With food preparation in high-end restaurants typically taking between thirty minutes and several hours, Jason and Korrina spent the time until their drinks arrived discussing her WCS itinerary.
"As the Gym Leader of Shalour City, I typically start my WCS run with the Battle Festival we host at our local stadium. It runs for around two weeks, and if I win each of my matches, it will allow me to advance directly to the Great Class~" explained Korrina, her blue eyes glistening excitedly as she continued, stating, "After that, most Trainers fly to the Galar Region, as it's where Ultra-Class matches and the WCS Master's Eight Tournament takes place."
"Makes sense," responded Jason, nodding. Then, with a smile, he added, "It's also convenient. After we finish our Island Challenge, Galar is one of the two regions Lillie and I were considering traveling to. The other being Kalos, of course."
"Oh? Does that mean I can expect you to take on my Gym in the next year or two~?" asked Korrina, her eyes lighting up and her smile broadening as she leaned forward with her elbows on the table and her chin resting atop her knuckles. It was a cutsey posture Jason never expected to see in real life, leaving him at a brief loss.
Adopting a broader smile of his own, Jason confirmed, "The main reason is what we discussed previously, but taking on the Kalos Gym Challenge is definitely on my to-do list."
"Mmn...I'm pretty sure we can leave that to Champion Diantha and the League's investigators..." hummed Korrina, sitting back and crossing her arms as she contended, "But I feel that if there were something like what you described in the Prism Tower, people would have discovered it a long time ago. It's a popular attraction as well as the location of Lumiose City's Electric-type Gym. The current Gym Leader, Clemont, personally oversaw its renovation a few years ago, and he's ridiculously smart. I can't imagine him overlooking something like an ancient weapon."
"Well, what if he didn't...?" posed Jason, his brows furrowing slightly as he questioned, "What do you know about Clemont's family and background? Because I can't imagine a place as storied and historic as Kalos permitting just anyone to renovate and operate a Gym out of its single-most-famous landmark—genius inventor or otherwise."
"But, unless it's some kind of super secret cover, Clemont's father is the owner of a small electronics store in one of the poorer parts of the city..." noted Korrina, tilting her head back and cupping her chin thoughtfully as she recollected, "I remember his mother being from a big family, but she died shortly after his sister was born. I never had the chance to meet her in person...?"
Seeing Jason raise his left hand slightly and stare past her, Korrina sat straighter and peered back over her shoulder to find a familiar, blonde-haired man in a modified Chef's outfit with watery-blue accents, golden buttons, and a popped collar with tear-shaped frills approaching with a long-necked green bottle wrapped in a towel and their Servuese, Yolaine, trailing after him. Her expression lit up, but instead of rising to greet the man, she remained seated and hummed, "Siebold. It's good to see you~" in a chipper tone.
"As always, the pleasure is mine, Marchioness Korrina..." responded the man, Siebold, his expression and tone composed as he offered Korrina a slight, smiling nod before shifting his gaze to Jason, asking, "Might I ask for the gentleman's name and title?"
Producing his business card and sliding it across the table with his right index finger, Jason responded, "Jason Springfield. I'm a Junior Marketing Coordinator for the Aether Foundation. Beyond that, I have no titles to go by."
Hearing that Jason was with the Aether Foundation, Yolaine's eyes briefly widened. Siebold's expression, on the other hand, remained unaffected as he questioned, "You're involved in marketing? Then, are you perhaps here to assess my restaurant's quality?"
Surprising Korrina with his calmness, Jason shook his head, smiled, and smoothly countered, "On the contrary. I consider it a great privilege that I'm being permitted to dine at a facility owned and operated by a member of the Kalos Elite Four. I can't deny the possibility that I will speak about this experience with others, but I'm not here in an official capacity. I am here to appreciate what Korrina described as the pinnacle of Kalos cuisine and Pokémon battling fusion."
"Battle...?"
Hearing the word battle from Jason's lips, Ren roused beneath his chair and poked her head out to see what was happening. Before that, Siebold was prepared to offer a smooth retort, but when he heard Ren speak and saw her poking her head out, he simply stared at her for several seconds, their gazes meeting in silence.
Tilting her head to the side, Ren dealt critical damage to Siebold's mask of professionalism as she asked, "You battle Ren?"
Though it was considered a faux pas, Siebold set the ₽1,280,000 bottle of Perle de Clamperl Millésime down on the table and lowered himself to one knee to meet Ren at eye level, a rare, appreciative smile adorning his face as he asked, "Does this Riolu belong to you?"
Shaking his head, Jason answered, "She and I are partners. She belongs to no one, and I consider myself beyond fortunate that she puts up with me despite my weakness."
Looking up from Ren, Siebold found himself adjusting his evaluation of Jason. Alongside being a master chef and a member of his region's Elite Four, he was also an S-Rank Pokémon Connoisseur—a profession which specialized in identifying the compatibility between Pokémon Trainers and their Pokémon. His first impression of Jason was that he was a pretender who disguised his true feelings and motives behind a mask. But when he heard the latter self-deprecatingly express how fortunate he was to have Ren as his partner, Siebold could tell he was being sincere.
"May I have your permission to evaluate your Riolu...?" asked Siebold, prompting Korrina to perk up and chime in, "Oh! Oh! You should totally let him! Siebold is an S-Rank Pokémon Connoisseur, so he's among the best at identifying how powerful the bond between a Pokémon and its Trainer is. I was going to beg him to evaluate my Laani, but this is even better...!"
