That evening, John set up a barbecue in his backyard. The rich, smoky scent of cumin and fish mixed with a hint of spice, filling the air and making mouths water even from a distance. The tantalizing aroma wafted over to the neighbors, causing some nearby children to burst into tears, overwhelmed by the hunger that followed.
In front of the grill, standing proudly in a chef's hat, was Hariyama—a Pokemon with remarkable strength, easily managing dozens of skewers at once with its giant hands. It was supposed to be a simple task for John's Fire-type partner, Combusken, but Combusken turned out to have little experience with barbecuing. Hariyama had stepped up instead, though John suspected it was more interested in catching up on some TV shows than actually cooking.
Nearby, Frogadier lounged lazily in the water, surrounded by a few grass carp swimming playfully around it. The fish nudged at Frogadier, trying to wake it up, but it barely noticed—after all, it knew they'd be on the grill soon enough.
Kirlia, always eager to help, used its Confusion ability to levitate plates from the kitchen, carefully placing them on the stone table outside. Meanwhile, Aron, a little slower on its feet due to its Heavy Metal ability, attempted to assist but mostly just rested near the stone chairs, pretending to be a part of the furniture.
Togepi sat quietly on the table, munching on some biscuits, while Delibird had gone out to deliver takeout for the gathering.
Smeargle stood at the doorway, its tail flicking as it took in the scene, capturing this moment with its artistic eye.
"It smells amazing!" Grace's voice rang out just before she entered the yard.
Within seconds, she was followed by Rose and Ethan, the latter looking somewhat out of place.
"Is that… your Hariyama grilling?" Grace raised an eyebrow in surprise, spotting John's powerhouse Pokemon.
"Hurry up and sit down! We're waiting for you," John called out, gesturing to the stone seats.
Today marked the end of military training, with tomorrow as a rest day before classes officially started. John, though, had been enjoying a rather relaxed couple of weeks. To celebrate his recent victory in the new military training competition, he decided to host a casual barbecue for a few friends.
At Riverstone University, John didn't have a huge circle of friends. Grace was one of the few, and Rose and Ethan could almost be considered acquaintances. There was also Chad, who would arrive later to help with the wine.
"Long time no see, Quenn!" Grace grinned, sliding into a seat next to Kirlia, who greeted her with a shy but friendly smile. Kirlia had become more comfortable around Grace after a few of her visits, and even seemed to enjoy the attention. Grace poured herself a glass of Coke with a playful wink.
It was Rose and Ethan's first time visiting John's small yard, and it was their first encounter with Kirlia. Both were awestruck, eyes wide with surprise. Rose froze by the stone chair, her mouth slightly agape as she stood, unable to tear her eyes away from the Pokemon.
"Haha, I knew they'd react like that," Grace chuckled, covering her mouth with one hand. She fondly remembered the same look of wonder on her face the first time she saw Shiny Ralts.
"John… I mean… is this really a Shiny Kirlia?" Ethan stammered, still processing the sight.
"Yep," John answered with a simple nod. "But keep it quiet. Don't go telling anyone."
John had become somewhat of a legend after winning the military competition. The seniors had already been bombarding him for his phone number, and it was becoming a bit of a hassle. If word got out that he owned a Shiny Kirlia, he would surely be bombarded by requests.
"I won't tell anyone," Ethan said quickly, sitting down with his mouth covered to stop his excitement from spilling over.
"Wait, hold on." Just as Ethan and Rose were sitting down, Grace suddenly shot to her feet, her wide eyes fixed on something beside John's seat. "Is… is that a Shiny Aron?!"
The trio immediately scrambled to their feet, scanning the area. Sure enough, there it was—Aron, shimmering like a beacon at John's feet. The tiny Steel-type looked up at them with a quiet expression as it rested beside its trainer.
The moment Aron noticed the trio of newcomers, it merely blinked before returning to its peaceful position.
Grace, Rose, and Ethan stood frozen in place, eyes bouncing betweena Shiny Hariyama, a Shiny Kirlia, and now a Shiny Aron. They were utterly stunned.
"Three Shiny Pokemon?" Rose finally muttered, her voice almost faltering as she extended her hand before quickly retracting it.
Ethan, too, was in complete shock. He held his head in his hands, overwhelmed by the sudden visual overload.
John, on the other hand, seemed unimpressed. "What are you making such a fuss about? It's just a few Shiny Pokemon. Nothing special," he remarked casually.
Grace twitched, her face twitching in disbelief.
Just a few Shiny Pokemon?
Surely, he couldn't be serious.
"Do you realize how rare these Pokemon are?" Grace shot back, a little exasperated. "Where did you even find them?"
"Catch them?" John shrugged, as though it were the most obvious answer. "Where else? In the wild. They just sort of… appeared."
The trio sat back down, blinking rapidly as their minds struggled to process what they had just heard. John had caught all these rare Shiny Pokemon just by casually strolling around? They had all been to dangerous areas themselves, yet they had never even seen one Shiny Pokemon, let alone three.
Rose looked at John in disbelief. "It's not fair. How is there such a massive gap between us?"
John just shrugged, offering no further explanation.
"Alright, I'm done," Grace muttered under her breath as she stabbed a skewer of meat and dug into it, clearly venting her frustration on the food.
"Where did you even find all these Pokemon?" Rose repeated.
"I already told you," John said, leaning back casually in his chair. "They just jumped out of nowhere while I was walking. It's nothing special."
The three sat silently for a moment, trying to comprehend the sheer difference in luck—or skill—that had led John to assemble such a powerful team of Shiny Pokemon.