A/N: A national holiday just passed here in the States, and so I decided to honor it with a special fic! Expect to see lots of food porn in this one! I OWN NOTHING!
Unova's national holiday was just around the corner, and everywhere men, women, and children were plotting out all the best ways to celebrate this special occasion. Humans and Pokemon alike looked forward to the parades and pageants they would be watching, or even participating in, and, most importantly, salivating over the chili burgers and dogs, fresh corn, coleslaw, and blueberry pie they would eat.
Nowhere was the latter form of excitement more palpable than in Striaton City. Thanks to the cooking efforts of their three young gym leaders, the citizens of Striaton were the best-fed in all of Unova, and the holidays were no exception. While on most normal days, the three boys let the town cook for themselves, on every single holiday they would throw an outrageous party with all the best foods anyone could imagine.
The boys had been groomed to be chefs for pretty much their entire lives. They couldn't say it was in their blood- they had no idea who their real parents were, only that their mother had apparently died giving birth to them; they never knew their father. Instead, for as long as they could remember they had been taken care of by a high-powered chef, who had taught them all they needed to know about food.
This culinary training had proven invaluable to the boys once they became the Gym Leaders of Striaton City at the tender age of fourteen. Although they were mature for teenagers, it still wasn't easy for them to maintain control over an entire city, but their food was their secret weapon. They could control what everyone ate- if their citizens wanted to eat well, they had to be good. The boys even had a secret weapon for finishing off those they wanted to destroy entirely- feeding them exactly one meal that was so good, they never wanted to eat anything else ever again. Fortunately, they had never had to use it.
One day, Chili and Cress, always on top of things, were busy cleaning their kitchen and cutlery, with the help of their sous-chefs, the trainers who greeted incoming challengers. "Another year, another national holiday, and lots of hungry citizens to feed," said Cress. "Should be fun."
"Yeah," said Chili, "Say, I was thinking of trying that spicy chocolate volcano cake again. What d'you think?" His eyes sparkled.
"We don't have any chocolate," said Cress, "That stuff's too expensive for you to go experimenting with. Besides, I do not want a repeat performance of last year!" he shuddered.
"This time I'll get it right," Chili retorted, sulking. "It'll be my life's work!"
Just then, Cilan dashed into the room, waving a letter at the other two brothers.
"Cilan, what's up?" said Cress.
"W-we've gotten a letter... from Alder!" Cilan gasped.
Chili and Cress were stunned. "Alder?" Chili said, finally.
"What does Alder want with us?" said Cress.
Cilan tore open the letter and began to read. "Apparently," said Cilan, "He wants us to... come and prepare a special holiday banquet... for the Elite Four, and champion Hilda!" His eyes widened in shock.
"...What?" said Chili and Cress together.
"We can't do that!" said Chili, "We have our own town to take care of!"
"Guys, seriously," said Cilan, "This is Alder we're talking about. Except for Hilda he's the most powerful person in the entire region. We can't just say no."
"But what about the citizens of Striaton?" said Chili, "They're expecting a special holiday meal, and if we're gone to see the Elite Four we won't be able to make it for them!"
"That is a problem," said Cilan, "But somehow... I don't think Alder cares. Hell, even Hilda might not care." He shook his head. Sure the girl had seemed nice enough to the boys when they battled- sort of a kindly big sister type- but they found it hard to believe that even she would call off a feast in honor of the most powerful people in Unova, even though she had the authority to do so.
"So? Hilda's our friend, right? Tell her we refuse to leave our citizens to cook for strangers!" said Chili with a toothy grimace.
"Are you crazy?" said Cress.
"Yeah, I guess that was kind of a long shot," said Chili, hanging his head in embarrassment.
"Anyway, it's not like we have the time to argue about this," said Cilan, "The holiday's so close we have to start cooking for someone, as soon as possible. And if we don't leave now, we'll never make it in time! Okay, it's settled," he said with a gulp, "we're going to Alder."
"But what about the Striaton citizens?" Chili pressed.
"We'll just have to tell them the truth," said Cress sadly, "They'll understand that we can't say no to Alder."
