Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 72: Cooking Classes
Later that day, back at the Pokemon Center,
Having spent the entire day exploring the city, Lincoln and the girls had made it back to the Pokemon Center, "We had a lot of fun today, Lincoln, apart from Moroboshi ruining the first half of the day," Verosika commented.
"Well, I'm glad each of you enjoyed yourselves. I quite enjoyed our time together as well," Lincoln replied.
"Yeah. Hopefully the next time we have a date, we won't have to worry about any perverts trying to ruin it for us," Milt commented.
"Well, as soon as you girls get back to the Monster Realm, you won't have to worry about him," Lincoln replied, as they entered the Pokemon Center.
"Though I'd say the best part of our date was Victoria's Secret, wouldn't you agree, Lincoln?" Verosika asked in a flirty manner. Lincoln blushed wildly upon hearing the store in question.
"W-Well, it certainly was a different experience," he shakily replied, remembering what happened there.
2 hours ago, at the Celadon City Shopping Center,
Having finally been freed from Moroboshi's lustful advances, Lincoln and the girls were free to do some shopping around the Celadon Shopping Center. They found quite a few clothes and accessories at the various shops that were inside the building, "Ok, anywhere else you ladies want to go next?" Lincoln asked his dates.
"I'm sure there's a knickknack store around here. I'd kind of like to browse those kinds of wares," Octavia commented.
"I'd kind of like to find a sweets shop! I'm sure the others would love something from there," Milt added.
"Ooh, now there's something we can do," Verosika stated, pointing to a store in question. Upon seeing it, Lincoln's face turned bright red. The store Verosika was interested in was none other than a Victoria's Secret store. Lincoln knew from his past experiences at the Royal Woods Mall what that store was all about.
"Uh, why don't I just wait out here while you girls peruse the wares?" he stammered, only to find himself being dragged in by Verosika's tail.
"Ah-ah-ah, Linkey, the Interspecies Exchange Bill states you have to stay by our side at ALL times!" she said, unwrapping Lincoln from her tail. Needless to say, the young man was a bit embarrassed being in a lingerie store, watching some young women modeling in some of the products.
'This is so embarrassing,' Lincoln thought to himself, as he saw Verosika wasting no time in scanning though various bras and panties.
"Oh, look at this one! It's so cute!" Lincoln turned to see Milt holding up a light blue bra with images of a yellow duck on them.
"Yeah, but I think that one might be a size or fifty too small for you, Milt," Octavia replied. And she wasn't wrong. The bra didn't look big enough to wrap around even one of Milt's boobs.
"Well, it is still a cute design," Milt replied, putting it back.
"I suppose it makes sense that human stores wouldn't carry garments to meet Monster sizes, what, with the existence of you guys only being announced earlier this month," Lincoln commented.
"Oh, Lincoln~!" Lincoln turned, and felt his nose start to bleed upon seeing Verosika wearing a set of light purple, see through underwear, "Pretty sexy, wouldn't you say?"
"Y-yeah, that's… definitely one way to put it," Lincoln replied, as he used some tissue to plug up his nose.
Real Time,
"That wasn't the first time I made someone bleed from their nose," Verosika mused with a chuckle.
"I'm pretty sure that can qualify as a murder confession," Octavia dryly stated.
"Well, what about what happened before Victoria's Secret?" Lincoln commented. The girls shared a nervous giggle, since they knew what Lincoln was talking about.
2 hours earlier, prior to the trip into Victoria's Secret,
Lincoln and the girls were looking around at some of the sweet's shops, looking for something for them to bring the others when they return to the Monster Realm, "Ooh, I bet Miu would love these strawberry mochi cakes!" Milt exclaimed, holding up a box of the aforementioned sweet.
"Sounds like a plan. But what about Gwen and Loona?" Octavia wondered, looking around at the wares with the others. Meanwhile, Lincoln was looking around the wares himself. He wanted to get something for his family while he was shopping with his fiancés.
"Hmm, maybe this Honey Cake set? I bet Vaggie might like this too," Lincoln wondered, looking at a box with some bee like Pokemon that looked like they were part of a honeycomb. It was then that Lincoln was approached by some workers.
"Excuse me, but are those ladies over there with you?" one of the workers asked, motioning to Verosika and them.
"Yes, that's right. I'm taking them out on a date," Lincoln replied.
"I see. Well, in that case, we're offering a special promotion, where you can have your picture taken with your sweetheart free with any purchase of 5000 Pokedollars or more. Would you like to take up this offer?" the other worker asked.
"I'd have to ask them first," Lincoln replied.
