The first dinner order hit the counter before the oil was fully hot. Ludwig took the orders, wiped his hands once and looked up as the bell rang again.
At the bar, two familiar figures were already sitting. Claire was with her usual casual demeanour of dinner time. In her hands, a glass of whiskey with magical ice was being swirled around, catching the runic lights above and shone brightly.
Beside her, legs swinging lazily, was Rimuru.
"Well~" Rimuru hummed, resting their chin on both hands. "Feels lively tonight."
"You say that every time." Claire replied flatly.
"And I'm right every time."
Ludwig snorted despite himself, sliding a towel over his shoulder. "You two ordering or just loitering?"
The two broke into a laughter at Ludwig's venomous teasing. After it subsided, Rimuru's eyes landed on the menu on top of the separator and opened his mouth. "To be honest with you, I'm not familiar with the foods you served tonight. I only know the skewers and the tempura."
Ludwig followed Rimuru's gaze to the menu, then back to the kitchen where some pots were frozen in time where some were still brewing. He wiped his hands once on the towel at his shoulder and nodded.
"Alright. Straightforward, then."
He gestured toward the first item in the menu. "Gumbo is a stew. Long-cooked. It starts with a dark roux, flour and fat cooked until it smells nutty. After that it's vegetables, stock, and meat. It's thick, filling, and meant to be eaten hot with rice. Nothing fancy about it. It just takes time."
Rimuru leaned forward. "So… comfort food?"
"More or less." Ludwig said. "It was made to feed people well with what they had."
He moved his hand to the next item on the menu. "Grilled butter fish. Exactly what it sounds like. Fresh fish, salted, grilled skin-side down until the skin firms up. Butter added at the end so it doesn't burn. Herbs for aroma. The point is to keep the fish moist without masking the taste."
Claire nodded. "So if it's a bad fish, there's nowhere to hide."
"Correct." Ludwig said.
Then he tapped the last one. "Jambalaya. Rice dish. Everything is cooked in one pot. Meat, vegetables, spices, stock. The rice absorbs the flavor as it cooks, so timing matters. Too much liquid and it turns mushy. Too little and it burns. This one's filling and works as a full meal by itself."
Rimuru hummed thoughtfully. "Sounds heavy."
"It is." Ludwig agreed. "So, does anything catch your fancy?"
Claire lifted her glass slightly. "The Grilled Butter fish for me. I'll order again if I feel it's not enough."
"I'll take jambalaya and Gumbo then." Rimuru said quickly. "Also, tempura!"
Ludwig nodded, already turning toward the stove. "Coming up."
Ludwig turned fully toward the kitchen before he stood before the stove with a ladle in hand. The gumbo had been resting at a low simmer for hours now, flavors settled and patient. He dipped the ladle in and scooped the thick stew into a bowl.
Behind him, the bar conversation filled the space easily.
"So." Rimuru said, voice light but clearly amused. "I heard Cless made an impression today."
Claire let out a slow breath through her nose. "That's one way to put it."
"Oh?" Rimuru leaned closer over the counter. "Benimaru said the instructors were… surprised."
"Surprised is a generous word." Claire replied, swirling her whiskey once before taking a sip. "She walked into Tempest Academy like it was a festival. Asked three teachers if they were strong. Asked one if they had visited this place before."
Rimuru burst out laughing. "She didn't."
"She did." Claire said flatly. "Latina had to physically restrain her before she tried to spar with a dragonewt student.
Ludwig's mouth twitched as he portioned the jambalaya, rice heavy with stock and spice, steam carrying the smell of smoked meat.
"That explains why Shuna sent me a very carefully worded message." Rimuru added. "Something about 'enthusiastic youth' and 'preemptive damage control.'"
Claire clicked her tongue. "From what I heard from the academy's instructor in charge of Cless, Latina handled her well. She redirected Cless' energy into introductions. Got Cless to sit still for almost ten minutes."
"Almost?" Rimuru echoed.
"Kokobu ruined it." Claire said immediately.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Rimuru dragged the sound out, already bracing themselves. "What did Kokobu do?"
Claire took another sip before answering, like she was fortifying herself. "She brought snacks."
Ludwig paused for half a beat with the ladle still hovering over the pot.