"In the meantime," said Cilan, turning to the rest of the gym staff, "You guys are going to have to finish setting up the party and doing the cooking."
"Can we trust you with that?" said Chili, folding his arms for affectation.
"Yes, sir," said the others.
That evening, the Gym Leaders made their announcement: "Unfortunately," said Cilan, his head hung in shame, "We... ah... won't be able to prepare the holiday banquet this year..., because we've been-"
"Oh, just out with it already!" said Chili, roughly shoving Cilan out of the way, "Listen, y'all, Alder's kidnapped us and forced us to cook his meal for him. So while we'd love to stay and cook your special holiday banquet we're just gonna have to go like the slaves we are!" He pouted.
"Therefore," said Cress, pulling Chili's hair to shut him up, "Our underlings will be responsible for the holiday banquet this year. We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences and hope that you enjoy your holiday."
The citizens of Striaton were disappointed, but they understood. Their young Gym Leaders would be in trouble if they upset Alder.
That night, Chili, Cilan, and Cress packed their bags, grabbed their Pokemon, and started off in the direction of the Elite Four. They took all their favorite cooking utensils, and their favorite dry herbs, but no food- it was too heavy and didn't travel well enough.
Eventually, through some combination of train and foot, they arrived at the home of the Elite Four. They looked a little disheveled, from going so long with no grooming; but there was nothing they could do about that. Nevertheless, they were a little nervous as they knocked on the door, not sure what would happen next.
When nobody responded, they opened the door, to find the holding area where all trainers challenging the Elite Four passed through. "Um...," said Cilan, scuffing his feet, "We're... ah... the chefs... Alder sent for?"
"Oh, you are," said the person behind the desk, "Okay, here's what you do: don't go through the chambers- go back outside the building, and enter through the door in the back. I'll let him know you're coming."
"Great, thanks," said Cilan. He and his brothers followed the directions, and knocked on the new door they found at the side of the building- a tiny thing that most anyone who wasn't looking for it would miss.
Once they opened the door, they found they were greeted by none other than... "Hilda!" shouted the three boys, like a deep sigh.
"Oh, hi, guys!" said Hilda sweetly, "I'm so glad you could stop by!"
The three boys felt better already.
"Hiya, Hilda!" said Chili, bowling over his brothers to get to her first and roughly grabbing her hand. "Long time, no see!"
"Chili... you idiot," Cress muttered under his breath, lightly smacking his brother's hand. "Be polite!" He nodded briefly to Hilda. "So good to see you again, Ms. Champion." He took her hand delicately and bowed.
"Oh, that's okay," said Hilda, "You can just call me Hilda, just like you did before. I don't mind."
"We... we're j-just here to start c-cooking... if you'll take us," Cilan stammered, scuffing his feet and not meeting her eyes.
"Please, come with me," said Hilda, leading them inside. "I know this is short notice, but we're so happy to have you. I'm looking forward to seeing you guys cook."
"So... ah... Hilda," said Chili, "How's that Snivy and Panpour of yours? They put up a pretty good fight when I battled you!"
"My Snivy is now a Serperior," said Hilda, "I never got around to evolving my Panpour."
"Sweet deal," said Chili.
"Oh, stop flirting, you," said Cress, playfully knocking Chili on the head.
"I was not flirting!" Chili retorted, knocking his brother right back.
"Guys," said Cilan, "Let's keep our cool, here."
Hilda just smiled to herself as she led them into the kitchen. "So, basically, Alder wants you to cook for him," she explained, "And the Elite Four and me too. My friends Bianca and Cheren will be around as well- don't mind them. I don't really know what else Alder has planned but..." She went over to a table and picked up a piece of paper, "This should contain all the information you know to get started cooking. Again, thank you so much for your help."
With that, she left the room. Cilan picked up the paper, read it, and then handed over to each brother in turn. The message read as follows:
Dear Chili, Cilan, and Cress,
Thank you so much for agreeing to cook for me and my associates tonight. I brought you over the day before so you had some time to rest and plan your menu- you will do most of the cooking tomorrow, and I expect to serve dinner by 7:00 at night.
