was the best.]
"Sni?"
Snivy called from a nearby tree, asking whether they needed help.
"Really? Thank you, Snivy. Could you help Gengar wash the vegetables?"
Snivy nodded.
With Cooking Lv. 3, Mike soon prepared an entire table of food.
There were Gengar’s favorite cola chicken wings, garlic ribs, and braised pork, along with tempura, oden, and ramen requested by the assistants.
He also made the soup Professor Rowan wanted.
Mike placed the last pot of rich herbal soup on the table and looked at everyone eagerly waiting.
"Dinner’s ready."
"Gar—"
[Time to eat!]
"Mmm... This is delicious! Mike, you’re such a good cook!"
"Whoa, this ramen... Did you use magic or something?"
"Gar!"
[So good!]
Hearing the endless praise, Mike felt deeply satisfied.
"Thank you all for looking after me during my stay. I hope you enjoy it."
For someone who knew how to cook, there was no better feeling than seeing others enjoy the food he had made.
...
After dinner, the assistants insisted on cleaning the dishes.
With nothing left to do, Mike took Gengar and Kakuna to the grass and sat down.
He looked up at Snivy, who was sitting in a tree and gazing into the distance.
"Did you enjoy your dinner?"
Snivy gave a sweet cry.
"Sni~"
[It was delicious~]
"I’ll sing you a song."
Snivy lowered her gaze toward him.
Mike cleared his throat and looked around.
Then he took Kakuna from Gengar’s arms, placed him on his lap, and tapped his shell with one finger.
Clang, clang~
It sounded good enough.
Mike began tapping a gentle rhythm on Kakuna’s shell as he sang a song that suited the place where Snivy had been born.
"Evening winds across the quiet bay~
White waves roll along the sand~"
As his Performance Lv. 3 singing spread through the backyard, the noisy surroundings slowly grew quiet.
Mike continued tapping Kakuna’s shell while Gengar clapped along with the rhythm.
Everyone, both people and Pokémon, stopped what they were doing and gathered nearby to listen.
"...So many childhood memories remain,
Sunlight, sand, the endless sea,
Cacti swaying by the shore,
And an old captain smiling at me~"
As Mike sang, he looked toward Snivy in the tree.
Snivy stared back at him.
Listening to the song, she felt as if she had returned to that beach, living beside Grandma, helping carry things, and listening to her stories.
"Snivy..."
Mike called softly.
Snivy tilted her head and blinked her beautiful eyes.
"I’m leaving tomorrow."
Mike smiled.
"When I come back, I’ll take you to Twinleaf Town to see the ocean, okay? The sea there is beautiful too. Grandma found me on that beach."
Snivy froze for a moment.
Then she smiled gently.
"Sni~"
[Okay~]
Applause sounded around them.
Mike looked over and saw Professor Rowan approaching before sitting beside him.
"Mike, will you continue photographing other Pokémon after you leave? For The Wide World of Pokémon, I mean."
"I will."
"Where are you heading next?"
"I’m not completely sure. I’ll probably travel toward Jubilife City."
"I’ve heard a rumor you may want to investigate."
Mike’s eyes widened.
"What rumor?"
"People say that in the forest north of Sandgem Town, not far from Lake Verity, a large number of Pokémon evolve together on the same night once every ten years."
"People here call it the Night of Evolution."
Mike’s breathing quickened.
A huge number of Pokémon evolving together on the same night?
How beautiful would that be?
"Interested?" Professor Rowan asked.
Mike silently nodded.
"This year marks the tenth year," Professor Rowan continued with a smile. "And it should happen sometime soon."
Mike’s eyes widened again.
"Professor, how do you know that?"
"You’re wondering why I’m so certain?"
Mike nodded.
"Because I witnessed it myself ten years ago."
"So it isn’t just a rumor?"
"I don’t know. It may have only been a natural wave of Pokémon evolution."
Professor Rowan looked toward him.
"If you decide to search for it, be prepared to return empty-handed."
Mike grinned.
"For a photographer, the word ’rumor’ is already enough reason to make the trip."
"Even if there’s no Night of Evolution, I might still manage to photograph Mesprit. That wouldn’t be a loss."
Professor Rowan looked at him.
"You know about Mesprit?"
"Just a little."
"How much is ’a little’?"
"Mesprit is said to live at Lake Verity, Azelf at Lake Valor, and Uxie at Lake Acuity. In Sinnoh mythology, they represent emotion, willpower, and knowledge."
After hearing that, Professor Rowan shook his head.
He should have known that Mike’s "a little" was never truly a little.
"You’re always so modest."
Mike scratched the back of his head.
"I’ll come to see you off tomorrow."
"Okay."
...
After spending a little longer at Professor Rowan’s laboratory, Mike picked up the food he had packed earlier and headed to the Pokémon Center.
"Nurse Joy, I made this myself. It’s a late-night meal for you and Chansey."
Mike placed the food on the counter.
"You’ve only been here for a week, and Chansey and I have already gained so much weight," Nurse Joy refused. "We can’t eat any more, or we’ll become fat!"
Chansey beside her also shook her head.
"After Glameow is discharged tomorrow, Gengar, Kakuna, and I will be leaving Sandgem Town to continue our journey."
Mike smiled.
"So tonight would be the last time we see her."
Then he added seriously, "Besides, the food is cold now, so it doesn’t have any calories."
"You’re leaving?"
Mike nodded.
"It really has no calories?"
Mike nodded again.
"All right, then. I’ll only eat a little."
Mike walked away and went to Glameow’s room.
He looked through the glass in the door.
Glameow, who had been lying down asleep, suddenly opened her eyes and looked toward the entrance.
Her gaze met Mike’s.
Seeing the wariness in her eyes, Mike smiled.
He silently mouthed, "Good night," then turned and left.
When he passed the front desk again, Nurse Joy and Chansey were already happily eating.
Mike said goodbye and left the Pokémon Center.