The conversation at the bar came to a complete halt after the old man crossed the boundary. Well, to be completely honest, not only the conversation at the bar that halted, but some tables that had ex-earth dwellers sitting there had come to a complete stop as well.
Cale's fork froze in the air; his ever-so-stony face now flashed surprise and recognition. Kashi was… using his ability. Mana pooled in his eyes, so he was probably looking at the creature on the door in details. Meanwhile, Lee Han was just looking at it for a few seconds before he returned to his food.
The biggest reactor amongst all patrons in the restaurant was, unsurprisingly, Raon. The little dragon crossed the gap between his table and the creature in an instant before it landed in front of the creature with his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Lud…" Rimuru's whisper reached his ears as the slime looked at the pair of human and creature motionlessly. "That's what I think it is, right?"
Ludwig looked at the pair again before answering. Lab coat, grey hair, have more curiosity than fear, even when the situation calls for it. Then, a small, orange, lizard-like creature with flame burned the tip of its tail.
Yeah… that's Professor Oak and a Charmander, alright. Ludwig said to himself.
"I think… Yeah. Everything checks out." Ludwig proceeded to answer Rimuru's question.
"Holy…" Rimuru whispered. "Shit…"
The atmosphere around the bar table shifted the moment Rimuru and Ludwig finished their conversation. Claire looked at both of them with eyes that demand asnwer, while Benimaru eased a bit. Only Shuna still looking at Charmander, probably finding it cute.
Claire creased her brows before shooting them a pointed look. "So, can you start telling me what that thing is?"
Ludwig looked at Claire for a bit before chuckling. "You will get your explanation soon. But for now, I have more important things to do."
He let the void drag him to their team before reappearing behind Raon. He put his hands on the little body of the dragon in one smooth movement and lifted him to the air. "Raon. What are you doing?"
"Joy Bringer!" Raon protested. His body squirmed around with strength. "That little cretin is challenging this mighty dragon!"
Ludwig looked at Charmander standing just in front of the professor. Its posture had lowered, and it was baring its teeth. Yes, it was ready for a fight. However… The fact that Raon appeared in front of it suddenly had to be taken into account as well. The little dragon might look cute and mischievous in the restaurant. But he knew better. He was still a dragon, and no matter how small he was, he packed quite a punch. The fight with Konoha a few days ago spoke volumes just how strong his magic was.
Ludwig brought Raon closer to his chest before opening his mouth at the Charmander. "I'm sorry for this rascal's behaviour. He meant no harm at all. On the contrary, he probably just wants to be friends with you."
Probably sensing that he was talking to it, the Charmander looked straight at him. His big eyes reflected his silhouette. Then, it turned around and looked at the man behind him.
"Thank you for protecting me, Charmander." The man gave it a grandfatherly smile. I also think the little dragon wants to be friends with you."
"Who you call a little dragon, human!" Raon protested.
Ludwig wisely ignored Raon's word and shifted his gaze to the old man. "Welcome to Checkpoint, Sir. If I have to explain about this restaurant… Let's just say this place is a place that connects to multiple worlds. But one thing I was sure about is this: you are the first one from your world to walk into this place."
The old man's eyes snapped into him before it looked around the restaurant again. "Intriguing. Really, really intriguing. I never thought such a place could exist. Moreover…" His eyes back on him.
"Just now… You teleported here, aren't you?"
"I am." Ludwig answered casually like he was talking about the weather.
At his answer, he could swear he saw the old man's eyes sparkling. "Really fascinating! Can you do that ever since you were born? Or can it be learned, or can y-"
Ludwig blinked a few times before chuckling. However, to stop the man in front of him from pulling him into some long discussion, which would be far too long because he had to explain from the ground up, he raised his hand to stop him.
"For now, please take a seat and order something. There's a lot of people who can answer your question here. So don't worry." Ludwig said.
