Cafeteria.
Since it was already quite late in the evening, Wayne chose to make only dishes that were relatively quick and easy to prepare.
Even so, Gold, who sat waiting patiently at the dining table, had completely forgotten about the competition results. His attention remained entirely focused on the food being prepared.
By the time Wayne finished making the Mapo Tofu and Chopped Pepper Fish Head, Gold had already eagerly chugged down an entire glass of chilled Smoked Sitrus Berry Juice.
"Why didn't you just start eating if you were that hungry?"
"That wouldn't be polite at all."
Gold might be somewhat reckless and fearless in battle, but he still maintained the proper table manners he'd been raised with.
As the spicy, aromatic Mapo Tofu was carefully placed on the table, and Wayne lifted the lid off the Boiled Beef dish, an incredible sight greeted them.
Bright red chili oil floated beautifully on the surface, neatly cut green onions and chili peppers garnished the top, and the pungent, mouthwatering aroma made Gold's mouth water involuntarily.
This completely exceeded Gold's expectations. His eyes widened with genuine amazement. "Your cooking skills have improved so dramatically!"
"Don't be polite about it. Just dig in and eat."
Wayne directly moved the entire rice cooker closer to the table for easy access.
After all, he was quite hungry himself by this point.
Wayne and Gold's Pokémon had already started enthusiastically eating their specially prepared food and Energy Cubes.
However, Lucario was still patiently waiting at Wayne's side.
That was because Lucario also particularly enjoyed spicy food and wanted to share the human meal.
Gold quickly stopped Wayne before he could serve himself. "Wait just a moment! Let me record a video first! I absolutely have to make everyone jealous of this."
The legendary "audience eats first" philosophy in action?
However, Gold didn't actually maintain a public video account for posting content.
Wayne soon discovered the real target.
After carefully confirming the exact names of all the dishes with Wayne, Gold skillfully opened their group chat and started recording a video message.
"Look at this spread! We have Chopped Pepper Fish Head, Kung Pao Chicken, Mapo Tofu, and Boiled Pork in Chili Oil—all personally made by Wayne himself! Hehehe!"
The video concluded with Gold's distinctly sinister, triumphant laughter echoing.
After successfully filming and posting the video, Gold temporarily ignored the chat group notifications and eagerly picked up a piece of Chopped Pepper Fish Head with his chopsticks.
"Delicious! This is absolutely delicious!"
Gold was definitely a dedicated carnivore, yet ironically he had chosen to try the dish Wayne considered himself least skilled at preparing first.
Wayne's Chopped Pepper Fish Head hadn't yet reached his target A-rank mastery level.
Currently, the dish only qualified as B-rank in Wayne's strict personal rating system.
However, that technical classification didn't stop Gold from finding it absolutely delicious.
The fish was incredibly tender and fresh. The chopped peppers delivered a spicy kick without being overwhelming or dry, creating heat in the mouth without burning uncomfortably in the throat. It simply hit every one of Gold's taste preferences perfectly.
Paired with a generous mouthful of fluffy white rice, this Chopped Pepper Fish Head was utterly unbeatable!
"Holy—the Mapo Tofu is also incredibly delicious!"
Gold continued eating enthusiastically, his nose running and eyes tearing up from the intense spice level.
He swallowed another large mouthful combining rice with both Mapo Tofu and Chopped Pepper Fish Head, then quickly gulped down another glass of iced Smoked Sitrus Berry Juice to cool the burning.
Wayne had genuinely believed Gold could handle spicy food based on his confident claim, so he'd made everything on the spicier side of the spectrum. Unfortunately, it turned out Gold had been purely bragging about his spice tolerance.
Judging from his current struggling performance, Gold clearly couldn't handle spicy food well at all.
While the two young trainers were eating their meal, the group chat had already completely exploded with activity.
Whitney sent an outraged message. "That insufferable Gold!"
Lt. Surge added his commentary. "I'm starting to think he only participated in this entire competition just to score a free gourmet meal, didn't he?"
Brock also contributed by sending a picture of his own cooking. "Although it definitely can't compare to Wayne's level, I made this dish myself."
Wayne replied graciously. "You're being far too modest, Brock. Let's exchange cooking tips and techniques when we have time."
Brock responded warmly. "That sounds wonderful, but it might have to wait until I eventually travel through the Sinnoh region. I honestly don't know if I'll even get the chance anytime soon."
Wayne assured him confidently. "You definitely will get that opportunity. Trust me on this."
Lorelei chimed in. "It does look genuinely delicious, but it's way too spicy for my taste. I couldn't possibly eat food that spicy."
Red sent an enthusiastic message. "Oh! That looks really good!"
Blue observed analytically. "I feel like your overall cooking technique has improved significantly again."
Wayne replied honestly. "It has improved somewhat, but there are still several dishes where I haven't quite achieved the exact effect I'm aiming for."
Wayne recorded a video showing Gold eating messily while constantly wiping his running nose, then sent it as a reply to Lorelei with the caption, "Detailed visual evidence of the solution."
Lorelei responded firmly. "Absolutely forget it..."
