Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 381 Closing - Cheese Dessert Strikes

Chapter 383 Closing - Cheese Dessert Strikes

The "Spring Limited Edition Assorted Box" presented by the owner of Koen Restaurant is truly an amazing culinary feast.

In that exquisite sixteen-compartment food box, each mini dish, though only the size of a fingertip, has its own unique characteristics.

Golden and crispy tempura, fragrant charcoal-grilled meat chunks, refreshing and delightful cold vegetable salad, and a sweet and chewy sashimi platter—four delicious dishes presented in succession create waves of flavor on the tongue, making one's heart race like riding a roller coaster.

The highlight, however, is undoubtedly the miso soup made with carefully simmered prawn claw meat.

The warm and mellow broth gently envelops all the flavors, bringing this thrilling culinary adventure to a perfect close.

"Although I know this dinner is not over yet, please allow me to express my gratitude to all the chefs at this moment."

Guskaf put down his soup bowl, clasped his hands together, and awkwardly imitated the accent of the residents of the city-state, saying, "Thank you for the meal."

Azure Eevee had just received a share of the Claw Soup, and now it was imitating a gourmet by putting its hands together, which made Azure, who had once adventured in Johto, chuckle.

"It's a very unique way of presenting it," Zimi said, putting her fork back in its place and tapping the table lightly with her fingertips, her expression somewhat complicated.

"While each individual dish is not exactly exquisite, the constantly changing culinary styles effectively mask this. However, I find this approach a bit of a shortcut."

"Spring is the season for planning the year, and it is precisely the season to make the most of it."

Tento, carrying the next dish, took over Koun's place and spoke generously to the Water-type Elite Four member.

"In the spring when everything comes back to life, flowers attract pollinators with their vibrant colors, seeds fly far away with the help of the wind, and even most Grass-type Pokémon choose this time of year to evolve collectively under the nourishment of spring rain. By cleverly utilizing the characteristics of different ingredients, we can make the originally scattered dishes complement each other and recombine them into a better and richer dish—we believe that this approach better reflects the characteristics of our Sanyo Restaurant."

At this point, a hint of melancholy seemed to flash across the Grass-type Gym Leader's eyes. "And that's why we initially formed the Tri-Star Gym."

To be honest, my primary purpose in coming to Sanyo City this time is to help Hugo deal with the closure of the Sanyo Gym.

The barely concealed melancholy in Tian Tong's words was like a sudden cool breeze, dispelling the faint warmth that the banquet had brought to the azure sky.

She glanced at Shimi and Guscalf beside her. The two, unaware of the future fate of the Sanyo Dojo, seemed oblivious to the meaning behind the waitress's words, and continued to look expectantly at the dishes that Cilan would serve next.

"Whether it's a clever trick or not, since the banquet is drawing to a close, please enjoy the special cheese dishes that the three of us brothers have recently developed."

Mr. Tiantong raised his eyebrows, flashed a slightly exaggerated smile at everyone, and placed the plate he was carrying on the table: "Sanyo Restaurant Special Double Cheese Tart!"

The sommelier's voice echoed through the restaurant: "The wine we've paired is an ice-cold sparkling wine containing a trace amount of 'hypnotic powder' from lily root—of course, the dosage is precise enough to only bring a touch of springtime comfort. The cheese topping and base are fresh milk sorbet and aged hard cheese made from buffalo milk, respectively. There's also a portion for those with Pokémon."

The cheese is round, about the size of a biscuit, and the white 22 Fresh Milk Sherbet is stamped with the emblem of the Sanyo Dojo using brown cocoa powder.

Upon seeing the cheese dish served, Shimi still declined the portion offered to the Pokémon. Azure tried giving Eevee a bite, but it didn't really like the salty taste of the cheese.

In contrast to Ibrahimovic, food editor Mr. Guscalf praised the dish highly: "This is the best cheese dish I've had since last year. The high-quality milk flavor and the mature savory taste are perfectly in harmony. The lightness of the sherry and the richness of the hard cheese intertwine in the mouth to create a symphony of layers. Today's meal was truly full of surprises."

Eevee, standing to the side, looked at Mr. Snorlax with the same disdain as if he were an idiot.

Seeing this, Azure quickly put the little guy back into her arms. She began to understand why Guskaf was so reluctant to eat with others during the evaluation.

Everyone's tongue is their own, and enjoying food is sometimes a rather private personal experience.

As a professional food critic, Guscalf would likely find it difficult to tolerate laymen making unconstructive comments at the dinner table.

