The three-leveled city of Cascarrafa overlooked the Asado Desert like a regal cliff. The sleek city walls and pearly-white architecture somehow always looked so clean and pristine, even when sand from the desert blew in.
Despite being a landlocked town touching a vast desert, residents and visitors here say that Cascarrafa still carries all the vibes of a marine city. Probably down to all the water fixtures and the fumes coming in from all the delicious seafood restaurants.
For what seemed like a compromise on Kofu's part, the Jumbo Flying Taxi let out its passengers on the lowest level of Cascarrafa, at the edge of town bordering Asado Desert.
"Ahhh, feel that fresh Cascarrafa air!" Kofu boasted, stepping out of the cab.
Larry stepped out and was immediately greeted by a strong gust blowing in from the desert pushing sand into his face.
"Agh."
What kind of people want to live in a city this close to a desert that's constantly blowing sand in their eyes?
Katy giggled to herself. She could feel the sand too, but just casually covered her face with her hand.
They had to take an elevator up to the center level of the city, where Katy was immediately drawn to the sight of Cascarrafa's lively town square, with a sparkling fountain at its center.
"Wow," she marveled. "This city just seems to look more and more gorgeous every time I come here. I don't think I'll ever get used to it."
"Yeah," Larry agreed, himself having not been here in a while. He observed all the children playing and adults strolling about between the shopping districts. "It's a very nice atmosphere here."
Those residents, however, soon had all their attention diverted.
The three Gym Leaders quickly began to form a crowd around them. Citizens of Cascarrafa all ran up to Kofu, exclaiming and pitching all sorts of things to him.
"Old man Kofu! Play with us!"
"Our restaurant's got new recipes Kofu, we'd love for you to judge them!"
"Three Gym Leaders!? Is there going to be an exhibition here, Kofu?"
"Miss Katy! Long time no see! How are things at your bakery?"
"Mr. Kofu, sir! I just finished this beautiful painting of a lighthouse at sea, and I'd be so honored to have you hang it up in your restaurant!"
Kofu handled the barrage of requests with grace.
"Now, now, everyone! There's a time and a place for everything! But I have to get things started now for dinner hour at the Lounge and—Hey, hey, this painting's mighty fine! Tell ya what, anyone got a pen?"
Someone in the crowd handed over a pen. Kofu took out a napkin from his apron and scribbled a number on it.
"Here ya go!" He handed it to the young man with the painting. "Call me at 10:30 tomorrow, and we kin get somethin' set up! I'll probably forget all this by mornin', but just be very nice and patient and my boys will welcome ya like you were my family!" He scrubbed the boy's hair and walked onward.
"Man sure knows how to handle a crowd," Larry observed. "I don't envy him."
"I don't know," Katy remarked. "I quite like whenever folks treat me like a celebrity back home! I think it'd be cool to be considered a role model to a lot of kids and people like Kofu."
"Ugh. If everyone in Medali started treating me like that, I might just have to move."
Katy laughed.
Kofu finally managed to brush off the crowds by the time they got to his fabled restaurant. The Kofu Lounge was a tall white building with a neon sign over its blue awning. Its door design suggested an oriental theme, which intensified when the three of them were inside.
The whole interior of the Kofu Lounge boasted vibes of the Johto region, from all the kanji designs adorning the walls, the podiums, and the menus, to the design of the furniture and wall hangings, to the conceit of having a chef preparing meals as a spectacle right in the same room as the patrons.
The chef in Larry and Katy's section didn't speak a word, but made up for it with his extremely impressive knife skills and the artful way he would raise fire from the grill as if it were a performance.
His silence made it even easier for everyone to hear how loud and boisterous Kofu was performing for another section in the restaurant, calling out each of his dishes and making eccentric exclamations every time something happened.
"I wish we had gotten to sit in Kofu's section," Katy remised. "Watching him do cooking stunts live gets me so pumped up it's like I'm in a concert."
"I don't know… I sort of like this man's act better," Larry admitted. "He speaks with actions over words. My kind of act." Realizing who he was dissing, he added "No offense."
"Oh, trust me, it's downright impossible to offend Kofu! Even the harshest reviews this place has ever gotten just seem to make him laugh his pants off."
The chef took his final bow as the finished dishes were sorted on plates to be handed out, and everyone clapped for him, including Larry and Katy.
