Arriving once again at Shalour City, located on the western coast of the Kalos Region, Hayato felt that the city gave him a completely different impression this time.
As a world-famous tourist destination, Shalour City had a very lively nightlife.
Rows of long tables filled the golden beach. People sat facing the sea breeze, chatting and laughing with friends.
Their Pokémon occasionally took advantage of their Trainers' distraction to snatch pieces of grilled squid, slurping them up with delighted expressions.
Shalour City's beachside seafood barbecue was praised across regions around the world.
"It's really lively," Hayato sighed as he walked along carrying an ice bucket, having asked around for directions.
Scenes like this were rare to see.
Even from a distance, the delicious aroma drifting through the air made his stomach rumble.
Grrr…
Hayato followed the sound and saw Cinccino shyly placing her paws over her little belly.
"Hungry?"
"Lii lii!"
Cinccino let out a soft, embarrassed cry.
She nodded… then shook her head.
The clever little Pokémon knew Hayato had something to sell, and she didn't want to delay him because of herself.
Seeing her reaction, Hayato smiled warmly and rubbed her fluffy ears.
"Good girl. It won't delay anything."
He walked straight into a seafood barbecue restaurant.
Standing at the entrance to greet him was a tall Barbaracle.
"Barba~ Barba~"
Despite its fierce appearance, Barbaracle spread its clawed hands and offered a menu with a friendly grin.
"Thank you."
Hayato took the menu and immediately handed it to Cinccino.
"Take a look and see what you want to eat, little one."
"Cincci…"
"Oh right," Hayato added, turning to Barbaracle. "Is your head chef here? I have some premium seafood to sell. Nurse Joy recommended that I come here."
Just as Hayato was speaking with Barbaracle, a handsome young man walked over from nearby.
"Excuse me, sir. Is there something I can help you with?"
"And you are…?"
The young man smiled politely.
"My name is Siebold. I'm one of the partners of this seafood restaurant."
"Siebold?"
Hayato murmured the name.
It sounded strangely familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before—but he couldn't quite recall where.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Siebold."
Hayato set down the ice bucket and brushed aside the ice covering the contents.
"This is half a fillet from a Veluza that I obtained after battling it."
Halfway through his explanation, Hayato noticed Siebold frowning slightly and paused to clarify.
"Veluza is a Pokémon. They occasionally discard parts of their flesh to train themselves. It's extremely rare, and the meat is light yet incredibly delicious—considered a top-tier ingredient."
His explanation wasn't unnecessary.
In the Pokémon world, there were already over a thousand known Pokémon species.
Recognizing and understanding all of them was actually part of the Ace Trainer certification exam.
And Ace Trainers only made up about 1% of all Trainers.
On top of that, the Pokémon League was constantly discovering new species.
In other words, the number of Pokémon in the world was increasing all the time.
"Apologies, sir. I was a bit rude earlier."
Siebold bowed slightly.
"I didn't expect Veluza to appear in the waters around Kalos. I've only ever seen them in the seas near Paldea."
Siebold prided himself on his knowledge of Kalos's surrounding seas, so the Veluza fillet before him was quite a surprise.
At the same time, another thought occurred to him.
A Veluza that had traveled across the ocean to Kalos…
How delicious would its meat be?
As a chef, Siebold was already eager to turn it into a dish and hear diners praise it.
Since he recognized Veluza, that made things simple.
"Sir, I'm willing to buy this fish for 3,000 Poké Dollars per kilogram. What do you think?"
The flesh had been preserved perfectly and was in ideal condition for cooking.
Siebold was willing to pay a high price.
Three thousand Poké Dollars per kilogram was roughly comparable to premium tuna prices.
It wasn't cheap.
"That works for me," Hayato agreed readily.
The two moved into the restaurant's kitchen.
There, Hayato learned that the young man before him was actually the owner of the seafood restaurant.
"The total weight is 14 kilograms," Siebold said after weighing it.
"That comes to 42,000 Poké Dollars. Would you like cash or transfer?"
"Wait a moment, Mr. Siebold."
Under Siebold's puzzled gaze, Hayato scratched his head awkwardly.
"Um… could I sell just 10 kilograms? I'd like to keep some to taste with my Pokémon."
"Of course," Siebold replied casually. "But… do you know how to cook it? Such a top-tier ingredient shouldn't be wasted."
"I'm not only a ranch owner," Hayato said, smiling modestly. "I'm also a chef."
Well… more like a half-baked chef relying heavily on his system.
"You're a chef too?"
Siebold looked Hayato up and down skeptically before suddenly understanding.
Someone who could recognize Veluza and understand its value was very likely a chef.
Almost instantly, Siebold developed the urge to compete in cooking.
There was also a hint of competitive pride.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Siebold said, tapping his forehead.
"What should I call you?"
"My name is Hayato . I currently live on Route 12, outside Shalour City."
"Very well, Hayato . Please follow me."
The two passed through the main kitchen and entered a small private kitchen.
The room was spotless, with every kind of cooking utensil neatly arranged.
"This is my personal kitchen. You're free to use any of the equipment here."
"And this is my partner—Blastoise."
"Blastoise~ Blastoise!"
The Pokémon was powerfully built, its shell smooth and polished.
Two large cannons protruded from its back, gleaming with cold metallic light.
It was a perfectly trained Blastoise.
The only Pokémon Hayato could think of that rivaled its presence was the Lucario belonging to Gurkinn, the Gym Leader of Shalour City.
"Is that… a Mega Stone?"
Hayato 's gaze immediately locked onto the gem mounted on Blastoise's forehead.
The gem glowed with a mysterious light, and within it swirled a three-colored spiral pattern.
Partner Pokémon: Blastoise.
Located in Kalos.
Also a chef.
All these clues combined suddenly awakened Hayato 's vague memory.
After all, the games in his previous life barely described the Kalos Elite Four—just a brief mention at most.
It would be a miracle if he remembered clearly.
Seeing a member of the Elite Four in person for the first time should have made him excited like other Trainers.
But aside from his initial surprise, Hayato mostly felt calm.
And confident.
He believed he wasn't inferior to any Elite Four member.
Besides—
If he remembered correctly…
Siebold hadn't become an Elite Four member yet.
"Hayato , I'll cut off your portion of the fish first," Siebold said.
Once inside the kitchen, his demeanor had completely changed.
He now looked extremely serious.
"Alright."
The icy fish meat felt freezing cold in Hayato 's hands, turning his palms red.
Noticing Siebold standing nearby, Hayato asked curiously,
"Aren't you going to prepare your portion first?"
"No rush," Siebold said, waving his hand.
"Let me observe your cooking first."
Although that was what he said, Siebold was actually watching carefully.
If Hayato mishandled the fish, he planned to intervene immediately.
A top-grade ingredient couldn't be wasted.
"Alright then."
Hayato didn't think too much about it.
From the wide selection of kitchen tools, he chose a sharp chef's knife.