Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 37: The Foodie's Paradise

Rainbow University Cafeteria

After bidding farewell to President Furuya, Asahi headed to the cafeteria for dinner.

Having sampled the final dessert, he compared the culinary standards of the Alliance HQ and Rainbow University. His conclusion: each had its strengths.

The Alliance HQ's cafeteria excelled in ingredient quality, offering rare delicacies prepared by top chefs. It was nearly impossible to find comparable meals elsewhere.

Rainbow University's cafeteria, on the other hand, boasted an unparalleled variety to accommodate its international student body.

For instance, the whipped cream-topped pudding Asahi had just eaten, made with Alcremie's cream, was a Hoenn delicacy rarely found in Kanto.

"It'd take a lifetime to get bored of the food here," Asahi remarked.

"Bagon!"

His Bagon, clutching a stack of plates, nodded in agreement.

Asahi frowned at the growing pile of empty dishes. "...You need to eat less."

Even with a teacher's discount, his wallet couldn't handle Bagon's appetite.

Meanwhile, his Dratini behaved far better. Coiled elegantly, it delicately nibbled on a berry salad, already resembling a Dragonair in grace.

Across the table, Green was locked in a fierce internal struggle over her last dessert.

Should I eat it? She'd indulged too much lately, and one more bite might tip the scales—literally.

But… Asahi had praised it so highly. Could she resist?

Just as Green made up her mind to ignore her dieting woes, a pink figure hopped over, grabbed the pudding, and stuffed it into its mouth.

"Jiggly!"

The Jigglypuff wore an expression of utter satisfaction.

"Jiggly!" Green cried, staring at the cream still on its lips in despair.

"Jiggly?" The Jigglypuff tilted its head, confused. It had assumed Green didn't want it after waiting so long.

Green hadn't expected her hesitation to make Jigglypuff think she didn't want the pudding anymore.

But with the pudding already in Jigglypuff's belly, she could only console herself that Jigglypuff was helping her control her weight.

"Want me to get you another one?" Asahi asked, having witnessed the entire scene.

Considering how much his Bagon had already eaten, a couple more desserts wouldn't make much of a difference.

"No, it's fine…"

Without the dessert's temptation, Green, now calmer, decided it was better to focus on maintaining her weight.

Meanwhile, Bagon shoved the last bit of food into its mouth, leaned back with its belly up, and sprawled contentedly on its chair.

Then, under Asahi's stunned gaze, Bagon began to glow with a radiant white light.

"It's… evolving?" Green exclaimed in surprise.

Within the light, Bagon's small body rapidly grew larger. When the glow faded, a nearly 1.5-meter-tall Pokémon stood before Asahi. Its entire body was encased in a hard white shell, leaving only its stubby limbs and eyes exposed.

Green, observing the much-larger-than-average Shelgon, recalled the knowledge she'd learned in the Masked Army.

She'd seen Pokémon evolve in battle, with evolutionary stones, through trades, or even using rare artifacts. But evolving from being full? This was her first time witnessing such a thing!

Asahi was equally at a loss for words.

While it was true that Shelgon had reached the point where it was ready to evolve… to do so just because it was full? Was this why even Drake found it challenging to deal with such a glutton?

"Kegon!"

Shelgon let out a low, muffled cry, curiously exploring its new body.

The abundant energy coursing through its body filled it with excitement, and then—

It discovered a horrifying reality.

After evolving, its entire body was encased in a rigid shell, leaving only its limbs and eyes exposed.

Put simply, it no longer had a mouth!

Without a mouth, it couldn't eat. For a glutton like Shelgon, this was the cruelest fate imaginable!

What it thought was just another meal turned out to be its last.

Staring at the dining table, Shelgon's wide eyes gradually lost their shine. The dragon fell into deep despair.

Asahi, attuned to its emotions through his Viridian Force, knew he had to intervene. He patted Shelgon's smooth shell and said, "Don't be so down. This isn't permanent. Once you evolve into Salamence, you'll be able to eat again!"

"When that time comes, you can eat as much as you want!" Asahi waved his hand, painting a grand vision for Shelgon's future.

Shelgon, unfamiliar with such promises, found its dim eyes rekindled with hope. The small flame in its heart quickly grew into a roaring fire.

Shelgon had found its new purpose in life.

Its gaze became resolute.

"Kegon!"

Shelgon's low but determined cry expressed its newfound resolve to evolve!

Asahi: "…"

Most Shelgon dream of soaring through the skies, yearning to evolve into Salamence for flight. His Shelgon, however, was driven purely by the desire to eat again. Was this a good thing or not?

At least it had a goal and wasn't giving up on itself!

Patting Shelgon's shell, Asahi turned to Green.

"By the way, since you've officially joined, it's tradition in our department to test new members' abilities. Since we just finished eating, why don't we head to the battle arena for a post-meal spar?"

Having no knowledge of international police traditions, Green assumed this was a real custom and nodded.

"Sure! But you're not allowed to use Gardevoir."

Green had already experienced how terrifying Asahi's Gardevoir was. If she had to battle it, she wouldn't stand a chance.

"Of course. This is just a test. Do I look like someone who enjoys bullying the weak?"

"…Aren't you?"

The rookie trainers in the outskirts of Celadon City would definitely disagree.

"Ahem."

Clearing his throat to cover his embarrassment, Asahi recalled Shelgon and Dratini into their Poké Balls and stood up.

"Let's go. I've heard the Rainbow University battle arena is quite good."