While pondering these things, Azure put her cheese tart into her mouth.

Ah, delicious!

The girl couldn't help but pinch Eevee's cheek. How could this guy's tongue be so unmoved by such delicious food!

"Many Pokémon have a more sensitive sense of smell than humans, so they can detect more of the odors produced by fermentation."

As if noticing Azure's behavior, Mr. Zhimi, sniffing the aroma of the sparkling wine, spoke up—

"What is honey to one is frost to another," which is one of the reasons why many restaurants catering to humans do not accept Pokémon.

"That's true, but the dessert that follows is specially made for humans and Pokémon to share. The Pokémon will definitely love it."

After returning from the kitchen, Cohen came before everyone again, this time standing together with Bert, carrying two final dishes.

"Really?" Elite Four member Shimizu took out a Poké Ball. "My partner is also a bit hungry. In the Pokémon world, it's a gourmet whose skill is no less than mine. Can you satisfy its palate?"

The culinary expert casually tossed out a Poké Ball, and a Blastoise with a thick shell appeared behind the Elite Four member.

Blastoise yawned lazily, then suddenly sniffed the air, its eyes snapping open with a sharp glint in them.

"Oh, looks like you passed the first test." Seeing his partner's energetic appearance, Zhimi couldn't help but laugh and tease.

"That's truly our honor!" Bert said with a broad smile, placing the dish he was carrying on the table. "Looks like you could smell the aroma of this baked dessert."

"Clang clang! The Fire-type Gym Leader's silver cap flew high with an exaggerated turn, bringing with it a gust of wind carrying the aroma of caramel—"

In the center of the plate, a miniature volcano is slowly "erupting".

The dark brown chocolate shell cracks with spiderweb-like patterns, and golden-red lava-like sauce oozes out from the cracks, adorned with "lava flowers" carved from spicy cherry jelly.

"Eevee!" Eevee stretched its neck out from Azure's arms, its nose twitching wildly.

"This is today's first dessert, and also the penultimate dish on the menu—'Newborn Chocolate Lava'!" Bert said proudly.

"Although we used chocolate as the raw material, we separated theobromine, which might cause Pokémon to have a negative reaction, by grinding cocoa beans and controlling the temperature to crystallize them. The cake base is filled with a molten concentrated tree sap, and the outer black sugar shell contains the first batch of nectar made from cherry blossoms after spring."

Bert perfectly sliced ​​the cake along the path of the flowing "Berry Lava" for everyone at the table and their Pokémon.

"The restaurant also offers lava dessert boxes made with the same ingredients," Cilan added at the opportune moment, holding several exquisite gift boxes bearing the Gym crests. "You can take these home as souvenirs after your meal to enjoy with your Pokémon."

He specifically addressed Guscalf, who hadn't released his Pokémon, saying, "Our restaurant's philosophy is to let everyone enjoy the best food with Pokémon, so you don't need to feel guilty."

Bilan scooped a piece of cake with tree sap into her mouth with a dessert spoon, and felt a sweet but not cloying forest fragrance rush up her spine and straight to her brain. The juice and cream complemented each other perfectly, with a soft texture and a crisp candy shell, making it the best cake she had ever eaten!

She was worried that Eevee wouldn't be able to hold the spoon properly and wouldn't be able to eat the cake. But when she looked down, she saw that Eevee had already eaten its way up to a little mess and was reluctantly licking the plate clean.

Behind her, Mr. Jimmy's Blastoise let out a long breath and gave Bert a thumbs-up.

"This is fantastic! This cake has completely lived up to my expectations, Mr. Zimi. What do you think?"

Guskaf's round face and Blastoise's expression were exactly the same. Almost full, he couldn't help but strike up a conversation with Zimi.

The King of Carlos nodded. "The diners' approval is the greatest reward for a chef, and in this respect, Sanyo Restaurant has completely succeeded. If I had to add my two cents, I would say that the cake's appearance could be improved slightly; the volcano shape is a little out of control due to the flowing tree sap—but even I think that suggestion is a bit nitpicky. Ultimately, we chefs rely on our sense of taste to win. Speaking of taste, my final dessert is definitely not far off."

As the owner of the restaurant, Koen, placed the plates on the table, he said, "Good times always pass too quickly. Let's savor the final touches of this 'Rebirth' dinner party—this is the last dessert!"

He simultaneously pushed three wide-mouthed stemmed glasses in front of three customers—"Whispers of the Wind Smoothie—Wishing you all a blessed journey tomorrow."