“So, what noodles are you people craving?”, the man next to the Machamp asked with a beaming smile.

  “Ummm… is there a menu I can look at or…?”, Christine asked as they had just sat down and had not yet situated themselves.

  The restaurant was an open kitchen setup with seating at the counter for customers to watch as Machamp worked his way around the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, the Pokemon was faster than most chefs through the assistance of his four arms and immediately got to them even though they had just arrived.

  “There used to be one but Chef over here felt like branching out and trying new things. So he’s just been switching between different types of food and the current one is noodles. Oh - and if he has never heard of the type then you’ll need to provide a recipe or at least describe it as best as you can. Don’t expect it to be amazing for his first try though”

  They then looked to the side as Machamp just finished preparing a plate of gnocchi coated in cheese and garlic. The bodybuilder then handed it to a lady that seemed more like a tourist than a Trainer or a city local.

  “Champ! Champ!”, he stated.

  She then began taking pictures of the plate with Machamp in the shot who posed with a thumbs up using his fourth arm as he returned to preparing the dough.

  “I’ll have something more typical then. A bowl of ramen”, Gavin decided.

  “I’ll take yakisoba then”, Christine piped up, preferring something more festive.

  “Since, he wants something different then I guess dandan noodles”, Harrison suggested.

  As soon as the next dish was completed, the Machamp rushed over with pen and paper and began demanding a description of the dish while working on the yakisoba with the other two free arms.

  The man then laughed as Chef Machamp overwhelmed Harrison with his inquiries and made him sample different peppers with varying spice levels for whichever better fit the dish.

  The other two then enjoyed their meals and watched while Machamp began experimenting with different prototypes with small samples that were a combination of completely different sauces and spices.

  After the experiment concluded, Harrison then asked, “Did you trade for your Machamp?” to the man who seemed to be in charge of running the rest of the restaurant. As Machamp handled cooking, he seemed to handle orders, stock ingredients, and clear tables.

  “Technically yes but not really”, he stated.

  Noticing the look of confusion, he then laughed.

  “It wasn’t supposed to be a trade but ended up as one. My friend mainly wanted Machoke to learn cooking as a unique way of training. Machoke was a bit too obsessed with using brute force but always lost against a stronger opponent because he would refuse to dodge or try anything with a bit more finesse and tried to overcome everything with just his strength alone. He’d complain about that constantly”

  “Champ!”, the Chef protested.

  “Yeah, yeah. You’d know NOW how to counter and might win but dodging is NOT something that’s done by cowards”, he said back to Machamp.

  “Champ”, he scoffed.

  “Cooking as training?”, Harrison mused.

  “That’s what he thought of because unlike regular training, you can’t just beat up your food unless you want something that’s always the consistency of a hamburger or ground paste. It then worked and taught Machoke a bit more skill but he liked cooking so much that he evolved into Machamp and didn’t want to leave”, the man said, concluding his story.

  “Ever since, he’s just been cooking and trying to get better. Even now, he’s still at it even when I’ve settled down”, the man said in a slightly nostalgic tone. It seemed that the trade was not recent.

  “I don’t know enough about cooking to understand the greater intricacies-”, Harrison began.

  “Oh, I think you’d do fine. Your feedback and suggestions were very thorough. But are you sure you’re okay with Machamp using it in the menu?”

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  “It’s not a dish that I came up with so go ahead”

  “Also, I was wondering if you were open to the idea of training another Pokemon in cooking”, Harrison then suggested after some thought.

  “I’m guessing it’s another trade evolution then since they thrive on experiences”, he guessed.

  “Yeah, it’s an Abra but it will be a Kadabra soon”, Harrison stated with confidence.

  “I’m down for it but are you okay with the possibility your Kadabra might not return when it becomes an Alakazam?”, the restaurateur asked Harrison with a firm tone. Although Trade wasn’t necessary for evolution, being traded was a very common occurrence for Pokemon that were categorized as needing Trade Evolution. In the process of gaining experience and perspective, these Pokemon would come across different lifestyles and occasionally change Trainers or chose something other than battling as their main focus. Due to this, the most common practice was to just trade and expedite the process as it was a shortcut which led to the least time wasted and the least resentment involved in the process.

  “Of course. But I’d sincerely doubt it. His ingenuity with battle is only matched by his eccentric temperament”, Harrison stated, referring to whenever Maestro stopped dozing off.

  “I’ll keep it in mind then. The name’s Manuel”, he said as they shook hands. They then exchanged contact details on the Poketch.

  Afterwards, the group began heading back to the Pokemon Center. Along the way they passed a few stores that were selling Evolution Stones and aesthetically pleasing minerals like quartz and citrine along with any unusual rocks that had been found in the Oreburgh Mine. They then had to dissuade Christine from buying one as she currently had no Pokemon that needed an Evolution Stone and buying one prematurely would be locking in her choices without proper consideration.

  “They’re expensive but more importantly, you’re not guaranteed to find the Pokemon that needs it to evolve. It’s much better to first get the Pokemon and then buy one”, Harrison argued as she continually looked back towards the mineral exhibition with clear regret.

