The Kofu Lounge was just as busy as they would've expected, the waiting area was filled with people waiting patiently for an available table and there were a few others ahead of them in line to the host stand. Juliana peered into what little she could see of the dining area, "Kofu should be here today. It is a really busy time after all! I hope you get to meet him today."

Arven agreed, "I hope so too, wow, it is really packed here today. I betcha he's got his hands quite full! When you said he was an amazing cook, now I know you weren't kidding!"

Juliana nodded, "See? Haha! Well, he might not be able to come out of the kitchen if they're this busy. But that's okay, we can always meet him another time! Perhaps at his gym?"

"That's always an option. But I'm hungry now, so let's focus on having lunch!"

Juliana giggled, "Okay, Arven!"

Once they were next in line, they were greeted by the polite, soft-spoken host, "Hello there, welcome to the Kofu Lounge. For two today?"

When Juliana answered the affirmative, the host put their names on the waitlist and politely asked them to have a seat in the waiting area until her name was called. She thanked him and the couple went to sit as requested.

Arven glanced around their surroundings, "Wow, this place is really something."

Juliana leaned on his shoulder, "It's a wonderful restaurant."

Looking around, it was everything that the reviews always glowed about. The lights were slightly dim, but not too dark. The music was soft and slow, and the cleanliness was immaculate. Juliana had a sense that Arven was a little worried and she knew why.

"Don't worry, I got some extra pocket change. I'll pay the bill." She whispered.

Arven exhaled deeply but responded, "Ah cutie, you don't have to do that. I can pay for half."

"No, it's okay. I got it." She assured.

"I'm paying for half, end of story."

Juliana felt a little extra giddy, so she replied, "Arvie…"

Arven froze for second before stuttering, "A-A…Arvie…?" his face deeply blushed. Juliana laughed quietly and put an arm around him.

"Juliana?" They heard the host call. Juliana eagerly hopped to her feet, "I'm here!"

"Your table is now available, please follow me."

The young couple followed the host through the elegant dining room. Juliana couldn't help but notice that some people were looking at them. She even heard the voice of one older lady whisper, "Oh look, students."

The host sat them at a smaller table that was right in the center of the room. The table was covered by an impeccably clean white cloth with a tiny sea glass table lamp.

The host presented the two with menus, "Please wait, the server will be with you momentarily." He bid before walking away.

Juliana glanced over the menu, the prices weren't as high as she thought they would be. But they were still sizeable. Nonetheless, her eyes focused on the House Special Hot Pot. It was the signature dish of the restaurant, the crown jewel of the establishment. Juliana glanced around and noticed many people enjoying the dish.

"Hello sir and miss! May I get you both started on drinks today?" A voice startled Juliana, her eyes jerked up from the menu and noticed the server smiling patiently.

"I apologize!" He expressed, "I did not intend to frighten you miss. I'll be more careful in the future."

Juliana replied quickly, "Oh, it's okay! I was just so absorbed in this menu! Haha…"

The server chuckled, "Hahaha, I understand it is easy to be overwhelmed by all the delicious choices! May I start you two with a beverage?"

Juliana thought about it, then decided, "I'll have the Oolong Tea."

"Great choice!" He turned to Arven, "And how about you good sir?"

Arven nodded, "I'll take the same."

"Two Oolong Teas! Excellent choice, I'll get those right away!" The server stated before quickly flouncing away.

Arven chuckled, "Ha, he certainly loves his work! Well, the staff is nice and friendly, and the atmosphere is great."

Juliana smiled, "It's beautiful here. It's just as how I imagined it! I wonder how the tea is going to taste."

"I bet it'll be the best tea we've ever tasted." Arven predicted.

At that moment, the server came back with the teas. He placed them in front of the couple, "Here are your teas sir and miss! Did you two require a few more minutes or are you ready to order?"

Juliana looked at Arven, "I know what I'm getting, how about you Arven?"

Arven made a pondering face, "What are you getting?"

"I'm gonna get the House Special Hot Pot." Juliana answered.

Arven nodded, "I'll get the same."

The server wrote down in his notepad and replied, "So you will be ordering Two House Special Hot Pots today?"

