In the end, Hatsumi relented...
She sighed helplessly and said, "Fine, take your time eating."
With that, she returned to the counter and resumed cracking sunflower seeds.
Caleb divided the Pokémon food brought by the Mime Jr. into two portions, placing them in front of Mimikyu and Dragonite.
Mimikyu extended its claws from beneath its Disguise and happily began eating.
Dragonite, however, tilted its head, narrowed its eyes, and suddenly crushed the berries on its plate with its claw.
A pungent, spicy aroma filled the air.
Dragonite covered its mouth with its other chubby paw as its face twisted in disgust.
Caleb immediately called out, "Boss lady, I'd like to report you for consumer fraud!"
Dragonite glared fiercely at Hatsumi, its expression was so intense, that Caleb half-expected it to leap up and blast her with a Dragon Rage.
Hatsumi hurried over, picked up the plate, and sniffed it. With an apologetic smile, she said, "Sorry, wrong berries! I'll swap them out right away! This meal is on the house!"
Only then did Dragonite retract its murderous gaze, and instead stared at its paw which was now coated in the spicy berry juice.
Caleb asked the Mime Jr. waiter for a damp towel and began carefully cleaning Dragonite's claw...
Dragonite stiffened slightly. It hesitated as if unsure whether to push Caleb away... until Hatsumi returned.
Instantly, Dragonite's attention was captured by the fresh plate of food.
Hatsumi set the dish down in front of Dragonite, then leaned in to whisper to Caleb, "Your Dragonite seems... a little hard to get along with."
Caleb, who had already finished his noodles, sat back and watched Dragonite and Mimikyu eat happily.
He thought back to what Nurse Joy had said earlier and replied, "Maybe it's because of its past experiences. It doesn't know how to express itself well. And you know how Pokémon are... they have their own survival rules. If they don't make themselves seem strong and intimidating..."
Hatsumi's expression cleared in understanding.
Caleb recalled the night he'd seen Dragonite gazing at the moon by the lake and smiled, "Dragonite might look fierce and grumpy on the outside, but deep down, it's actually pretty poetic."
Hatsumi seemed to ponder this before shaking her head with a chuckle, "You're really something else, you know that?"
Caleb raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Nothing, just... you get this really serious look when you talk about your Pokémon. Like right now... and now you're back to looking like a goofball." She burst out laughing.
Caleb: "..."
Hatsumi stopped teasing him and took a deep breath, "Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Haruno Hatsumi, owner of this noodle shop."
"Caleb Chase," Caleb replied easily.
But the moment the words left his mouth, Hatsumi froze, "Wait, what did you say your name was?"
"Caleb Chase?" He frowned.
"Oh sh*t!" Hatsumi blurted out, completely shattering her elegant image, "The Caleb Chase? The one who just got the worldwide Lightning cloud Achievement announcement?"
Caleb: '...Damn. I forgot about that.'
He sighed lightly, then met her gaze squarely, "Yeah, that's me."
Hatsumi's eyes widened, "You're actually a newbie? Swear you're not lying?"
Caleb raised his right hand, index finger extended, "Scout's honour."
Hatsumi somehow produced a small stool out of nowhere and plopped down next to him, eyes sparkling with curiosity as she asked, "Tell me, how did you rack up so many achievement points in one run?"
Caleb hesitated, thinking back on his... unconventional strategies...
Had he really done anything that outrageous? He just bullied a few dozen ten-year-olds... He also spent hours chatting up different girls on the street... Then he played both sides between Team Rocket and the Kanto Alliance...
That was all completely normal, right? And he swore it was all for intel... and to hone his skills as a trainer!
Seeing his silence, Hatsumi gasped dramatically, "You didn't actually kill a bunch of kids, did you?! And Time Management Master... I know that meme! You're a total monster! How many innocent girls did you scam in there?!"
Caleb: "If you keep slandering me, I'm sending you a cease-and-desist."
Hatsumi smirked, "Tell me! Or I'll expose your 'Black Kyurem' secret to his fanclub!"
Caleb's head throbbed, 'How does she know all these memes?!'
Defeated, he muttered, "Fine. I don't even know why I got so many achievements. All I did was challenge a few brats who were Ash's age to Pokémon battles on the street."
Under Hatsumi's disbelieving stare, he doubled down, "What's the big deal? I'm a rookie trainer too! For all you know, I've had my Pokémon for less time than them!"
Hatsumi snorted, "Cut the crap. I bet you're already Master Rank in 'Pokémon Sword and Shield' online battles."
Caleb: "..."
"Alright, fine. You got me." He raised his hands in surrender.
Hatsumi grinned victoriously and clapped him on the shoulder, "You know what? You're hilarious. I've decided... we're friends now!"
Caleb had no energy left to argue. Seeing that Dragonite and Mimikyu had finished eating, he stood to leave.
Hatsumi immediately called after him, "Hey, where are you going?"
Caleb: "Gonna check out the commercial district."
"Perfect! I need to prep for my upcoming Instance run too. Let's go together!" With that, Hatsumi flipped the shop's sign to 'CLOSED'...
Caleb watched her smooth movements and couldn't help asking, "Why did you open a noodle shop here, anyway?"
Hatsumi shrugged, "Mostly out of boredom. Gotta kill time between Instance runs. You could open a shop too... It only costs a thousand points."
Caleb thought of the talking Gardevoir robot he was saving up for and shook his head, "Nah, I'm not interested in being a shop owner."
They teleported to the commercial district together...
...
The setup here was far more old-school...
A straight path lined with stalls on either side, each displaying an array of Poké Balls, held items, Rare Candies, and more.
As they walked, Hatsumi asked, "Did you get any good items from your mission rewards?"
Caleb thought of Mewtwo's +100 Affinity, but that was bound to him... and he had no idea how to use it yet.
The only other thing he had was a Twisted Spoon.
Since he didn't need it right now, he nodded, "Yeah, I got a Twisted Spoon. It boosts Psychic-type moves."
Hatsumi's eyes lit up, "No way! Sell it to me! I'll give you 500 points! I've got a Kadabra that could really use it! Or if you don't wanna sell, I've got plenty of items to trade!"
Caleb considered it and replied, "You got a Swords Dance TM?"