When she said that, the nearby waitress turned her head and stifled a laugh, only to be reprimanded by the manager.
Glowing dish?
The Lokomoko's special skill, taught to so many but no one could master it, and suddenly someone claims to have learned it?
Xiaogang heard the laughter but didn't pay much attention.
To be honest, he really wanted to help, but he was well aware of the dominance the Carlos famous chefs had in the kitchen. If he went, he'd likely just end up watching from the corner.
Doroba wasn't so at ease. His place, located at Yellow Square, was just a street away from "Golduck's Smile." He often heard rumors that no one could inherit the glowing dish.
So when he heard Xiaoguang's words, his first reaction was disbelief, but then he remembered the Baimu information he had just searched online and hesitated.
Could someone who's become a top Coordinator Trainer really be a fraud?
Unlikely.
Suddenly.
There was a commotion from the kitchen.
It seemed people heard someone shouting "This is impossible," "I must be dreaming," and then they were enveloped by an enticing aroma.
It was as if there was a hazy light shining over there too.
Everyone's eyes in the hall were immediately drawn over.
"Ah! Xiaobai must be making donuts!"
Hoopa drooled eagerly, rushing towards the semi-open kitchen.
Then Youx Lijia excitedly shouted and ran to catch up with Hoopa, while Hitron, sensing trouble, tried to pull his sister back but was forced to leave the table.
So.
Ash Ketchum and the others exchanged glances and started moving towards the kitchen.
The manager wanted to step forward to stop and reassure them, but to his surprise, the waitress near the kitchen screamed too, leaving him bewildered.
When they reached the kitchen.
A fascinating scene unfolded before everyone—
Baimu was carefully decorating three egg rolls that seemed to have rainbow-like multiple colors, enveloped in visible golden light, giving them an inherent sacred taste.
Behind him were many chefs and Pokémon clutching their hearts or looking with wide-eyed disbelief.
The sous-chef, wearing a silver-edged apron, was silent, while Lokomoko gazed at Baimu meticulously, his expression as if he had seen a rare treasure.
"Glowing dish!"
A waitress exclaimed.
The manager walked to the bar and quietly asked the sous-chef what was going on.
"This young man completed a glowing dish independently without Lokomoko's interference," the sous-chef responded bitterly.
"Hiss!"
The manager gasped in surprise.
Although the sous-chef was an extraordinarily skilled person who had been with Lokomoko the longest, capable of working independently elsewhere,
he couldn't create a glowing dish.
This dissatisfaction kept the sous-chef willing to stay by Lokomoko's side, hoping to learn this skill one day.
Naihe, after so many years, not to mention him, not a single person around could do it.
Lokomoko keeping secrets?
He almost taught people hand in hand!
"The divine dish" is truly terrifying, as if destined not to be mastered by a second chef.
But today.
A young man from nowhere independently created a glowing dish!
His heart was filled with complex emotions and hope.
The glowing dish isn't a special dish solely owned by Lokomoko; it can be passed down! The young man before him is the proof!
Though compared to him.
Lokomoko is probably even happier, right?
The sous-chef slightly turned his head, and indeed, what greeted his eyes was his friend's incredibly delighted face. If he didn't want to disturb the final plating, he would probably have already rushed over, right?
At that moment.
Baimu was only focused on cooking and wasn't aware of how excited Lokomoko was. He just breathed a sigh of relief after Blissey carefully wiped the water droplets from the edge of the plate.
He successfully made the rainbow egg roll glow. How wonderful.
"Mr. Lokomoko, I've completed it. Please have a look."
He raised his head with a smile but was startled by the crowd that had somehow gathered around him.
Lokomoko quickly suppressed the joy on his face, stepped forward to pick up a piece of the rainbow egg roll and put it in his mouth, intending to seriously comment, but after chewing, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Haha, hahahaha."
He really couldn't contain his inner joy, using the back of his hand to cover his mouth to prevent food crumbs from falling out, and then pointed at the plate of egg rolls to the sous-chef.
The sous-chef saw this and asked, "May I taste it?"
"Feel free."
Baimu quickly pushed it forward.
The sous-chef took an egg roll and slowly chewed it, and after a few seconds, a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, his eyes towards Baimu filled with admiration.
"Good job, you successfully brought out the sweet and sour complexity of the composite fruit juice, blending it into the egg roll without it feeling greasy, instead it balanced the egg flavor, making people feel happy and open their appetites—these shallow flavors were well expressed.
"What truly amazed me was the deep taste, with the sweet and sour filled with your joy and excitement upon meeting Lokomoko, and a little spicy taste that stimulates people. Is this the gratitude you want to express?"
Baimu's eyes widened.
What kind of tongue is this? Eating so meticulously! Is this the top judge of the Neon gourmet program?
"At first, I was a bit jealous of you, jealous that you mastered the glowing dish, now I'm jealous of Lokomoko. He never told me he had such an amazing avid fan!"
The sous-chef's words made everyone around and the Pokémon's eyes shine bright, staring at the remaining piece of egg roll with desire.
But.
A small hand reached out the fastest.
"Let's dig in!"
Hoopa took a bite of the egg roll, covering its cheeks joyfully while chewing and saying, "Oh ho ho ho, what a wonderful taste, it reminds me of the donut I had four months ago!"
It ignored the surrounding resentful looks and shouted at Baimu, "Xiaobai, I want more!"
"Hoopa, stop making a fuss; there will be more later."
The latter patted its head.
Lokomoko raised his hand and began to usher the waitstaff to clear out, "Alright! Everyone out! Unrelated personnel must stay away from the kitchen! Guests please return to the booths!"
He also growled at the other chefs and Pokémon who looked eagerly, "What are you staring at! Get to work! Do you want the guests to starve?"
A moment later.
Ash Ketchum and the others reluctantly returned to their seats.
Only Lokomoko and the sous-chef remained beside Baimu.
The former asked, "Your name is Baimu, right?"
"Yes."
"Have you taken courses at a cooking school before?"
"All thanks to your guidance, online, in books, and dreams..."
"Okay, enough with the last part. I don't want to be your dream lover. I know you're a talented young man!"
Lokomoko stopped him, and Baimu shrugged helplessly.
Sincerity is indeed always the ultimate technique; see his reaction when you say he taught you how to cook in your dreams?
His first reaction would definitely not be that this kid has a "Golden Finger."
Lokomoko and the sous-chef exchanged a glance and asked, "When can you start working?"
"...Huh?"
Baimu was taken aback.
"If you're not satisfied with an ordinary chef position, I can give you the sous-chef position." The sous-chef made a gesture to remove his silver-edged apron.
But before Lokomoko could stop him, Baimu raised both hands.
"Sorry, I wasn't here for an interview."
"Don't you want to learn cooking from me? How can I teach you if you don't come to my kitchen? Or do you not want a salary? That doesn't bother me—"
"No, no, no, I just want to take this opportunity to learn from you once as an assistant, and cooking in front of you was an unexpected pleasure. I really didn't plan to become your student, I'm truly sorry, Mr. Lokomoko."
He kept apologizing, and the Blissey beside him hurriedly bowed too.
This left Lokomoko and the sous-chef looking slightly amused.
"Kid, you possess the glowing dish skill that no one else does and came to me saying you wanted to be my assistant and even cooked a dish filled with your admiration for me. Now you tell me you don't wish to be my student; what do you want?"
The strong Carlos youth spoke in a low tone.
Baimu straightforwardly said, "Become a world champion."
Lokomoko/sous-chef: "Huh?"