Dietary Restrictions:
Shauntal- none; will eat anything
Grimsley and Caitlin- no restrictions, but they eat A LOT- be sure to prepare extra of whatever you serve them
Marshal- Eats only healthy food. Does not eat anything spicy, salty, or fatty.
Hilda and friends- no restrictions I am aware of.
Please, use anything you like from the pantry or fridge.
Surprise me.
Sincerely yours,
Alder
"That Marshal dude doesn't eat spicy food?" Chili snorted.
"He doesn't eat salty food either," Cilan moaned.
"Or fatty food," said Cress, "What's up with that? I mean, fat is good for the heart."
"But it's also heavy," said Chili, "And it cuts through spice. Sooooo... basically, this guy eats the most boring food in the world!"
"Well, we can come up with something," said Cilan.
"You think it's worth trying to sneak some oil into his food to see if he notices?" said Chili with a devilish grin.
"Chili, be serious," said Cilan, "If he finds out we're toast!"
"Okay, never mind then," Chili grumbled.
"So, that begs the question," said Cress, "Do we want to make separate food for everyone or just one dish to share?"
"And force everyone to eat bland, boring food just because one guy decides to be a health nut? As if!" said Chili.
"Okay, no," said Cilan, "Let's start planning a menu."
"Hmph, while you work on that," said Chili, "I'm gonna see what's in the pantry." And he stalked off to the other corner of the room where the pantry and fridge were located.
When he opened them to take stock, he was absolutely bowled over by the sheer amount of variety. Alder seemed to have every kind of food imaginable, including such luxurious items as the young teenagers had only dreamed of cooking with. "Guys, you're going to love this!" said Chili, running back to his brothers in a hurry. "There's so much stuff there! Not just normal boring stuff, no, everything! Olive oil and sesame tahini and soy sauce and... and... it's so much cool stuff!"
"Olive oil and sesame tahini, eh?" said Cress, "I hear they make a nice cheese when combined with vinegar and a few other things."
"Cheese it is, then!" said Chili enthusiastically. Then he paused. "To go with what?"
"That's what we're trying to work out," said Cilan.
"We could always use it to stuff this lovely zucchini," said Cress, taking one of the vegetables out of the fridge. "Or, maybe we could make a casserole."
"So, what about that one guy's food?" said Cilan. "I'm thinking soup or salad. Maybe one of each?"
"That's a good start," said Cress. "A salad with walnuts could be very nice."
"Walnuts have fat in them, though," said Chili.
"Not that much," said Cilan, "If the guy's problem with fat is its heaviness, then nobody thinks of nuts as being very heavy foods."
"Great, great," said Chili, "So how're we going to dress this mystical salad anyway? Gonna throw straight vinegar on top?"
"Actually," said Cress, "Mom has that lovely raspberry vinaigrette dressing that might be just the thing."
"Ooh, fancy," said Chili, "Good thinking!"
"So," said Cilan, "We make a salad and a soup for everyone, and then they each get separate main courses. How about that?"
The three brothers agreed that was the best way to approach the situation.
"Okay... what soup should we make?" said Chili.
"Well, there's the old pleaser potato and leek," said Cress.
"Eh, I'm not sure," said Cilan. "It's not a very... festive dish."
"Um... gazpacho?" said Chili, "Made with watermelon. Duh!"
"For once you're right, Chili," said Cress. "Good call! Just don't go throwing a bunch of chiles in it like you did last time!"
"I wasn't going to!"
"Fine..."
"Uh, guys, let's stay on task," said Cilan.
The boys tossed around several ideas for different foods they could serve, but they got nowhere. Having a bunch of dinner guests that would eat "anything" was no help- there were literally millions of different foods out there that they could make. "If only we knew something about these Elite Four people," said Cilan, "We could make theme dishes."
That's true," said Cress, "Hilda and friends are about the only people here whom we've met before. We don't even know what the Elite Four members look like!"