Wayne wanted her—a mature, sophisticated woman who wore elegant gold-rimmed glasses—to eat in that undignified manner? Lorelei simply couldn't get past her own mental barrier about maintaining proper appearance.
Crystal expressed concern. "Is he actually okay? His lips are completely swollen like sausages now..."
Gold, still enthusiastically wolfing down his food, managed to squeeze in a reply between bites. "It's totally fine! I can definitely handle it!"
Yellow sent a wistful message. "It looks so incredibly delicious! I really want to eat it too!"
Wayne sent a friendly voice message in response. "You're absolutely welcome to visit anytime. My grandpa's cooking is significantly better than mine anyway."
Steven, who suddenly appeared in the chat, had an audible smile in his voice message.
"Well then, I'll plan to come over tomorrow if that works."
Steven and his opponent's Pokémon battle had just concluded, and he'd happened to notice the chat group constantly updating with new messages.
Steven was already planning to visit the next day anyway, having previously agreed to bring his Metagross and Aggron for their scheduled maintenance treatments.
At the same time, Wayne also needed to create customized nutritional food for both Metagross and Aggron based specifically on their individual taste preferences.
Blue chuckled knowingly. "I can personally vouch for that assessment—Wayne's still got quite a way to go to match his grandfather. Speaking of which, has Mr. Lionel successfully arrived in Jubilife City yet?"
Recalling the exceptional dishes Wayne's grandfather had prepared during past visits, Blue also unconsciously swallowed accumulated saliva.
"That's correct. He's permanently moved here now."
Blue responded with unusual seriousness. "Please be absolutely sure to inform Mr. Lionel that I will definitely be visiting soon with Professor Oak."
Gold couldn't resist. "I think you just want to mooch free food and drinks!"
A question mark appeared, and suddenly—
Gold had been muted by Blue for two full hours.
"Damn it!"
Silenced from the group chat, Gold focused his complete attention on demolishing the dishes in front of him.
Blue continued the conversation. "Doesn't your family have any concrete plans to open a proper Pokémon-themed restaurant? Both you and Mr. Lionel are such exceptionally talented cooks."
Wayne explained. "It's definitely in the planning stages, but we need the Breeding Center's operations to become more stable first."
The Breeding Center had only been officially open for barely four months, so the family couldn't afford to rush expanding into too many ventures simultaneously.
Lance suddenly appeared in the chat. "If you do open a restaurant, I'll absolutely come regularly to support the business!"
Lance had previously tasted Wayne's cooking during a visit and remembered it fondly.
Bruno added his own request. "Will you have Rage Candy Bars on the menu?"
Wayne responded hesitantly. "...I'll definitely try my best to learn how to make them properly."
Wayne genuinely couldn't understand why Bruno maintained such an intense obsession with Rage Candy Bars specifically.
However, he acknowledged that if one's cooking skills were truly exceptional, even something as simple as a steamed bun could be transformed into something delicious.
Perhaps Bruno had once eaten an extraordinarily delicious Rage Candy Bar somewhere, so memorable that he simply couldn't forget the experience.
Seeing Lance appear online, Steven tagged him directly. "Are you currently free? There's something important I'd like to discuss with you privately."
"Yes, feel free to call me directly."
Green asked with obvious curiosity. "What's the topic? Why not tell all of us together in the group?"
Steven replied with an audible chuckle. "I'll share the details with everyone after Lance and I finish our private discussion first."
Wayne suspected the topic must involve yesterday's dangerous Oreburgh Coal Mine incident.
The meal, extended because they were simultaneously chatting and eating, lasted from 8:30 PM all the way until 10:30 PM for both Wayne and Gold.
After eating their absolute fill, Gold rubbed his noticeably round belly contentedly and leaned back against his Ambipom for support.
The actions of both trainer and Pokémon were surprisingly synchronized and identical.
"Burp~ I'm so completely full."
Gold had somehow managed to consume five entire bowls of rice, and his stomach had become impressively round as a result.
Gold, who had suddenly developed a temporary double chin from overeating, stiffly turned his head toward Wayne. "Do you only know how to make spicy dishes?"
Gold's implied meaning was far too obvious to miss.
"What would you like to eat instead?"
Gold's eyes literally transformed into sparkling stars of excitement. He, who had been slouching lazily moments before, suddenly sat up perfectly straight. "Volcano Burger!"
"That's all you want?"
Wayne had never actually made a Volcano Burger before in his cooking experience.
However, making a burger was something practically anyone could accomplish with basic instructions, wasn't it?
He could simply watch an instructional video and learn the technique tonight, though he would need to carefully research the optimal meat patty ingredient ratios.
"I'll make it for you tomorrow then."
"Yes! Amazing!"
Gold excitedly jumped up and attempted to high-five his Ambipom in celebration.
"No celebrating yet!"
A question mark of confusion appeared.
"Ouch!"
Both Gold and Ambipom, whom Wayne had swiftly struck on their backs, tumbled unceremoniously from mid-air back down to the ground.
Later that evening, Wayne brought Gold to his family's residential house and located a comfortable guest room. "You can stay in here during your visit."
"This room is actually pretty nice! Thanks!"