"Very well. The photoshoot is over there. And as a bonus, we also have a special costume for you to wear during the shoot," the worker said. Lincoln didn't know why, but he was unsure about the way they mentioned the costume. But he shrugged it off, as he approached the girls.
"Hey girls, finding anything of interest?" he asked.
"Quite a few things. I'm sure Charlie and the others will love these," Octavia replied, holding a few items.
"Ok. Anyhow, I was just told of a special promotion this shop is doing for couples like us. Spend a certain amount on their wares, and get your picture taken over there," Lincoln replied, pointing over to where the photoshoot was being held.
"Oh? Wanting a little souvenir of our time together?" Verosika teased. Lincoln couldn't help but blush.
"Well, I figured you ladies would like something else to bring back home with you once our date's over," Lincoln replied.
"I'm not against it. I'd love to get a picture taken with you, Lincoln," Milt said almost immediately.
"I suppose it wouldn't kill me to have something like that done, cheesy as it is," Octavia added, blushing slightly.
"And with me makes the vote unanimous," Verosika added, her heart beating faster and faster as she said it.
"Alright. I'll go ahead and pay for everything, and then we can go get our pictures taken," Lincoln said, as he took the things his fiancés found up to the front counter.
"The total comes out to 5,400 Pokedollars," the front counter worker said. Lincoln handed over his Trainer Card, as the other worker bagged up the items. Once the transaction was completed, the first worker handed back Lincoln's Trainer Card, along with the receipt, "Show this to the people over there, and you'll get a complementary photoshoot with your lady friends."
"Thanks, we will," Lincoln replied, as he walked over to the photoshoot area with the others, "Excuse me, we'd like to do a photoshoot, please," he said, showing the receipt. The photographer nodded.
"Very well. One thing before we begin, we have props on hand if need be," the photographer said.
"Do we really need any props?" Verosika asked the others.
"I don't see a reason for any," Milt replied, just as the same workers Lincoln talked to earlier came by.
"Ladies, if you'll get into position, we're going to give your boyfriend here a special piece of attire," the first worker said.
"Oh, um, ok?" Octavia replied, as she and the others took their places, while Lincoln was pulled over to a dressing room of sorts. It was then that the three of them realized what the worker had said Lincoln was to them, causing them all to blush brightly.
A few minutes passed, just as Lincoln emerged from the dressing room, and made his way over to the photoshoot area, "Alright ladies, you ready?" he asked. The girls noted that Lincoln's tone sounded embarrassed.
"We are, but what is…" Verosika cut herself off upon seeing Lincoln, dressed in a cutesy teddy bear costume, waddling around with how stubby the legs were.
"Apparently, this is what they meant by 'special piece of attire'," Lincoln stated. The girls said nothing, just as blood erupted from each of their noses, causing them to fall over, "Ack! Milt, are you alright?! Octavia?! Verosika!?" he cried out, coming to their aid.
"It's… so… adorable…!" Milt was able to weakly say.
Real Time,
"Well, I can honestly say that was the first time I've seen a succubus get a nosebleed before giving on herself," Octavia mused.
"Yeah. Usually, it takes a lot for us to get a nosebleed like that," Verosika replied.
"Well, all in all, I still rather enjoyed our date today," Lincoln commented.
"We liked spending the day with you too, Lincoln. Too bad none of us can be here for your Contest, what with us having to go to our school and all," Milt replied.
"That reminds me, what kind of a place is the school you three and the others go to like?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, for starters, it's the grandest of the grandest academies in the entire Monster Realm, where we're all taught about the various curriculum we mentioned before. The teachers are pretty strict, sure, but they are dedicated to their work, and help us to achieve our maximum potential," Verosika explained.
"And among the faculty is Professor Alastor, one of the few Demons of the Monster Realm to nearly be on par with King Lucius," Verosika added.
"Ok, cool. So, what's he like, exactly?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, as we said, he's really dedicated to teaching his students, and encourages us to take whatever route we can with our education. That being said, he's also among many Monsters who's thoroughly against the Interspecies Exchange Bill, as he believes humans and monsters should never mingle with one another," Verosika replied, rubbing that back of her neck.
"Well, I suppose that it's only fitting that there may be some monsters who aren't cool with the Bill. I know some humans may not be too keen on it either," Lincoln replied.
"But even HE would't try to break the engagement you have with us and the others. He knows the whole shpiel with how deals with demons work," Octavia added.
"Hey, you!" an angry boy's voice yelled. Lincoln and the girls turned to see some trainers storming over to him, "Are you the trainer of that Meowth out there?!"
