Episode 343: Hail to the Chef!

A day came and went since Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Chase, Elaine, Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Volt, and Maple continued on their journey as they head for Saffron City for Kairi's first Kanto Pokémon Contest and for the Pokémon Stadium Cup.

"I'm really excited to see Kairi in a Pokémon Contest," Elaine said.

"Eevee," Maple said.

"She won the Grand Festival in Hoenn, so Kairi is going to do awesomely in Saffron City," Chase said.

"Pikachu," Volt said.

"Yeah, but there are others who wanna win it badly," Roxas said.

"Pikachu," Xipak said.

"He's right. Drew was no exception, and I can imagine May had won her first Ribbon by now," Kairi said.

"Eevee," Angel said. Angel's nostrils then caught a whiff of something. "Vee."

"What's up, Angel?" Kairi asked.

"Eevee," Angel said.

Just then, Pikachu, Xipak, Celeste, Volt, and Maple sniffed the air.

"I think they smell it, too," Sora said.

"What is it that they're smelling?" Xion asked.

"Only one way to find out," Sora said, bending down to their level. "Okay, guys. Find out what it is."

"Pika," Pikachu, Xipak, and Volt nodded, going on ahead. Angel, Celeste, and Maple followed them as did Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Chase, and Elaine followed them.

Meanwhile, Ash and Leaf are in the forest, heading for Saffron City, too.

"We should be on the right trail," Leaf said.

"Yeah, either May or Kairi will be coming to Saffron City for the Pokémon Contest," Ash said. He looked to his left and he saw a restaurant with a Sneasel on the front. "Am I seeing things or is that a restaurant?"

"You're not the only one, Ash. I'm seeing it, too. But what's a restaurant doing here in the middle of the forest?" Leaf asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it might be a trick. You remember that fake hotel ran by those Bakemon back in the Digital World?" Ash asked.

"How could I forget? We should open it and see," Leaf said. Agreeing with Leaf, he nodded. Leaf opened the door and they saw a young woman wearing a black dress and a white apron. She wore dark gray stockings, and black shoes. She has light skin, brown hair, and blue eyes.

"Welcome to Rhoda's. We're having a grand opening where all the food is free of charge," the young woman said.

"Free? Is there a catch?" Ash asked, feeling skeptical.

"No catch. Just come in and eat," the young woman said with a smile.

"She seems nice enough," Leaf said.

"Yeah, and I'm starting to get hungry anyway," Ash said. His stomach growled. "Perfect timing."

"Excuse me," a voice said. They turned to see a man with a large beard and ragged clothing stepping inside. With him is a Meowth. "Did I hear that the food is free?"

"You sure have, sir. If you're feeling hungry, you're more than welcome to come in and eat," the young woman said.

"I'd like that very much," the man said.

"Meowth," Meowth said.

Back with Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Chase, Elaine, Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Volt, and Maple, they found a restaurant in the middle of the forest and it has a Mr. Mime on the sign.

"A restaurant in the middle of the forest?" Chase asked.

"That must be what the Pokémon were smelling back there," Roxas said.

"Well, we should see what it looks like inside," Sora said.

Agreeing with him, they nodded. Sora opened the door and they saw a young woman very similar to the young woman whom Ash and Leaf met, but she wore a pink maid's outfit. She wore white stockings and red shoes. Standing next her is a Mr. Mime wearing a chef's outfit. It held a ladle and a spatula.

"Welcome to Rhonda's," the young woman greeted with a smile.

"Mr. Mime," Mr. Mime said.

"A Mr. Mime?" Chase asked.

"Welcome from me and my head chef, Mr. Mime," the young woman greeted again.

"Mr. Mime," Mime said.

"There aren't many restaurants that has a Pokémon as a chef," Sora said.

"Pika," Pikachu said.

"Mr. Mime not only prepares delicious food, but in the process, puts on a full-blown show like nothing you have ever seen," the young woman said.

"Wow, that'll be an awesome thing to see," Chase said.

"I'm glad you think so. My name is Rhonda. I'm not only the manager, but I'll be your hostess and waitress for today," Rhonda said.

Over to Rhoda's, a Sneasel is seen as a chef, looking at the Meowth with the man. The young woman is tending to Ash and Leaf.

"Anyway, my name is Rhoda, I'm the manager of Rhoda's, and I'll be your hostess for today," Rhoda said.

"That'll be great," Ash said.

"I suppose you two are heading for Saffron City for the Pokémon Contest coming up," Rhoda said.

"Well, yeah, mostly to see a friend perform there, and to take part of the Pokémon Stadium Cup," Leaf said.

