The car sped along, and the inside was just as lively.
Everyone doted on Victini. One moment someone fed him a bite; the next, they were taking pictures with him. Victini was fascinated by this thing that could preserve his likeness. Hugging the phone with both tiny hands, he grinned at the photo of himself, delighted.
Their destination this time was Forest Park. Forest Park connected with the Longtan Waterfall Scenic Area, the Zhutan Scenic Area, and the Ethnic Village Scenic Area.
They planned to reach the vicinity of Forest Park before dark, then have a farmhouse dinner and spend the night there, starting their sightseeing the next day.
Forest Park wasn't far from the Guanyin Zen Monastery, and they arrived in no time.
By then it was already past six. They checked into their hotel rooms, then headed to a farmhouse restaurant inside the park.
This wasn't exactly peak travel time. It was hot, and ordinary folks were either at work or still in school, so the farmhouse restaurant had only one party to serve today—Auron Vale and his group.
The farmhouse courtyard had everything: a barbecue pot, a grilling rack—fully equipped.
Once all the items they ordered were brought out, Tim Wynn, citing a dislike of being watched while they ate, put down a 3,000-Dracocoin deposit.
The farmhouse staff all withdrew, and just like that, the entire place belonged to them.
Auron patted the back of the Victini perched on his head. Victini happily dropped his invisibility and whooped as he shot into the air.
With their previous outdoor barbecue experience, everyone slipped naturally into their roles again.
The meat had been pre-marinated, but it still needed to be skewered. Serena Elm accepted the task without hesitation and pulled Hanling Yin over to help. The two girls chatted as they worked, laughing and having a great time.
Tim took some of the marinated meat to the electric grill to get a few pieces started.
At the charcoal grill, Auron lit the coals while You Yuyou stood by to help and learn.
This time was much easier than last, thanks to the Charmanders. The two Charmanders each leaned in and breathed out a [Ember].
The charcoal caught quickly. You Yuyou hurried over with a few freshly skewered sticks of meat and handed them to Auron, who began grilling with practiced ease.
The other Pokémon were used to this by now and played on their own. Victini, however, had never seen meat cooked like this. He flew over at once, hovering to watch Auron grill.
Auron sprinkled cumin and chili powder as he worked; soon, the aroma drifted out rich and tempting.
Victini's eyes lit up the moment he smelled it. He stared at the skewers Auron flipped up and down, a thread of drool escaping the corner of his mouth.
Seeing this, Auron chuckled and tapped a finger against Victini's brow.
A dab of cumin powder stuck to the center of Victini's forehead, but neither trainer nor Pokémon paid it any mind.
"Beer?"
Jace Rowan returned from outside hugging a case of beer and called out loudly.
Jace and Auron weren't exactly model students. Back in their second year of high school, they'd already tasted beer after sneaking into a black internet café and grabbing late-night snacks on the way back.
When both sets of parents eventually found out, they didn't make too much fuss—just told them not to drink too much and to stay away from hard liquor. After all, they were still students.
"Open one for me."
"You got it."
Auron waved at Jace, then turned to You Yuyou.
"Want one?"
You Yuyou hesitated, then nodded.
"Mm… I'll give it a try."
"Make that two more!"
"OK!"
Soon Jace came over with four opened bottles. As he passed Tim, he set one down for him as well.
Tim froze for a second. He wasn't like Jace and Auron. Rich kid or not, he'd been a well-behaved boy since childhood—same as You Yuyou.
You Yuyou took the beer from Jace and then handed one to Auron.
Auron didn't rush to pour it into a glass; instead, he clinked his bottle against You Yuyou's.
Then the three of them clinked together, lifted their bottles toward Tim, who couldn't quite reach, to include him anyway, and each took a big swig.
"Cough, cough."
Trying beer for the first time, You Yuyou wasn't used to it. He coughed as the fizz hit the back of his throat, his face flushing bright red.
No telling if it was from the coughing or the alcohol.
Auron patted his back, smiling.
"Well? Cracking open a cold one in the heat of summer—pretty great, right?"
You Yuyou nodded with a soft "Mm."
Off to the side, Hanling Yin curled her lip and whispered to Serena Elm,
"See that? Your guy's turning mine bad."
Serena's cheeks tinged pink in an instant. She protested on reflex,
"He's not my guy. He doesn't belong to me."
Hanling leaned in close with a mischievous grin and murmured by Serena's ear,
"Not now. Later, though—right?"
"Hmph~"
Auron poured his beer into a glass—less foam that way.
Curious, Victini drifted over to the rim, put his mouth to it, and snuck a sip.
"Bleh~"
One sip was enough. Victini stuck out his tongue, face scrunching—awful!
Auron burst out laughing at his expression and handed him a freshly cooked skewer.
Victini's eyes lit all over again, beer entirely forgotten.
He took the skewer, blew on it carefully a few times, then slid the whole string of meat off in one go.
Savoring the roast, he squinted in bliss. The two winglike tails at his back fluttered at high speed, lifting Victini into the air—truly "so delicious it makes you fly."
Auron passed a skewer each to the two ladies on skewer duty, then one each to Jace, You Yuyou, Tim, and himself.
The last skewer was snatched by an Arcanine that bounded in and chomped it down. Chuckling, Auron turned back to start the next batch.
…
They chatted and grilled, watching the Pokémon romp around without a care. The mood couldn't have been merrier.
Meanwhile, You Yuyou—half a bottle of beer in—seemed like a different person entirely. Nothing like he'd been before drinking.
Face flushed, he spoke louder now. He no longer kept his head down. His words came smooth and unbroken.
Before long, he even offered to try his hand at grilling.
Auron didn't think much of it and ceded the grill to him.
He himself went to work on a staple—there were ingredients on hand, and he decided to make a pot of curry.
By then most of the marinated meat had been skewered, so Serena and Hanling were free.
Which, as it turned out, led to trouble the moment Hanling had free hands.
She sat down beside You Yuyou and, every so often, fed him a bite as he stood there manning the grill with both hands.
And You Yuyou, far from showing the slightest hint of shyness, started spouting cheesy pickup lines.
After Hanling fed him a mouthful, You Yuyou leaned in, sniffed by her cheek, and said,
"Do you smell something?"
Hanling sniffed, puzzled.
"No?"
You Yuyou gazed into her eyes. "Then why does the air turn sweet whenever I get close to you?"
And that wasn't all. More corny lines kept tumbling out of You Yuyou's mouth, like:
"There are a hundred ways to do sweet—candy, cake, and thinking about you ninety-eight times a day."
"Should I use the honorific for you now? Why? Because you've taken your place in my heart."
Every now and then he even stole a quick kiss, making Hanling's face burn.
But her eyes shone all the same, fixed on this new, different You Yuyou.
Auron and the others suffered, steeped in a thick haze of puppy love. If they looked away, the barrage of cheesy lines assaulted their ears; if they looked back, the two were kissing again. It was outrageous.
(The End)