"Depends. What's the Meowth in question behaving and/or doing?" Lincoln asked.
"That mangey little fleabag is stealing from our Pokemon! The Pokeblock and Poffins that I had made specifically for MY Pokemon!" one of the other trainers yelled.
"Not to mention several of the special hold items we gave our Pokemon for use both in and out of battle, or that has sentimental value to them!" another trainer added. Lincoln groaned and pinched the bridge between his eyes.
"Of course, it had to be Selena. Can't she just kick this habit of hers and act like a team player?!" he groused.
"Well, if you can't control your Meowth, then why bother catching it?!"
"Because she was causing trouble for a friend of mine, and I wanted to make sure she didn't cause any more problems for him!" Lincoln replied.
"Well, you had better get that fleabag under control! We needed those Pokeblock and Poffins to help our Pokemon!"
"Alright, I'll see what I can do about getting Selena under control! Just try to be patient until I do so, alright?" Lincoln asked the other trainers. The first trainer took Lincoln by the collar of his shirt.
"You had better!" he said, before throwing Lincoln back onto the ground, before he and the others stormed away.
"You ok, Lincoln?" Octavia asked, helping Lincoln back up.
"I've had worse than that. But they're right about one thing: I have to get Selena under control," Lincoln replied.
"Which one was Selena again?" Milt asked.
Lincoln took out his Pokedex and brought up the page for Kantonian Meowth, "This is what Selena's species looks like. They're kind of like normal cats, being extremely capricious and sometimes disobedient, but Selena's taking it to a whole new level," he explained.
"There must be some way you can show her what it's like to be on the receiving end of that kind of behavior," Milt replied.
"Yeah, but I don't know if I'll find it right away. For now, I should go talk to Pikachu and the others and see why they didn't do anything to stop Selena," Lincoln replied, as he and the girls made their way into the Play Yard. There, they saw all of Lincoln's Pokemon, looking quite miserable, "Guys, what happened here?"
"Selena happened, Lincoln… She started causing trouble for everyone here in the Play Yard, just how she caused it with AJ," Pikachu replied dejectedly.
"Ok, but is there a particular reason why you guys didn't try to stop her?" Lincoln asked.
"It's because she's got dirt on us, Lincoln. She somehow learned about secrets each of us has, and has threatened to tell others about them if we try to get in her way," Dragonair replied.
"Oh, I see what's going here… Selena's playing the old blackmail card," Lincoln murmured.
"What's that about blackmail?" Octavia asked.
"Supposedly, Selena's been blackmailing the others with their secrets to keep them from stopping her mischief. Fortunately, this sort of thing is very easy to handle," Lincoln replied.
"What do you mean?" Mawile asked.
"I'll tell Lapis first, then I'll have her relay it to the rest of you. After all, we can't risk Selena hearing about this," Lincoln replied, looking towards Lapis, who nodded in understanding. Lapis then began to read Lincoln's mind, "Selena may have blackmail on you guys, but I doubt she can handle taking it herself. So, you just have to fight fire with fire… find a secret of Selena's that she wouldn't want getting out."
"My word, that's so devious! I love it!" Lapis replied, smirking deviously.
"It worked before when Lola tried the same schtick with us. She can handle dishing it out, but she couldn't take it," Lincoln added, before turning back to his fiancés, "Alright, now the gang has a plan to reign in Selena."
"Well, that's good to hear. As much as we'd love to stay a bit longer, we've got classes tomorrow," Milt replied.
"I understand. I still quite enjoyed our date today," Lincoln replied, getting out his amulet.
"As did we. I hope we'll be able to have another one at a later time, maybe just the two of us," Verosika said, planting a small kiss on Lincoln cheek, causing both of them to blush profusely. Though they didn't know why, but both Milt and Octavia felt a bolt of jealousy shoot right through them at what they had just witnessed. But it wasn't just them that felt it. Inside the Royal Palace of King Lucius, both Charlie and Vaggie shot straight up in the bathtub they were in.
"D-Did you just feel that, Charlie?" Vaggie questioned.
"Y-Yeah. Feels like someone just got ahead of us in some fashion," Charlie replied. And it wasn't just them; Miu, Loona, Gwendolyn, Nana, the Kovaks, Joy, Jenny, Amber, and Midori all felt the very same disturbance in the force. But back to Lincoln and the others. Milt walked over, and lifted Lincoln up to plant a kiss of her own on his cheek.
"I enjoyed our time just as much as Verosika did, but I'd rather she NOT get ahead of the rest of us," she stated, setting him back down, before turning her attention to Octavia, "What about you, Via? You want to join in?"