"So we're not really Pokémon Coordinators," Ash said.

"Is that so? I just assumed that you were traveling around when you first came in," Rhoda said.

"Well, you were right to think that," Leaf said.

"And it makes me happy to see such a happy couple eating together. You two must be in so much love if you're sitting so close to each other," Rhoda said. Ash and Leaf blushed.

"Love?! Us?!" Ash and Leaf exclaimed, blushing.

"No, no-no-no-no!" Ash said.

"We're just friends," Leaf said.

"We just knew each other since we were kids, and it'll feel weird dating someone who would feel like a sister to me," Ash said.

"Yeah. It'll be taboo," Leaf said.

"You sure? You two look cute together," Rhoda said. She gasped. "Oh! I'm sorry! I should get you your menus!" She rushes off to the menus.

"I am curious to know what kind of food this place has. Right, Meowth?" The man asked.

"Meowth," the Scratch Cat Pokémon nodded. Sneasel sneered at Meowth.

"Hey!" - Sneasel subtitle. Meowth looked right at the Sharp Claw Pokémon. "It'll be a waste to serve good quality food to the likes of you!"- Sneasel subtitle. This infuriates Meowth.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" - Meowth subtitle.

"For one thing, you wouldn't know good quality food if it bit you back." - Sneasel subtitle.

"I would so know it, you pompous, overpaid fry cook!" - Meowth subtitle. Meowth was about to get in a fight with Sneasel. The man grabbed Meowth by the shoulders.

"Whoa, Meowth! No! It's not worth it! I don't wanna get thrown out!" The man said. Rhoda sees it happening.

"That's enough!" Rhoda said, stopping the fight before it started. She looked at Sneasel with a scolding expression. "Sneasel, you apologize for being rude to our customers, this minute."

"Sneasel," Sneasel said, faking an apologie.

"I'm sorry, sir. Sneasel can be stubborn and irritable. But, I promise you that his cooking makes it worth keeping around. In fact, once you had a taste of the food here at Rhoda's, you'll never want to eat another restaurant," Rhoda said.

"If it's really that good, then I'll accept your apology," the man said. He laughed. "And since it's free, I'll have one of everything."

"Excellent choice, sir. I'll get your order done immediately," Rhoda said with a smile.

Back over at Rhonda's Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Chase, Elaine, Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Volt, and Maple were waiting for Mr. Mime's presentation to begin.

"I think I'm getting excited for Mr. Mime to be ready," Xion said.

"So am I," Roxas said.

"Chu," Xipak said.

"Vee," Angel said.

The curtains opened to reveal Mr. Mime preparing to cook for its customers. They all sat in their seats at awe.

"Now for your dining and viewing pleasure. Star chef, Mr. Mime!" Rhonda proudly announced.

"Mr. Mime," Mr. Mime said, using its psychic powers to manipulate the dishes and ingredients. Mr. Mime uses its psychic powers to prepare the food.

"As you can see, food preparations is just part of the show for Mr. Mime," Rhonda said. Mr. Mime kept using its psychic powers to pour different ingredients in the curry. "We believe that cooking with artistic flare is just as important as food that tastes great."

Back at Rhoda's Ash and Leaf were given a single hamburger, dripped with a red sauce, and so were the man and his Meowth.

"I was expecting something different than red sauce on a hamburger patty," Ash said.

"Well, how about we don't be rude and have a bite just to see how it tastes?" Leaf suggested.

"Well, down the hatch," Ash said as he and Leaf took their forks and cut a piece of the hamburger patty and took a bite. Their eyes almost popped out. "WOW! This is delicious."

"It tastes like I have a party in my mouth, and the entire neighborhood is invited," Leaf said.

"I'm glad you like it," Rhoda said.

The man took a bite of his hamburger patty and he almost jumped out of his seat like a rocket, enjoying the taste.

"Jumping Jehoshaphat! This is the best hamburger patty I have ever tasted," the man said. Meowth took a bite out of it and it disliked how it tasted. It turns out that Sneasel has messed with Meowth's food on purpose just to show it.

"And the next dish is even more delicious than the last," Rhoda said, taking the empty plates off and presented them with meatballs covered with meatballs with some sort of sauce. They all had a taste and their tastebuds are overwhelmed.

"Wow, this is great," Leaf said.

"It's tasty," Ash said.

Meowth took another bite and tasted how spicy it tasted.

"For an Ice-type Pokémon, your Sneasel has a way with spices," Leaf said.

"Sure does," the man said. Meowth just took his last meatball and scarfed it down. "Hey! What in the samhill do you think you're doing?!" Meowth was taken aback by how delicious it tasted. Meowth glared at the Sharp Claw Pokémon, angered.

