Chapter 147: Leo's BBQ
As for Beedrill, it didn't enjoy playing or interacting with other Pokémon much. It was a classic case of social anxiety in the Pokémon world, so it silently went upstairs.
Kenji, meanwhile, walked out of the villa to the large pool in the backyard.
"Come out, Gyarados!"
A red light flew out, materializing into a massive blue creature that landed in the water.
Gyarados curled its body, finding a comfortable position in the pool for a nap.
With all his Pokémon released from their Pokéballs, the once cold and quiet villa instantly became lively.
With the notoriously ill-tempered "Big Sister" Gyarados napping in the backyard pool, Vigoroth and Pupitar—mischievous as they were—weren't stupid. They knew fear, so they tactfully ran to the front yard to play.
Kenji re-entered the villa, ignoring Ninetales and Bellossom watching TV on the sofa, and went upstairs to his room to tidy up.
Actually, there wasn't much tidying to do. The villa was ready for move-in, fully furnished with beds and everything. Kenji mainly just unpacked and stored the small items he had brought from his old rental.
By the time he finished, it was around 11:00 AM.
Calculating the time, Leo's parents should be starting to prepare for business around now.
Walking out of the bedroom to the training room, Kenji saw, as expected, Beedrill training alone.
Seeing Kenji enter, Beedrill stopped training and slowly flew over to him.
As the ace Pokémon of its trainer, Beedrill carried not only the glory Kenji bestowed upon it but also a greater burden of pressure.
"Let's go. Come out with me," Kenji said, stroking Beedrill's body.
Beedrill buzzed in agreement. It proactively tapped its Pokéball on Kenji's belt with a stinger, turning into a red light and disappearing inside.
With Beedrill in tow, Kenji left the villa.
He left the other Pokémon inside, not worried about them running off.
Leo's BBQ.
Kenji stood in front of Leo's BBQ, carrying gift boxes in both hands, looking up at the shop.
The glass doors were already open, clearly ready for business.
It had been a while. The BBQ shop was familiar, but it seemed to have been renovated. Aside from the name "Leo's BBQ," the signage and interior decoration were completely new.
Kenji pushed the door open and walked in.
"I'm sorry, sir, the ingredients aren't ready yet. It's not opening time, so we can't take orders." Seeing Kenji walk in, a puzzled waiter approached. He glanced at the gift boxes in Kenji's hands and spoke politely.
The waiter was a new face. Kenji smiled. "It's okay, I'm not here to eat. Is Aunt May here?"
The waiter paused. He naturally knew Kenji was referring to the proprietress of Leo's BBQ.
"Aunt May... should be here soon," the waiter said.
Kenji nodded. He placed the gift boxes behind the counter, dismissed the waiter to do his work, and started wandering around the shop on his own.
"Kenji??!!"
Before Kenji could finish examining the changes in the shop, a chubby man walked out from the kitchen. Seeing Kenji, he froze, then exclaimed in disbelief.
This was the BBQ shop's chef. His culinary skills were top-notch, and he had taught Kenji a lot about cooking.
"Fatty Bro, it's me." Seeing a familiar face, Kenji felt warmth in his heart and responded.
"When did you get back?" Fatty Bro asked.
Kenji replied casually, "Just yesterday. Came to see Aunt May today."
Fatty Bro nodded, looking Kenji up and down. "Have you eaten? If not, I'll make you something."
Kenji shook his head. "No need, Fatty Bro. I've eaten. You go ahead and get busy."
The chubby chef nodded and ducked back into the kitchen.
Kenji sat in an inconspicuous corner, playing with his phone.
Meanwhile, the waiter who was cleaning gaped, having heard every word of their conversation.
Kenji? Could this young man be the Kenji the boss talks about every day, the one who got into Metropolis Academy?
Before long, Aunt May pushed the door open and walked in.
Just as she was about to step behind the counter, she saw the pile of gift boxes. She paused and asked, puzzled, "Xiao Chen, where did these things come from?"
"Aunt May, that gentleman brought them."
Xiao Chen, who was mopping the floor, pointed to the corner.
Aunt May looked in the direction the waiter pointed and saw Kenji sitting in the corner, grinning at her.
"Kenji??!!" Aunt May froze, then her eyes reddened.
"Aunt May, I'm back."
Kenji stood up and walked over.
"Why are you back so soon? And look at you, coming back is enough, why bring so many things? When did you get back..." Aunt May rambled, firing off a string of questions.
Kenji laughed, not knowing which question to answer first.
"Just yesterday. I came to see you and Uncle Leo today. Can't come empty-handed, right?"
"What's there to be polite about with your Aunt May..."
Kenji had brought mostly health supplements, like dairy products made from Miltank milk, Lucky Eggs from Blissey, and other tonics.
Aunt May didn't scrutinize the gifts. She picked them up and pulled Kenji into a private room on the second floor to chat.
Aunt May was very gentle. For Kenji, an orphan in this world, she gave him a taste of maternal care.
The questions she asked were mostly mundane daily matters.
Like the weather in Metropolis, whether the food suited his taste, and so on...
Kenji answered each one patiently.
Before long, Uncle Leo returned from restocking. Hearing Kenji was there, he didn't even bother unloading the goods and joined them.
Previously, Kenji had given Uncle Leo a sum of money. Most of it went to Leo for raising his Pokémon, and the rest Aunt May used for renovations.
After chatting for a long time, Kenji took a card from his pocket and handed it to Aunt May.
"Aunt May, there's some money left on this. Take it for Leo to use or invest in the business," Kenji said, stuffing the card into Aunt May's hand.
"No! Aunt May can't take this money. You've already helped us enough, Kenji."
Leo's stubborn temper seemed to be inherited from Aunt May. She pushed Kenji's hand back with both of hers, her attitude firm.
"Aunt May, treat this money as my investment. I'm lending it to you to invest, okay? When you make big money later, just pay me back."
Aunt May was still hesitant, but Leo's trainer career was indeed expensive. Eventually, she accepted the card.
In the afternoon, Kenji left the BBQ shop.
The plan for the immediate future was simple.
Train. Prepare for the upcoming National Collegiate League... no, wait. Prepare for the National League Championship.
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you