Sure enough, just then there was a knock on the kitchen door. "I'll get it!" said Chili, who dashed over to the door and opened it, to find a cute purple-haired woman with glasses, and a dark man with very pale skin and eyes. They certainly weren't friends of Hilda's so that meant they could only be Elite Four members! Chili froze, not quite sure how to address these people.
"Oh, hi there!" said the woman, "Don't worry, we don't bite." She walked into the kitchen tentatively, followed by the man, who was drooping suggestively over her arm. "My name is Shauntal," she said, "And this... charming young gentleman here," she shoved the man on her arm, "is Grimsley."
"Hi there!" said Chili cheerily, his confidence restored, "My name's Chili, and those two over there are my brothers Cilan and Cress. We're just working out your dinner, if you don't mind!"
Cress facepalmed. "Oh, Chili, you're always making things difficult," he said, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder and dragging him backwards. "You'll have to excuse my brother," said Cress to the Elite Four members, "He hasn't got a tactful bone in his body."
"I heard that!" said Chili.
"Oh, please, don't worry about it," said the woman, "Grimsley and I..." She stopped to shove Grimsley, who had begun nipping at her neck. "Were just wondering if you needed any help."
"Actually...," said Cilan shyly, stepping forward, "If... if you don't m-mind t-terribly, Ma'am," he gulped, "We were... just... wondering... if... if you c-could tell us... w-what you mi-might w-want to eat to c-celebrate the holiday..."
"Oh, um... gee," said Shauntal, "That's actually a difficult question. I don't have a real preference- whatever you want to make is fine."
"I like tomato!" said Grimsley, smiling at them. "Make lots and lots of tomato. Yeah, that's it. Do not make me eat the same thing as that Caitlin, whatever you do!"
"That's the guy who can eat so much?" said Cress incredulously.
"An old habit I picked up from my days with an eating disorder," said Grimsley with a sigh, "Such is life." The boys looked at each other uncomfortably.
"Grimsley... do you have to go spouting that stuff to just anyone?" said Shauntal, facepalming, "Why you insist on washing your underwear in public I have no idea!"
"We were thinking something along the lines of themed foods," said Cress, "Ma'am, what type of Pokemon do you use?"
"Me?" said Shauntal, "I'm a Ghost trainer."
"And I'm a Dark trainer," said Grimsley.
"I... thanks...," said Cilan. "S-sorry to bother you... we just... we need some help p-planning a menu."
"We don't really know what to expect," said Cress.
"Oh, don't worry about it," said Shauntal, "Alder chose you to come down for a reason- he wouldn't have made you his chefs for the day if he didn't think you could do it. You'll be fine."
With that, the two of them left and the trio continued their work. "Well... they were... bizarre," said Cress.
"Tell me about it," said Chili, "What a bunch of weirdos! That one guy looked like he had serious PDA issues!"
"Yes, but... they seemed... nice," said Cilan, "All we have to do is cook. Now, let's think about this carefully..."
They couldn't come up with any foods based around ghosts or darkness, of course. And the issue of the other two Elite Four members still remained.
"Well, let's see what we have to work with," said Cress, "We already know about Hilda and her friends. Hilda has a Grass starter Pokemon, Bianca has a Water starter Pokemon, and Cheren has a Fire starter Pokemon. And then there's Hilbert..."
"So for Cheren," said Chili, "Gotta make something good and spicy!" His eyes flashed.
"We have some lovely squash blossoms Hilda and her Serperior might like," said Cilan.
"So that just leaves Bianca," said Cress, "Unfortunately, it's hard to make a dish based around water.
"Hey! Hey! I got an idea!" said Chili, pumping his fist like he always did when he got excited.
"What is it now, Chili?" said Cress.
"I got an idea! That Ghost Elite Four member- serve her something with mushrooms!" Cilan and Cress were silent for a moment. Desperate to save face, Chili explained himself in a hurry: "Get it? Mushrooms grow on dead things!"
"Always the insensitive one, eh, Chili?" said Cress with a sigh.
"Actually," said Cilan, "That's actually quite a good idea!"
Chili smirked.
"Yeah, you're right," said Cress, "It's the best idea we're going to get, anyway."
"So there's just Caitlin, Marshal, and Alder," said Cilan. "Oh, and Bianca."