"You know, I think I will!" Octavia replied, as she planted a kiss of her own, but Lincoln moved his head suddenly, resulting in the two of them accidentally locking lips. Both Milt and Verosika, as well as the rest of the girls Lincoln has in his harem all felt an even more intense jolt shoot right through them.
"Uh, right, I think I'll just open the portal now," Lincoln stammered, blushing in a very bright shade of red, as was Octavia, as he opened the portal to the Monster Realm, "I'll see you girls later then."
"Right, we'll see you later," Verosika replied, sounding devoid of any emotion, as she and the others began to pass through. Sensing tension, Lincoln attempted to try and ease the tension.
"Uh, one thing, before I close the portal," he said, catching their attention, "You said the whole Evolution to a High Succubus thing was an extremely rare occurrence among Lust Demons; How rare did you mean?" his question seemed to bring some life back to the girls.
"Well, according to the ancient scriptures, there hasn't been a single High Succubus in the past 5,000 years. If I manage to evolve, it'll no doubt turn the entire Monster Realm on its ear," Verosika replied.
"Wow, that would definitely be something to look forward to," Lincoln replied.
"Yes, well, in any case, we have to get ready for school tomorrow," Milt replied.
"I understand," Lincoln replied, as he was getting ready to close the portal, before being stopped by Octavia.
"One more thing, Lincoln; We may not get the whole 'Pokemon Contest' thing, but good luck, and be sure to piledrive that one slut!" Octavia said.
"Thanks Octavia, I really appreciate it," Lincoln replied, as he closed up the portal. He then slumped down on a nearby bench, completely spent from all the excitement he just experienced.
"So, on a lighter note, how'd things go with the ladies?" Pikachu asked.
"Well, apart from some perverted guy by the name of Ataru Moroboshi getting in the way for the first half of the date and trying to take Verosika and Milt for himself, it was a very pleasant experience. I even learned that Monsters are able to evolve like Pokemon do," Lincoln replied.
"Really? That's quite a surprise," Lincoln then saw Misty and Brock coming towards him, each with bags in their hands.
"Yeah. Apparently, Verosika is close to evolving into a High Succubus, the first one in 5,000 years," Lincoln replied.
"Really? That's going to be quite the sight to see when it happens," Misty commented.
"No doubt. So, what have you two been up to today?" Lincoln asked.
"I went out with those cute waitresses from the Game Corner," Brock replied.
"And I decided to go do some shopping at some of the boutiques they have here in the city. So, apart from learning about evolution for Monsters, how did your date with the girls go?" Misty asked.
"Apart from Verosika and Milt being harassed by a perverted creep, it was more or less a nice date," Lincoln replied.
Well, did you manage to give him the slip?" Brock asked.
"Well, it wasn't until we had lunch that we were finally able to get rid of him, thanks to some of his friends," Lincoln replied.
"As long as you managed to finally have some fun on your date," Brock replied.
"Yeah. So next up for us is the Pokeblock and Poffin Cooking Class. Can't wait to see how those Poffin things are made," Lincoln mused.
Meanwhile, at Mayday Manor in the Monster Realm,
Verosika had just arrived back home safe and sound, "Granted it wasn't the most perfect date, what with that guy ruining things for the first half, but at least I managed to get closer to Lincoln," she commented, as she was about to open the door, before remembering her tail. Looking back at it, she saw it was still glowing pink, "I don't know how Mom will react to seeing this, but there's no doubt she'll find out sooner or later," she said to herself, as she entered the manor, "Mom? I'm home!"
"Welcome back, Verosika, sweetie!" Elanor said, greeting her daughter, "So, how'd your date go?"
"Well, apart from some creep perving out on me and Milt, it was nice," Verosika replied.
Elanor could only sigh in exasperation, "It's a good thing Lucius made it a thing that allows for self-defense for things like that. Was this perv anything like those orcs that show up at your concerts?"
"No… he was WAY worse, and that grapple hug of his was more brutal being constricted by a lamia," Verosika replied.
"Oh dear. Well, hopefully that'll be the last you'll see of him," Elanor replied, before she remembered something, "Oh, that reminds me! Valentino called a while ago. He asked me to tell you to call him for information for the upcoming charity concert you and the others will be doing," she added.
"Oh, is that right?" Verosika asked nervously, as she felt her heart drop into her stomach. Valentino was a top-rated talent agent/manager, but he was very passionate about his job to the point of being a real slave driver / killjoy. One of the many rules he put into place for Verosika and all the other performers he oversees states that romance and boyfriends were strictly forbidden. This made several of the other performers want to quit, but Valentino had them all under contract, which kept them from quitting. Verosika was now one of those performers due to her engagement with Lincoln.