"You sneaky Sneasel! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!" - Meowth subtitle. Sneasel is snickering. Meowth got up and readied its claws. "You can't pepper-poison me and get away with it! Time to slice and dice you!" - Meowth subtitle. Meowth rushes at Sneasel.

Back at Rhonda's Mr. Mime has finished with the preparations. The group looked at the food, awestruck by how delicious it looked.

"Look at that," Elaine said.

"Vee," Maple said.

"It looks almost too good to eat," Xion said.

"Would you believe he made all this food while putting on an amazing show at the same time?" Kairi asked, mesmerized.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't," Sora said.

"Mime, Mime," Mr. Mime said.

"Mr. Mime says to go ahead and dig in," Rhonda said.

"Thanks, Mr. Mime!" Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Chase, and Elaine said in unison. The group each took a bite of their meal, and fell backwards from the displeasing taste. Rhonda looked over her customers with concern. Mr. Mime sadly sighed, knowing their reaction.

"Oh! Are you okay?! Was it bad?" Rhonda asked.

"We'll be-" Sora said.

Kairi said "-alright."

"I hope," Chase and Elaine said.

"Please, don't take this the wrong way..." Xion said.

"I know. It was bad! It was horrible and no silly performance can never make it taste good!" Rhonda cried.

"Mime," Mr. Mime sighed.

The wall breaks opened as Meowth is seen flying out.

"What the?!" Sora exclaimed.

"Pika!" Pikachu also exclaimed. Meowth got back up and hissed hostility. Rhoda got in front of Meowth.

"Stop this, Sneasel!" Rhoda said, defending Meowth. Sneasel just ignored her and glared at Meowth. They get into a fight.

"Wait, am I seeing double or is it twins?" Roxas asked.

"You're not seeing double. This is Rhoda, my twins sister," Rhonda said. "You promised you wouldn't mess things up for me again, and here you are starting a fight in my restaurant!"

"I didn't start the fight, it was the Pokémon!" Rhoda argued back. Just then, Ash, Leaf, and the man came to Rhonda's side.

"Meowth, cut that out right now!" The man said. Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Chase, and Elaine noticed them as they noticed the group.

"Guys, fancy seeing you here," Ash said.

"I was thinking the same thing, Ash," Sora said.

"Oh, brother," Rhoda said, making them look at the twin sisters. "I see you caught up in the visual again, Rhonda. Is this lunch or is this some kind of exhibit of food gone wild? As usual, you've forgotten what daddy taught us. That above all, food should taste good and that appearances shouldn't matter."

"That's not what he meant! And besides, if your food looked nicer, you wouldn't have to give it away to people!" Rhonda argued.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Rhoda exclaimed.

"I'm simply saying it wouldn't hurt to try developing a sense of style," Rhonda said.

"Are you trying to say that my food is boring?" Rhoda accused.

"If the shoe fits," Rhonda smugly said. "And speaking of shoe, who wants to eat meat that looks like old shoe leather?" Rhoda's face turned red in anger.

"Enough of your insults! Let's decide this thing once and for all tomorrow, and the winner gets the whole restaurant!" Rhoda challenged.

"Bring it on, sister," Rhonda said.

"A contest where the winner is determined by best flavor and presentation," Rhoda said.

"And by best performance," Rhonda added.

"What do you mean by that?" Rhoda asked.

"Come on, you remember what dad always said. 'A good restaurant is a place where customers can enjoy both the food and the dining experie'. And that means including a little bit of performance, doesn't it?" Rhonda pointed out.

"Alright then," Rhoda said.

"Well, looks like we stumbled on a little sibling rivalry. So how about we volunteer on being judges?" Sora suggested.

"Somehow, I knew you were gonna say that, Sora. So, I'm in, too," Ash said.

"So am I," Chase said.

"Me too," Elaine said.

"Me three," Roxas said.

"Count me in," Xion said.

"I'll also be a judge," Leaf said.

"Looks like we're all in," Kairi said.

"Alright, you can all be the judges," Rhoda said.

"Seems fair to me," Rhonda said.

Later that night, Rhoda asks Ash and Leaf for coaching Sneasel. By that time, the man and his Meowth had already left.

"You want us to help coach your Sneasel?" Leaf asked.

"Why?" Ash asked.

"No one can compete with Sneasel's good taste, but when it comes to style, elegance, and presentation..." Rhoda said.

"Not much to look at," Ash said.

"I may be a girl, but not even I'm an expert in that department," Leaf said.

"Oh, please, you have to help my Sneasel just so I win this contest!" Rhoda said.

