"Fujin-ojisan, let us help you out!"
Sato and Cynthia stood at the kitchen entrance.
They couldn't help it. Weavile's aura had left them both somewhat dazed even now.
A primitive forest with no trace of human life, an unassuming wooden cabin, a kindly solitary old man… and a mysterious Champion level Pokémon.
All of these seemingly unrelated elements pointed toward one fact.
Fujin… WAS A Lvl-100 HIDDEN BOSS!
"You two just wait. I've got Weavile helping me. More than enough."
Fujin waved them off and gently shooed them back into the living room.
Before leaving, Sato stole a glance at Weavile inside the kitchen, casually peeling potatoes. It was still hard to connect that scene with a Champion Pokémon.
"What a pity…" Sato muttered to himself.
He hadn't brought his own Weavile this time. Otherwise, he could've used the connection between their species to strike up a conversation!
Who knows… if Weavile had seen a fellow kindred spirit, maybe it would've shared some battle secrets or training methods out of joy.
"Hmm? What did you say?"
"Nothing," Sato shook his head at Cynthia, then pointed outside. "What about him?"
Of course, he meant Hunter X, still unconscious outside. Fujin hadn't asked about him at all, but Sato worried there might be a misunderstanding.
And misunderstandings from a hidden boss… were not something to take lightly; or worse, ignore entirely.
Especially after seeing how powerful Weavile was, Sato was already thinking about how to get some training guidance out of this.
There was no shame in learning from the strong. Sato was sure Cynthia was thinking the same thing.
Sure enough, the next moment, Cynthia said exactly what he expected: "Let's explain things ourselves…"
"Alright!"
He had Gengar carry Hunter X inside, and then both he and Cynthia sat "obediently" on the couch, listening to the busy sounds from the kitchen, not daring to speak too loudly.
Time ticked by, and soon the aroma from the kitchen became irresistible. Even though neither of them had been hungry before, Sato and Cynthia couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
Just then, a sliding sound came from the staircase. Bored, the two of them immediately turned to look.
Soon, a large emerald-green serpent slowly slithered down from the second floor…
Sato and Cynthia were right there in the living room, clearly visible, but the green serpent acted like they didn't exist at all and headed leisurely toward the kitchen.
"Serperior! Sneaking food AGAIN? We've got guests today, show some restraint! Go wait outside!"
Fujin's frustrated and annoyed voice rang from the kitchen.
And just like that, the green serpent -Serperior- slowly turned around and slithered back into the living room…
Sato and Cynthia silently watched the whole thing without saying a word.
Unlike the reserved and low-profile Weavile, the proud Serperior didn't bother to hide its presence. Its Champion level aura was fully and unashamedly unleashed.
Serperior suddenly cast a faint glance at the two of them, as if blaming them for ruining its chance to sneak some food!
It was just a single glance, but it made Sato's blood churn. He almost couldn't stop himself from unleashing his Dark Energy in reflex.
But when they came back to their senses, Serperior had already coiled itself up on a single-person sofa like nothing had happened, just quietly waiting for dinner.
Various delicious smells continued to pour from the kitchen, but Sato and Cynthia… felt no sense of enjoyment at all.
Because every time a new delicious smell wafted from the kitchen, Serperior would cast a faint glance at the two of them, as if to say:
"Humph! It's your fault { ｀∧}!"
Being stared down by a Champion Serperior… Sato couldn't help but think he'd rather trade places with Hunter X and lie unconscious instead.
At last, what felt like an eternity of waiting came to an end. Fujin and Weavile each steadily carried out four dishes from the kitchen.
"Dinner's ready~"
Whoosh💨
A green blur shot across the room, and before Sato and Cynthia could react, Serperior was already seated at one of the chairs. Having even laid out a napkin with its Vine Whip.
"HEY! Useless at everything, but the first to eat… You're washing the dishes later~"
Fujin chuckled and scolded as he placed the plates down, but didn't stop Serperior from helping him place the dishes with its vines.
After all, carrying two plates in one hand wasn't easy.
Sato and Cynthia finally walked over to the table, doing their best to suppress their internal shock as they sat down one seat to Serperior's left.
Fujin and Weavile soon took their seats as well. From the looks of it, the man and his two Pokémon always ate the same meals.
Just as Sato thought they were finally about to start eating… a pale white figure silently appeared next to him, along with a ghostly, bone-chilling laugh.
"Fross! Lasslasslasslass~"
Froslass appeared between Serperior and Sato, and the frigid aura it emitted made the entire right half of Sato's body break out in goosebumps.
"Alright, everyone's here, let's eat!"
Fujin happily picked up his chopsticks and began pointing at each dish, eagerly launching into detailed explanations.
Clearly, he still hadn't gotten all his words out earlier…
Naturally, Cynthia and Sato couldn't start eating right away. They just sat quietly, listening to Fujin cheerfully go on about each dish.
But Weavile, Serperior, and Froslass weren't nearly as "polite".
Weavile casually picked up a pair of chopsticks with its sharp claws, expertly grabbing its favorite foods, without leaving even a single scratch on the utensils.
Serperior's Vine Whip was just as nimble, using chopsticks and bowls no worse than Weavile.
Froslass used Telekinesis, levitating its preferred dishes straight into its plate.
By the time Fujin had finally finished his enthusiastic introductions, only half the food on the table remained.
"YOU THREE…!"
Fujin scolded, fuming! But before he could say more, the fully-fed trio had already put down their bowls and chopsticks, wearing expressions of perfect innocence.
"Ahem… well then, I-I'll just make two more dishes…?" Fujin said awkwardly, looking over at Sato and Cynthia.
But in the next second, Sato once again felt Serperior's familiar stare…
"No need, Fujin-ojisan. There's still plenty left. We'll be fine," Sato said quickly and "sincerely".
"Well…"
"It's alright. Your partners may eat quickly, but they only touched one side of the table. The other half hasn't been touched at all," Cynthia added thoughtfully.
Her words gave Fujin an easy out while also sparing them from more of Serperior's attention.
"Hohohoh, you're right! Would've been a waste to make too much. Let's eat, let's eat!"
Fujin laughed heartily, and his gaze toward Cynthia grew even warmer. 'What a kind and thoughtful young girl~,' he thought.
After the meal, the three of them returned to the living room. But this time, before Fujin could say anything, Sato pointed to the unconscious Hunter X floating in the air.
"Fujin-ojisan, the two of us have been thinking… and we feel we should explain to you…"