"Well, now that the live meals have been made, I think we can take a look at our menus for what's being prepared in the kitchen," Katy said.
The two of them opened their menus. Larry was studiously studying all the options when he heard Katy starting to snicker. He looked up and she was holding back laughter looking at her menu.
"What is it?"
"Just… just look over at the specials."
On the specials section of the menu, the Kofu Lounge's highest-ticket items were on display, including Dondon Noodles, Hot and Sour Soup, and… the House Special Hot Pot.
Which, on both of their menus, was aggressively circled in blue crayon with several pointing to it. And on Katy's side… a winking face.
"I can't tell for sure but I think maybe, just maybe, Kofu has a recommendation for us."
…
"I think I'll try the Hot and Sour Soup," Larry stated flatly.
He slowly lowered the menu from his eyes to see Katy giving him a snide look of "Really?"
"…I'm kidding. Let's take this hot pot for a spin."
Katy, with a pleased smile, set her menu down. Larry did his as well.
I really wasn't kidding. That soup sounded good…
Larry took some time to look around the eatery. The walls were blue and white striped with hanging cubic chandeliers over each table to give the whole room a warm glow. Different plants and portraits, mostly of the nautical variety, adorned the walls.
Although the actual décor was different, Larry noticed that the themes of wall decoration reminded him quite a lot of Patisserie Sopaberry. Almost certainly not by coincidence, given Katy's close ties to Kofu, which she preceded to regale Larry with as a conversation point.
"I set my eyes on Kofu's mentorship after I decided that my dream was to open my own place," she explained. "He taught me practically everything I know about business, how to be more cutthroat and assertive in order to be master of my own kitchen. And even quite a lot about baking."
Larry's eyes furrowed. "I never took Kofu as a baker."
"Oh yeah! A lot of people wouldn't, but he gets passionate about baking too! See these pretzel bread rolls at our table?" She pulled over the breadbasket sitting between them and laughed. "He actually ran all the way over to my place at Cortondo a few months ago just to have me try one, because he had just thought of them and was so excited!"
Larry, intrigued, grabbed a roll and took a bite. He expected it to just taste salty, but it was surprisingly sweet and flavorful in its center.
"Huh. Not bad."
After a break in conversation, Larry gazed more around the dining rooms, particularly at how much the patrons were all enjoying themselves. Even though Kofu Lounge had all the makings of a fancier restaurant, most of the people eating here weren't high-class, but were mostly just the normal residents of this city, along with several others that were clearly tourists or from out of town.
Even the prices on the menu were much lower than Larry would've expected.
"Kofu's big aspiration has always been taking the best dining and eating experience and making it accessible to everyone," Katy explained. "The highest quality food for every quality of hungry Paldean, he used to like to say."
Larry nodded, impressed with this line of thinking. Kofu was a much more complex man than he'd initially gathered. Despite how boisterous and eccentric Larry's impression of him always was, he was now realizing that Kofu was more down-to-earth than he'd realized.
He just… has his own ways of showing it, apparently.
Larry looked back over to Katy, who had been eyeing him curiously for who knows how long.
"You know, there's something I don't get about you."
"Just one thing?"
"Well, a lot of things," she chuckled. "It's just… you talk about having been all over Paldea for different meetings and business trips. And yet, it seems like most of the places I've been to with you, like in Cortondo, Porto Marinada, even here, you never seem familiar with any of it."
Larry rubbed the back of his head. "I guess that's true… I've been to every city in this region, but it's almost always been work-related. I always need to focus on the specific business I'm conducting, and getting a bite to eat when I'm lucky."
"Maybe you need to slow down and smell the roses more often when you're out."
"Just a matter of finding the time for it, of which I barely ever have," Larry mumbled.
Katy wanted to prod a bit more, but just then the Surging Chef himself came strolling in with a huge cart.
"Land ho!" Kofu cried out. "House Special Hot Pot for two special captains comin' aboard!"
A huge bowl of soup, with all sorts of ingredients mixed in, was laid down at their table, along with several plates of garnishes and side toppings.
"Now why dontcha grab a bowl of all this right here and tell me what you think?"
They set to work filling their bowls with fixings from the pot, and adding things from the plates. Larry, curious, took a bite of a piece of meat that caught his eye.
"This is crabmeat," Larry recognized. "And not the same as Klawf Sticks. Something more exotic. Krabby?"