"That's right!" Juliana confirmed.

"Excellent choice! I'll put in your orders right away! Please wait while we prepare them for you!" The server hurried away.

When Arven sipped his tea, he set the glass down with his eyes closed. Juliana watched him nervously, "What's he thinking?"

She asked, "What's it taste like?"

Arven opened his eyes with a smile, "I was right! This is the best tea I've ever had!"

Juliana beamed, "Really?" She immediately grabbed hers and took a big sip. She was hit with a refreshing bitter taste and a full-bodied aroma. Her eyes widened, "Wow, you're right! It smells so good too it's like I can taste it in my nose too!"

Arven laughed at that, "Hahaha! Well, our sense of smell does impact a lot of what we taste!"

"Really? That… doesn't surprise me at all. So, if we didn't have smell would everything be bland?"

"Not quite, but without smell there wouldn't be so much variety in taste."

Juliana smiled knowingly, "I bet you'll be relying on that a lot when you become a chef, right?"

Arven nodded, "Of course I'll be! The taste will be the best part after all."

As good timing would have it, the sever appeared again with their House Special Hot Pots. Steam emerged from the bowls as they were placed down. After thanking the server, Juliana eagerly took up a fork and placed the first bite in her mouth. The exceedingly rich flavor overtook her, and her eyes lit up in pleasant surprise. Without her directly acknowledging it, all traces of the earlier bad sandwich were now erased from her mind.

"This hot pot is amazing!" Arven enthused, "I can see now why this is so popular!"

Juliana agreed happily, "This is the first time I'm tasting this, and I'm absolutely blown away! I heard that the ingredients are an in-house secret."

"Heh, that doesn't surprise me. That's the best way to keep people coming back for more! I'll be taking that as inspiration!"

"I think you'll be good at that… hehe… Arvie!" She grinned with a growing blush. Arven reddened as well, "Juliana! Oh, you… you come up with the silliest things…"

"Sorry, it couldn't be avoided! Tehe…"

He grinned, "Yeah, just like my love for you." He reached over with a finger to lightly bop her on the nose, making her smile bigger.

Once they finished their hot pots, the server came and cleared the table. After a bit of deliberation between the young couple, Juliana finally agreed to let him share the check. Once they awkwardly made their payments, they headed out of the restaurant. When they stepped into the bright sun, Arven asked, "So what should we do now?"

Juliana explained, "I'm meeting with Penny at 4pm today, at the go-for-broke grill."

"Oh, that sounds great! When you see her, tell her I said 'hey'. And also, Juliana?"

She looked at him, "Yes?"

He looked at her tenderly, "Tell her I said thanks. About… you know, that." Juliana replied with an understanding smile, "Okay Arven, I will."

"Vaultin' Veluza! I knew that was you, Juliana!"

The jovial Gym Leader and chef, Kofu approached the teens quickly, catching them both off-guard.

"Kofu! Oh my gosh, I can't believe we ran into you like this!" Juliana exclaimed. Arven looked at Kofu wide-eyed, not sure how to respond.

"Gahaha! I was just stepping outside fer a quick breather when I noticed ya! I'm so glad ya decided to visit my restaurant today! So, a little fishy told me ya ordered the hot pot special? How'd you like it?" He looked at her expectantly.

Juliana nodded, "Oh it was the best sir. That reminds me, my boyfriend here wants to become a chef too! I really am so glad we met like this!"

Kofu grinned wide, "Ah, so that's who this young man is eh? Nice to meet ya! So, you want to become a chef, eh?"

Arven felt a little heat flush to his face from anxiety, "Uh, y-yeah. I do."

"Gahaha! No need to be so nervous, young man! Being a chef is an amazin' profession that brings cheer to others! Nothing brings people together like good food! It's a fine way to make great memories as well!"

Juliana squeezed Arven's hand and spoke up, "I was scared we wouldn't catch you today, you seem to have a lot going on in your life."

"Ah, don't worry yer little head, Juliana! Even if I can't make it, ya know yer always welcome at the gym! And my restaurant of course!" Kofu assured, he then focused his attention on Arven, "Now then, what is yer name, young man?"

