The whole second floor seemed built for banquets, its space immense.
Orderly rows of standardized cooking stations filled the room.
Despite being open kitchens, there wasn't a trace of bad smoke or greasy smells—only the ever-present fragrance of food.
You could tell from these details just how much the hosts valued this interview.
But honestly, Lucas and Oranguru weren't exactly influential enough to commandeer a whole banquet hall. After all, their intent was to hire a single Pokémon chef, not recruit for a restaurant.
Strictly speaking, it was Oranguru who'd reserved the interview slot online, paying the entry fee like all the restaurants and hotels, just to pick his favorite chef Pokémon.
Sima smiled as she explained, "Every cooking station in the banquet hall is open to guests. You can sample any prepared dish, or order something fresh—though there might be a wait."
"If you find someone you like, you can invite them immediately. Settle on pay, and if you both agree, you can sign a work contract on the spot."
"Plus, you get a free buffet. Not bad, right?"
Listening with interest, Lucas nodded, while looking around.
No wonder the setup seemed vaguely familiar—this was just like the internship venue at Tōtsuki Academy!
At school, the culinary students were under so much pressure, up at dawn with hundreds of breakfasts to prepare each day.
Although this interview wasn't as intense as what Sima described at Tōtsuki, there definitely were similarities.
Now Lucas was intrigued. After glancing at Oranguru, he asked Sima,
"Can I let my Pokémon sample the food? Since I run a farm, whatever chef I hire should be able to cook to their tastes too."
Hearing "farm", Sima's eyes lit up and she quickly nodded.
"Of course!"
Maybe because she was just helping out part-time, Sima hadn't really checked the participants' info. If Lucas hadn't mentioned it, she wouldn't have guessed he even had a farm—he looked just like a young man out on vacation.
Maybe because Lucas was in the same business as her family and knew her son, Sima became even warmer.
"Come, I'll take you to meet our top graduates!"
But before Sima could pull him away, Oranguru brought up several chef Pokémon profiles on his tablet. Lucas quickly said, "Wait, I'm more interested in these ones—let's check these chef Pokémon first."
"Sure, let me see where their stations are."
Sima paused for a moment, checked the files, then her own handbook.
"There's one in Area A, very close—let's start there!"
Akala Pokémon Culinary Academy Graduate Interview - Onsite
Area A, Cooking Station #28
A big crowd surrounded this station. Judging from their outfits, most people would think twice before getting too close.
"Whoa, Nene-chan!"
"You're as charming as ever today!"
With printed T-shirts, headbands, and fans, a mob of enthusiastic fans were cramming around station #28.
Lucas looked at Sima in confusion, but Sima whispered:
"These are hardcore fans from Nene's time working at a Pokémon maid café. They paid for their own tickets just to cheer her on—and now real recruiters are being pushed out."
Lucas: "..."
Through the gaps in the crowd, Lucas finally saw the featured chef Pokémon.
Sure enough, it was the first from the profiles.
A Gardevoir who'd interned at a maid café and specialized in omelet rice with love.
Apparently, its fans' "Nene-chan!" was a nickname or stage name.
Inside, the Gardevoir seemed troubled, but its mental acuity sensed Sima's arrival and spotted Lucas and Oranguru.
"Sanai!"
Eyes brightening, Gardevoir leapt over the crowd, landing before Lucas.
It glanced at Sima hopefully, received her nod, and then grabbed Lucas's hand, dragging him toward the cooking station.
Oranguru quietly followed.
Clearly, even without words, the two Psychic-types could tell from tiny cues that Oranguru was "staff," while Lucas was the "boss."
"Sana–i~"
Softly asking Lucas to sit, Gardevoir began busying herself at the stove, humming as she worked.
Oranguru silently shielded Lucas from the fans' stares, though he could still feel a lot of jealousy directed his way.
Lucas watched Gardevoir, now in a pink apron, moving gracefully at the cooking station.
Her cooking was a pleasure to watch.
From the fried rice as the "soul" of omurice, whose aroma wafted through the air even in the middle stages, to the perfectly cooked omelet skin—everything was flawless.
Using psychic power like extra arms, Gardevoir's every motion was precise—not a single mistake.
That's the blessing of being a Psychic Pokémon.
Soon enough, a steaming plate of omurice was presented right to Lucas.
She hadn't sent it over telekinetically, but instead carried it herself—a detail Lucas appreciated.
"Sana～"
With the ketchup squeeze bottle in hand, Gardevoir gently gestured for Lucas to copy her movements.
Just then, the Dive Ball at Lucas's side popped open, and Popplio landed excitedly on his lap, eager to join in.
"Oh, you caught a Popplio too?"
Sima watched with interest.
And so, under Gardevoir's guidance, Lucas and the delighted Popplio squeezed ketchup together.
"Eat up, may it be delicious~"
Three times she sang this line, then drew a lovely heart and cartoon likenesses of Lucas and Popplio on the omelet's surface.
Technique and maid professionalism: both on point.
Inwardly judging the dish, Lucas looked carefully at the omurice.