"I don't know. What do you think, Leaf?" Ash asked.

"Well, I remember what my grandpa told me when I had trouble remembering my lines during the Christmas pageant back in kindergarten: if you can't make it, then fake it," Leaf said.

"Yeah, we can wing it," Ash said.

Back to Rhonda's side, she asks Kairi for help.

"You want me to give Mr. Mime cooking lessons?" Kairi asked.

"Yes. Would you?" Rhonda asked.

"Mime, Mime," Mr. Mime said.

"Maybe you could forget about this contest and run this restaurant together," Elaine suggested.

"That makes sense, doesn't it, but unfortunately, Rhoda always treats me like an amateur when it comes food. So when we're together, we just wind up arguing with each other more than we cook. I was just too stubborn to back down, so we split up the restaurant. Winning this contest may be the only way to get Rhoda to finally treat me like an adult. So, would you please help me when you can, Kairi?" Rhonda requested.

"I think help, but not for that reason, Rhonda. You're both sisters, so you should make up with each other," Kairi said. Rhonda smiled.

"That could be nice, too," Rhonda said.

"It makes sense that you'd ask Kairi for help, since she's an excellent cook," Chase said.

"She's even better than our parents' cooking," Elaine said.

"Pikachu," Volt said.

"Eevee," Maple said.

"And with Kairi as Mr. Mime's teacher, I know he'll improve," Sora said.

"Chu," Pikachu said.

Later, Mr. Mime is preparing a vegetable stew for starters.

"That's all the ingredients it takes. Now to add in the spices," Kairi said.

"Mime," Mr. Mime said, using his psychic powers to bring in all the spices. Just when Mr. Mime was about to add them all in at once, Kairi stepped in.

"Stop right there!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Mime?" Mr. Mime asked.

"You can't just add in any spices in there, Mr. Mime. You gotta pick the perfect ones to match the ingredients you're using," Kairi instructed.

Over to Rhoda's side, Ash and Leaf brought in some additional ingredients for Sneasel to work with.

"Okay, Sneasel, the food you prepared earlier is great, but you should try some other things if you want to draw in a crowd. Try adding in some vegetables to go with the hamburger patty. Let's try some lettuce, with slices of tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes," Ash said. Sneasel gave it a try, slicing some of the other vegetables Ash had suggested. The Sharp Claw Pokémon did exactly that.

Over to Rhonda's side, Kairi tries out the soup.

"Mmm. You're improving, Mr. Mime," Kairi said. Mr. Mime tried it, too.

"Mr. Mime!" Mr. Mime exclaimed with delight.

Back with Rhoda's side, Ash and Leaf tried out some ingredients needed for their next recipe. Sneasel got to work on that, making sure it was perfect. Ash and Leaf gave the Sharp Claw Pokémon a thumbs up. Sneasel was cutting some vegetables and found there was a musical rhythm that went with it.

Back over to Rhonda's side, Mr. Mime has prepared some pizza. Kairi tries out a slice.

"Not bad, Mr. Mime. Once more from the beginning," Kairi said.

"Mime," Mr. Mime nodded. The Barrier Pokémon began rolling the dough as Kairi monitors Mr. Mime.

On the next morning, the judges have taken their positions as they were about to begin.

"This chef battle between Rhonda's Mr. Mime and Rhoda's Sneasel is about to begin! Judging will be based on three factors: flavor, presentation, and performance! Are you ready to begin?" Kairi asked.

"Yes!" Rhoda and Rhonda answered.

"I'm ready to kick my sister's butt," Rhoda said.

"Bring it on," Rhonda said.

"Chefs! To your stations and get cooking!" Kairi instructed. Mr. Mime and Sneasel rushed to their stations to begin cooking. Mr. Mime pirouettes around while cutting some carrots and placed them in a boiling pot.

"It's like watching a ballet, but with food," Elaine said. Rhoda was impressed by Mr. Mime's movements.

"I have to admit, Rhonda's Mr. Mime does put on a good performance," Rhoda said.

Sneasel does the same thing.

"How did Sneasel learn that?" Rhonda asked. Sneasel juggles some potatoes and cuts them up into French fries. As the group watched at awe, Rhonda was becoming furious. "Suddenly, I'm not feeling so good. Show 'em what you got, Mr. Mime!" Mr. Mime uses his psychic powers to lift up the ingredients, but stopped. He remembered what Kairi said about choosing the spices that fits with the ingredients that he's using. So, Mr. Mime places the spices down and selects the spices. Mr. Mime tasted the soup, to make sure it was perfect. Sneasel placed a Sneasel-shaped meat patty.