"You go on up and change before you make the call," Elanor said.
"Ok, I will," Verosika then proceeded to head upstairs, when her mother let out an overly dramatic gasp.
"Verosika! Your tail!" she exclaimed, sounding ecstatic. Verosika looked back at her tail, and saw it was glowing nice and brightly.
"Oh yeah, I didn't notice it was glowing like this until Lincoln pointed it out during our date," Verosika replied, as she was scooped up and twirled around by her mother.
"EEEE! THIS IS THE BIGGEST NEWS EVER!" Elanor squealed happily.
'I definitely need to find a way to hide this from Valentino,' Verosika thought to herself, as she knew how Valentino would react if he found out if she had a boyfriend/fiancé.
The Next Morning, back at the Celadon City Pokemon Center,
Lincoln and company were feeding and grooming their Pokemon for the new day, "Alright guys, lets keep practicing our moves for the Contest! We're going to show up that Veruca lady and her awful philosophy!" Lincoln proclaimed to his Pokemon. The night prior, he decided to switch up his team. Now the Pokemon he had with him now included Skyera, Fearow, Buzzerker, Mesmer, Lapis, Queeny, Sliggoo, Feebas, Andrea, Inferna, and Mienfoo.
"Quite right. After all, neither Lapis nor I will take her insults sitting down," Queeny replied, as Lincoln brushed her hair like sepals.
"Loving the confidence, Queeny. Don't loose hold of it now," Lincoln replied, as he moved on to brushing Lapis' "hair", "Lapis, you remember what I told you yesterday, right?" Lincoln thought to Lapis.
"Yes, I do. I already told the others you sent back to the Professor's Lab, and they'll be watching Selena closely. But Pikachu pointed out that we shouldn't make it look like we're watching her," Lapis replied.
"Smart move. Selena would no doubt go into hiding if she suspects something," Lincoln replied. Lapis then bulked up enough courage to ask Lincoln something.
"Lincoln, a-about the secrets some of us have," Lapis began, only to be cut off by Lincoln.
''Those are YOUR secrets to have, Lapis. I won't pry into what they are. You and the others can let them be known at your own pace, and not a second before. And besides, with how bratty Selena's being, I don't think I should even bother listening to what she has to say," Lincoln replied, causing Lapis to breathe a sigh of relief, "That being said, I want you and the others to know that you're to only use Selena's secret, once you've discovered it, to get her under control."
"We understand. And as I said, I even told the others you sent back to the Lab about it," Lapis replied.
"Good to hear," Lincoln replied.
"So, what are you planning to do today?" Andrea asked, walking up to Lincoln.
"There's going to be a cooking class later today for Pokeblock and Poffins. I heard that they're used to help improve the qualities of a Pokemon in a Contest to make them shine more, as well as being highly nutritious snacks. I want to try and make more than just standard Pokeblock that this portable Berry Blender can make," Lincoln replied, pulling out the Blender in question, "Now, don't get me wrong, I'll still use this one, but I want to make more than just the base flavored Pokeblock this one can make."
"I've heard that many Pokeblock are made specifically for specific Pokemon. That's something you'll need to take into account. Same with Poffins too," Brock pointed out, as he brushed his Vulpix.
"So, in other words, I should make test batches and see what everyone likes, right?" Lincoln asked.
"In a way, yes. And you should probably have a notebook on hand to keep track of the recipes you make," Brock replied.
"Lucky for me I bought one last night," Lincoln commented, pulling out the notebook in question.
"Same goes for us as well," Misty replied.
"Well, we should get going. It's almost time for the classes to begin," Brock suggested.
"Alrighty then. You'll keep an eye on things, Pikachu?" Lincoln asked.
"You can count on me!" Pikachu replied, as Lincoln nodded, and left with his friends.
"We should try and perfect our routines," Inferna suggested.
"I was just thinking the same thing," Feebas replied, as they all began to practice.
Meanwhile, with Lincoln and friends,
The trio were making their way through the halls of the Pokemon Center, hoping to make it to the Cooking Classes in time, "Lets see, the room it's being held in should be right around here somewhere," Brock commented, looking around.
"You'd think they'd have a big sign that says 'Pokeblock/Poffin Cooking Class Here' or something," Misty added. Lincoln then noticed something.
"Hey, I think that might be it there," he said, pointing to a sign that read 'Pokeblock/Poffin Cooking Class Here'.
