At night, Chris set up a barbecue in the yard.
The light scent of cumin mixed with the aroma of fish wafted for miles, with a hint of spice that made anyone who smelled it start to drool. Even the children next door were crying, probably enticed by the delicious smell.
In the yard, the mighty Machamp, wearing a chef's hat, stood in front of the grill like a master chef. With his four arms, he held hundreds of skewers at once, turning them over effortlessly. The grill sizzled with promise.
Standing beside him was Combusken, eager to learn from the best. Chris had initially given Combusken the job, since it was the only Fire Type among his team and was naturally skilled at handling fire. Unfortunately, Combusken had no experience with barbecuing.
Hariyama, on the other hand, had probably picked up his grilling skills from watching cooking shows.
Frogadier lay dozing by the small pond, with a few Magikarp swimming around and blowing bubbles near him as if trying to wake up their "big brother." Frogadier, unbothered, ignored them, knowing they'd soon be roasted anyway.
Meanwhile, Kirlia used Confusion to carry dishes from the kitchen to the stone table in the yard.
Aron also wanted to help, but his Heavy Metal made him so slow that he couldn't assist much. Instead, he curled up by the stone chair, pretending to be part of the furniture.
Togepi sat quietly on the table, nibbling on biscuits, while Delibird, who had gone out to deliver packages earlier, had returned to join the meal.
Smeargle stood at the door, facing the entire yard, capturing this peaceful moment on canvas.
"It smells amazing!" Before they even appeared, Amy's cheerful voice echoed through the courtyard.
A few seconds later, Amy entered, followed by Victoria and Tyler.
"Is Hariyama really... grilling? You've even replaced the chef!" Amy exclaimed, astonished at the sight of the two-armed Pokémon at the grill.
"Hurry and grab a seat, we've been waiting for you," Chris said with a smile.
Military training had ended for the day, and tomorrow was a rest day before classes resumed. To celebrate winning the new training competition, Chris had organized this small barbecue with a few friends.
At Dragon University, Chris didn't have many close friends. Amy was one, Victoria and Tyler could be counted too, albeit reluctantly, and there was also Mike, who had gone to buy drinks and would arrive soon.
"Long time no see, Sweetheart!" Amy greeted Kirlia and sat down beside her.(T/N: Big baby=sweetheart)
Because of Amy's frequent visits, Kirlia had grown comfortable around her and smiled slightly as Amy poured herself a glass of Coke.
It was Victoria and Tyler's first time visiting Chris's yard, and their first time seeing Kirlia. Both were stunned, eyes wide as they stared at the elegant Pokémon, forgetting to sit down.
"Hahaha, I knew they'd react like that," Amy giggled, remembering her own amazement when she first saw Chris's Shiny Ralts.
"Wh-what? Is that... a Shiny Kirlia?" Tyler stammered, clearly overwhelmed.
"Yes," Chris admitted with a grin. "But try to keep it under wraps."
Winning the freshman military training competition had already made Chris a bit of a celebrity on campus, with many senior students asking for his number and adding him on social media.
That was already enough trouble. If word got out that he had a Shiny Kirlia, his doorstep would probably be crowded overnight!
"I know, I'll keep it a secret." Tyler quickly sat down, covering his mouth.
"Wait!" Just as Tyler and Victoria settled in, Amy suddenly screamed and jumped up from her seat, her eyes widening as they locked onto something shining beside Chris's chair.
"Is that... a Shiny Aron?!"
Amy's eyes went wide in disbelief.
Tyler and Victoria, who had just sat down, leaped up like they were sitting on nails, their eyes darting around to find the Shiny Aron.
Sure enough, there it was—glimmering brightly like a light source—resting calmly at Chris's feet.
Noticing that it was being mentioned, Aron looked up at Amy and the others curiously.
After realizing there were just three unfamiliar humans, Aron returned to lying quietly at Chris's feet.
As for Amy, Tyler, and Victoria, they could hardly believe their eyes.
They looked at the Shiny Hariyama, then the Shiny Kirlia, and then back to the Shiny Aron.
"Three Shiny Pokémon?" Victoria held up four fingers, then realized her mistake and quickly put one down.
Tyler held his head in disbelief. The visual impact was overwhelming; his mind was struggling to process all this information.
Chris looked at them, unimpressed. "What's the big deal? You all act like you've never seen anything before. They're just a few Shiny Pokémon. Isn't this normal?"
Amy's eye twitched.
"Never seen the world? A *few* Shiny Pokémon?"
*Just* a few?
This is "normal"?
"If I don't hit you, I might explode!" Amy was about to throw her Poké Ball in frustration.
"Sister Amy, you can't beat him," Tyler reminded quietly.
"I…" Amy froze, remembering her recent loss to Chris just two days ago, and swallowed her anger.
"You're being too much," Victoria chimed in, while both Tyler and Amy nodded in agreement.
"too much?" Chris didn't see the big deal. He hadn't even filled the whole yard with Shiny Pokémon yet. If he did, these guys would probably faint on the spot.
With no words left to say, the trio could only sit back down, redirecting their "frustration" towards the skewers.
"How did you end up with so many Shiny Pokémon?" Amy couldn't help but ask.
"I caught them."
"Don't mess with me! I meant where did you catch them?"
"Where else? Just in the wild. They jumped out while I was walking." Chris wasn't lying—these Pokémon just appeared, as if by fate.
The three of them exchanged incredulous looks, feeling like they had just taken a massive emotional hit.
They'd all been to dangerous areas before, but none of them had even caught a glimpse of a single Shiny Pokémon, let alone three.
Why was the gap between them and Chris so huge?