The girl had two braids sticking up on her head, giving her a slightly odd appearance. She wore a blue and white dress with a red bow pinned to her chest.
With such a distinctive outfit—and an appetite that even Maki found jaw-dropping—her identity was obvious. She was Jasmine, the future Gym Leader of Olivine City in the Johto region and the only female Steel-type specialist.
As for why a future Johto Gym Leader was in Celadon City now, if Maki remembered correctly, Jasmine and Erika, the future Gym Leader of Celadon City, were close friends. In fact, Jasmine often consulted Erika about fashion advice.
"Um… if it's alright, I'll cover the bill for her first."
Maki raised a hand to signal the waiter. It was just a small favor, and making a future Gym Leader owe him one seemed like a pretty good deal.
"Huh? Well… I suppose that's fine."
The waiter hesitated for a moment, clearly not expecting to witness a scene that usually only happened in novels—a hero swooping in to save the day. But ultimately, money was money; it didn't matter whose pocket it came from.
Maki took out his wallet and paid for Jasmine's meal. But as he did, he couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
This girl could really eat!
She was about the same size as Sabrina, so how did she fit that much food into her stomach?
"Um… thank you so much! Once my friend Erika arrives, I'll pay you back right away!"
Jasmine thanked Maki a little sheepishly. Hearing her mention Erika only further confirmed her identity.
"It's no problem… but wow, you have quite the appetite."
Maki held back his words for a while before finally settling on a more tactful way to put it.
"Ah, well, um… actually, some of that was left over from the last customer, so I… I didn't eat that much… really…"
As she spoke, Jasmine's voice grew quieter and less confident.
"Oh, is that so?"
Maki didn't bother exposing her little lie. He wasn't the type to be needlessly blunt, after all.
"Oh! Is that a Cottonee? So cute!"
Jasmine's eyes lit up when she noticed the little Pokémon sitting nearby, using its leafy appendages like makeshift spoons to scoop up ice cream.
The only problem? Cottonee hadn't considered the fact that its mouth was buried under a fluff of cotton. Before the ice cream could even reach its mouth, it had already smeared all over its cottony exterior.
Now, with streaks of ice cream all over its fluff, Cottonee looked thoroughly frustrated.
"Co-ttonee!"
"You should've picked something else to eat, you know?"
Maki shot Cottonee a look. It had ordered that ice cream itself—without considering its own situation. Looks like it would have to wait until it evolved into a Whimsicott before it could enjoy an ice cream feast properly.
"So adorable!"
Jasmine's eyes sparkled. She was clearly someone who loved Pokémon, and cute Pokémon like Cottonee were especially irresistible to her.
Cute Pokémon were always popular, and Fairy-types in particular had a reputation for being visually appealing. Cottonee was no exception.
"Right? I think so too."
Maki nodded in agreement. Strength wasn't the most important thing—training could always make up for that. But looks? Those were something a Pokémon was born with.
Just imagine: waking up to find a Cottonee curled up next to you, and you'd instinctively pull it close for more sleep.
Now imagine waking up to find an Enamorus staring at you instead… Maki was pretty sure he'd pass out from shock all over again.
What? You want to cuddle a Gardevoir? …Well, that's a different discussion entirely.
In short, when it came to choosing his future Pokémon, Maki had one rule: if it wasn't ridiculously cool, at the very least, it shouldn't be terrifyingly ugly.
Dracovish, for example, could still be considered "ugly in a cute way," but Enamorus? That thing was just… Maki had no words.
He grabbed a napkin and wiped the corner of Cottonee's fluff, sighing as he said, "Why don't you try something else?"
"Co-ttonee!"
"I want this one!"
Cottonee bounced energetically on the corner of the table. It was fine because of how light it was, but if a Charmeleon tried the same thing, the entire table would probably collapse in seconds.
After some hesitation, Jasmine shyly asked Maki,
"Um… can I hold it?"
Maki nodded without much thought.
"As long as Cottonee is okay with it, I don't mind."
"Yay!"
Jasmine eagerly reached out her hands and looked at Cottonee expectantly.
Cottonee didn't seem to mind at all, immediately hopping into her arms.
Maki was about to wonder when this little fluffball had gotten so obedient, but then he noticed a mischievous glint in Cottonee's eyes.
Oh, it was definitely up to something. If he weren't watching, who knew what kind of prank it would try to pull?
"Ahem!"
Maki cleared his throat and shot Cottonee a warning look. No funny business.
"Co-ttonee…"
Cottonee's excitement immediately deflated under Maki's gaze. It pouted slightly before settling down in Jasmine's arms.
Not that Jasmine was particularly blessed in that department either—she was about on the same level as Sabrina. Neither of them could really make fun of the other.
Wait…
Had he forgotten someone?
Maki suddenly realized something and turned around, only to find Charmeleon peacefully enjoying its grilled meat in the corner, completely unbothered.
About five minutes later, Erika came rushing into the restaurant.
Compared to Jasmine, Erika's outfit was far more refined. She wore a white blouse paired with a long green skirt, and a matching green headband adorned with a decorative white flower.
She glanced around the restaurant a few times before spotting Jasmine and hurrying over.
"You really should check your things before you leave," Erika scolded, handing Jasmine her forgotten wallet.
"Oops, I forgot again," Jasmine giggled playfully, sticking out her tongue.
Compared to earlier—when she had been alone with Maki—she seemed much more cheerful now that Erika was here.
"By the way… I haven't asked yet," Erika said with a teasing glint in her eyes as she turned toward Maki.
"Jasmine, is this your boyfriend?"
-----------------------
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON