In no time at all, the trio boarded the bus. In two trips they'd dropped Bonnie off with her and Clemont's father and in the second, the gym leaders stepped off to their hotel. It wasn't the ritz, but the convention wasn't until tomorrow anyway and the air was pretty chilly. It would be nice to go inside.
"Don't worry about the room, Cilan. I have it covered and you can pay me back when you can. Though if I'm honest, I don't think I'd be too bothered if you couldn't."
"Oh, I didn't take you for a gentleman. An interesting addition to an already robust flavor!" Cilan replies genuinely as the two receive their key and find their room.
"Hm. It's a little shabby, don't you think?" Cilan comments as he opens the door.
The carpet was worn and the curtains faded. It definitely wasn't pretty but the bed was double-wide and looked promisingly bug free. Unfortunately, the room was hardly any warmer than outside.
At the connoisseur's reaction Clemont starts to feel self-conscious about his decision, saying defensively, "I didn't want to pick an expensive one. It would be unfair to invite you and then have you split a big cost," he shrugs, seriously hoping he hadn't messed things up so soon. To his immediate relief, the other smiles.
"That's kind of you." Cilan changes his tone, not finding it very difficult to pick up on Clemont's uneasiness. His own focus soon shifted however, the flight having been longer than he'd anticipated. Checking the clock on the wall he reads the time. "5:42, huh? Say, how do you feel about dinner? My treat!"
"Dinner? Well yeah, if you're hungry we can go to a restaurant but I wouldn't feel right to let you pay for it."
"No no no, I mean I'll make us dinner! Lucky for you, I brought my cookware." Cilan beams, tossing his bags on the bed and unloading an array of neatly stored, freshly polished bunch of pots, pans, and dishes. "How have your inventions been, by the way? Zesty and-" he chokes back a laugh, "explosive, I assume?"
It was Clemont's turn to be embarrassed, tilting his head down as his cheeks flush red. The light from the window casts a glare on his glasses. "H-hey! I think they're doing very well! And not everything explodes, thank you. My Aipom Arm and Clemontic Showers still work. On the subject of inventions, I was thinking about how you're a Pokemon Connoisseur so I whipped up blueprints for something to help you!" He dove into his backpack, extracting a rolled up piece of paper and handing it to Cilan who was setting up his things.
"Oh-" he halts his task and opens the paper, looking at it for a moment before handing it back. "It's a nice idea but it's not as rich if I don't do it myself. I can show you what I mean after dinner. You did ask me over to see about you and Luxray's bond after all!" he smiles at him pleasantly, hoping he hadn't hurt his feelings too much.
Clemont took back the blueprints, stuffing them into his backpack, not quite able to shake away the thought of how Cilan could be so charming, even when he was turning down his ideas.
"Yeah… Alright." He sets his pack by the foot of the bed and stops to take in the sight that was Cilan's pristine collection of silverware. "Do you take these with you everywhere?"
"I do! After traveling for so long with two very good friends of mine I ended up becoming quite skilled in packing things away in a small space." he boasts pridefully, standing a bit straighter now as he set up a pot on the portable burner.
"Impressive! Circumstances'll do that to you. So... Can I help you with anything?" Clemont looks at the setup with minor guilt, not wanting the feeling to develop farther.
"You sure can! I'd really appreciate it. As great as my travel buddies were, it was mostly eating and less helping, minus Iris sometimes. They did attempt to cook for me once, but they burned most of it." Cilan chuckles, seemingly more amused than bothered.
He liked to cook, but the gesture of help never failed to warm his heart. Especially since he assumed Clemont only really knew how to prepare convenience food given his little sister was hanging on his arm most of the time. It was just an assumption however, he was soon to be proven blissfully wrong.
"Fetch me the seasonings out of my bag, if you would be so kind," he instructs the shorter male.
"Wh- Your bag? I thought you emptied it already."
Cilan chuckles, thoroughly amused at the blond's ignorance. "In the pocket. The one on the left." His tone was patient and kind.
"Oh! I see it now. Here-" Clemont hands him the seasonings, seeing everything from oregano to cloves. The young man soon found himself very surprised by just how many seasonings where actually there. How could so many fit into one pocket? "How do you even," he began to question.
Cilan was quick to answer before he'd even finished his sentence. "A lot of practice and a fiery passion to succeed! Sometimes the dish is better served hot." Again, he almost seems to swell with pride.
"Speaking of dishes, what are you planning to make anyway?"
"You'll see as we prepare it- Surprise is another great ingredient!"
So the two teamed up to throw together, in Cilan's opinion, the perfect dinner. The water was boiling in the pot nestled securely on a portable, electric burner. The elbow noodles inside were turning softer and softer by the minute. On a separate burner, the gooey start of a well-seasoned cheese sauce let loose it's enticing aroma, causing both of their bellies to call out in a grumbling protest.
