Chapter 330: The Chef Squad of Leek Fighters
Night fell.
Moonlight filtered through the window and bathed Asahi in silver light. Eevee lay curled beside his pillow, its tail twitching instinctively.
Every so often, it would flick across his face—only to be brushed away by a sleepy slap.
Besides Eevee's occasional kicks, all was calm.
That was, until a shadow crept across the moonlight and cast itself over Asahi.
A silhouette stood in the window, face obscured by the backlight. Only a pair of faintly glowing blue eyes could be seen.
The figure stared silently at Asahi's sleeping face, eyes glinting with a mysterious light. Then slowly, it raised one slender hand—reaching toward him...
...
Next Morning
Asahi woke up aching all over.
"Ugh… What happened? Eevee, did you step all over me again last night?" he asked looking at Eevee.
"Vee!" Eevee shook its head like a maraca, eyes wide with innocence. It swore it hadn't done a thing—unlike past nights when it'd sleepwalk onto Asahi's chest and give him nightmares.
Asahi turned to Gardevoir.
"Any idea what happened?"
Gardevoir thought for a moment, then shook her head as well.
That left Asahi scratching his head.
He didn't think it could've been one of Mew's pranks either—last night, Mew had bunked with Celebi.
"Weird… Maybe it's some aftereffect of those recent space-time jumps?"
Yeah, that was probably it. Jumping between Hisui and Kanto in such a short time couldn't be good for the body. Some side effects were to be expected.
"Whatever. Time for breakfast!"
He hoisted Eevee onto his shoulder and called Gardevoir along. None of them noticed Gardevoir quietly letting out a breath of relief.
...
The newly expanded dining hall was huge—dozens of times bigger than before.
Now it could comfortably seat the entire Kanto division and all of their Pokémon (minus the big three—Rayquaza, Dialga, and Palkia).
Asahi stepped in… and immediately felt the tension.
At opposite ends of the long table sat Salamence and Snorlax—glaring at each other, sparks flying.
Just then, Indeedee walked up, balancing a tray at least six times her size, piled high with cupcakes.
As she set the tray down, Asahi chuckled awkwardly, trying to ease the tension.
> "Cupcakes for breakfast, huh?"
He barely finished his sentence before—
Wham!
Salamence's claws turned into a blur, Snorlax's mouth became a vacuum.
In a flash, the tray was empty.
Not even crumbs remained.
Indeedee: ┓(o?o)┏
Eevee: O_O
Gardevoir: …..
Asahi: ?
"You guys can eat all you want, but at least leave me something!"
Just then, Mew, Gary, and the others came downstairs—only to be met with empty plates and spotless dishes. The group exchanged speechless glances.
…
In the end, it was thanks to the breakfast Sabrina brought from the Saffron Gym that the Kanto Branch managed to avoid skipping their morning meal entirely.
"We can't go on like this. We need another chef!" Asahi slammed his hand on the table.
"Eevee!"
"Mew!"
Both Eevee and Mew agreed in unison.
Especially Mew—it looked heartbroken. Her favorite mini cakes had vanished before she even got a whiff of them!
"Do you have anyone in mind?" Green asked.
After all, the International Police was a secretive organization. They couldn't just hire any random chef off the street.
"When in doubt, ask HQ!"
Asahi had already sent a request to Headquarters yesterday to expand the culinary team.
He opened his phone and noticed there was already a reply.
> [GardevoirBestGirl: When will they arrive? My Indeedee over here is already about to pass out…]
[HQ Secretary: Coincidentally, there's a chef team available on standby. But… there are quite a lot of them. Can you support that many?]
A large number?
Asahi wasn't afraid of too many—he was afraid of not enough.
Even a Psychic-type powerhouse like Indeedee, who could work like three chefs in one, was struggling. No ordinary human chef could handle this level of intensity.
So Asahi immediately typed out a response:
> [GardevoirBestGirl: The more, the better. I've got more funds than I know what to do with.]
> [HQ Secretary: ...]
There was a long silence—nearly ten seconds.
> [HQ Secretary: The chef squad is on the way. Be ready to receive.]
"Be ready to receive?" What's that supposed to mean?
Just as Asahi pondered that strange wording, the Poké Ball teleportation device in the living room suddenly powered up.
The next second, the machine sputtered like it was possessed—and spat out a huge pile of Poké Balls.
"Is it broken?" Gary Oak tilted his head.
"Wait… Don't tell me this is the chef team HQ mentioned…"
Asahi looked at the scattered Poké Balls with a complex expression.
But then again, if a Pokémon like Indeedee could serve as a butler, was it really so outrageous that an entire culinary team would be made up of Pokémon?
Before Asahi could even voice that thought, Eevee had already run up curiously and nudged one of the Poké Balls open.
Pop!
A flash of white light.
"Quack!"
A Farfetch'd appeared in the middle of the living room, wielding its trademark leek like a sword.
"Uh…"
Asahi stared blankly. He suddenly began to question his earlier assumption.
Was this a chef… or a main ingredient?
Before he could ask HQ for clarification, Eevee, now having a grand old time, kicked open the rest of the Poké Balls one after another.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
With every burst of light, another Farfetch'd materialized.
Soon, the entire living room was echoing with quacks.
"Quack! Quack!"
Green, Sabrina, Gary, and Zinnia all turned to Asahi.
No one said a word, but their expressions clearly asked: Are you sure these are chefs and not a transmission glitch?
Asahi: "..."
He had no clue what HQ was thinking either!
Just then, Eevee nudged open the final Luxury Ball.
BANG!
Another flash of light—and a Sirfetch'd stepped forth, armed with a lance-shaped leek stalk, a leafy shield, and a pristine white chef's hat perched atop its head.