"Pfft, that Marshal guy's got his soup and salad," said Chili, "Let him be healthy in peace!"
"Chili, we can't just not give him any main dish; that'll look like favoritism," said Cress, "It wouldn't be polite." He reflected for a moment, "We could make him a crepe."
"A crepe," said Cilan, "There's an idea."
"It's easy to make a crepe healthy," Cress went on, "Just add something like buckwheat flour. And you can fill it with just about anything."
Eventually, the three brothers managed to compile a list of foods for just about everyone. The only one that remained was Alder. None of them were sure what to do with him, only that he wanted to be surprised.
"But Alder's been alive for longer than all of us put together," said Cilan, "He's probably had a chance to try every kind of food already."
"Well, we have to come up with something for him to eat," said Cress.
They thought long and hard for quite some time. Finally, Cilan got an idea: "Hey, you know that really great summer pasta salad that Mom used to make for us?"
"Ah, great!" said Chili, "We've finally got something!"
"I... yeah," said Cress, "But... is it really fit to serve someone like Alder?"
"Oh, puh-leeze!" said Chili, rolling his eyes, "Not this Alder bullshit again! Look, I dunno about you, but I am getting sick and tired of worrying so much about pleasing Alder. Quite frankly, everyone we've met has told us to just go for it, so I say, we go for it! If Alder doesn't like our pasta salad he should have told us what he wanted right away! Since he insists on making it so difficult we might as well show him who's the boss in the kitchen."
"But... Chili," said Cilan, "You do realize that Alder is the most powerful person in all of Unova, besides Hilda..."
"Do you really think I care?" Chili shouted, "I swear, everything's Alder this and Alder that! Who do you think he is, Mr. Gay-Cheese lite?"
"I believe you mean Ghetsis, Chili," said Cress softly.
"Whatever!" said Chili, "It was his idea in the first place to drag us here and force us to put food on his table with no explanation whatsoever! So if he doesn't like the food on his table, that's his problem!"
Even Chili's more uptight brothers couldn't deny that he had basically given voice to both of their deepest sentiments right then.
"You know," said Cress, "As strange as this sounds, I think Chili is actually making sense."
"Okay, you've got me convinced," said Cilan. "We make the summer pasta salad for Alder."
With that out of the way, only one problem remained to be tackled: dessert. "We make good whoopie pies," said Cilan.
"No, that's too trivial," said Cress. "How about a nice blueberry pie?"
"They'll be expecting that," said Chili, "It'll be more fun to surprise them."
"Maybe we should make one dessert each?" said Cilan.
Just then, they heard a knock on the door. Cress opened the door on Shauntal and Grimsley, once again. "Hey," said Shauntal weakly, as Grimsley licked her neck, "You know... it's getting kind of late, and you'll want an early start tomorrow. Maybe you should get into bed?"
The boys looked at her quizzically.
"Grimsley, make yourself useful and show these boys to the guest dorms in the mens' section."
"Shauntal, I've got seniority on you," said Grimsley with a playful smirk.
"Grimsley, will you... stop... necking me... and take them to their rooms?" Shauntal gasped, shoving him off. "Honestly, some people!"
The boys just looked at one another, and tentatively followed Grimsley up a small flight of stairs to a room with two bunk beds. "You can just sleep in here," he said, "I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do tomorrow." Noting their uncomfortable expressions, he smiled and said: "And don't worry, I won't come after you. I don't swing that way!" He left, closing the door behind him.
At that point, it was pretty close to midnight. The brothers stripped off their clothes, threw on pajamas, and climbed into bed at once, determined to come up with a dessert tomorrow.
Chili felt himself jolting awake in the wee hours of the morning. His Pansear was sitting on top of him. "Oh, Pansear...," he said, "What are you doing here?"
His Pansear whimpered piteously.
"Oh, you want a midnight snack, is that it?" he said.
Pansear nodded.