"…Snacks?" Rimuru repeated.
"Yes." Claire said flatly. "Homemade ones. Wrapped in paper. Crinkly paper."
Rimuru burst out laughing. "That's it? That's the catastrophe?"
"You've never seen Cless and Hedwig react to snacks. Especially unfamiliar snacks." Claire replied. "I blame Ilea for it. She's the one who introduced her to the hobby."
Behind the counter, Ludwig resumed scooping jambalaya into a bowl, but his shoulders were shaking just a little. He could already picture it far too clearly.
"She asked what they were made of." Claire continued. "Then asked why they smelled different. Then asked why Kokobu was allowed to eat during class."
"That sounds normal so far." Rimuru said.
"She then asked if everyone could share." Claire went on. "Which turned into her volunteering to distribute them."
Rimuru wheezed. "Oh no."
"And somehow," Claire said, tone perfectly level, "that turned into her walking up and down the classroom offering snacks like a merchant. Commentating on them. Loudly."
Ludwig snorted outright this time.
"She gave them ratings." Claire added.
"Of course she did." Rimuru said between laughs.
"One student cried." Claire finished.
There was a brief silence.
"…From happiness?" Rimuru ventured.
"No." Claire replied. "From pressure."
Ludwig set the gumbo bowl and the Jambalaya down in front of both Claire and Rimuru harder than necessary and spoke. "Did she at least apologize?"
"She did." Claire nodded. "Very sincerely. Then she asked if tomorrow she could bring her own snacks."
Rimuru wiped their eyes. "Benimaru's going to love that."
"I already said no." Claire said. "Latina backed me up. Though, Kokobu looked personally betrayed."
Ludwig slid the finished bowls onto the counter and glanced at Claire with a grin he didn't bother hiding. "You know she'll still try."
Claire shot him a look. "Don't encourage her."
"I'm not." Ludwig said easily. "I'm predicting."
Rimuru laughed again, calmer now. "So no broken walls. No explosions. Just… snacks and social damage."
"Yes." Claire said. "…Honestly, that's the best outcome I could hope for."
Ludwig placed the grilled butter fish in front of her, while another plate of Tempura landed in front of Rimuru. "Sounds like she had a good first day."
Claire stared at the plate for a moment, then nodded. "…She did. Though, I never thought I would be called by the instructor on the very first day."
After she said that, Claire moved her face closer to the food. Her nose twitched, not too big, but visible regardless. Then she slid her fork under the crisped skin and lifted a bite that steamed faintly.
The moment it touched her tongue, her shoulders eased.
"…Good." she said simply.
Rimuru was already halfway in. They scooped rice, sausage, and vegetables together from the jambalaya, eyes widening a little as they chewed.
"Oh, this is dangerous." He said. "This is the kind of food that tricks you into eating too much."
"That's the point." Ludwig replied before going back to the kitchen to scoop some more for the incoming orders.
Back in the bar, Rimuru alternated between jambalaya and gumbo, clearly comparing. The gumbo was thicker, darker, slower, something you ate with intent.
"This one's heavier." Rimuru said, tapping the gumbo bowl with their spoon. "But it feels… grounding."
Claire snorted. "You say that about anything served with rice."
"And I'm still right." Rimuru shot back.
For a few minutes, the restaurant settled into one of its best rhythms.
Frying sounds. Quiet chewing. The low murmur of other tables filling. Nothing urgent. Nothing cosmic.
Then Rimuru slowed, spoon hovering.
"…Hey." He said casually. "Has anyone heard from Kushina lately?"
Claire paused mid-bite. Ludwig didn't turn around, but his hands stilled just enough to notice.
"No." Claire answered after a moment. "Not since she went back to Konoha."
Rimuru frowned. "That's… longer than usual, right?"
"Yes." Claire said. "She normally checks in. Even if it's brief."
Rimuru looked at Claire. "You think she's in trouble?"
Claire didn't answer right away.
She finished the bite she was chewing, set her fork down neatly, and only then looked at Rimuru.
"No." She said firmly. "Not like that."
Rimuru tilted their head. "You're sure?"
"Yes." Claire replied without hesitation. "The agreement we signed after the attack included a safety clause. Explicit. Binding. Kushina is protected from Konoha. Both by us, and by Konoha."
