Chapter 588: The Chef Is Going Crazy

Inside the semi-open kitchen.

The chefs and Pokémon, each handling their assigned tasks in preparing the many dishes, glanced sideways at Baimu holding a recipe book and reading silently, unable to resist whispering among themselves.

A customer coming to help cook—what is this, a TV show?

Where's the camera?

"What are you gawking at! Get back to work!" Luokemokè was quite displeased with their whispering, idle behavior.

Although many ingredients had been prepped in advance, some had to be handled on the spot to preserve their original flavor.

The sous chef quietly walked over to Luokemokè's side and asked in a low voice, "You're really letting this kid do it? Something about this feels off to me."

"Relax, I've got my eye on him—I won't give him the chance to run wild."

He shook his head and wiped his palms with a white towel.

After bringing Baimu into the kitchen, the first thing Luokemokè did was toss him a recipe book and a list of which dishes would be made for dinner.

The most important rule in any kitchen: the head chef's recipe is not to be altered on a whim. If you have ideas, open your own restaurant.

He had warned the other in a stern tone.

He'd meant to make him back off.

Who would have thought Baimu would seriously hold the recipe book and keep reading until now.

Luokemokè couldn't help but regret his rashness. The other was clearly serious about learning cooking, so he should have been teaching him in a proper instructional setting.

Not a working kitchen.

Stuffing someone who wanted to learn to cook in here was disrespectful to the guests, to that person, and even to his entire kitchen.

Luokemokè hesitated for a few seconds, then stepped forward. "Um…"

Thud.

Baimu closed the thick recipe book and said respectfully, "Mr. Luokemokè, I've finished reading. Your personal recipe book has been a great benefit to me—I'm truly grateful."

"Finished?" Luokemokè's brows knit. He pulled the recipe book from Baimu's hands and asked in a low voice, "Then tell me—how many ingredients go into Salt-Baked Rose Heart? Name them."

"Eighteen, including seasonings: rose dew, low-gluten flour…"

Baimu rattled off every single ingredient without missing one.

Luokemokè asked again, "What about Blazing Sun? What's the maximum oil temperature? What's the key point?"

"Under two hundred forty degrees. The key point is the Sheduo fruit peel powder sprinkled in at the end."

The two went back and forth, question and answer.

The chefs who had been keeping an eye on their exchange were left dumbfounded.

These dishes shouldn't have been posted online or written into a book by the head chef yet, right? Did he really memorize all of that in such a short time?

"Where did this crazy kid come from?"

Someone muttered to himself.

The sous chef twitched the corners of his mouth.

On Baimu's side.

Luokemokè looked at him with a strange expression. "Are you good at rote memorization?"

"These dishes all carry your personal, distinctive style, so they weren't hard to remember," he replied softly.

The simulation had only given Baimu the chef's stir-frying memories; in truth, the latter's skills weren't limited to stir-frying alone. From this recipe book, one could see he was no longer confined to that single technique of flash-frying.

Luokemokè stroked his chin. "…How about this—make tonight's appetizer, the Rainbow Egg Roll, and let me see it."

He paused, thought for a few seconds, then nodded. "Alright, but I request adding one assistant."

"An assistant? Who do you want as your assistant?"

Luokemokè hadn't expected this boy to start haggling again, but—surprisingly—he didn't feel much aversion.

Baimu pulled out a Poké Ball and said, "My Pokémon."

Pop!

A flash of white light.

"Happy~"

The appearance of Blissey left Luokemokè and the others completely dumbfounded.

There were plenty of Pokémon in the kitchen helping out, but most were slim or small, with humanoid hands—nothing like the round, chubby Blissey.

In their eyes, a Pokémon like Blissey was either a nurse or a source of nutritional egg ingredients.

Kitchen help?

You must be joking!

Yet the Blissey before them not only skillfully helped Baimu put on an apron, but also briskly began washing its hands and putting on gloves.

"Excuse me, the ingredients—"

Baimu dried his hands and looked at Luokemokè and the other chefs and Pokémon.

Ding-ling~

A faint glow lit up on the surface of a keychain; invisible telekinesis opened refrigerator door after refrigerator door, pulling out the prepped appetizer ingredients from inside.

Luokemokè took a deep breath and glanced at the wall clock in the distance. "Ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes."

Baimu nodded.

The only dishes he could reliably make glow were stir-fried ones. The Rainbow Egg Roll appetizer's main technique was pan-frying, so it might not glow.

But he really wanted this dish to glow.