"Fine, fine," said Chili, who slid down from his top bunk and crept with his Pokemon back down into the kitchen. Out of all the brothers he spoiled his Pokemon just a bit too much- Cilan's and Cress's Pansage and Panpour, respectively, had stopped badgering them for snacks long ago. "So, what do you want to eat?" he asked as he turned on the light and opened the refrigerator. His Pansear grabbed an exotic-looking tropical fruit and began to munch it greedily. Just as Chili was making his way toward the kitchen door, he chanced a peek inside the pantry. One whole shelf was full of nothing but chocolate: chocolate bars, chocolate powder, chocolate syrup; even whole cacao beans. His eyes lit up and his mouth curled into a toothy smile.
The next morning, the boys got up early and prepared for a long day of baking, frying, roasting, grilling, and reducing to get some good food on the table by the night. "So, we still need desserts," said Cilan."
"And have I got the best dessert ever!" said Chili excitedly.
"Lemme guess...," said Cress with a sigh.
"Spicy chocolate volcano cake!" Chili squealed.
"Chili, you remember what happened the last time you tried doing that," said Cress.
"I don't care!" said Chili, "This time, it'll work! It'll be the coolest dessert ever!"
"But Marshal can't even eat it," said Cilan.
"So, make him something else!" said Chili. "But I'm making that cake! If I have to knock you out with a frying pan to get you to let me make that cake, then I will!
There was no sense denying Chili his fun when he was in one of his moods like this. First Cilan caved, and Cress followed not long thereafter, and Chili immediately set about the task of baking chocolate cake and cookies. "Let him have his fun," said Cress, "If it fails, so much the worse for him."
The boys spent all day cooking, turning out dish after mouth-watering dish. In addition to Chili's cake, Cilan and Cress set about the task of making a large fruit salad, with special emphasis on berries. Cress happily garnished the dish with a few sprigs of mint.
Meanwhile, Chili crumbled the chocolate cookies around the cake, and preparing a filling: a rich sauce made with chocolate, vanilla, and chiles. Now came the tricky part: actually getting the volcano to "explode". His last attempt, which had used his Pansear, had been a disaster; fortunately, his Pansear had a better solution, bringing him baking soda and vinegar. "Good boy," said Chili, "But... how do I get it into the volcano...? Hey, Pansear?" he said, "If they're going to have a party, they probably have balloons. Can you find me a long, thin one?"
Chili's Pansear saluted him fondly, and ran off to find a balloon. When he brought one back, Chili used toothpicks to insert the balloon into the center of the hollow cake, with the closed end sticking up in the direction of the volcano's "spout." The open end fit through a small hole in the cake. Chili placed the vinegar with a funnel, and then he poured the chocolate sauce into the volcano.
Seven o'clock arrived faster than any of the boys predicted. Soon it was time to bring out the food. A lavishly-decorated table was set outside on top of the tower where the Elite Four battled. At one end of the table sat Hilda, flanked by Bianca on one side and Cheren and Hilbert on the other. Two Elite Four members sat on each side of the table, and at the other end of the table sat Alder himself.
"Ladies and gentlemen," said Alder, once Chili, Cilan, and Cress were in the room, "First of all, happy holiday! I am so glad that all of you be here, to celebrate this holiday together."
The others at the table applauded.
"And if we could please thank these fine young men," he said, indicating Chili, Cilan, and Cress, "Who helped prepare this amazing meal we're about to eat."
More applause. Chili, Cilan, and Cress glowed with pride.
"Now, Champion Hilda," said Alder, "Care to say a few words?"
Hilda stood up. She was wearing a fine dress, quite unlike the tiny shorts and tank top she normally wore, and looked positively regal as she said: "First of all, thank you so much for having me. It's great to be here with all of you guys, and I couldn't be more honored to spend the holiday with you. I propose a toast," she said, raising her glass. Everyone else copied her. When she was done, she said: "Okay, that's overwith- finally, we can eat!"
First the boys brought out the salad, topped with the raspberry vinaigrette, and the cold soup. Everyone devoured them hungrily and eagerly awaited their next course. So far, so good.
Next the boys brought out everyone's entrees. Cilan and Cress held their breath as they watched these important people tuck into their magnificent dishes, but Chili was fairly relaxed. He was more interested in how his dessert would turn out.