"Well, that's convenient," Brock commented, as they made their way over. Inside, there were already a few people there, including…
"No way! Leni! Clyde!" Lincoln exclaimed, as he saw his sister and best friend was among the people. Also there with them was Ronnie Anne, Zach, Giggles, and Polly.
"Hey there, Lincoln! Fancy seeing you here!" Clyde exclaimed.
"I'd figured you'd already be on your way to your next Gym Battle after winning at the Celadon Gym. Or did things not go well for you there?" Polly asked.
"It didn't go at all. The Gym Leader's off in another Region doing some kind of Perfume Show, so I couldn't challenge the Gym, even if I wanted to. Plus, I'm also entering the Contest they're holding here the day after tomorrow. I have someone I have to beat to prove her philosophy on Pokemon is wrong. That, and there's a storm raging along the route between here and Fushia City," Lincoln replied.
"Ouch… Guess that would put a damper on any travelling plans," Zach commented.
"Well, it isn't all bad. I did check out some of the city with Verosika, Milt and Octavia yesterday. Plus it wouldn't hurt to spend a little R&R before heading on to the next city. But enough about me, what brings you guys to Celadon City?" Lincoln asked.
"Professor Cerise sent us here for the next topic of research. Namely how Pokeblocks and Poffins are made. With all the Pokemon we've been catching, we're going to need to go into overtime with making sure to feed everyone," Giggles replied.
"Bobby and Carlota took some of the others to either Kalos or Alola to check out some treats called 'Pokepuffs' and 'Pokebeans'," Leni added. Just then, some people wearing chef's smocks and aprons entered the room.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to our cooking class. I am Chef Alexander, and these are my assistants, Gilber and Heather," the head chef looking man greeted.
"We know that you all are very interested in making Pokeblock and Poffins for the first time. We are here to go over the basics of making these highly nutritious treats and how they benefit your Pokemon's overall Health and Appearance," Gilbert added.
"We'll start off by stating one of the key aspects of both treats; namely the fact that they're made from berries," Heather added.
"Ooh, berries! Are we talking like strawberries or blueberries?" Leni asked.
"Not quite," Heather replied, as she picked up a basket and placed it on the counter. The basket looked to be filled with odd looking fruits of some kind, "These are the kinds of berries that you can use to make Pokeblock or Poffins. Each one has its own unique quality in terms of nutritional value for both treats. For example," she then pulled out what appeared to be a grape like berry, "A Bluk Berry, such as this one, is good for a Pokemon's coat. It helps to bring out a certain shine to them. Of course, berries can be eaten as is, but for Bluk Berries, they can end up staining your mouth black, so be cautious when eating one of these."
"So, what other berries can best help improve my Pokemon's overall health?" one of the other trainers asked.
"Well, that all depends not only on which berries you use, but also how rare the berries are," Chef Alexander replied.
"What do you mean by 'rare berries,'?" Clyde chimed in.
"I'm glad you asked. Let's take these berries for example," Chef Alexander replied, pulling out what appeared to be a cherry and peach, "Here we have prime examples of a Cherri Berry and a Pecha Berry. These two are fairly common, as you find them just about anywhere you find other berries. Now ones like…" he then pulled out a peculiarly shaped green berry, "This Lum Berry, aren't nearly as common, but aren't that rare either. And if you want to think of rare berries," he then turned on a projector, showing them pictures of berries that looked like an eggplant and a watermelon, "Then ones like the Belue Berries or Watmel Berries are among the rarer variety. And if we were to go even further than that, we have exceptionally rare berries like Straf and Liechi Berries, which can yield some of the best Pokeblock imaginable," he then showed them pictures of berries that looked like a leaf and an oddly shaped dome respectively.
"That being said, there's also the matter of taking the flavors of the berries into account. Each berry can come in one or a combination of five different flavors, those being spicy, dry, sweet, sour, or bitter. And it's fairly easy to discern which one has which flavor based on the berry's flesh, those being red, blue, pink, yellow, and green, respectively," Heather added.
"And in that same, respective order, the Pokeblock and Poffins you can make will enhance coolness, beauty, cuteness, toughness, or cleverness," Gilbert added.
"I get it. So to make Pokeblock to enhance the Beauty of a Pokemon, I would need to use blue colored berries to make blue Pokeblock or Poffins, yes?" Lincoln asked.
"That may be true, but there's more to it than merely focusing on the Pokemon's appeal. Each Pokemon has their own unique flavor palate, whether they like spicy flavoring or sweet flavoring. And depending on what flavor Pokeblock or Poffin you give you Pokemon, they could either can't get enough of it or avoid wanting to eat it like a child would avoid eating broccoli," Chef Alexander explained.
