Episode 374: Mallow Tasty Treat
After meeting with Kiawe, a longtime friend of Riku in Alola, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Naminé, Roxas, Xion, Karen, Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Wes, Rui, Michael, Trace, Rei, Ryuko, Pikachu, Angel, Eevee, Azurill, Xipak, Celeste, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, Eclair, Marill, Volt, and Maple continue on their way toward Fennel Valley when a pleasing smell hits their nostrils.
"You smell that?" Trace asked.
"I sure do. It smells delicious," Chase said.
"Pikachu," Volt said.
"I don't know about any of you, but I'm starting to get hungry," Karen said.
"Well, we could use a lunch break, so a quick stop wouldn't hurt," Rei said.
With that said, they followed the delicious smell right to its source. They arrived into town and it looked like some sort of event was taking place.
"You think it's a festival going on?" Naminé asked.
"If there is, then we're fortunate enough to catch it," Kairi said.
Stepping out of one of the booths is a girl and a Leafeon. Riku recognized the girl. She is a slender and slightly tall girl with tan skin, long green hair kept in two tree-shaped twintails, and light green eyes. Her most noticeable feature is the fake pink flower in her hair, which she holds in place with green vine-like straps. Clothing-wise, she wears a pink tank top, light gray overalls with spiky white frills, a white clover-shaped mark on the waist, and a berry-storing pouch above the bust, and green and white shoes with small dark green bows. She also keeps a golden clover-shaped badge on her waist just above the white clover-shaped mark. Eevee then rushes over to her.
"Eevee, wait!" Sora said.
"It's okay, Sora, I actually know that girl," Riku said.
"You do?" Sora asked.
"Eevee!" Eevee said. The girl sees Riku's Eevee coming to her. She instantly recognized him.
"Eevee, I haven't seen you in a while. Where could Riku be?" The girl asked.
"Closer than you think, Mallow," Riku said as he and the rest of the group came to the booth. Mallow's face lit up.
"Riku, I thought you were here," Mallow said, smiling. She noticed the rest of the group with him. "Naminé, it's great seeing you again!:
"Hello, Mallow," Naminé greeted.
"I'm gonna guess you're Sora, Kairi, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Chase, Elaine, Wes, Rui, Michael, Roxas, Xion, and Riku's master Rei Sakura, right?" Mallow asked.
"Yes," Rei said.
"I'm Trace," Trace introduced himself.
"My name's Karen Ketchum. I'm Sora's twin sister. This is Blossom," Karen introduced.
"Pikachu," Blossom said.
"I'm Ventus, but everyone calls me Ven, and this is Sparky," Ventus introduced.
"Pika, Pika," Sparky said.
"My name's Ryuko," Ryuko said.
"I'm Terra, and this Thor," Terra introduced.
"I'm Aqua, and this is Eclair," Aqua introduced.
Pikachu," Eclair said.
"Nice to meet you. What have you been up to?" Mallow asked.
"Well, me, Sora, Roxas, Ash, Leaf, Ethan, Brendan, Michael, Wes, Trace, Chase, and Elaine were competing in the Pokémon Stadium Cup while Kairi and May were taking part of Pokémon Contests. Kairi here won the Kanto Grand Festival while May came in second, and we're on our way to Fennel Valley to make it to the finals, since Sora, Roxas, Wes, Michael, Chase, Trace, Elaine, and Brendan are the finalists," Riku said.
"Really? I never would have guessed," Mallow said.
"And I wouldn't have guessed we'd be meeting with you and Kiawe on the same day," Riku said. This surprsed Mallow.
"What? Kiawe is here, too?" Mallow asked.
"We met him just a little while ago," Michael said.
"He even challenged Sora to a battle and Sora won," Trace said.
"I thought he would do that. I take it that he wanted to see if Sora was worthy of being Riku's rival, right?" Mallow asked.
"I pretty much got a taste of it," Sora said.
"Speaking of taste, we smelling something tasty," Chase said.
"What he meant to say is, what are you entering?" Kairi asked.
"Eevee," Angel said. Mallow giggled.
"I would be entering the Legendary Alola Stew," Mallow admitted.
"Legendary Alola Stew?" Most of the group asked.
"You're actually trying to enter that?" Riku asked.
"That's right," Mallow said.
"What is the Legendary Alola Stew, Miss Mallow?" Ryuko asked.
"It's a legendary stew in Alola. It goes down in legend that the ancient Alolans have made this dish when there were festivals or ceremonies. The ingredients were brought together made it so delicious that even the Pokémon enjoyed it. But as the years passed, the recipe has been lost, but I managed to wing it with this cookbook," Mallow said, holding up a cookbook.