"Oh? Is that the reason you've come here?" questioned Siebold, glancing back at Korrina and exhaling faintly from his nose as she rubbed the back of her head and laughed embarrassedly.
Shaking his head, Siebold returned his gaze to Jason, staring directly at him as he awaited his response.
Having no reason to refuse a free service the average person probably paid a fortune for, Jason nodded but clarified, "I won't stop you from approaching her, but it will be Ren's decision whether she allows you to touch her."
"That shouldn't be an issue," responded Siebold, turning his attention to Ren and extending his left hand, palm facing up. For several seconds after that, nothing happened—at least on the surface. In Ren's eyes, she could see Siebold's aura growing increasingly warm and radiant, compelling her to tilt her head sideways and ask, "Frendd...?" with heavy emphasis on the d.
Instead of confirming that he was a friend, Siebold calmly replied, "I will not harm you."
Sensing no deceit in Siebold's words, Ren emerged from under Jason's chair, hurried forward, and slapped her right hand down on his open palm, chiming, "Me Ren! Hallo~!" in a happy tone.
"Salutations, Ren. My name is Siebold. It's a great pleasure to make the acquaintance of such a spectacular Pokémon," affirmed Siebold, gently clasping Ren's paw with his left hand before placing his right over it and appending, "With your permission, I would like to check the condition of your body. Is that okay?"
"C-Ceebold check Ren..." repeated Ren, tilting her head confusedly before looking back at Jason. She could sense his distrust and caution, so with a slight frown and narrowed eyes, she turned back to Siebold, removed her paw from his hands, and took a step back, stating, "No check," with a firm, slightly hostile tone.
"I see..." muttered Siebold, looking from Ren to Jason with his discerning blue eyes. Ren's reaction confirmed to him that Jason's outward calm was a mask that obfuscated his true feelings. In this particular instance, what he was concealing was enmity or, at the very least, distrust.
Rising to his feet, Siebold caused Yolaine to startle by turning to her and stating, "You should take the remainder of today off and return tomorrow for a performance review. I will see to these guests personally."
"O-Oh! Of cour—I mean, yes Chef...!" responded Yolaine, beating a hasty retreat as Siebold followed her departure with his gaze. This exchange caused an awkward tension to permeate the table, which wasn't helped when he abruptly turned toward Jason and Korrina, offered a deep bow with his hands at his sides, and expressed, "Please accept my sincerest apologies for the rudeness of my employee. She has only recently come into my employ, and she still has a bit of a chip on her shoulder from her time in the Battle Chateau..."
Raising and waving her hands from side to side, Korrina responded, "Hey, hey! There's no need for that! Really! Sure, she was rude to Jason, but I was planning to teach her a lesson after we finished our meal! You didn't need to send her off or apologize for her!"
"You are mistaken," refuted Siebold, rising to his full height as he firmly asserted, "As Chef de Cuisine, the conduct of my employees is mine to correct and take accountability for. As such, today's meal and drinks will be free. I will hear no arguments to the contrary."
Turning away from the flustered Korrina, Siebold adopted a practiced but sincere smile as he stated, "I have shown you an unsightly side of myself today. Complimentary drinks and a meal cannot change that, but I hope it goes to show my sincerity, even if only a little."
Seeing Siebold place his hand over his chest and offer another bow, this time with his eyes closed, Jason couldn't help thinking that the man was a monster. He couldn't really explain it, but while he didn't feel that Siebold was a bad person, he got the impression that if they became enemies, not even his bones would remain...
Raising his head and seeing that Jason was even more cautious of him than before, Siebold's poised expression softened with an undertone of exasperation. Then, as he knew he couldn't force Jason and Ren to trust him, he casually tied himself, remarking, "Now, then, where were we...?" before picking up the bottle of Perle de Clamperl Millésime and smoothly pouring it into two glasses as he explained its history as if he were talking about a piece of art...
...
..
.
After what was inarguably the most delicious meal Jason had ever eaten, he, Korrina, and Ren were invited to the arena section of the restaurant by Siebold for two reasons. First and foremost, he wanted to oblige Korrina's desire to have her Pokémon evaluated. Secondly, since he had effectively fired the person she was hoping to test her Alola-formed team against, he naturally offered himself as a substitute.
"As expected of the temporary ace of a Fighting-type Gym Leader...what power. What grace~" hummed Siebold, sporting a shimmery-eyed, highly appreciative smile as he knelt before Laani, carefully stroking her legs and thighs while the fluffy-eared rabbit eyed him curiously. Korrina seemed to find this perfectly normal. Meanwhile, Jason, standing off to the side with Ren resting with her head poking out of his backpack, observed the scene with a stone-faced, deadpan expression.
Nodding his head approvingly and giving the right side of Laani's perky rump a light smack, causing her to startle slightly and straighten, Siebold turned to Korrina and stated, "With how well you've trained her, the two of you should have no problem achieving Mega Evolution. Have you already put in a request with the League for a Lopunnite?"
"I don't need to. As you know, my grandpa collects Mega Stones. I just need to get Laani fitted with an accessory that suits her, and we should be good to go~" chimed Korrina, extending her right hand to give Laani's head an affectionate caress, causing the latter to close her eyes and wag her tail.
"Ah, but of course. Your grandfather is the Mega Evolution Guru, after all," hummed Siebold, nodding. Then, after giving Laani's butt a few more light smacks, he stood up, glanced over at Jason with a gleam in his eyes, and asked, "Well, then, shall I have a battle with your Riolu...?" while producing a Poké Ball with a watery-blue top and a red X across the front...
...
..
.