Treasure Town ~ Marketplace

[Adamhuarts]

"I barely have any appetite for normal food unless I'm starved of sunlight. I'm not sure I'm worthy of defeating such a curry foe either," Cynthian said. He briefly pictured a literal mountain of purplish goopy curry. The thought of it made him shudder.

 

[windskull]

As eager as Nip was to try his new moves out, food interested him more than finding someone to spar with. So, while Astrid had wandered off elsewhere (likely to go train herself), he had elected to follow Cabot to this lunch. He was no stranger to social food gatherings. In fact, social meals were fairly common in his tribe.

But now that they were just standing outside, talking about food while they waited, he was kind of regretting not getting some practice in. Who knew when something would go horribly wrong.

"I'm still not used to the idea of food being prepared at all," Nip said, addressing Jaro. "You, uh—" he paused, remembering that most pokemon weren't too keen on him talking about hunting, and quickly modified his statement. "I mean, where I'm from, we just... divvy out whatever we found, store the leftovers for later, and call it a day."

He brought a paw up to his chin, glancing skyward as his mind drifted to a different subject. "Come to think of it though... what is curry, anyway?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Just uh, let me stretch out a bit first..." The Jigglypuff drew in a deep breath, and slowly began to inflate. When he just about looked ready to burst, he expelled a gale of air and shrunk back down again. After repeating this process several times, he felt like his innards had been properly loosened.

Cynthian stared at Jaro and blinked twice, half in dumbfoundedness and half in amusement.

"Does doing that ever feel uncomfortable?"

 

[The Walrein]

"I'm still not used to the idea of food being prepared at all," Nip said, addressing Jaro. "You, uh—" he paused, remembering that most pokemon weren't too keen on him talking about hunting, and quickly modified his statement. "I mean, where I'm from, we just... divvy out whatever we found, store the leftovers for later, and call it a day."

"Huh, that was pretty much what we did too, except for a lot of foods we had to prepare them first by cooking them, washing them, or grinding them up. Did your tribe never cook things? Or wait, I guess you didn't like fire because you're ice bl- I mean, ice-typed?"

Cynthian stared at Jaro and blinked twice, half in dumbfoundedness and half in amusement.

"Does doing that ever feel uncomfortable?"

Jaro waved an arm in a circle. "Eh, not unless you try to push it too far. You know, there's this story in my tribe about an Igglybuff who saw a onix one day and when she was telling her father about how big it was, he kept puffing himself up and asking, 'Was it this big?' And the Igglybuff would be like 'No father, it was larger!' So eventually he just inflated too much and exploded! I'm... pretty sure that doesn't actually happen, though. Really if you try to puff up too much you just feel really sore afterwards."

 

[Virgil134]

"Oh, so we just have to a eat a lot of food in order to beat the challenge?" Cabot asked. "That could be fun to try! ... Even if I'd do a lot better if I was still a Rampardos."

 

[SparklingEspeon]

They didn't get to eat the magikarp for lunch. Which disappointed Tricky, but she distantly recalled something about them all being scales and bone anyway. But that didn't solve the problem of what to fill her stomach with. This world didn't have geeses, which was unacceptable and Tricky had been very put out for a very long time (three hours). If there wasn't cake it would be super duper unacceptable, and maybe Tricky would spend an evening bothering Diyem for cake.

Then Tricky smelled something on the air that was very acceptable. Was that curry? Her stomach rumbled at the thought of curry (and maybe some cake), and she rambunctiously took off in the direction of the smell.

Tricky skidded to a stop where the smell was strongest, which was surrounded by a small crowd of pokemon. Tricky heard the words "curry challende" thrown out, which sounded (and smelled) absolutely heavenly.

"What's that smell?" she announced to the crowd loudly, pointedly. sniffing the air once again.

 

[Namohysip]

Turning to Truffle, he waved an arm at the red building and said, "So, uh, if I understand how this place works correctly, the Pokemon in there work making food like, all day? And that's pretty much all they do every day? Doesn't that get, like, really boring for them?"

"Ahhh, it is indeed a job that they perform," Truffle said--by now, he was familiar with Jaro's background, and had a different approach to explain to him what everything meant. "Rather than divide duties up into small chores among the tribe, instead Pokemon take on specialized jobs that they become very good at. With more Pokemon in this society as a whole, they can afford to do so with much greater scalability than if everyone knew a small amount of everything. Efficiency emerges from society, as you can say!"

"Come to think of it though... what is curry, anyway?"

