Chapter 11: No Need for a Full Course
Ash began to breathe heavily outside with Tenchi. They were training with Katsuhito supervising with wooden swords. The two training were bruised up with welts over their arms and torso. "That will be enough," Katsuhito halted. Ash and Tenchi sighed as they dropped their swords.
"You've gotten better!" huffed Tenchi. "Could you tell me how you're able to use counter attacks on me like that?" Ash smiled and nodded.
"Ash's reaction speed is rather impressive," Katsuhito regarded. "He must have picked up how your move and made his counterattack."
"But how?" asked Tenchi. "Did he predict my move?" Katsuhito shook his head.
"It may have been purely accidental," he believed.
"Yeah, I actually slipped on the dirt and got lucky," Ash admitted as Kiyone emerged from behind.
"You could've fooled all of us," she mulled. "Not many could claim of slippage and be able to make contact." Ash shrugged his shoulders.
"What do you want from me, a trainer's guide in battling off-balance?" he joked. "I haven't started the first page." Kiyone scoffed as she shrugged her own shoulders.
"I'm just saying," she sighed. Sasami, Pikachu and Ryo-Ohki soon arrived.
"Hey, we need your help!" the young princess pleaded. "Nobuyuki needs the groceries stored for tonight!" Ash smiled to the news.
"He got the soy sauce," he smiled. Tenchi and Kiyone looked to each other, confused.
"Why would he be happy about soy sauce?" she wondered. Tenchi crossed his arms while smiling.
"Sasami probably has influenced Ash in the culinary arts," he believed. By the house, everyone helped put groceries away. Ryo-Ohki in her little girl form fed Pikachu, Cyndaquil and Totodile with bowls of Pokémon Food.
"Good girl, Ryo-Ohki!" played Ryoko. "Who's a big girl!?" Ryo-Ohki mewed happily to the compliment. Ash came to the kitchen with a book. There was a bottle of soy sauce available as Mihoshi came into the kitchen to find him reading a book.
"Good thing the bookmark came in handy," Ash smiled as he saw what was in it. "Mirin, sugar and… sake?" Mihoshi snapped her fingers.
"I know where it is!" she voiced before turning finding her target. "Hey, Washu! Don't you have some sake stored in your lab!?"
"Yeah, I was gonna bring it out tonight and discuss about the festival coming up soon!" confirmed Washu. "Let me get it out!"
"Okay!" allowed Mihoshi before turning to Ash. "Now, you're not going to sip some... right? I don't want kids ingesting alcohol."
"No, it's for the sauce I'm gonna make," Ash grinned. Ayeka heard Ash and awed what he wanted to make.
"It sounds like you're going to make Teriyaki sauce," she guessed.
"I am," Ash nodded. "Some of Tenchi's friends suggested it to me and even brought up some extra ingredients like cornstarch and honey."
"Giving it a bit of a westernized flavoring?" believed Nobuyuki as he overheard Ash. "Don't make it too sweet. Otherwise, it'll come off as molasses than Teriyaki." Ayeka had a deadpan look while Mihoshi thought about the comparison.
"Molasses?" she repeated. "Is that what you get with sake?"
"It's not, but I get what Nobuyuki means," Ayeka mulled. Finding a measuring cup and heating a pot, Ash started inserting the sugar into the pot as Sasami entered.
"Homemade?" she believed.
"Yeah," Ash confirmed. He added the sake, then the mirin and finally the soy sauce. He put the pot onto the stove for it to heat.
"I can take care of the chicken." The offer made Ash happy.
"Sure, thanks!" The allowing had Sasami gather the raw fillets of chicken by pulling them out of the packages. She had some cornflower and oil, but she began to cut the fillets. Ash stirred the mixture before Sasami took a whiff, nearly doubling over from the fume. "Something wrong?" Sasami nodded.
"It's Washu's sake, right? I heard it's super strong." That's when she saw the cornstarch. "Add the cornstarch, it should dilute the alcohol more." The advice had Ash take a whiff.
"Good point. That smell is pretty potent." He heated the pot to boil the sake. Sasami pulled out a small brush and dusted cornflower on the pieces. Ash removed the pot before Sasami placed a pan on there. Her pan heated quickly as Ash stirred the sauce. "Okay, it's not so potent."
"Yeah, I can smell. When you're done with that, I'll take it and you can work on the fried rice."
"You got it!" Watching Ash pour the mixture into an empty bottle, Ryoko and Ayeka observed how close he and Sasami became.
"I'm more in belief to allowing Ash to take Sasami away," Ayeka smiled.
"I know what you mean," Ryoko agreed. "But who will feed me if Sasami leaves?"
"Tenchi has learned to cook, along with Nobuyuki."
"I forgot. How else would Tenchi learn than from you?" Ash stored the rice into the cooker as Sasami put the pieces of chicken on the pan. She sloshed the mixture into the pan and the chicken, the pieces exiting and reentering the pan. After checking the rice, Ash pulled out and started chopping some broccoli, carrots, bok choy, mushrooms, garlic and chili. Ryo-Ohki leaped onto the counter and watched the carrots chopped, wanting some as she was back in her Cabbit Form. She mewed while seeing Ash cutting them with a butcher's knife.