The professor looked at him. Then, his face turned into something like embarrassment before he coughed into his fist. "Ah yeah, I forgot I came here to eat."
"Let's go, then." He said as he put his palm on Charmander's head. "We're guests here. Let's go eat."
Charmander hesitated, tail flame flickering uncertainly, before giving a small nod and relaxing its stance. The bared teeth vanished. The tension in its body melted into curiosity, eyes drifting past Raon toward the kitchen, nose twitching again as the scent of food reclaimed its attention.
Raon, still tucked firmly in Ludwig's arms, squinted at it. "…Hmph. Fine. You can be here for now."
Ludwig set the dragon back down gently after hearing its words. Then, he made sure the little dragon remembered. "You should remember the restaurant rules. No duels inside."
Raon crossed his arms and let out a scoff. "I wasn't going to duel. I was going to win."
"That's worse."
Ludwig guided the pair toward the bar after chuckling at Raon's answer. The old man moved with the ease of someone used to unfamiliar places, while his gaze flicked everywhere at once.
Claire watched him sit, chin resting on one hand. "I must say, you're taking this remarkably well for a new customer."
"Oh?" He replied, smiling as he adjusted his coat. "Maybe I've built some tolerance to unimaginable things because I've spent my life studying creatures that humans still couldn't be sure about."
Charmander climbed onto the empty stool beside him with a bit of effort, tail flame carefully angled away from the wood. Claire looked at the creature for a few seconds before waving her hands, probably inscribing some rune into it to prevent the wooden chair from going up in flames.
The professor noticed. His smile widened.
"Oh… I see something there. What did you do?"
"She makes the seat immune to fire." Ludwig replied from behind the counter. "With the restaurant razed by fire now out of the window, please look at our menu."
WIth a smile still on his face, the man looked at the menu board sitting on the separator.
"…Ratatouille." He read aloud. "Fascinating name."
Charmander leaned forward, still sniffing the air before letting out a voice. "Char! Charmander!"
"Yes, yes." The professor chuckled. "You just want whatever smells delicious."
"Well…" Ludwig chuckled before opening his mouth again. "Did your… uh, partner have a specific diet?"
In truth, he knew most Pokemon ate berries. It helped them to strengthen their body because it had something that the creature really need. But that was all he knew about them, when it came to food, human foods, he didn't know much about it.
After all, his knowledge about the Pokemon franchise was surface-level at best. He played some of the games, Emerald mostly. And that's it. Reading a fanfic or two was the icing on the cake.
"Ah…" The professor let out a voice. "He can eat anything we can eat. So don't worry about the ingredients."
"Good, good." Ludwig chuckled. "Then, what do you want to eat?"
"Ratatouille and this fish soup please. 2 portions for the ratatouille. And just water." The professor answered.
"Please wait a little." Ludwig answered before walking to the kitchen.
To be honest, he never expected to get Pokemon world this early. After all, from the worlds that had connected to the restaurant until now, he had saw a pattern. No world until now had modern seasonings in them. At the same time, all of them had some kind of magic interwoven into their daily life.
He chalked it as the restaurant wanted to give him a challenge, creating something from scratch or sourcing it from available worlds that were connected to the restaurant. But from what he knew from Pokemon World, it was a world that was quite modern. They had bikes, cars, ferries, and even planes. So probably, the restaurant finally thought it was time to give this restaurant a touch of the modern world.
However…
He was not sure that Pokemon World had all the seasonings the modern world was ready to give.
In essence, the Pokemon World was a world that orbited around the Pokemon. In that world, the powerful creatures was number one, while the humans were just second or even third. And from the limited info he had from playing a few games of Pokemon, their choice of cuisine was limited regardless of the version.
Well, at least… they have cola there. Ludwig chuckled as he arrived in front of the soup pot. But since he didn't have to cook anything for the order, he put more of his consciousness into hearing what his customers at the bar were talking about.