"Vaultin' Veluza! You've really got the tongue of a Lickitung, my boy!" Kofu said in amazement. "Gwahaha, and not just any Krabby neither! Most restaurants in Paldea who use Krabby for meat import cheap ones from Kanto, but not ol' Kofu! Quality over expense! I go out of my way to use only the freshest specimens from Galar! Krabby and Kingler found in the Isle of Armor produce a rich and savory taste like no other!"
Larry scooped up things to add to his soup. Kofu laughed in delight as Larry took from more and more plates, but gradually he began to look a little uneased as Larry's bowl filled up to the top… followed by him starting to prepare a second bowl.
And a third one.
"Well gee, boy! I said have at it, but you— I hope ya didn't take me too seriously!" He leaned his head towards Katy and mumbled, "Does he have a bottomless stomach or what? He might put me to shame!"
Katy chuckled. "You haven't seen him at his best."
Larry looked up to notice both of their surprised faces, and casually said, "What? I want to get the complete experience."
"And I mightily appreciate it," Kofu chuckled. He leaned close to Katy again and muttered, "So does my wallet."
Soon, both of them were ready to begin eating and enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner. Few words exchanged, just delicious bites and audibly enamored reactions.
After their bowls were all cleaned off, Kofu waltzed in again.
"So, sailors? What do we think?"
"That was really, really delicious, Master," Katy said affectionately. "If you put that at the top of the menu, I think you'll be getting customers lining up all the way to Casseroya Lake!"
"Ohhh! Katy, you always know how to make an old seadog blush! And what about you, Larry?"
"It's very good."
Kofu's eyes squinted. "Uh-huh… Is that all ya got to reel in? That it's very good?"
"Well…"
It's not just that it's very good. It might be one of the most palatable dishes I've ever experienced.
Everything blends together into a perfect seafood medley.
The crabmeat is just as rich and savory as he promised, a unique taste no other Krabby dish provides, perfectly warm and buttery. The Shellder shells add that satisfying crunch like a bite of candy between the rest of the pot.
The soup is high-class, a perfect broth to add some salty flavor to the whole pot. Together with the spicy noodles, it's the perfect mixture of rich, savory flavors in your mouth, it makes me feel like I really am tasting the whole ocean.
Topped together with the vegetables, layering everything together with the right amount of earthy flavor to bring the rest of the pot home into a truly satisfying dinner. It's… it's stunning. It's immaculate, it's revolutionary."
As Larry finished, he realized that practically all eyes in the restaurant were now on him. Kofu had dropped the plate in his hands in shock, and Katy had her hands up to her mouth, eyes wide as saucers.
…Uh-oh. Was all of that out loud?
"Ummm." Larry awkwardly played with his fork. "I—I'm sorry. I got carried away. I do that sometimes."
Katy looked over at Kofu. It was probably the first time in her life she had ever seen the old man look so speechless.
Then… he started to well up.
"Larry…" he finally uttered.
"Oh, no. I've made a mess out of things. I sincerely apologize. Katy, we should probably get out of here before I embarrass us even further-"
Before Larry could say anything else, Kofu suddenly swooped over and embraced him in a big hug.
"That was so beau-hu-hutiful, Larry!" Kofu cried out. "You just said the nicest things about my food anyone else has ever said! You've topped even the nicest of restaurant critics!"
"Umm, okay. I'm very glad. Geez…" Larry felt in that moment like he was dealing with one of Hassel's emotional episodes. "It'll all be… okay? Maybe we should just—AHH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Out of nowhere, Larry found himself hoisted high up in the air!
"Listen here, everyone!" Kofu called out for the whole Lounge to hear. "See this guy right here? This here is Larry from the Medali Gym!"
"Put me down," Larry pleaded.
"He just gave my brand-new House Special Hot Pot the best dang review everyone's ever given the Kofu Lodge! He is my new certified seafood ambassador!"
Everyone clapped and cheered for Larry. He still wasn't having it.
"Put me down. Put me down."
Katy couldn't help but laugh uproariously, her hands still cupped over her mouth.
"Katy. Katy! Stop laughing and tell him to put me down."
"Cheers around the house for the Extraordinary Everyman Larry!"
"Seriously, put me down!" Larry declared in the most raised voice he could muster.
The air around Porto Marinada was still fraught with excitement. Even as the evening drew, hot items were still on the market and loud, frenetic bids were being placed.