After all, the reason Boldore and the others had improved so quickly on this journey was largely thanks to glowing dishes.

Baimu had no way to repay the chef, nor dared to call himself the man's student—he only hoped to use his own hands to make a dish and express his gratitude to the chef.

If he wasn't mistaken.

A dish that glows would definitely please Loco Moco!

The main hall.

Everyone craned their necks, peeking toward the half-open kitchen.

Ash's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "It's going to be delicious!"

"Pika!"

Pikachu nodded frantically.

They all remembered the dishes they'd eaten on the Nibel Plateau; given All Baimu's cooking skills, this restaurant couldn't possibly be bad.

Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena waited with bated breath. The first two, as natives of Lumiose City, had a clear idea of just how much weight Golduck's Smile carried.

Having never eaten a glowing dish, Shauna asked in confusion, "Why would All Baimu want to be a kitchen helper?"

Ritchie's reply: "Because he's Mr. Loco Moco's super fan! He's even learned how to make glowing dishes."

The moment she said that, a server beside them turned their head and covered their mouth to stifle a laugh, only sobering up after a sharp look from the manager.

Glowing dishes?

Loco Moco's signature skill had been taught to so many people without success, and now suddenly someone pops up claiming to have learned it?

Brock heard the laughter but didn't pay it much mind.

Truth be told, he wanted to help out too, but he knew all too well the authority the top chefs of Kalos wielded in their kitchens; if he went in, he'd probably just end up watching from a corner.

Grant wasn't so calm. His home on Yellow Square was just one street away from Golduck's Smile, and he'd often heard the rumors that no one could inherit the glowing dish.

So when he heard Ritchie's words, his first reaction was disbelief—until he recalled the information on All Baimu he'd just looked up online, and he couldn't help but hesitate.

Could someone who became a top Coordinator Trainer really be a fraud?

Unlikely, right?

Suddenly.

A commotion came from the kitchen.

Everyone seemed to hear people shouting "That's impossible," "I must be dreaming," and the like, followed by an aroma that haunted their very souls.

And a hazy light seemed to glimmer over there.

Every eye in the hall was instantly drawn that way.

"Ah! Bai must be making doughnuts!"

Hu Pa's drool flew as he lunged impatiently toward the half-open kitchen.

Bonnie immediately let out an excited shriek and chased after Hu Pa. Clemont, seeing things take a bad turn, hurried to pull his sister back, but was forced to leave his seat.

And so.

After exchanging glances, Ash and the others crowded toward the kitchen.

The manager had been about to step forward to stop them and calm things down, but when he saw the servers near the kitchen screaming too, he was utterly bewildered.

And when they reached the kitchen.

A wondrous scene unfolded before everyone—

All Baimu was carefully garnishing three egg rolls that shimmered with rainbow colors, wrapped in a visible golden light that gave them an aura of the sacred.

Behind him stood a crowd of chefs and Pokémon, some clutching their hearts, others staring with wide, incredulous eyes.

The sous chef in his silver-edged apron fell silent. Loco Moco gazed at the meticulous All Baimu with trembling hands, his expression as if beholding a rare treasure.

"A glowing dish!"

A server cried out.

The manager walked to the bar and quietly asked the sous chef what was going on.

"This boy completed a glowing dish entirely on his own, without any interference from Loco Moco." The sous chef's face was bitter.

"Hiss!"

The manager sucked in a cold breath.

The sous chef, who had followed Loco Moco the longest, was extraordinarily skilled—more than capable of holding his own anywhere else.

But he couldn't make a glowing dish.

That frustration was why the sous chef preferred to stay by Loco Moco's side as his assistant, hoping one day to master the technique.

Yet after all these years, not only he, but no one around him could do it either.

Was Loco Moco hoarding his secrets?

He'd practically been teaching them Shoubashou Sect!

"Food of the Gods" was simply too terrifying, as if it were destined never to be mastered by a second chef.

But today.

A young man from who-knows-where had actually produced a glowing dish on his own!

His heart was a tangle of emotions, and hope rose within him.

Glowing dishes weren't a special technique held solely by Loco Moco—they could be passed down! The young man before them was living proof!

But compared to him.

Surely Loco Moco was even happier?

The sous chef turned his head slightly, and sure enough, his friend's face was filled with unrestrained delight. If not for not wanting to disturb the final plating, he'd probably have already pounced by now.

And at this moment.