It didn't take long for the complements to come forth. "This is the most exciting pizza I've ever eaten," said Hilda, "The flowers on it look so pretty- I've never eaten fried flowers before. And the onions with the cheese- fantastic!"
"Tell me about it," said Hilbert, whom the brothers had given the same thing, noting the similarities between the two of them.
"These vegetables are great," said Cheren, biting a grilled mushroom off of a skewer covered in vegetables and tofu, "and I love the sauce! What's in it?"
"Oh, some chiles, of course," said Chili, "Plus a little oil, some vinegar... and this strange tropical fruit with a brown rind and yellow center. It has an amazing flavor."
"It sure does!" said Cheren.
"Mmm... peanut butter on noodles," said Bianca, "But... what's this green papery stuff?" she dug out a small dark sheet.
"Oh, that's seaweed," said Cress, "We thought it added texture to the dish."
"Mmm, it's good!" said Bianca. "I didn't know seaweed tasted so good!"
Cress just chuckled to himself.
Chauntal simply couldn't get enough of the mushroom-stuffed pasta put together, Grimsley devoured all twenty of the rice- and vegetable- stuffed tomatoes covered in elastic cheese; and Caitlin was so lost in her tofu and spinach in oil-flour pastry that the other dinner guests were sure they would never get her back. Even Marshal, the one that the boys had been the most worried about, happily wolfed down his crepe, and kept pressuring his Pokemon to take a bite.
Alder was slower with his eating, and the boys felt tension building inside them as he slowly twirled some spaghetti around his fork, placed it into his mouth, and chewed, slowly and methodically, with his mouth closed. When he opened it again, he smiled at them. "This is some of the best food I've ever had," he said, "Please, do tell me why you made it?"
"Oh...," said Cilan, "That's... see... um... that was our... our adopted m-mother's f-favorite food to make for us... in... in the summer, see..." He blushed madly as he spoke.
"Ah, an excellent choice," said Alder, "Cooking from the heart is the best way to cook, by far."
After the main dishes had been finished and cleared away, it was time to bring out the desserts. Cilan and Cress brought out the fruit salad, and everyone helped themselves eagerly. Then Chili returned to the kitchen to grab his cake. It was such a big cake, that he had to enlist the help of his two brothers to get it out. "If this fails," said Cress, "I'm going to kill you."
"Alright, guys!" said Chili excitedly, as his Pansear handed him the funnel and vinegar, "Get a load of my super special awesome spicy volcano chocolate cake!" And with that, he placed the funnel in the hole in the cake and began to pour the vinegar inside. He stoppered the opening with his thumb to prevent the gas from escaping, and as the balloon expanded inside the cake the thick dark sauce spilled out the top.
Once the sauce stopped flowing, everyone at the table applauded, and Chili flashed a huge smile and bowed before he began cutting the cake and distributing it to everyone. Cilan and Cress were in awe. "I... don't believe that actually worked," said Cress as Chili skipped past them.
"See, I told you it would work!" he bragged. "Who's the dumbass now?"
After the meal was over, Chili, Cilan, and Cress sat on the roof eating the remains of their glorious dishes, as they sat with the champions around them watching the fireworks. They had to agree that overall, it had been a really excellent holiday.
After the last firework had gone out, and everyone began to retire to their rooms, the three brothers went in to start cleanup. But before they could get in, Hilda walked up to them and threw her arms around each one in turn. "Thanks so much again," she said, "This was the best meal we've ever had, you guys did such an amazing job!"
Cilan shrunk away, blushing; Chili jumped in the air pumping his fist, shouting; and Cress dipped his head in what he hoped was a docile manner. "Of course, Ma'am," he said.
"I told you," said Hilda, "Call me Hilda!"
The boys spent all night cleaning. But they were used to that kind of thing; they cleaned up after themselves back in Striaton as well. When they returned home, they found to their relief that the Striaton party had been a great success- not as good as when they hosted, of course, but nobody had complained. "Let's never get put through that again," said Cilan.
"Agreed," said both Chili and Cress. And the three of them went home to bed.