Arven managed to say, "It's Arven…sir."

"Arven, why does that sound familiar?" Kofu pondered before brushing it off, "Ah, well. Nice to meet ya Arven! I'm Kofu, I'm a chef! And I'm also the gym leader! You need cookin' advice, I'll be more than glad to help! If yer lookin' to battle me, just be warned I won't go easy on ya!"

Arven chuckled nervously, "Oh, I'm not much of a battler… I was just hoping for some guidance."

"In that case, I'm happy to help!" Kofu agreed enthusiastically, "Just lookin' at ya, I can tell you got some amazing potential!

Juliana added, "He's a great cook mister Kofu, he's like a magician when it comes to making sandwiches!"

"Juliana…" Arven muttered, embarrassed.

Kofu laughed, "Gahaha! Well, if Juliana says yer a great catch, then I'll believe it too! I'll be more than happy to provide my assistance!"

Juliana put her arm around Arven and gave him an encouraging smile, Arven appeared to have a mixture of both excitement and fear.

"All righty. It's about time I headed on back and get to preppin' for the next wave. Arven, it was nice meetin' ya. You come see me again, ya hear?"

Arven nodded, "I will, sir."

Kofu looked at Juliana, "Juliana? As I said before, yer always welcome."

The couple waved bye to Kofu as he turned to walk back into the restaurant. After hesitating for a moment, Arven spoke, "Wow, what a guy huh?"

Juliana smiled, "He's cool right?"

"He is. I'd love to meet with him again soon."

"He might ask you to make a sandwich for him." She winked.

"Oh, that would be great!" Arven grinned, "Although the thought does kind of shake me up a bit, heh… If he does, I hope he likes it."

"No worries, he's so great! I know he'll have great advice to give you!"

Arven nodded, "Thanks Juliana, I know I can always count on you to be supportive."

"You'll be a great chef, Arven."

"I know I will! I'll be just as famous as my mom too… just you watch! Anyway, let's head back to the academy. I gotta study for this test… ugh…"

Juliana chuckled, "Okay, Arven."

The two called a flying taxi to return to the academy. Once they got back, the couple exchanged a hug before Arven left to hit the books. Juliana took the opportunity to return to her dorm room for a breather. Once she entered her room and closed the door behind her, she took a deep, thoughtful breath and slowly sank to the floor. After a few minutes of gathering her thoughts, she removed her shoes and went to sit on her bed. Thinking it was too quiet, she used her rotom phone to tune into a radio station called Adventure Variety.

The DJ's voice rang through her phone, "Thanks again for tuning into Adventure Variety, our next request has us throwin' it way back to the days of the N64 and graphic tees!"

Juliana looked at her phone inquisitively, "N64…? I think my dad mentioned something like that once…"

The song began playing with a steady piano rhythm, with some techno notes. Then a female singer entered,

"How the universe began
What the future holds
Why do fools fall in love
What happens to our souls"

Juliana began to sway slowly to the song, "Oh this sounds like a cute song. I've never heard it before but I already like it." She turned the volume up slightly to the chorus,

"To know the unknown,
(It doesn't mean that much to me)
To know the unknown
(Some secrets are just meant to be)
I don't want all the answers
'Cause one thing is true
As long as my heart beats
I'll always love you
So I don't need to know
The unknown"

Juliana leaned back on her bed, "Okay, how does the radio always know how I'm feeling and play the perfect song?" She peered toward the window showing a partly cloudy sky, "It's like they're spying on me…tehe!"

She got up and slowly twirled around to the beat of the song.

Is there life on other planets
Why there's magic in a kiss
What dreams really mean
Who hears us when we wish
Everybody's wondering
Tryin' to understand
But all the revelations
Are castles in the sand

She fell backwards on her bed as the song reached the chorus again. She talked to herself, "I really like this one! I'll have to telepathically thank whoever requested it!" Juliana got to her feet again and continued to dance to the song, swaying her arms in the process. She was happy in her own little world.

Author's Note: Haha, hello everyone! Yes, I know this chapter is short. I've been away for a bit too. It will get better I swear haha. Hope you all enjoyed anyway.

See you next time!