  “Do you even know what Pokemon you want that can evolve from a Shiny Stone?”, Gavin asked.

  “A Roserade would be nice”, Christine muttered.

  Harrison then looked at Gavin before stopping in his tracks. The two then turned to look at him as he facepalmed.

  “I totally forgot while she was fussing over the Shiny Stone but your Seedot needs a Leaf Stone”, Harrison stated which made Christine scowl.

  “Really? I thought it evolved from battle like every other Pokemon”, Gavin responded in an uncertain tone.

  “For the first evolution but it needs a Leaf Stone for the final evolution”

  They then returned to the mineral exhibition and began browsing the rows and rows of Leaf Stones encased in a special type of glass that retained their type energy. Even with the special material preserving the integrity of the evolution stone, subtle green light emitted from the rock when observed keenly.

  One by one, he went down the rows. Each stone had a leaf encased within the rock with each leaf being slightly different. Some had holes in them, some had gaps filled by the rocks, some looked more frayed but they all had the same color and seemed to be the same type of leaf.

  “I don’t get it. How do you even tell what Leaf Stone is better? Does a better quality Leaf Stone even matter?”, Gavin asked after he got tired of observing.

  Before Harrison or the person manning the booth could chime in, a man with a red mining helmet came by and responded, “The quality of an evolution stone is not determined by their appearance but the power they hold. The appearance of the leaf isn’t so important but people often get confused which is why fake Leaf Stones do so well when forgers can easily put a whole leaf into any random rock. You don’t have to worry about those in Oreburgh where every type of rock is properly inspected”

  Gavin then turned to him and said, “Thanks for the advice but they all seem similar. Is there a better way to tell how much power they have that isn’t just looking at the color of the energy?”

  Gavin also glanced at the prices of every Leaf Stone and none of them were the same. Some were priced higher than others which could indicate quality but he wasn’t quite sure as sometimes, the difference seemed to be size while other times, it seemed to be the leaf.

  “The easiest way is to have your Pokemon check the Stones for one they resonate with. As for the quality of the stone, it mainly influences the initial power of the evolved Pokemon. They start off stronger but it’s not to the extent that it can’t be surpassed by additional training”, the miner stated.

  Gavin then let out Seedot and let it take a look through the rows of Leaf Stones. The acorn then browsed through the selection and chose 4 different stones while showing a particular preference for one specific Leaf Stone which was of a higher quality than the rest. He considered it for a while before picking the better Leaf Stone. Harrison then spotted a significant portion of the Leaf Stone’s cost as he wasn’t lacking in funds while the other two rookies were regular children without any involvement in media and technology and without any prize money from winning battles.

  After purchasing the Leaf Stone, Harrison then said to the miner, “Thanks for the help, Gym Leader. I will keep the advice in mind if I ever get a Pokemon that needs an Evolution Stone”

  The bespectacled miner with red hair then smiled.

  “You must be the rookie that wants a proper challenge. Even with the Professor’s recommendation, can you really break the mold when you’ve never had a Gym Battle before?”, Roark stated in a competitive tone.

  “I’m more than ready to take on your team but if it helps my credibility, I’ll be training in Oreburgh Mine before the match”, Harrison responded with equivalent fervor. He could have been far more harsh but he knew that Gym Leaders rarely used their actual teams and a first badge-level match was extremely limiting even if the challenger wanted a proper battle. It could be different if he had a few badges under his belt from another region or year but he was actually a new Trainer despite the formidable Pokemon he already trained.

  “Good. At least, you won’t be like the rookies that use Scratch and cry when they lose. I’ll be anticipating you and your friend”, Roark said as he turned and left.

  “Oh and you should get to the Pokemon Center soon”, he briefly stated while walking away.

  The three then left after Christine got a Shiny Stone with help from Harrison’s finances. She was fine with chancing the quality of the evolution stone as the impact of the evolution stone wasn’t definitive. Although to Harrison, it seemed more like she was enamored by the way the dazzling light reflected within the transparent crystal rather than its function for Evolution.

  They then stopped in their tracks when they got near the Pokemon Center as a line had formed that wrapped around the block. It was filled with Trainers that were alongside their Pokemon as they waited for their eventual turn in the queue. He then noticed a few recognizable faces like Cinnamon and the person with the sly grin who he couldn’t recall the name of.

  Fortunately, a Chansey patrolling the line then walked by with a sign that clarified the situation. The long line seemed to be for those that needed a room while everybody else who needed medical attention for their Pokemon or already reserved a room could walk right in.

  Harrison then let out a sigh of relief and walked past the long, long line. He could feel the glares of some in the line who clearly didn’t enjoy standing for probably what had already been half an hour for them.

  Their eventful first day then ended with Harrison staring out the window from the bottom bunk as he waited for sleep to come.

  “Today was fun”, Christine stated from the top bunk.

  “Yeah, it was. Good thing, we left early”, Gavin said with a chuckle as he thought of the people who would probably have to camp even though they already reached the City.

  “Let’s check out more of the City tomorrow”, Christine said slightly hopeful.

  “That’s too bad. We’re training tomorrow”, Harrison stated.