I'm trying to write the next chapter but I've only got like 10-20% of it done and I can't get into the groove. Even today I tried to write some but instead ended up deciding to write this short tale. It's a weird place to put it in but even more so than the previous side stories, there is absolutely no need for you to read it if you just want to enjoy the main story. Let's just hope that this small detour will help me get into the right mood to continue writing the next chapter.
Pokemon Tales: Red Side Story 6: A Friend.
Somewhere on the outskirts of Vermilion City, a small restaurant was recently opened. Quickly, a tale started spreading, one about a famous chef who supposedly got bored of his previous job at a high-end restaurant and wanted to relax by opening a place that anyone could enjoy. Unless someone lived in that neighborhood, it wasn't too easy to find that place but many were determined to confirm whether the story was true. One of the people searching for it was a young man who hoped that finding the place and giving the location to a big newspaper would earn him a job. It took him some time, especially since people he tried to ask about the restaurant didn't feel like they could trust him. When one of them tried to warn the chef about the suspicious man, he reminded the person that anyone was allowed to eat there. He hid the fact that he was curious as to what that mysterious man wanted from him. Unless he would try to use Pokemon, the chef was confident that he could deal with him if he tried do something bad.
. . .
The aspiring journalist was a little suspicious after attaining the information from someone who previously refused to give it to him but he didn't want to look like he was scared by it so he visited the place the next day, after dressing himself way too fancy, hoping that it would make him seem more serious in the eyes of the chef. When he arrived at the location, he thought to himself that he was probably being played with. The lone, two-storied building looked like it had a restaurant at the ground floor but from the outside it didn't look like anything he would expect from a famous chef.
He opened the door carefully and was almost immediately blown away. The place was small so the heat coming from the kitchen was fairly intense, especially since the temperature outside was below freezing, but what was more important was the wave of what seemed like a thousand different aromas. As he entered the building and made his way towards the register, he glanced at what the people were eating and was amazed by the fact that each dish looked like it came from a completely different culture. It must have been the combination of the chef's cooking abilities as well as connections that would allow him to keep the restaurant stocked in order to provide such a varied menu. There was also the possibility that he was changing it from time to time so he didn't have anything that he wouldn't need but somehow that seemed even crazier.
"So? What will you have?" the man was so occupied with the food that he didn't notice that he walked through the entire room and a tanned man with a ponytail, standing next to the cash register.
"Um... I'm not sure... Is your menu..."
"You like seafood?"
"Uh... Yes? I mean... I don't mind it..."
"That's great. No one ordered any today and I was hoping that I would get a chance to cook some up today."
"Wait! You're the chef?"
The tanned man stared at him with a confused expressions "I'm not the only chef. Did you think that this place was ran by one person? There's 5 other people currently working hard in the back."
The other man didn't know how to follow-up since the way he formed his initial question didn't help him in learning what he wanted to learn. He panicked a little and glanced around. Since he was so focused on the food, he didn't pay attention to how this place was decorated. What drew his attention this time was a fairly big photo on the wall near the entrance to the kitchen. It was the man he was just talking to and next to him was a teenage boy. Judging by the chef's appearance it couldn't have been taken too long ago. The good thing was that it was a confirmation that this was the person he hoped to meet, but he still didn't know how to proceed further without seeming too rude about wanting to get a scoop.
"Who is that boy in the photo?" he asked the first question that came to his mind just so that he wouldn't be standing there in an awkward silence, but after repeating it again in his mind he actually found himself a little curious about it.
The chef looked too young to have a son this age and the age gap was too big for them to be romantically involved.
"Oh. He's a friend. I'm surprised you haven't heard about him. Are you not from Vermilion?"
"What? No, no. I just moved here a month ago."
"Ah. That makes sense then. He's a bit of a celebrity to the people of this city but with news coming and going so fast, he's bound to be forgotten sometime in the future... Isn't that right Mr... journalist?"
"W-what?"
"Was I right? Because that was just a guess."
"I'm... I'm not a journalist. I hope to become one."
"It's probably not the story you were hoping for but I can tell you about this boy while you wait for your food."
"I... Alright. So the picture is..."
"I'll never forget him and he's not dead as far as I know so it's probably a weird idea but I'm hoping to keep his memory alive... Does that make sense?"
"I can't be sure unless I hear the story..." he said before taking out a notepad and a pen "Do you mind?"
"No. Go ahead. People probably won't care but if I found someone like you who is interested then maybe you'll also be able to pass this on?"
"I certainly will try."
"That's great. So, this story starts on a ship... Damn it. That reminded me that I haven't told the boys to prepare your meal. Wait a minute!" the chef yelled before disappearing behind the kitchen doors.
The man, left alone, looked at the picture once again.
He focused his eyes on what the boy was wearing and tilted his head as a sign of confusion while asking himself "Are those hospital robes?"
Kinda weird how I can write Pokemon stories without any Pokemon in them. I could probably have given this guy like a sidekick Lickitung or something but oh well.