"Not to mention, you also have to take into account the nutritional content of what you want to give your Pokemon. As we previously stated, some berries have unique attributes that help enhance certain qualities of a Pokemon, such as making their coat look more luxurious. Others can be used to help give more flavor or more body to the individual treats," Gilbert added.
"But rather than go right into trying to explain things, why don't we go and collect some berries from the local orchard? Once we've collected our fill of berries, we can get right into actually making Pokeblock and Poffins," Chef Alexander suggested. Everyone there seemed on board with the idea, and left with the chefs.
Meanwhile, at a large conference room at Team Rocket HQ,
Proton was standing at attention with several other grunts. They were waiting for their briefing about the latest mission Giovanni had cooked up for them. It was then that Petrel entered the room, and took his place in front of the group, "Alright Grunts, listen up! Our boss, Giovanni, has given us a new, if not unusual, mission for us to tackle overseas!" he boomed.
"'Overseas'? You mean like in Hoenn or Sinnoh? Or are we going to finally make a move on the Alola Region?" one of the grunts asked.
"An excellent question, but no. As per HIS instructions, we are heading for the actual country of North America, namely to some backwoods town called 'Royal Woods, Michigan,'" Petrel replied. Proton recognized the name "Royal Woods", as it was where he knew Lincoln Loud was from. He gnashed his teeth in irritation.
"Sir, what exactly does this new mission of ours entail?" another grunt asked.
"To put it simply, we're to track down these individuals and hold them hostage!" Petrel replied, as he displayed images of the Loud Family and their extended family up on the big screen, including Leni, Lynn Sr., Albert and Myrtle, Ruth, Leonard, along with five other individuals. The first was a large, muscular man in a track suit with a long, pointed nose like Lynn Sr. or Leonard, an African American woman, a teen boy with curly hair, a young girl with glasses, and a young boy with a cast on one arm. Proton was now very confused.
"What purpose does holding them hostage serve us?" he asked.
"Well, as you probably know, Proton, our boss hasn't given up on wanting to recruit that white haired runt that ruined both of our operations. Giovanni must think if the kid cares enough for his family, he'll be forced to join up with us, just to keep them safe. Either that, or as an incentive to stay out of Team Rocket's way," Petrel explained.
"Ah, so it's basically blackmail? Now THAT'S something I can get behind!" Proton proclaimed.
"I figured you would. The operation takes place in one month! Once we make ground in Royal Woods, we need to scout out the Louds, learn their schedule, and capture them when there's no witnesses. There must be absolutely NO witnesses. I don't care what you have to do to keep people quiet, nor does the boss, just do it!" Petrel explained.
"YES SIR, PETREL!" Proton and the other grunts replied.
"Good. Now then, dismissed!" Petrel boomed, as everyone piled out of the conference room.
Meanwhile, in Giovanni's Office,
Giovanni was on a video call with a lanky, middle-aged man wearing a lab coat and messy white hair, "Alright Doctor Fuji, how is the project progressing?" he asked.
"Well, thanks to the assistance from Professor Nanba and your scientists, as well as the additional funding you've provided, we're making great progress. Granted, it's moving along rather slower than you would prefer, but a masterpiece such as this requires time and patience to achieve perfection," the man replied.
"Hmm, as long as I get the super clone I commissioned, I see no issue with waiting. How much longer would you say it'll take?" Giovanni asked.
"Difficult to say right off, but I would like to put my estimate at maybe, oh, a month, month and a half," Doctor Fuji replied.
"Hmm, you're right. It is a bit longer than I would prefer, but I want my most powerful Pokemon to be absolutely flawless. And you remember what I want you to do with that computer chip I had also provided you?"
"Yes sir. As soon as the process is complete, we'll have it implanted into the clone, and it'll be perfectly obedient."
"Good. I'll check back in a month. Contact me should any developments occur," and with that, Giovanni cut off the call, turning to face outside the window, "Soon, the Pokemon League and the entire world's old laws will be ousted, and replaced by the rule of Team Rocket. And you had better watch yourself, Lincoln Loud… Not even you can find a way to stop what I have planned."
Meanwhile, back at the Celadon City Pokemon Center Kitchen,
The class had arrived back at the Pokemon Center, each person with a big basket full of berries, "Not too bad a haul, I'd say," Lincoln commented.
"Too bad those rare berries they had were only one per customer," Misty replied.
"Well, I'm sure we can find some Berry Pots and grow our own crop of them on our own," Brock added.
"'Berry Pots'? What are those?" Lincoln asked.