"It's like a work of art," Xion said.

Just then, something extends a green lettuce-like tentacle and grabs Sneasel and Mr. Mime. Rhoda and Rhonda gasped when they saw it happen.

"What the?!" Sora exclaimed. They ran outside and they saw it was a giant Heartless that resembled a giant hamburger. It has lettuce-like tentacles and it has spider-like legs. It has a green olive on the top of its head with the Heartless emblem in the middle. Its top bun has sesame seeds all over. The inside, consisted of lettuce, onions, pickles, tomatoes, cheese, and of course, the hamburger patty itself. It has sharp jagged teeth and yellow eyes on the front. The Heartless emblem is located on the center. This Heartless shall be known as the Monster Burger.

"A monster!" Rhoda and Rhonda gasped in fright.

"A Heartless!" Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Chase, and Elaine exclaimed. Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, and Leaf summoned their Keyblades as Sora threw his Kingdom Key, cutting one, freeing Mr. Mime as Ash threw his Fire Red Charizard, freezing Sneasel. The twins were shocked and surprised to see their Keyblades and more so when they recalled them. Sora held out his other hand and he summoned another Keyblade in his hand. The blade of the Keyblade is made up of a sausage. The guard has the design of a cheeseburger. A piece of lettuce serves as the teeth and the token is a miniature hamburger. This Keyblade shall be known as the Delicious Burger.

"Okay, you guys. Take this Heartless down! Take it down hard!" Sora said.

With that said, they engaged the giant hamburger-like Heartless as it spits out pickles and onions, so they managed to dodge. It spat out mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup, but Kairi casts a reflect spell to block it and she casts a crystal spell, hitting it. Roxas came at it and he struck it with his Two Become One Keyblade as Xion struck it with her True Light's Flight. The Monster Burger unleashed onions and they explode when they made contact with the ground. The Monster Burger even snapped after them. Pikachu and Xipak fired Thunderbolt at it as Angel and Celeste lands an Iron Tail on it.

The twins and Pokémon watched at awe when they watched them fight the Monster Burger.

"Look at that. They're working together to fight that monster," Rhonda said.

"Yes. And we should have been working together the whole time," Rhoda said.

"Right. Mr. Mime! Use Dazzling Gleam!" Rhonda ordered.

"Sneasel! Use Blizzard!" Rhoda ordered. Mr. Mime and Sneasel unleashed their chosen attacks and they hit the Monster Burger on the mark. Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Ash, and Leaf slashed their Keyblades on the Monster Burger, taking it down. A heart flows from the Monster Burger and goes straight up into the sky and disappeared. "Great job, Sneasel."

"You too, Mr. Mime," Rhonda said. The Keyblade wielders dismissed their Keyblades and approached the twins.

"You two alright?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, thanks to you," Rhoda said.

"You saved our Pokémon from that monster, so we had to repay you," Rhonda said.

"Well, we know it was because you all worked together, when we should have all along," Rhoda said.

"Yeah, sorry if the monster interrupted the contest between you two," Sora said.

"The contest was pointless, so I decided to make Rhoda my partner," Rhonda said. Rhoda was surprised by what her sister said.

"Rhonda, are you sure?" Rhoda asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Dad wanted us to work together, so we can prove it to him that we can," Rhonda said.

"You're right. It's the best we can do after all," Rhoda said.

"I'd say a good call," Roxas said.

"Well, we owe it to all of you," Rhonda said.

"And to show you our appreciation, we'll be treating you for a meal. On the house," Rhoda said.

Liking the idea, Sora and the others took the twins up on the offer. Sneasel and Mr. Mime have prepared a hamburger patty recipe.

"Please, enjoy your meal," the twins said.

"Well, here goes," Sora said as he and the others each took a bite. Their tastebuds were dancing with joy, loving the taste. "This is good!"

"Pika!" Pikachu said.

"It doesn't just look good, but it tastes good, too," Ash said.

"You two make quite the pair," Xion said.

"We're so glad you like it," Rhoda and Rhonda said in unison.

"I'm so glad we're working together," Rhoda said.

"Yeah, instead of fighting with each other," Rhonda said.

"And all it took was a monster make this possible," Rhoda said. Everyone all smiled, happy to see the twins working as a team, along with Mr. Mime and Sneasel.

And this bit of experience served as a reminder to Sora, Kairi, and their friends that so much can be accomplished when people and Pokémon work together. And with their stomachs full, Sora, Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Ash, Leaf, Chase, Elaine, Pikachu, Angel, Xipak, Celeste, Volt, and Maple have set out on their journey and make their way to Saffron City. Stay tuned for more adventure.