"I did say it was a long flight." Cilan mentions bashfully.
Finally, after what felt like forever, a generous helping of homemade mac and cheese was being served into pretty bowls. The dish was hot and fresh, something that would be greatly appreciated given the chilliness of the room.
"This should do it! There's nothing like the basics- with a twist…! Of lemon that is." And with a few final touches, the dish was garnished and laid out on the small end table by the bed.
"Oh, wow- I can't wait to eat! This looks amazing. You're from the Striaton Gym, right? I'm sure your brothers all really appreciate it too."
Clemont takes a bowl into his hands, Cilan realizing in the nick of time that the inventor didn't have any silverware, shoving a fork in it for him in what he hoped was considered helpful.
"There you are! And not really. We all cook. We even run a restaurant together when we don't have any challengers. As have our battling styles, our cooking styles developed with time as well!" He sits down on the bed next to Clemont to further enjoy the meal and the conversation.
"I think I'd like to visit there sometime," Clemont pondered sincerely. "Maybe we could even have a battle!" The shorter of the pair stuffed a large forkful into his mouth, quickly becoming preoccupied by its amazing flavor. "What I wouldn't give to have you cook for me every day! I don't think even science could emulate your skill-" he quickly started wolfing it down, too absorbed with its delectability to remember his manners, talking shamelessly with his mouth full. "This is so much nicer than what I can cook and I do cook quite a lot! Well… I used to-"
Cilan flushed a bit, having missed the flattery from his travels. It was nice to feel appreciated, even if that did mean sacrificing manners. "Cooking is already science, Clemont. Of course you can't emulate it with a machine. Oh! And before I forget... I made something for our pokemon too!" he gestures to the little food dishes he'd set up beforehand at the foot of the bed, taking time to release his beloved companions from their pokeballs to join in their meal.
"That's so nice of you! Awh- My pokemon will probably end up liking you more than me if you keep this up." Clemont joked before releasing his too. His cooking couldn't amount to Cilan's. Or at least, he thought it couldn't.
In a flash, the pokemon the two had on hand were released. Under Cilan's care; Stunfisk, Crustle, and Pansage. In Clemont's; Luxray, Bunnelby, and Chespin.
"So that's Luxray!" Cilan remarks. "They look very healthy and strong. You must take very good care of them."
Luxray turns his attention to the stranger, not sure if he liked the green-haired connoisseur. The big cat only yawns before investigating the area, quickly locating the food and claiming a dish for himself.
"Sorry if he's not overly affectionate. It's nothing against you. He does the same thing to me sometimes." The inventor played with his hair now, having just finished his dinner.
"Why would you apologize for something like that, Clemont? It's important for a pokemon to have their own personality! Friendly doesn't always mean compatible," he assured the other, patting his back.
On the floor of the room Chespin had already devoured his food, searching around for more. It seemed as though their gut was never quite as full as it could be. Chespin was surprised by the new pokemon in the room as well as the new setting but it wasn't something they'd never seen before. He did recognize Pansage at least so that would be his target. In one bold motion he shimmies over to Pansage's food dish and swipes a few pellets, shoving them into his cheeks. It wasn't even two seconds before they earned a well deserved clobber to their brain-case.
Clemont jumpes up in alarm at the commotion. "Chespin! C'mon- We talked about this. It's not nice to steal food. Especially from pokemon you hardly know!"
The small, green-quilled pokemon seemed to droop a bit at the scolding but otherwise wasn't all that bothered. They were more concerned with landing a few blows on Pansage, but Clemont did have a point. This was basically a stranger's pokemon so it was probably best not to test the waters. Slumping down with a sigh they lay on the floor in defeat.
Pansage was quick to notice the other's submission, feeling a bit bad for smacking them now. Getting up, they move to Cilan's bag, grabbing a little cylindrical container and handing it to Chespin. To their immediate relief, the other popped off the cap and jumped excitedly, quickly beginning to eat the extra food inside.
Luxray watches from a distance, eating quietly with Bunnelby leaning against their side. This certainly was a curious situation. Since when did Chespin hit it off so quickly with another pokemon? Especially after having just been clobbered. Bunnelby seemed to be contemplating the same thing, their thoughts only voiced now by their trainer's surprise.
"Wow, That's new. Usually Chespin's really bad about fights. I can hardly believe they're behaving!" Clemont exclaimes, pleasantly surprised.
"Perhaps it's just the toughnes of your Chespin combining with my Pansage's savory nature. They do make a lovely combination." Cilan pointed out.
"Huh- Maybe they do," the inventor ponders thoughtfully.