The local chefs were auctioning their leftover ingredients for delectable picnic sandwiches. And a mysterious new merchant had set up at an empty stall out of nowhere, promising extremely rare and valuable treasures from other regions at a shockingly affordable starting price.
Nothing else could pierce the cacophony of ferocious auctioneers at this market site. Nothing, except for…
"LARRRRRRYYYYYYYYY!"
A shrill voice pierced through the whole marketplace. Iono stood at the center of the whole market, flapping her sleeves angrily like a fast Kilowattrel in motion.
"I've been trying to find you for the past three hours, you slimy lizard!" Iono yelled to the heavens. "Stop being a coward and come face me or I'll bid on me kicking your BUTT!"
The tourist couple Larry had met earlier gasped from behind her.
"Rufus, look! Look! That's the big-time streamer Iono right there!"
"Holy Magikarp! Another Gym Leader at the market? We really did come on the best day possible!"
Iono swiftly turned around. "Oooh. Adoring fans? Well… I never turn down an audience. I guess I could hang around for a little meet-and-greet, fufufu…"
As the sun began to set over Paldea, Katy and Larry walked along the West Province road back down to Cortondo. Katy was holding two to-go boxes of food from Kofu Lounge, while Larry was cupping a special container of soup. Specifically, the Hot and Sour Soup he had moaned over earlier.
"I kinda sensed you were excited about this soup, and I feel mighty bad for forcin' my own dish on ya both when like any good host, I should've let you have what you want! So I had the kitchen whip up a special at-home cup of soup here with easy instructions. You just heat that stuff up in a soup pot exactly like it says, and it's just like eating the real thing here!"
"I… I don't know what to say. Thank you."
"It's the least I could do after all that high praise ya gave me. Thank you, Larry."
As he looked up to the windmills blowing around them, Larry thought about this gesture, as well as the rest of what he'd witnessed today.
I guess I had Kofu all wrong. He's very loud and sort of childlike, but… he's also extremely kind, and generous, and cares about people. Just like Katy. Maybe I should've given him more of a chance from the beginning.
"Hey…" Katy turned to him. "I'm really sorry."
"Hmm? What about?"
"Oh, just… everything. I know Kofu can be a lot to handle, I seriously had no idea we were going to meet up with him today. And I definitely didn't realize he was gonna throw you up in the air like that!"
"Oh. Right. That." He thought back to those moments, and even to his own surprise, he found himself smiling. "…Don't apologize."
"What?"
"You have nothing to apologize for. I didn't really mind any of that, I guess. In fact…" He turned to her with a smile, and even chuckled a bit. "Today was… quite fun, actually."
Katy looked at him, surprised. "You—you really mean that? You're not just saying it."
"I really mean it. I never got to see that side of Kofu before. And I don't know when I would've ever eaten at that restaurant otherwise. It was such a delicious meal. And…"
"And… what?"
"And... You know, I think just being there with you—with someone like you Katy, just made it all the more worthwhile. I think… I think I really value having you as a friend."
Katy was touched. She faced Larry straight on, her eyes glistening.
"Larry… That, that means so much. I… I like having you as a friend too."
Eventually, Cortondo was more than just on the horizon. Larry and Katy were back in the sleepy farm town again. The sky was a mixture of orange and purple, and well into this evening most of the shops were already winding down.
Walking into Cortondo from the west side instead of the east where the Taxi usually drops him off, Larry immediately noticed the giant field set up at the edge of town. It looked somewhat like a sports field.
"Is this your Gym's Battle Court?"
"Oh, heavens, no! That big field is where the Gym Test happens!"
"Oh."
He remembered hearing that the Cortondo Gym test involved something to do with rolling a giant ball around into a goal with obstacles set up. Apparently, this is where it happens.
"Up there is the Battle Court," Katy pointed after more of a walk down the road.
Past that sports field was an enormous structure, built over a wooden staircase. It looked like a treehouse on the ground, sprawling into several areas with tables and plant fixtures set up, before leading to an incredibly huge, flat rooftop.
"Wow."
"Yup! A bunch of the townsfolk and kiddos pitched in to make all that. It was a huge community effort. Really great thing that brought the whole town together. And it's served us very well! You should totally come by when the action's on sometime!"
"Oh yeah? Have you had some hot battles up there?"
"Mm… Yeah. Sometimes!"
