It was already half an hour later when Dakota finally sat down to eat.
As soon as he settled into his seat, Mao approached with a menu and a glass of iced water.
"Luther's friend?" Mao asked with a smile.
Dakota, who was pondering the menu, looked up. "You too?"
Mao glanced at Dawn and the others serving nearby, and at Etorre at the front desk recording orders. "What a coincidence. Apart from the owners, everyone here is."
Dakota was taken aback. "So you're not just working here, you're actually having a gathering?"
"Both, actually. We enjoy free meals while working for wages and preparing for the Lily of the Valley Conference. You could say it feels like a gathering right now, and you wouldn't be wrong."
Dakota watched a Jellicent drift by, then chuckled. "He always gives off such a peculiar vibe."
Dakota recalled the night he first met Luther. In just twenty minutes, Luther had won him over, and in another twenty, he had Dakota's full support.
Having traveled extensively, this was the first time Dakota had been so quickly convinced by someone's words. Looking back, he still found it somewhat miraculous.
While their shared animosity toward the Hodgepodge organization played a role, the deeper connection stemmed from their remarkably similar views on Pokémon Battles and Pokémon themselves.
Some people you just instinctively know will become kindred spirits from the moment you meet them, while others, no matter how much you interact, remain mere acquaintances. Perhaps that's just how it is.
Following Mao's recommendation, Dakota ordered set meal A.
Mao insisted, "You're Luther's friend, and I'm his friend too! Why would I lie to you? This set is amazing!"
Dakota, usually so decisive, found himself dizzyingly swayed by Mao's persuasion and placed his order.
When the meal arrived, Dakota handed his Poké Balls to Mao. Most of his Pokémon were too large to keep by his side while dining; they would need to eat in the courtyard under Mao's supervision.
Luther, driven by curiosity, followed Mao to the courtyard. How could he not be curious? Ever since watching the anime, he had wondered about Dakota's remaining four Pokémon.
Back then, the group had joked, "If only Ash had one more Pokémon! Maybe Dakota's remaining four are all Magikarp!"
Meeting Dakota, Luther learned that besides Darkrai, he also had Salamence and Metagross. Though Luther's interference had cost Dakota the chance to capture Latios, the rest of his team lineup was undoubtedly shocking.
The Poké Balls opened, releasing Salamence, Metagross, Darkrai, Eelektross, the Galar Region Cursola, and Froslass. They joined Espurr at the entrance, greeting guests.
Dakota had once mentioned that he kept the Cursola nearby for convenience in rearing, implying he would teleport another Pokémon here before the Lily of the Valley Conference.
The Pokémon in the courtyard immediately swarmed around the newcomers, observing their sudden arrival.
Luther's Darkrai met Dakota's Darkrai again. As fellow members of their species, the two Pokémon exchanged silent communications in their own corner.
Eelektross ate while maintaining eye contact with Kihara's Huntail. Both Pokémon possessed "abyssal jaws," creating an inexplicable sense of kinship between them.
Dakota's Pokémon were all enjoying their meal, except for Cursola, who kept glancing around as she ate.
Cursola was looking for Milcery and Chikorita.
During their last encounter, she had been unable to control her Talent and had reluctantly turned down Milcery and Chikorita's requests to get close to her.
Her anxiety had made her tone sharp. Afterward, she wanted to apologize, but Dakota had already led her away.
Now that she had mastered her Talent, ensuring that touching her wouldn't cause discomfort, Cursola was eager to share this with Milcery.
After searching for a while, Cursola finally found Chikorita, the Pokémon she had been longing to see, using Vine Whip to tickle Salamence. The Salamence, having finished its meal, lay comfortably on the ground.
Piplup and Pikachu had climbed onto Salamence's back with Milcery, using the dragon's spine as a slide.
Sensing the little ones' movements on its back, Salamence gently straightened its tail.
Hugging Milcery, Pikachu slid down Salamence's back, laughing as the "track" suddenly extended. He held Milcery tight, leaped lightly at the end, and landed gracefully on his feet.
Following suit, Piplup slid down next, reveling in the thrill of the scenery blurring past.
Lost in her joy, Piplup naturally forgot to consciously brake like Pikachu had. Her feet slammed into the ground, causing her to tumble head over heels before crashing headfirst into Metagross, who was resting with his eyes closed.
Feeling a tickle, Metagross rose and looked around blankly, searching in vain for what had bumped into him.
Gible, always eager to bite anything, watched Salamence's swaying tail with a strong urge to sink his teeth into it.
However, he ultimately abandoned his fixation on Salamence's tail when the dazed Piplup stumbled into him. Gible reacted instinctively, snapping his jaws in a bite.
"POGA!!!"
Luther, who had already returned to the restaurant, heard a piercing scream. Thinking something terrible had happened, he poked his head out to peer into the courtyard.
Piplup, with a Gible hanging from her head, darted wildly across the courtyard, trailed by a group of Pokémon trying to pull the Gible off.
"I thought something serious had happened. Piplup just got bitten," Luther muttered, relieved.
After confirming that Cursola, Chikorita, and Milcery were playing happily together, he dismissed the incident and resumed his work.
Ever since Gible joined the team, Piplup's daily routine had become: eating, sleeping, dreaming of being struck by Draco Meteor, waking up to be struck by a self-guided Draco Meteor, and getting bitten by Gible.
The poor girl had truly terrible luck. Getting bitten was nothing new, it barely warranted concern, considering Piplup was practically a metal-headed Pokémon anyway.
By eight o'clock that evening, the last wave of diners had finally left, and the restaurant had to close due to running out of ingredients.
During the busiest stretches, Dakota even helped Mao and the others carry plates and even went into the kitchen to lend a hand.
Despite the advance notice, the Pokémon Trainers waiting outside still clung to the hope that "maybe I'll be next," continuing to wait in anticipation.
Kihara, having hung up the "Closed" sign, watched as everyone in the restaurant visibly relaxed during their break. He quickly stepped into the kitchen, retrieved the pre-stocked ingredients, and began preparing dinner for Luther and the others who hadn't eaten yet.
With so many people, a single table was far too small. Luther and his group pushed several tables into a corner, then joined the remaining ones together in the center to create enough seating.
Dakota, who had already eaten, couldn't refuse when Luther and Etorre beckoned him to join them. He reluctantly pulled up a chair and joined them for another bite.
It was a surreal scene. At this table sat Etorre, Ash, Luther, and Dakota, all competitors in the Lily of the Valley Conference.
(End of Chapter)
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