All Baimu, focused on his cooking, had no idea how moved Loco Moco was. He only let out a sigh of relief after Chansey carefully wiped away the droplets of water at the edge of the plate.

He'd successfully made the rainbow egg rolls glow. How wonderful.

"Mr. Loco Moco, I've finished. Please have a look."

He laughed and raised his head, only to be startled by the crowd that had somehow pressed in around him.

The joy on Lucomo's face was quickly suppressed; he stepped forward, pinched up a rainbow egg roll, and sent it into his mouth. He had meant to give a serious critique, but after two bites he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Haha, hahahaha."

He really couldn't hold back the joy in his heart. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand to keep crumbs from falling out, then pointed at the plate of egg rolls toward the sous chef.

Seeing this, the sous chef asked, "May I have a taste?"

"Please, go ahead."

All Baimu hurriedly pushed the plate forward.

The sous chef pinched up an egg roll and put it in his mouth, chewing carefully and slowly. After a few seconds, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly, and his gaze at All Baimu was full of admiration.

"Very good. You've successfully brought out the sweet-and-sour character of the compound fruit juice. Mixed into the egg roll, it doesn't feel cloying—instead it smooths out the egg flavor. Eating it puts one in a wonderful mood and really whets the appetite—all these surface-level flavors have been expressed beautifully.

"What truly amazed me is the deeper flavor. The sweet and sour inside is brimming with your joy and excitement at meeting Lucomo, and it also includes a little stimulating spiciness—is that you wanting to express gratitude?"

All Baimu's eyes went wide.

What kind of tongue is that? Way too detailed! A top judge from a gourmet anime?

"At first I was a little jealous of you, jealous that you could master glowing cuisine. Now what I'm jealous of is Lucomo—he never told me he had such an amazing superfan!"

The sous chef's words made the surrounding crowd of people and Pokémon light up, staring at the remaining egg roll with eyes full of longing.

However.

One little hand shot out the fastest.

"I'm digging in!"

Hu Pa swallowed the egg roll in one bite, covering its cheeks as it merrily chewed and said, "Ohohoho, what a wonderful flavor, it reminds me of the donuts I ate four months ago!"

Ignoring the resentful gazes around it, it called out to All Baimu: "Little White, I want more!"

"Hu Pa, don't be naughty, there's more to eat in a bit."

The latter patted its little head.

Lucomo raised his hand and began signaling the servers to clear people out. "That's enough! All of you, get out! Unrelated personnel, please stay away from the kitchen! Customers, please return to your booths!"

He also scolded the other chefs and Pokémon who were staring longingly. "What are you standing around for! Get back to work! How long do you want the customers to go hungry?"

A moment later.

Ash and the others reluctantly returned to their seats.

Only Lucomo and the sous chef remained beside All Baimu.

The former asked, "You're called All Baimu, right?"

"Yes."

"Have you taken classes at a cooking school before?"

"It's all thanks to your teaching, Mr. —online, in books, and in dreams…"

"That's enough, skip the last one, I don't want to be the object of your dreams. I know you're a remarkably talented young man!"

Lucomo cut him off, and All Baimu shrugged helplessly.

Sincerity really is the ultimate killer move forever—tell someone they taught you to cook in your dreams and see how they react?

The very first reaction definitely won't be that this kid has a "cheat."

Lucomo exchanged a glance with the sous chef and asked, "When can you start work?"

"…Huh?"

All Baimu was stunned for a moment.

"If you're not satisfied with an ordinary chef's position, I can give you the sous chef's position." The sous chef made as if to take off his silver-trimmed apron.

But before Lucomo could stop him, All Baimu raised both hands first.

"Sorry, I'm not here for an interview."

"Don't you want to learn cooking from me? If you don't come to my kitchen, how can I teach you? Or is it that you don't want a salary? Well, I don't care about that—"

"No, no, no, I just wanted to take this opportunity to learn from you as a kitchen helper, and being able to cook in front of you was an unexpected delight. I never planned to become your student over this. I'm truly sorry, Mr. Lucomo."

He kept apologizing, and the Chansey beside him hurriedly bowed along with him.

Now the expressions on Lucomo's and the sous chef's faces became a bit amused.

"Kid, you possess a glowing cuisine technique that no one else has mastered, you come running to me saying you want to be my kitchen helper, you even made a dish stuffed full of your admiration for me. And now you're telling me you don't want to become my student—what are you after?"

This burly Kalos youth spoke in a low tone.

All Baimu said frankly, "To become the World Champion."

Lucomo/Sous chef: "Huh?"