"No wonder it's called legendary," Lyra said.
"Marill," Marill said.
"I would love to try that," May said.
"Well, maybe you'll have that chance," Mallow said. Everyone all looked at her. "I plan on sharing it with all of you. I mean, if you're not in too much of a hurry." Everyone all looked at each other and they thought of giving it a chance.
"You know we'll be supporting you, Mallow," Riku said.
"If you need any help with the preparations, you can count on me," Kairi offered.
"You can count on all of us," Sora said.
"Yeah!" The group said.
"Thank you, everyone. I am so lucky to have met you," Mallow said.
Unknown to anyone, a short man was listening in on them, and he backs up.
"Legendary Alola Stew? This could mean big trouble for Chef Lefou. He's been the winner of the Chef's Extravaganza for the last 15 years, and he never lost even once. He must know about this," the man said as he left to inform his boss. He enters the booth where a large chubby man is humming a happy tune. He has a curly mustache, and wore a chef's outfit.
"Oui, the title of Chef King is going to be mine again, I guarantee," the chef said with a Cajun accent.
"Um, boss, I need to inform you that I-" the man was cut off.
"Don't bother me, Francis! Can't you see I am busy preparing for the contest?" Chef Lefou asked in an irritated tone.
"But, Chef Lefou, it cannot wait! I-" Francis was cut off again.
"Do not tell me it cannot wait! I will decide what will wait and cannot wait!" Chef Lefou said. He prepares a large cake. "Viola! My masterpiece! Made from the finest of ingredients. Kalos chocolate along with cream of an Alcremie, in Vanilla Cream. Dough of a Fidough. A pinch of salt from a Nacli. Honey made from a Combee. Essence of Cherubi, Swirlix, and Bounsweet. Fruit of a Tropius. Perfect. It's all perfect." Chef Lefou felt proud of himself. He kisses his fingers. "A true work of art."
"Chef Lefou, if I may," Francis said.
"No, you may not," Chef Lefou said. He chuckled to himself. "My sixteenth victory is assured."
"No, it is not, boss," Francis said. This grabs Chef Lefou's attention and he grabbed him by the shirt.
"What did you say to me, you little fool?! You dare to doubt the genius that is I, Chef Gaston Richard Lefou, the greatest chef of all of Kanto?" Chef Lefou asked.
"I wouldn't dare to doubt you, monsiuer. I swear it on my mother's grave," Francis said.
"Then, tell me why that my victory is not assured," Chef Lefou demanded.
"I was trying to tell you that there is someone who is going to be using an old recipe. One that not even you know of," Francis said.
"You dare to put those same words into the same sentence in my presence?! What you claim is nonsense! There is no such recipe! There is no recipe that I do not know of!" Chef Lefou exclaimed.
"I believe you, sir. The idea of such a thing is laughable. But I would like to know about the Legendary Alola Stew," Francis said. This strikes a cord with the chef.
"What did you say?" Chef Lefou demanded as he held Franscis close to his face.
"Legendary Alola Stew?" Francis replied with a question. Chef Lefou releases him.
"Who is entering such a dish?" Chef Lefou asked.
"Well, it's a girl from the Alola region, sir. And she has some friends helping her out, sir. And it may outshine even yours, sir," Francis said.
"No," Chef Lefou bluntly said.
"No?" Francis asked.
"No. Because we are going to put a stop to it. And by 'we' I do mean you, of course," Chef Lefou said.
"Of course, sir. I aim to please you," Francis said.
"You will sabotage her efforts, like you have been doing for the past 15 years. You will make certain that this Legendary Alola Stew fails miserably and that I win again. And I don't care what you do, just make it happen. UNDERSTAND?!" Lefou shouted as Francis flies out of the booth and against a tree.
"Ay-ay, mon capitaine!" Francis said as he goes to Mallow's booth to sabotage her.
As it turns out, Chef Lefou has been cheating for the 15 years he has participated in the cooking contest, and he would do anything to make sure that he always wins. So, he has Francis go and sabotage any dish that has even a chance of topping him. He is a chef who will not be topped by no one.
Over to the booth, Mallow makes the preparations with Kairi's help as the group has brought the ingredients needed to make the stew. The vegetables consisted of carrots, broccoli, and potatoes.
"Looks like we got everything there is to this," Wes said.
"All except for this," Mallow said, taking out a flask of a yellow substance.
"What is that?" Kris asked.