But when it came to taste, only eating would give him the answer.
He asked Gardevoir for three spoons—intending to share with Popplio and Oranguru. While Gardevoir offered to make more, Lucas wanted to save room for later.
As for Sima, she said staff couldn't eat—so Lucas just let it go.
The fried rice was generous with its ingredients: chicken, carrots, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, even sweet shrimp balls.
Each grain of rice was distinct, the soft omelet rich and flavorful.
Though fried rice can seem simple, preparing it this well was no easy feat. Gardevoir was more capable than Lucas expected—a real gem recommended by Principal Oak.
Plus, aside from delicious, mood-lifting omurice, Gardevoir also mastered many different cuisines. She simply felt her signature was omurice.
Soon, the plate was scraped clean by Lucas, Popplio, and Oranguru, and Lucas gave Gardevoir a "very good" review.
When she asked if he wanted to sign a contract, Lucas hesitated, ultimately saying he'd look around more before deciding.
Thankfully, Gardevoir was very understanding—though a bit disappointed, she encouraged him to sample more cuisine.
Oranguru's info showed Gardevoir was Area A's only chef candidate; the next stops were in Area B: Machamp, Delphox, and Farfetch'd.
Not forgetting his own Pokémon, Lucas released everyone but Tapu Fini from their Pokéballs, letting them try whatever they wanted and meet up later to compare notes.
Since Tapu Fini's appearance might cause trouble, she stayed hidden.
Popplio stuck with Lucas; Luxray, Milotic, and Dragonite each teamed up to explore.
Milotic was most interested in seafood, Luxray and Swampert loved meat, Dragonite encouraged the Dragonite leader to hit the desserts, Ogerpon disliked crowds and stayed close, and the Eevee sisters were similar.
With Sima leading, Lucas began visiting the remaining chef Pokémon stands as per Oranguru's info.
To graduate from Akala's Culinary Academy and pass this interview, every chef Pokémon had real talent.
In terms of taste, every dish qualified—Lucas didn't come across anything unpalatable.
Each had their specialties: Farfetch'd's scallion scrambled eggs left a lasting impression; Audino, who specialized in medicinal cuisine with impressive pharmacological knowledge, crafted delicious, healthy dishes—Lucas nearly hired her on the spot.
They were all jewels, but he had only so much room—and with under a hundred Pokémon on the farm (including unhatched eggs and resident Applin), there was no need to hire more than two chefs.
Desserts were covered by Alcremie, Lucas often cooked himself, and Oranguru helped, too.
Walking through Area E, Lucas noticed it was quieter compared to the earlier sections, perhaps being a remote spot.
Most chef stoves were vacant—likely after chefs met recruiters and left to discuss further.
Without asking Sima for a recommendation, Lucas's gaze landed on an Emboar, furiously working at his station.
Thinking of the Emboar from the Hanazawa family, Lucas was curious to taste his food.
But before he got close, something else caught his attention.
"Huh, so there are even chef groups here…"
His interest piqued, Lucas looked over.
Indeed—a "group" of chef Pokémon.
Or, more accurately, Pokémon like Tandemaus & Maushold, Dugtrio & Exeggcute—a group of several individuals forming a unit.
It was a squad of Falinks—six individuals forming a squad, always together for life.
Each had a black, ball-shaped body and gold armor, somewhat reminiscent of ancient Roman helmets.
Despite their short, thick legs, they moved nimbly while cooking.
Their hands, which usually held two round shields, now wielded all sorts of cookware: woks, spatulas, serving spoons, steamers, extra-long chopsticks...
The tools rotated smoothly—even if one Falinks wasn't strong enough, their teamwork made up for any weakness.
One Falinks led, five assisted. The leader was easy to spot: whoever had a golden spike on their forehead was the head.
The leader did most of the work; the others supported.
Lucas recalled reading that Falinks squads always hatched from a single egg—sextuplets for life—unlike Wishiwashi or Dragapult, whose "swarm" could freely swap members.
Such togetherness—born on the same day, month, year—they could read each other's intentions from tiny cues.
Before long, the Falinks worked seamlessly together to produce a simple but tasty set meal: two dishes and a soup.
But, probably due to low foot traffic, their stall was deserted.
Missing the perfect "just out of the pan" moment, the Falinks leader was a bit remorseful.
If it hadn't messed up the registration time, they wouldn't be stuck in this out-of-the-way spot, and the interview might not end with nothing. Back to restaurant work to save for the next interview fee…
Feeling sorry for their uneaten food, the Falinks decided to eat it themselves.
At this moment, a hesitant voice caught their ears.
"Um… can I still taste your cooking?"
Lucas, carrying Popplio, approached the station, with Ogerpon and the Eevee sisters excitedly watching—amazed by Falinks' teamwork.
"Ita!?"
The Falinks paused, then panicked at the sudden guest.
But the leader quickly calmed everyone, stepping forward with authority.
"Ita!" (I'll form the head!)
With the leader's call, the squad lined up and jumped down from the cooking station to greet Lucas.