Katy's smile faltered just slightly. But it was slight enough for Larry to notice, and that's when he suddenly remembered what he had heard that one couple talking about earlier today.
"Well, most everyone considers her the easiest Gym Leader around."
"It begs the question of why she doesn't try so hard in her battles."
His face turned despondent. Katy perked up.
"Larry? Is… something wrong?"
He cleared his throat. "I'm fine. Sorry. … It's just…" He took a deep breath. "I don't know how to approach this without sounding mean or hurtful about it. It's just that… well, I've heard rumors…"
Katy looked puzzled for a moment. But a glance at the Battle Court where Larry was looking clued her in.
"Rumors about me being the easiest Gym Leader?"
"I…"
Katy sighed heavily, and looked at Larry with a forlorn expression.
"It's… complicated, I suppose. But, it is true that with most of my Gym Battles, I make a conscious effort to be more easy-going and not push my Challengers so hard."
"Why?"
"Because most of the Challengers that come to my Gym are students from the Academy. And since Cortondo is so close to Mesagoza, a lot of them end up coming here to face me for their first Badge."
"Okaaaay. Forgive me, but… is that really a valid reason to not go all-out?"
"Well… it's what feels right. Geeta encourages it too."
Larry tinged, like something snapped in his noggin.
"Geeta. Of course," he mumbled scornfully. "I should've known. If anyone in our position is being tossed around, it always goes back to her."
"Hey! Don't talk like that! You know La Primera means well," Katy defended.
Larry still had a crooked frown. "I'm sure she does, Katy. But meaning well and actually doing well by people are two very different things, and that's why I never see eye to eye with her and her demands."
"Look, it's not like she's the one ordering me to approach things this way. We talked about our concerns a couple years ago, and she made some really valid points that I strongly agreed with," she explained.
"If I put my team's full strength and too many challengers starting their Treasure Hunt fresh lost to such a strong Gym Leader immediately out of the gate, they could be discouraged and want to give up, thinking that getting Badges is too hard. The League would see a lot fewer challengers making it all the way to the end as a result. And… the last thing I want to do is ruin that experience for everyone else, especially you."
Larry listened to her reasonings, but he still crossed his arms and gave a disbelieving scoff.
"Katy… you know I like you, and I respect you a lot. You're a nice person. I know you have everyone's best interest in heart. But, and please forgive me for saying this… all that sounds like rubbish to me."
Katy playfully scoffed right back at him. "How is that rubbish?"
Larry sighed. "If you and Geeta want this League to be the best that it can be, then that's rather hypocritical to ask of one of its members not to put in their full potential. That just doesn't sound fair to you, Katy. Or to all of us who are putting everything in. Almighty Sinnoh help me, that woman…"
Katy had never seen Larry this worked up before. She knew Geeta was a sensitive topic for him, but she couldn't imagine it would wind him up this badly.
"You have a lot of pent-up feelings about Geeta…" Katy observed. "I know she pushes you a lot too, especially since you're pulling double duty as an Elite Four member. Do you… resent her for that?"
Larry was silent for a bit, facing away from her. Until finally, he turned around again. He looked a bit calmed down.
"No. I don't. I just… Sometimes, I just wish she would stop making her problems our problems. She's such a huge perfectionist, and I know she gets very anxious how everyone is performing. But all that meddling just causes more stress. And that's on top of all the work she piles on to me like it's a game. She's completely unpleasable, and always takes it out on other people like me. Like I said, it isn't fair."
Katy awkwardly kicked a small pebble on the ground with her shoe. She certainly seemed downtrodden. Larry wasn't sure if it was because he was being so dour with Geeta in the moment or opening up all these insecurities Katy apparently has in her role.
Either way, Larry calmly walked over and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring the mood down this much. I had a really good time today, Katy."
As soon as he reassured her like that… it was strange. Katy felt a lot of her negativity just suddenly float right off her. She didn't know what it was, but with that kind smile, and his gentle hand on her shoulder… It was like time stood still. She wanted to just stay in this moment.
She smiled to herself, and met Larry's hand with hers.
"Thank you, Larry. I had a really good time today too. And maybe you've given me stuff to think about. If you'd like… of course, that's if you'd like… I'd like to hang out with you more often. Like this."
Larry smiled. "I'd love to, Katy."
"…Whenever you're not too busy, that is."
He chuckled. "Of course. Whenever I'm not too busy."