"Isn't that a nectar from a yellow flower?" Riku asked.
"The main ingredient," Mallow said.
"I think I know what that is. It's a nectar that is the favorite kind of food that Oricorio," Brendan said.
"That's exactly right, Brendan. The nectar comes from flowers that can only be found in the Alola and Paldea regions. In fact, when Oricorio drinks the nectar, they change their appearance and types," Riku said.
"It was a good thing I got this because it would be extremely hard to find these particular flowers outside of those regions. Also, using a Thunderbolt from either a Pikachu or a Raichu would have given off an electrofying aftertaste; but not the good kind," Mallow said.
Francis is watching them and he sees the flask.
"So, that's how that girl is going to pull it off. She's going to use such a rare nectar to give it an extra kick. Chef Lefou won't have that. No sir. That girl isn't going to win it, and I'm going to make sure that she doesn't," Francis took out a Pokéball opened it. A Kecleon came out. "Grab that flask!" Kecleon heads for the booth.
"Now, we can get started," Mallow said. Kecleon's tongue grabbed the flask out of Mallow's hand and it its mouth. "No! My entry!"
"Give that back, Kecleon!" Riku demanded. The chameleon-like Pokémon took off with the flask.
"No, my nectar! Without it, my Legendary Alola Stew won't be any good!" Mallow exclaimed.
"Don't worry, we'll get it back," Sora said. Mallow blinked twice.
"Sora?" Mallow asked.
"You shouldn't give up on a dream before you make it come true, Mallow. Riku has told us that you wish to make everyone happy with food everyone would enjoy, and we're gonna make sure you get that wish," Sora said.
"Sora's right, Mallow. Sora and I will get it back. You get that stew brewing," Riku said.
"Okay, but you gotta hurry! We won't have enough time!" Mallow said.
"You can count on us! Come on, Eevee!" Riku said.
"Eevee!" Eevee said.
"Let's go, Pikachu!" Sora said.
"Pika," Pikachu said.
With that said, Sora, Riku, Pikachu, and Eevee went after Kecleon to get the flask containing the yellow nectar back for Mallow.
Kecleon returned to Francis. He takes it from the Color Swap Pokémon.
"Great job, Kecleon. You saved my bacon from being burned to a crisp by Chef Lefou," Francis said.
"Hey!" Sora shouted. He flinched when he heard Sora's voice.
"Oh, sugar honey iced tea!" Francis gasped as he and Kecleon ran for it.
"Come back here!" Sora yelled.
Francis and Kecleon kept running all through the town, hoping that he wouldn't be caught by Sora and Riku. He held the flask very tightly in his hand.
"I can't let them have this! Chef Lefou will have my head on a silver platter if I blow it!" Francis said.
"Kecleon!" Kecleon said. He looked at Kecleon and saw how determined it is.
"Wait, we shouldn't run? We should just battle against them?" Francis asked. Kecleon nodded. "You're right. We'll make them fight for it!" He stopped in his tracks. Sora, Riku, Pikachu, and Eevee stopped as well.
"You ready to give it up?" Riku asked.
"Not in the slightest. If you want this back, then you'll have to battle against me for it," Francis said.
"So, it's a battle, is it? We'll be more than happy to battle you for it!" Sora said.
"When we win, you will hand it over!" Riku said.
"Fine, but I'm the one who will win. So, I'll be using Kecleon and..." Francis paused, taking out another Pokéball and threw it. "Lickitung!" His Pokéball opened and lets out a Lickitung.
"I'm going with Pikachu!" Sora said.
"Eevee's the one I'm sending!" Riku said.
"Pikachu," Pikachu said.
"Eevee," Eevee said.
"Okay, Lickitung! Use Stomp on Eevee! Kecleon! Use Shadow Ball on Pikachu!" Francis ordered. Kecleon fired Shadow Ball at Pikachu as Lickitung moves in to stomp on Eevee.
"Use Dig, Eevee!" Riku ordered. Eevee dug underground to avoid Lickitung's Stomp.
"Use Iron Tail on that Shadow Ball!" Sora ordered. Pikachu bats Shadow Ball right into the air and straight into the sky. "Thunderbolt!" Pikachu fired Thunderbolt, shocking Keceleon. Due to Kecleon's Color Change ability, Kecleon has become an Electric-type.
"Eevee! Now!" Riku shouted. Eevee came out and deals some heavy damage to Kecleon. Kecleon has become a Ground-type Pokémon from being hit by Dig.
"Kecleon! Psybeam! Lickitung! Use Ice Beam!" Francis ordered. Both Pokémon fired their attacks at their opponents.
