Flame Cooking
The sound of sizzling...
After finishing their tea and pastries, Darren and James finally tasted the most skilled flame cooking at the Hearthome City's Poffin House.
As the overturned lid was lifted, the plate emitted a hot glow and, in the next moment, Darren was hit with a waft of fragrance.
"This feeling is..."
The fiery attack!
Both Darren and James were quite picky eaters. Darren was a Pokémon trainer, and James was used to eating exquisite delicacies. Ordinary food seldom made them feel impressed.
The dish in the plate looked like honeycomb, but unlike a normal one, it was glowing with a fiery red light, and occasional sparks were flying off it. The enticing aroma indicated that the dish was extraordinary.
"The taste is... spicy berry seeds."
Darren sniffed the dish. The fiery red color of the dish looked moistened after being baked. The shape of the dish looked like each spicy berry seed was glued together with a thick broth. The spicy and pungent aroma mixed with the unfamiliar sweet and greasy smell caused Darren's pores to open wide.
James also drooled a bit. They looked at each other, and without delay, they took out their utensils and approached the fiery dish...
"Not hot..." A crystal-clear red seed was in the spoon, emitting a fiery glow, but when Darren put it in his mouth, he only felt a warm breath and nothing like the spark of fire.
Sweet!
Aromatic!
The thick broth mixed with the fruit seeds spread out in their mouths, and the intense aroma immediately filled their bodies and minds.
"Mmm~"
Growlithe was lying on the ground was also enjoying the delicacy, its eyes squinting. It seemed to enjoy the feeling, and the sound of its relishing contained the vibration of its taste buds.
A spark of fire flew out of Growlithe's mouth, and it shook its body, becoming more lively in an instant.
"What kind of sweetness is this?"
After the sweet taste, came the rush of heat, which did not attack their throats but stimulated their taste buds and tongue roots. It did not erode their stomach, and the feeling was entirely like being in a volcano, bathing in lava... The whole body was wrapped in the hot wind that rushed towards them, and in a short moment, both of them were already sweating profusely.
"Delicious!" Darren exclaimed, his face glowing.
He had never tasted such a unique dish before.
"If only I could know the recipe and ingredients," Darren thought.
No wonder Professor Theresa recommended him to come here. This flame cooking dish alone has surpassed all of the foods he had eaten in this world.
"Hehe... are you satisfied?" The manager proudly asked. The chef of the flame cooking is the heir of a secret recipe, and it is their signature dish. All the customers who tasted it praised it and had no complaints.
"Can we watch how the dish is made?" Darren asked.
"Of course, no problem."
Darren was surprised that this exclusive recipe could be observed by outsiders.
Ingredients: spicy berry seeds, sweet honey from three Combee, and a secret sauce.
The chef who mastered the flame cooking was a muscular uncle, and next to him was an orange-brown turtle-like creature.
Each of its four limbs and long neck has a black-gray ring-shaped stripe. Each foot has three claws, and there is a short tail behind it. The turtle shell is mainly black-gray, with five fire-red concavities around it.
"A Torkoal..." James said.
"Indeed, the chef and this Pokémon work together to make the dish," Darren explained.
"What-" James was surprised. "Can Pokémon also make dishes?"
"Of course, this is the best example in front of us."
The energy produced by the Torkoal burning coal in its shell can be transformed into heat energy to help the chef. The two of them worked together seamlessly, smoking and roasting the ingredients, and the chef, sweating profusely, cooked with the waving of the utensils, the ingredients gave off a full impact of color, fragrance, and taste...
Finally, with a hot wind blown out by the Torkoal, the chef put on heat-resistant gloves, immediately sealed the lid, and with a "hum," the flame dish was completed.
Wonderful.
James and Darren clapped their hands.
Not only was the chef's technique superb, but the Torkoal also had a high proficiency in move skills. The two of them must have been good partners who had been together for a long time, otherwise, they would not have such good tacit understanding.
"Amazing," James said in admiration.
It was the first time he had seen someone, other than a trainer, working so closely with their Pokémon.
A seed quietly planted on James.
Without lingering too long in the Pokémon Poffin House, Darren left.
Together with him was James.
Curiously looking at Darren, James asked, "Why do you look like you've accomplished something?"
"It's nothing," Darren laughed.
He already knew the purpose of Ms. Theresa calling him here. After visiting other chefs in the kitchen, Darren noticed something they all had in common. Each one cooperated with their Pokémon to cook together. These chefs considered working with their Pokémon as their primary goal in their practice. Pokémon were like their hands, serving as their able assistants.
"Are they trying to tell me that if I want to train my Pokémon well, I should train besides them?" Darren wondered.
"Or are they telling me that the Pokemon Contest is not just about Pokémon's individual performances?"
Darren shook his head. No matter what, Ms. Theresa recommended him to come here just to see how other professions interacted with their Pokémon, whether as helpers or partners.
"Hey, Darren, how far can the friendship between Pokémon and humans go?" James suddenly asked.
"Friendship?"
"Yes... Why is it that I just want to make friends with other Pokémon, but my parents strongly oppose it... Even with Grownlithe's luxurious accommodations, my parents only see it as a pet." James didn't understand.
Darren was taken aback, then smiled and said, "If you treat Growlithe as your friend, it will also treat you as its friend. Isn't that enough?"
"And one day, your parents will accept Growlithe. Pokémon, as long as you treat them with sincerity, will definitely repay you in kind..."
"Really?" James was surprised.
"Of course," Darren said confidently.
As far as Darren knew, Pokémon had been called human friends and partners from the beginning. They could complete various tasks with humans, such as building houses, moving furniture, and exploring...
"Maybe someday, you will meet more new friends. Believe in yourself and don't give up!" Darren encouraged James.
"Darren..."
James looked gratefully at the younger boy. For James, who lacked friends, Darren's appearance and understanding made him feel a different kind of warmth.
"Thank you."