"You said before you've spent your life studying studying creatures that humans still couldn't be sure about. Is this little one one of them?" Claire asked.
"Yes, yes. He is!" Professor Oak answered animatedly. "They are called Pokemon. A fascinating product of nature. They are a lifelong partner for most people, and a guardian for some."
Claire tilted her head, elbow resting on the bar, fingers loosely curled around her glass. Her eyes, meanwhile, they were studying Charmander for a moment longer.
"I don't have anything like him in our world. There's something similar but not entirely the same." She said at last. "Let's say I want to learn more about them. What's the important part I need to know about them?"
Professor Oak blinked, then smiled wider, clearly delighted by the question. "Ah. A good one."
He placed both hands on the bar, leaning forward just slightly. "Many experts in my world will tell you about their typing first. But not me. What matters most about Pokemon for me isn't their strength. It's the bond."
Claire raised a brow. "That sounds so vague."
Oak laughed. "It does, doesn't it? But it's the truth. Pokemon are intelligent and emotional creatures. They choose their partners as much as they are chosen. You can force one to fight, but it will never be at its best that way."
Charmander let out a small, affirming chirp, tail flame flickering brighter for half a second.
"They also grow." Oak continued, tapping the bar lightly for emphasis. "Not just stronger. They will grow smarter and become more and more themselves. And the better the relationship they have with their partner, the more extraordinary that growth becomes."
"Hm." Claire swirled the water in her glass. "So like, they are not just tools for people to grow stronger?"
"They are not, and they will not be tools for anyone." Oak said without hesitation. "People who treat them as such don't last long in our world."
From beside her, Rimuru hummed thoughtfully, eyes half-lidded. "That's… a very healthy design choice."
Instantly, Claire shot him a sideways look. Then, with a low voice, she whispered to him. "You say that like you've thought about it before."
Probably realiizing he had made a mistake, Rimuru shrugged too quickly. "Just, y'know. Hypothetically."
With a huff, Claire turned back to Oak. "Alright. Next question. Are they dangerous?"
Oak's gaze dropping to Charmander and he stayed silent for some time. When he finally spoke, his tone turned contemplative. "They can be. But so can people. Context matters, training matters, and more importantly, responsibility matters."
Rimuru nodded along, a little too enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean, if you think about it, some Ninjas can shoot lightning from their hand, why can't a mouse—"
Claire elbowed him in the ribs without looking.
"—hypothetically." Rimuru finished weakly.
Oak didn't seem to notice the exhange. Or perhaps he pretended not to. "In general, Pokemon coexist with humans. Our cities are built around that understanding. You don't eliminate danger by control. You manage it through respect."
"That's wise." Claire muttered. "Same logic this restaurant used."
"So, if someone from this side walked into your world without knowing any of this, what's the one mistake they'd make?" Claire continued.
Oak smiled, kindly but firm. "Thinking Pokemon are monsters."
Rimuru froze for half a second.
"…Yeah." He said after a beat. "I can see that happening."
To be honest, Ludwig too could see that happening. It was not only once or twice that he had thought about it. Monsters that he hunted before, like the wyverns, were in essence something like Pokemon. The only thing that made them different was their appearance. They were not kid-friendly at all. On the contrary, they were always the main characters in parent's story when their kid did bad things.
At that moment, Ludwig finished ladling up the soup. The two servings of ratatouille were also on the table now, ready to be delivered.
With a nod, Finka brought it to the table, Ludwig followed suit.
The little pokemon looked at the food with its round big eyes. Then, it took a cautious bite.
"Charmander!" It exclaimed, tail flame flaring brighter.
Oak laughed, delighted. "Well. That answers another important question."
"And that is?" Claire asked.
Oak lifted his fork. "This restaurant cooks with love."
The bar went silent before bursting into laughter, even Ludwig did the same. Only after it subsided did he open his mouth.
"Glad someone finally noticed it." Ludwig said with fake hurt and mockery in his voice.
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