"Pikachu! Quick Attack on Lickitung!" Sora ordered.
"Shadow Ball on Kecleon!" Riku ordered.
Pikachu dashed at Lickitung and land a hit with Quick Attack as Eevee fired Shadow Ball at Kecleon, making it into a Ghost-type Pokémon.
"Hey, how could a Ghost-type move hit a Normal-type?!" Francis exclaimed.
"Haven't you been doing your homework? Your Kecleon's ability is Color Change. When a Kecleon is hit by a move that's not its type, then it becomes that type. When your Kecleon was hit by my Eevee's Dig, it became a Ground-type, but when struck by Shadow Ball, it became a Ghost-type. And you know what that means?" Riku asked. Francis scoffed.
"Big deal. Everyone knows a Ghost-type Pokémon is weak against Ghost-type attacks," Francis said. He winced when he realized what he just said. "No wait! That's bad!"
"Bad for you, but good for me. Eevee! Shadow Ball on Kecleon!" Riku ordered. Eevee fired Shadow Ball at Kecleon.
"Lickitung! Get in front of Kecleon!" Francis called out.
"I don't think so! Pikachu! Quick Attack on Lickitung!" Sora ordered. Pikachu dashed at the Licking Pokémon, sending it flying before Lickitung could protect Kecleon. Speaking of which, Kecleon was struck by Eevee's Shadow Ball, resulting in a knockout.
"Thanks for the save, Sora," Riku said.
"Anytime," Sora said.
"Wanna have the honors of wrapping it up?" Riku asked.
"Gladly. Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Sora ordered. Pikachu fired Thunderbolt at Lickitung, shocking it. Lickitung was knocked out. He and Riku sets their attention on Francis. "Now, we believe there's something you owe us."
"You seem to be confusing me for someone who believes in following the rules. I don't," Francis placed the flask down and prepares to step on it. "I'll smash it! So help me, I will!" Before he could, Eevee dashed at him with a Quick Attack, making him wheeze. He fell backwards as Pikachu grabbed the flask.
"Great save," Sora said.
With the flask back in hand, Sora, Riku, Pikachu, and Eevee left Francis and his two Pokémon where they lay. Francis groaned as he sat up.
"Chef Lefou is going to kill me for this," Francis said.
As Sora, Riku, Pikachu, and Eevee returned to Mallow's booth, Francis returned to Chef Lefou's booth to inform him of his failure.
"Ah, Francis, I trust you were successful in sabotaging the Alolan girl's stew, yes?" Chef Lefou asked.
"No," Francis said.
"No?! What do you mean no?!" Chef Lefou asked.
"I had the girl's ingredient in my hand, and I was chased by these two boys, who happen to be Pokémon Trainers; skillful ones at that. They gave me and my Pokémon a beating of a lifetime. I tried to do so, but I..." Francis said.
"You ignorant fool! Can't you do anything right?! What am I even asking? Of course you could not! You could not perform a simple task if your very life depended on it! I knew you were nothing but a waste from the moment I first met you all those years ago! You call yourself an assistant? Please. A Slowpoke would make a much better assistant than you! A Slowpoke is so much smarter than you! You're nothing a total and complete failure! You're incompetent in every possible way, and you're absolutely hopeless! You had this coming for a long time! You're fired, you brain-dead, imbecilic, waste of space! Get out of my sight or else I will kick you to the Unova region! Go! Get lost!" Chef Lefou shouted as Francis fled.
"Why that fat, ungrateful potbellied poor excuse for a chef! I did everything I could to make sure he won this stupid contest every year and this is how he repays me? All that pompous butterball ever does is belittle me, insult me, and throw everything I say back at me. He wouldn't even be a winner of this stupid contest every year for 15 years! I don't even know what I was even thinking of working for that fat cheater! If I knew he was anything like this 15 years ago, I wouldn't have agreed to help him cheat!" Francis vented.
The contest was now underway as Mallow, Chef Lefou, and several other cooks have prepared dishes. The judges have tasted the entries and they have given grades based on presentation, style, and most importantly, taste. The judges have made a decision as the mayor has made her announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come to name the winners of our fabulous King of Chefs Contest. In third place, we have Ralphie and his creative pizza burger!" The mayor announced everyone clapped. "Second place we have..." Mallow was growing anxious, hoping she made it to the winner's circle, Chef Lefou was more interested in hearing his own name being the winner. "Stella for her Pinap Cream Pie!" Everyone clapped. "Last and certainly not least, the winner of our first prize is..." Mallow was really anxious as were Sora, Riku, and the rest of the group. Chef Lefou was prepared to take home the prize once again. "Mallow and her Legendary Alola Stew!"