"Oh, curry's great," Owen said to Nip, conscious to not bring his tail too close while he was excited. "It's this brown sauce that's spice and savory and filled with all kinds of ingredients! You usually have it with rice or some other kind of starch, or just on its own if you really want to bulk up. At least, it's probably the same way here..."

 

[windskull]

"Huh, that was pretty much what we did too, except for a lot of foods we had to prepare them first by cooking them, washing them, or grinding them up. Did your tribe never cook things? Or wait, I guess you didn't like fire because you're ice bl- I mean, ice-typed?"

"While it is true that I'm ice-typed, that's not really why we avoided fire. We just didn't have a use for it. Besides, dark types are far more common in my tribe. Zorua, skuntank, persian, there was even a grimsnarl in my tribe back when I was a kit. But ice types were less common. Most of the ice types lived even further north, isolated in the mountains."

"Oh, curry's great," Owen said to Nip, conscious to not bring his tail too close while he was excited. "It's this brown sauce that's spice and savory and filled with all kinds of ingredients! You usually have it with rice or some other kind of starch, or just on its own if you really want to bulk up. At least, it's probably the same way here..."

"Rice? Starch?" Nip tilted his head. "I... feel like I've heard of those before. They're not for me. But maybe I will try some of that sauce, at least. It sounds... edible. You say it's spicy. You mean like a cheri berry? I think I can handle that."

 

[Virgil134]

"Rice? Starch?" Nip tilted his head. "I... feel like I've heard of those before. They're not for me. But maybe I will try some of that sauce, at least. It sounds... edible. You say it's spicy. You mean like a cheri berry? I think I can handle that."

"You sure you don't wanna give the rice a try if you've only heard of it before?" Cabot asked. "Curry is not nearly as good if you have nothing with the sauce, and Truffle's team is covering the expenses, so it's free anyway. Besides! Like Owen said it's usually eaten with all kinds of ingredients, so I'm sure you can mix it some of that artificial meat as well. Maybe you'll be surprised and like the combination, like with that Black Gummi!"

 

[windskull]

"You sure you don't wanna give the rice a try if you've only heard of it before?" Cabot asked. "Curry is not nearly as good if you have nothing with the sauce, and Truffle's team is covering the expenses, so it's free anyway. Besides! Like Owen said it's usually eaten with all kinds of ingredients, so I'm sure you can mix it some of that artificial meat as well. Maybe you'll be surprised and like the combination, like with that Black Gummi!"

"It's not so much that I don't want to try," Nip began, shaking his head. Wow, he was picking up quickly on the body language used around here. "It's more that... I'm not sure I can. Not without getting sick, at least. The same as if I tried to just eat berries. Though... if I mix it with some of that fake meat you mentioned, then... maybe?"

 

[Virgil134]

"It's not so much that I don't want to try," Nip began, shaking his head. Wow, he was picking up quickly on the body language used around here. "It's more that... I'm not sure I can. Not without getting sick, at least. The same as if I tried to just eat berries. Though... if I mix it with some of that fake meat you mentioned, then... maybe?"

"Yeah, you should be able to eat it without getting sick," Cabot reassured. "I've seen a Sneasel on my crew eat rice with some other stuff and he was feeling fine afterwards!"

 

[Namohysip]

"Ah, excuse me!" called a Deerling from the inside of the restaurant. "We're so sorry for the wait, but welcome to Precise Tastes, and please, come in! Your table is ready."

"Ahh, wonderful, wonderful!" Truffle turned to the others. "Now, everyone! You may not be familiar with the culture here just yet, so follow my lead and be respectful and cautiously polite on your way in. Onward!"

As Truffle turned around, a portal appeared beside him, just above and to the right of his head. Maple descended from it and landed gracefully on her feet, and Truffle didn't even flinch. The Smeargle drew another portal further to her right, this time vertical, and Potluck excitedly walked through, bouncing on his hind legs and front talons.

There was something on Maple's head, but it moved so quickly that it disappeared in a blink, hiding in her shadow. However, when Truffle glanced at it, he was aware of its presence and didn't seem alarmed.

"Soda should be coming soon?" Truffle asked.

"Yes," Maple said. "It would be better if everyone was settled before introducing our last guest."

The insides of the restaurant resembled a starry, yet multicolored sky with the way the Luminous Orbs were lodged within the ceiling. The walls were a deep brown like polished dark wood, and the tables were made from some kind of sturdy ceramic. The way the tables glowed a gentle blue seemed almost mystical, like mushrooms in an enchanted forest.

Their table was near the starry back, with various kinds of seats available to set up, as was customary for restaurants like these, apparently. Stools, beanbags, or floor mats lined the short table, alongside a ring off bowls, plates, and utensils. Curiously, the utensils were oddly human, or at least resembled them, but there was an odd glow about it.