"Wait until I give you the extras for it," he advised. Ryo-Ohki whined as Kiyone picked her up.
"Let's leave them in finishing dinner, okay?" she urged patience. Ryo-Ohki continued to whine. After cutting the vegetables, Ash oiled up a new pan.
"I should be done with the teriyaki chicken real soon," Sasami warned.
"Alright, the veggies are ready to stir-fry," Ash smiled. Sasami removed her pan before Ash placed his new one on there. After a minute to get the oil running, Ash tossed the vegetables in before pouring a new concoction. He stirred and sloshed the vegetables like Sasami as she divided the teriyaki chicken to each plate.
"Careful!"
"I got it!" As Ash finished the stir-fry, Sasami checked the rice. She saw some of the vegetables that Ash didn't use.
"Do you need these?"
"No, but you're free to use them."
"Thanks, and I know what I have in mind." An idea from Sasami made Ash become anxious. An hour after the two started, everyone was served. "Okay, everyone! Teriyaki chicken, vegetable stir-fry and veggie fried rice!" Everyone awed what the youngest ones made.
"Ash, Sasami… you two have outdone yourselves!" awed Mihoshi. Any leftover carrots were given to Ryo-Ohki which she happily mewed to. Pikachu graciously ate the stir-fry and fried rice.
"Ash, I hate to say it," Washu smiled. "But there's no way I would've done such a meal, let alone a good one! If I was your mother, I would've been needing a lot practice and you would've starved."
"Oh, come on, Washu!" irked Ash.
"Though, I believe the one who needs the most praise is Sasami," Tenchi pointed out. "After all, Ash wouldn't have been able to learn without her help." Ash nodded in confirmation.
"After telling that one story of when Brock was sick," he remembered. "I guess coming here helped for the future if Brock gets sick again." He turned to Sasami. "It's because of you that when I do return to my journeys, I know I can survive with the skills from here… so, thank you Sasami." The praise made Sasami leap onto Ash with a hug.
"You don't know how happy you're making me!" she laughed. Everyone had a giggle to the sight while Ash's blush was bright, hugged by someone he admired. As they ate, Nobuyuki recalled something.
"You know, next month is the festival," he mentioned. "I remembered that Tenchi took Sasami there and had a great time. Maybe you can do the same."
"Hey, I'm always wanting a little fun," Ash chuckled. "By the way, Washu… What did you use for your brew of sake?"
"Well, I had a process that speeds fermentation of rice," Washu briefed. "Of course, I had different methods of removing the bran from the rice and added a few more, uh, components to it."
"Yeah, you could've told me!" snapped Ryoko. "I got drunk after having one sip, and I had to deal with the ridicule from it!" Ash made a shy giggle.
"Yeah, I'm not touching alcohol anytime soon," he admitted.
"You are not of age to consume alcohol at this moment," Katsuhito muttered.
"Even if do reach that age, I'm not drinking it," Ash refused.
"No one's forcing you to," Ayeka eased. "And it is better that you refrain if you want to keep up with your training."
"Besides, you need to be more mature than right now," Ryoko suggested.
"What, to drink?" questioned Ash.
"No, to think about what you need to do about your future," Ryoko corrected. "After all, you still have years and miles to accomplish what you want to do, right?" Ash smiled and nodded. "So, don't go rushing into the fray so quickly. Take your time and sort it out." Ash sighed in relief, knowing that the people in the household were behind him.
"Thanks, Ryoko," he praised. Sasami watched in awe, her heart beating excitedly to what she watched.
'All of this time, I wondered why everyone was helping Ash out,' she minded. 'I had been wondering why myself about Ash, and why my heart keeps beating around. Not only do I want Tsunami to meet him, I want to tell my feelings… I just know he's the one, not Tenchi. I don't know you, Misty… but I'm sorry if I'm taking Ash away from you.' After the dinner, Nobuyuki cleared his throat.
"Ash, I believe it's time for dessert," he pointed out. Ash nodded and stood to go to the kitchen.
("What's for dessert?") wondered Pikachu. A minute later, Ash came back with a cake that had frosting in shapes of carrots.
"A carrot cake!?" gasped Mihoshi.
"Oh, we're getting some special treatment tonight," Kiyone laughed. Ryo-Ohki's eyes glistened, meowing with excited desiring. Everyone got a slice of carrot cake. Ryo-Ohki looked at it with confusion.
"What's wrong, Ryo-Ohki?" wondered Washu. Ryo-Ohki mewed somberly. "Oh, you thought that there were pieces of carrot in the carrot cake, right?" The cabbit nodded. "Hey, try it once. You might like it." Swallowing her hope, Ryo-Ohki nibbled on the cake. It suddenly enjoyed the taste before eating the rest of her slice.
"Finally, something Ryo-Ohki likes other than carrots," Sasami teased.
("Sure looks like it,") Cyndaquil agreed. After dessert, Ash started collecting the dishes as evening fell. He got them to the sink when…
"Ash?" voiced Sasami. Ash turned to Sasami approaching.
"Sasami, what is it?" he wondered. Ryoko and Ayeka heard Ash and start to come by to see the ordeal. Sasami wanted to come clean about her feelings for Ash. How would Ash react?
TO BE CONTINUED...