Everyone were happy to hear Mallow had won it. Chef Lefou wasn't so happy when he lost.
"What?! This cannot be!" Chef Lefou exclaimed. He stormed over to the judges' table. "There must be some sort of mistake! I was certain that I am clearly the winner!"
"Wow, some people just can't stand to lose," Sora said.
"Sorry you feel that way, Chef Lefou, but we have already made our decision and our decision is final," one of the judges said.
"This is outrageous! I am the greatest chef in all of Kanto! This cannot happen to moi! My dishes are works of art! There was no way I could have been losing my touch! How can this be?!" Chef Lefou exclaimed.
"Perhaps you should have put more thought into it before you decided to cheat," the second judge said. Chef Lefou winced as a collection of gasps are heard.
"Cheat? Moi? That is preposterous! I am a world-class chef! I do need to cheat to prepare my masterpieces!" Chef Lefou said.
"No, but you certainly need to cheat to eliminate the competition!" A familiar voice said. Chef Lefou turned to see Francis glaring right at him with an enraged expression. "That's right! This guy has been cheating in this contest for 15 years! And he has me to do his dirty work for him! He had me go around and sabotage anyone who had the chance of topping him! Me? I was just the flunkie, but he's the real mastermind!" Everyone all glared right at him.
"He tried to sabotage Mallow," Naminé said.
"That's unforgivable!" Aqua said.
"So mean," Ryuko said.
Everyone were voicing their own opinions of the dishonest chef.
"Bah, so I tried to cheat my way way to the top! So what?! I am a world-class chef! And world-class is a title that is preserved for winners! And that's what I am! A winner! I had an image and a reputation to protect! AND I DON'T GIVE A RATICATE'S TAIL ON WHO KNOWS IT AND WHO GETS HURT IN THE PROCESS!" Chef Lefou angrily exclaimed. "And I would do it again and again and again and again! And there is nothing that a bunch of tasteless, brainless, inbred yokels like you can do about it!"
"Except for one thing, Chef Lefou," the first chef announced, standing up. "In light of the recent evidence of your cheating for the last 15 years, we have no choice but to permanently ban you from participating in this and/or any food-preparation contest in the world!"
"You cannot be serious!" Chef Lefou exclaimed.
"Oh, we are! And I will say, you are a disgrace to chefs everywhere! You are not even fit to wear the hat on your head!" The first judge said, snatching his chef's hat.
"Sacre blu," Chef Lefou said.
"Now, Miss Mallow, would you come and receive your prize?" The first judge asked as he presents a trophy to her. "Your dish is a true masterpiece, young lady. In all my years, I have tasted anything so legendary."
"Thank you very much. I only wish to make everyone happy," Mallow said.
After the contest, Chef Lefou is dragging his feet, not only for losing, but for being banned for life from the contest that made him what he is.
"Oh, I do not know how this could get any worse. I guarantee," Chef said.
"There he is! It's that no-good fat cheater of a chef! Let's get him!" One of the men yelled. There were other cooks who were sabotaged by Francis on behalf of Chef Lefou. They began to chase after the disgraced chef right out of town. Chef Lefou screamed as he ran for it.
Over to Mallow, she treated the group to what they were promised to them. They happily ate the stew presented to them. Mallow fed Pikachu, Angel, Eevee, Azurill, Blossom, Sparky, Thor, Eclair, Xipak, Celeste, Marill, Volt, and Maple her special Pokémon food.
"Wow, this is one of the best things I have ever tasted," Kairi said.
"Thank you, Kairi. There's plenty if you want seconds," Mallow said.
"I know I would like seconds," May said.
"Same with me," Brendan said.
After they had their meal, Mallow was seeing the group off for Fennel Valley.
"Sorry we have to cut the reunion short, Mallow," Riku said.
"Don't apologize, Riku. The Pokémon Stadium Cup finals is around the corner and you gotta train for it. I wanna wish all eight of you the best of luck," Mallow said.
"Thanks, Mallow," Sora said.
"We'll do our best," Michael said.
So, they all said their goodbyes to Mallow as they continued on. Seeing Mallow on the same day as Kiawe was an expected thing to occur, but they were lucky that they had met her, and training for the Pokémon Stadium Cup finals will help them prepare as Sora, Roxas, Brendan, Chase, Elaine, Wes, Michael, and Trace must be ready for it. So, stay tuned if you want to see some more adventures on the way.