"You may have already seen such things before," Truffle said to the others, "but for those still adjusting to your body, envision yourselves using these utensils as you always have. You will be surprised at how they respond to the mind." To demonstrate, Truffle hovered his wing over one of the spoons, which floated with him like a magnet. It tilted, moved forward, and even angled itself, all while glowing faintly. "Pokemon-resonant tools are becoming more and more commonplace," Truffle said. "You can thank Destiny Village for these booming innovations."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Whoa, this place is beautiful..." Cynthian walked in with skip, then he turned to Truffle. "Are you sure it's not expensive to eat here? We don't exactly have any money on us..."

Another thing Truffle said caught his attention. "And where is this Destiny Village? There's no such place in my world."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot looked in awe as Truffle used the spoon much like a Kadabra would. Back home most Pokémon would usually just eat with their claws, though depending on the occasion and the type of food, a variety of utensils did exist to accommodate all kinds of different Pokémon. Yet, here in Cibus there was one set of utensils that any Pokémon could use?

"How... can anyone just do that?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "Is it because of auras?"

 

[Namohysip]

Maple gave Cabot a wry smile. "Indeed," she said. "Specifically, you can imbue materials with neutral Pokemon energy that can resonate with those nearby. It allows them to subconsciously control the material the same way you are able to conjure and control stones, Cranidos."

"Ahh, the expenses are nothing to worry about," Truffle replied to Cynthian. "Destiny Village is a relatively young settlement in terms of being open to the public, yet is one of, if not the most rapidly developing parts of the world! We intend to bring you all there once we have living arrangements squared away. It's a rather cold climate, particularly with the arrival of autumn, but it is a settlement in the Mystery Continent to the north."

There was a menu on the wall to their right which contained a list of all the food items they could order, complete with illustrations of some of the most popular items, including, of course, the Great Curry Bowl Challenge. Owen quietly read the items to Jaro.

An Inteleon with a notepad and a pen approached their huge table with a smile. "Hello," he said. "Thank you for making a reservation for such a large party in advance, Smeargle."

Maple nodded formally.

"Now, would you like some time to look through the menu?" Inteleon said.

"I would like to place a few orders now," Maple said.

Suddenly, Potluck chirped. "I want the Great Curry Bowl Challenge with Truffle and the rest of my team!"

"Well, it isn't the Challenge if multiple people eat from the same bowl," Inteleon said. "Still, we'd be more than happy to give you a Great Curry Bowl!"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"How... can anyone just do that?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "Is it because of auras?"

"Something tells me aura is used for literally everything in this world. What next, do our pokemon abilities use aura too?" Cynthian chuckled and gave Cabot a sideward glance.

 

[Namohysip]

"Yes!" Truffle said cheerfully. "You're catching on very well. Aura is as prominent among the world as energy and matter. In fact, aura is a type of energy, originating from Pokemon. I believe another term used is Infinity Energy, though that's quite... technical."

 

[Virgil134]

"Uh... huh... and my name is Cabot," he said to Maple.

The Cranidos perked up as the Inteleon waiter started taking orders.

"Oh! I wanna take on the challenge as well! Not sure if I can finish one of these bowls myself, but I might as well try."

Cabot turned over to Cynthian as he spoke up.

"Well, maybe," he chuckled. "Perhaps everyone in this world just really likes Lucario or something?"

 

[Namohysip]

Orders quickly trickled in, one after the other, and Maple evenly said, "And I would like to have a Challenge for myself alone." Inteleon seemed skeptical of this, but did not express it directly and left them to discuss what the challenge would really be like.

The shadow under Maple shifted again, finally materializing into what looked like a Pikachu at first... but the colors were off, and its face was... incorrect. A ghostly mimicry of one, perhaps.

"Hm?" Maple looked down.

"Oh! So you did come with us!" Potluck suddenly brought his head underneath the table, his eyes shining a happy pink. "Hey, everyone!" Potluck announced, and after some shuffling around, he brought his head back up. On top of him, clinging to his crest, was a Mimikyu.

"I want you guys to meet one of the God Squad team! Her name is Leg!"

"Khhhh..." Leg clung a little closer to Potluck, pinpricks for eyes darting around the team.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Khhhh..." Leg clung a little closer to Potluck, pinpricks for eyes darting around the team.

"Oh, why hello there. I'm Cynthian, nice to meet you," Cynthian said, walking up to her. He then noticed the stitches on her body.

"Are you wearing a costume? Did you make it yourself? I like it. Looks well made."