"They're what you could call portable farms. They're made by the Silph Co. to help grow berries for trainers who don't have access to a berry orchard of their own," Brock replied.
"Hmm, we'll have to see about getting some Berry Pots for ourselves," Lincoln commented.
"Well, we don't really need any Berry Pots. The Cerise Lab has a plot of land the Professor said we can use for growing berries ourselves," Giggles replied.
"It would make harvesting rare berries like these ones all the easier," Ronnie Anne commented, holding up berries that looked like either a blue ear of corn, or a pink, spikey berry that was sort of shaped like a bean.
"Yeah, not to mention being able to make more higher quality Pokeblock and Poffins," Lincoln replied.
"Alright everyone, now that we've got our berry supply, we can now get into the part you've all been waiting for; Making Pokeblock and/or Poffins," Chef Alexander announced.
"We'll start off with making Pokeblock first. Now then, the first thing you'll need are these Berry Blenders. If you have your own, then that's fine and dandy. If not, never fear. The Pokemon Center supplies many Blenders for any passing trainers seeking to stock up on Pokeblock for their Pokemon," Gilbert stated.
"Excuse me?" Polly asked.
"Yes, young lady?" Chef Alexander asked.
"I was wondering if there are any Pokeblock recipes that are particularly filling?" Polly asked. Lincoln and his companions were surprised to hear her ask this.
"What do you mean by 'filling', Polly?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, it's because of this Pokemon I recently caught. It eats way more than all the other Pokemon we have back at the lab, and it's costing a fortune just to try and feed it," Polly replied, holding up an Ultra Ball.
"Well, which Pokemon do you have?" Heather asked. Polly then opened the Pokeball, and out materialized a massive, chubby blue-green Pokemon that was snoring away, "Ah, a Snorlax. That is quite the challenge to feed."
"So that's a Snorlax?" Lincoln asked, as he scanned Polly's new Pokemon.
"Snorlax, the Sleeping Pokemon, a Normal Type. Snorlax' appetite is not satisfied unless it eats nearly 900 pounds of food every day, after which it promptly goes to sleep. Its stomach is so strong, not even rotten or moldy food can affect it," Dexter explained.
"It was a tough capture for me, sure, but it's an even tougher challenge to feed it, as I just said," Polly groused.
"Well, you needn't worry, young lady. For you see, Professor Oak has released a recipe to the public for special Pokeblock and Poffins specifically for Snorlax or other Pokemon that eat a lot. The recipe makes it so that even a single piece of either Pokeblock or Poffin will be able to satisfy their massive appetites," Chef Alexander explained.
"Whoa, really?!" Polly exclaimed.
"We should go and print off those recipes when we get the chance. No telling if and when any of US gets a Pokemon with a big appetite," Clyde suggested.
"Good thinking," Ronnie Anne replied.
"Not only that, we should also get some Pokeblock and Poffin Cases specifically for those treats," Brock added.
"Cases?" Polly asked.
"Ah, yes. You see, you'll need special cases, such as these ones to house all the Pokeblock and all the Poffins you make. Each one can hold a near infinite amount of each one," Gilbert replied, holding up what looked like a Pez Dispenser and a hand sized wicker basket.
"Y'know, when I was out on my date with Verosika and the others yesterday, I thought I saw something of a kitchen gadget store at the Celadon Shopping Center. They had a plethora of cases like those," Lincoln chimed in.
"Ok, so we should probably hit up the Shopping Center when we're done here," Ronnie Anne stated.
"Quite right. But you can still take these cases, if you want. We have plenty just in case there are trainers just starting to get into making Pokeblock and Poffin," Heather said, distributing cases among all the trainers present.
"Whoa, that's really nice of you to do," Zach replied, accepting his two cases.
"What I'd like to know is how these small cases can hold near infinite amounts of treats," Ronnie Anne commented.
"Why look a gift horse in the mouth? If it works, then it works," Lincoln replied.
"Wouldn't it be kind of gross looking inside a horse's mouth? I don't know if they can get cavities or not," Leni commented, causing everyone to just look at her with perplexed expressions.
Alright guys, here's the latest chapter. And yes, Valentino will be a minor character, but will be the same piece of shit as he is in Hazbin Hotel, mixed in with the controling, manipulative behavior of Mammon from Helluva Boss. I was considering having Lincoln go to the Monster Realm AFTER Gramp Canyon, but I'm considering having him head over to help Verosika in the next chapter. Let me know what you all think in the comments.
Also, a bit of a spoiler alert, but several Hellaverse Characters will be making appearances when that arc does roll around