Ludwig listened from the stove, hands moving from plate to plate.
"And I'm sure Konoha wouldn't break clauses like that lightly." Claire continued. "Not when breaking them would invite consequences like we retaliating and the potion supplies stop."
Rimuru exhaled slowly. "So… not imprisoned and not silenced."
"No." Claire shook her head. "At worst? She's being buried in meetings, delays, and political insulation. You know the drill."
Ludwig finally returned to the bar and spoke. "Which, for someone like her, can feel worse."
Claire glanced back at him. "…Exactly."
Rimuru poked at their gumbo with the spoon. "So we wait."
"We wait." Claire agreed. "And we don't assume the worst before it earns that right."
The tension eased. It folded neatly like a knife returned to its sheath instead of left on the table.
That was when the restaurant hummed into Ludwig's mind. He dried his hands again and looked up as the bell rang.
The door opened with the bell chiming. From beyond, an older man stepped inside first, posture relaxed, eyes bright behind familiar glasses, curiosity written openly across his face.
Right behind him was a taller figure in a dark coat, hat pulled low, shoulders squared in a way that screamed habit rather than hostility. His gaze swept the room once, something most people here had done. It was a gaze made with the purpose of cataloguing exits, patrons, angles.
Ludwig straightened, the corner of his mouth lifting despite himself.
"Well, well, well." He muttered. "Isn't it the professor of Pokemon?"
"Hello!" said Professor Oak, smiling as his eyes landed on the bar. "Seemed like I was not hallucinating yesterday. Excellent."
The man beside him adjusted his hat a fraction lower. No smile could be seen in the part of his face which showed. Instead, his eyes stopped on Ludwig.
Then the counter.
Then Claire and Rimuru.
"…So this is the place," Looker said quietly.
Rimuru brightened instantly. "Oh! New people!"
Professor Oak cleared his throat lightly, the sound cutting through the last echoes of cutlery and quiet chewing.
"Ah, before anything else." He said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a familiar gesture, "Allow me to make a proper introduction."
He turned slightly, presenting the man beside him with an open palm.
"This is Agent Looker."
Looker gave a short nod. Precise. Professional. The kind of motion that suggested habit rather than courtesy.
"I work with the International Police," Looker said. His voice was calm, controlled, carrying easily across the bar. "My job is oversight. Threat assessment. And determining when something unusual becomes something that needs structure."
Rimuru blinked once. Then smiled. "Ohhh, you're the scary kind."
Looker did not react at his teasing.
Professor Oak chuckled awkwardly. "That's… not inaccurate, I'm afraid."
He then turned his attention to the others at the counter.
"To be clear…" Oak continued, tone shifting from genial to measured, "Agent Looker isn't here to shut this place down. Quite the opposite, actually."
That earned him Looker's full attention, but he allowed Oak to continue.
"Given what we talked about yesterday…" Oak said carefully, "I concluded that informal curiosity was no longer sufficient."
Ludwig leaned an elbow on the counter. "So you brought a badge."
"A mandate." Looker corrected calmly.
He met Ludwig's eyes directly.
"I am the highest-ranking authority currently assigned to phenomena exceeding conventional jurisdiction within our world." Looker said. "Which means, for better or worse, I am the one authorized to make this decision."
He paused. Just long enough to make sure they were listening.
"I can grant you, this restaurant, and those you designate… sanctioned access to the Pokemon World."
The word sanctioned settled heavily. However, it's far from unpleasant.
Oak nodded beside him. "Supervised, of course. Conditional. But legitimate."
Rimuru leaned back on their stool. "Wow. Dinner and paperwork."
Claire took a slow sip of her whiskey, eyes sharp now, assessing Looker in a way that suggested she was already calculating worst-case outcomes.
"And what do you want in return?" She asked flatly.
Looker's lips curved at that question. Albeit, just barely.
"For now?" He said. "Answers."
The restaurant hummed softly around them, steady and patient, as if it had already decided this was acceptable.
Ludwig smiled.
"Well then." He said, gesturing lightly toward the empty seats at the bar, "Welcome to Checkpoint."
And somewhere between simmering pots and cooling plates, another world was sitting in place where all worlds collide every night.
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