The moment Sirfetch'd appeared, the chaotic Farfetch'd crowd instantly went silent as if someone had hit the mute button.
"Quack!"
The Chef Commander's eyes were sharp. With a wave of its lance, the Farfetch'd immediately fell into formation.
"Quack! Quack! Quack!"
They started counting off in unison.
Sirfetch'd swept a critical gaze over his troops and gave a satisfied nod.
Then he marched over to Asahi, saluted sharply, and shouted:
"Quack-quack! (International Police Chef Corps, reporting for duty!)"
Behind him, Green and the others were already stunned.
These Farfetch'd… are actual chefs?
Asahi had no idea which genius at HQ thought up the idea of training a culinary team of Farfetch'd under a Sirfetch'd commander…
But after witnessing their kitchen in action firsthand, Asahi had to admit: this Chef Corps was legit.
Over thirty Farfetch'd operated like a well-oiled machine—each with a specific task, zero confusion, and total synchronization under their leader's direction.
In mere minutes, beautifully plated dishes were delivered to the table.
Since it was their first time eating food made by Pokémon chefs, everyone was a little skeptical. The presentation looked professional—but what about the taste?
Everyone looked at each other. No one wanted to be the first guinea pig.
As the leader, Asahi bravely stepped up.
"Gary, you try it first."
"…Huh?!"
Gary had been preparing for Asahi to take the first bite—he nearly pulled a muscle at that plot twist. But faced with Asahi's gentle smile, he ultimately caved.
Gulping, Gary picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a small bite, and cautiously put it in his mouth…
His eyes lit up instantly!
Then he immediately shoved another bite in with zero hesitation.
Seeing the euphoric look on Gary's face, the rest of the team relaxed and dug in.
Asahi also took a bite.
The moment the food hit his tongue, a wave of indescribable flavor surged straight to his brain.
He had thought Indeedee's culinary skills were already top-tier. But this? This was next level.
Compared to the Sirfetch'd-led Chef Corps, even the so-called "gourmet restaurants" outside felt downright amateur.
"Damn… with food like this, how am I supposed to spend the budget I set aside for gourmet dining?!"
Taste wasn't the issue anymore—but another concern still lingered.
Asahi called over the Chef Commander Sirfetch'd and explained the problem with Snorlax and Salamence.
Sirfetch'd nodded calmly—clearly experienced with such matters.
Without hesitation, he presented a solution.
Their Chef Corps came with specialized menus designed for both humans and Pokémon—including a "Gourmet Heavyweight Menu" crafted specifically for bottomless-stomach types like Salamence and Snorlax.
To prove their worth, Sirfetch'd immediately began organizing the team for a test run.
Half an hour later, Asahi looked down at Salamence and Snorlax, who were now lying flat on the floor, clutching their bellies and hiccupping with satisfaction.
The problem? Solved.
…
With the Sirfetch'd Chef Corps now in charge of meals, Asahi could finally focus fully on preparing for the World Championship.
But just as he was about to head out to the Battle Frontier, his phone rang—video call from Scott, the tournament sponsor himself.
Onscreen, Scott wore beach attire and was all smiles, clearly overseeing final inspections of the new Battle Facilities.
"Asahi! Long time no see!"
"You're the busiest man alive. What made you take time to call me?"
Ever since winning the bid to host the World Championship, Scott's name had skyrocketed. His Battle Frontier had become the hottest topic in the world.
Asahi figured he'd be swamped with work, not casually dialing him up.
"I wouldn't call for no reason," Scott grinned. "Do you remember the exhibition match I invited you to for our grand opening?"
Of course Asahi remembered. The invitation letter was still tucked in Gengar's belly somewhere.
"But isn't your opening ceremony tied to the Championship's launch? I figured you didn't need the match anymore," Asahi said.
"Come on! It's the grand opening! The bigger the buzz, the better!"
"You're the hero of Hoenn! Your appearance will make the event explode!"
"…But I already signed up for the Championship."
"No worries!" Scott waved it off. "The other participant is also a contestant this year."
As if worried Asahi might still refuse, Scott added:
"Oh—and I heard from Lance that you've been keeping an eye on Team Rocket. I might have a little something that could interest you…"
Without waiting for a reply, Scott sent over a file.
Asahi opened it, scanned it, and let out a long sigh.
"You really don't give people a chance to say no, do you?"
The intel was solid—no doubt about it.
"So that's a yes?"
"You hand over info this juicy, and I don't show up? That'd be cold. When's the match?"
"Three days from now—right at the opening ceremony!"
"Then I'll see you at the Battle Frontier."
Asahi hung up the call and looked at the last frame on his screen—Giovanni, lounging in a beach chair under the Alolan sun, an Alolan Exeggutor towering in the background.
Clicking his tongue, Asahi muttered, "Tch. Giovanni, you sly dog… didn't think you'd turn into a beach bum."
Sabrina leaned over to look.
Seeing Giovanni sunbathing, she blinked. "He's on vacation?"
"He's not just lounging," Asahi narrowed his eyes. "See that Exeggutor in the background? I'd bet anything Giovanni's got his eyes on the Aether Foundation… and maybe even the Ultra Beasts."
No wonder Team Rocket had been laying low recently—Giovanni had already run off to the Alola region. With their boss gone, of course the organization had to keep a low profile.
"Aether Foundation and... Ultra Beasts?" Sabrina frowned slightly in confusion.
She knew about the Aether Foundation, but this was the first time she'd heard of Ultra Beasts. Must've been intel Asahi dug up on his own.
One thing was certain: now that Asahi had uncovered this, Giovanni's peaceful days were numbered.
Asahi saved the photo but didn't act on it immediately.
Let Giovanni enjoy a couple more days. Once the World Championships wrap up, he'll be in for a real surprise.
....
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