A Food Lover Needs No Explanation

Xu Mu went back to the hotel for his luggage, then followed Cynthia straight to the villa where she was staying.

He had to admit, the place was huge!

"Have a seat. I'll get you something to drink."

Cynthia might have been adorably absentminded, but as a noblewoman, she had impeccable manners.

As his hostess, the first thing she did after they came in was tell Xu Mu to rest before unpacking.

"Sure."

Xu Mu set down his bags, sat on the sofa, and looked around the enormous villa.

Now this was something!

Rich people really lived differently!

Though he supposed he was a wealthy heir now, too. He counted as rich.

But this kind of life was still extravagant...

The sprawling two-story villa occupied a full six hundred square meters.

The interior was decorated entirely in a European style, with polished floors and neat, refreshing furnishings.

Someone clearly cleaned it often. Even with the owner away, the villa remained spotless.

I'd better stop looking. Any more of this, and I'll want one for myself.

Xu Mu resisted the urge to keep staring. He took the drink Cynthia brought him and gulped down a mouthful.

"Xu Mu, look at this!"

Cynthia held up a poster with a huge trophy on it.

"What's that?"

Xu Mu instinctively Wen.

"It's the Little War God Cup," Cynthia explained. "Only rookies with a certain level of skill get invited."

Since Xu Mu had no desire to become a Trainer, he felt nothing for the competition.

"A certain level of skill? So you got invited?"

His question made Cynthia blush.

"I... I'm just going to join the fun."

As Cynthia spoke, she suddenly remembered that Xu Mu was also a Rookie Trainer.

"You should come with me! Didn't we say we'd travel together? I'll ask them to invite you, and then we can go to Green City together."

Xu Mu didn't mind. He might not care about the competition, but he certainly cared about Cynthia!

If she was going, he might as well go have some fun with her.

It was just a little tournament. What was the big deal? If it came down to it, he could steamroll everyone.

As long as that Damn System doesn't screw me over.

He added that thought silently, then smiled. "All right. Let's go together."

Delighted that he had agreed, Cynthia picked up her communicator and immediately pulled some strings to get him in.

When she put it down, beaming, Xu Mu grinned mischievously. "Is that how you got your invitation too? With a phone call?"

"No! I really do have the skills..."

Even Cynthia sounded a little unsure of herself.

Right now, she only had a Gible. As for her strength, it really wasn't much to speak of.

She was still young, a little princess who had only just received her Starter Pokémon. How strong could she be?

"What should we have for dinner?"

Seeing Cynthia grow flustered, Xu Mu quickly changed the subject and stopped teasing her.

"I don't know. I usually just eat whatever the housekeeper makes."

Cynthia blinked her big eyes, looking entirely innocent.

She took life as it came and went with the flow. In short, she was adorably absentminded.

"All right, I'll cook for you tonight. No need to have the housekeeper come over. How does barbecue sound?"

After some thought, Xu Mu decided to treat Cynthia to a perfect barbecue out in the courtyard.

The villa had a sizable courtyard, and it was ideal for grilling.

"Barbecue? Yes, please!"

Cynthia nodded happily, then suddenly added, "I want ice cream too!"

Xu Mu paused. Well, that settled it. This was definitely Cynthia!

A Cynthia who didn't eat ice cream wouldn't be the real Cynthia!

"Okay, okay. I'll remember."

That evening, after more than an hour of work, Xu Mu finally had the skewers ready for the grill.

"Come on, my little princess. Have some ice cream first, then we'll eat."

Xu Mu knew ice cream wasn't good for her stomach, but Cynthia loved it...

As Cynthia put it, she could skip three meals a day, but ice cream was nonnegotiable!

"Charizard, light this pile of Charcoal."

Having enlisted Charizard as a lighter, Xu Mu began grilling.

"Greninja!"

[What's this, Little Master?]

Greninja caught the delicious smell and hurried over to Wen.

Of course, on the surface he was Wen, but what he really meant was that he wanted to eat.

Charizard, Gible, and Arceus followed close behind.

Arceus in particular had only been born less than a day ago, yet the little fellow could already run around full of energy.

"It's barbecue. Wait a bit. I'll give Cynthia some first, then the rest of us can eat."

The grill wasn't very big, so Xu Mu naturally showed his favoritism and gave Cynthia the first batch.

The Pokémon were hungry, but they didn't complain.

"Dad, I want some. I'm hungry..."

A plaintive voice sounded in Xu Mu's mind, and he looked down at Arceus beside him.

The little fellow lay by his leg, staring at the meat on the grill with drool streaming from his mouth.

You're a Creator God, for crying out loud. Barbecue has you drooling this badly?

Could you at least show a little dignity for your Creator God kind?

Xu Mu gave the little fellow a speechless look, then helplessly held a freshly grilled skewer to his mouth.

"Careful, it's hot—"

Before Xu Mu could finish, the impatient Arceus swallowed the entire bamboo skewer in one gulp.

"You can't eat the stick! Just eat the meat on it!"

Xu Mu was dumbfounded. Just how desperate for food was this little fellow?

"That was good. More..."

Arceus's voice sounded in his mind again. Xu Mu helplessly picked up another skewer and offered it to him, patiently showing him how to eat it properly.

"Cynthia, dinner's ready!"

Xu Mu called Cynthia over and handed her the first batch of grilled skewers.

Cynthia took just one small bite, and her eyes instantly lit up!

"It's delicious!"

After that, Cynthia and Arceus stationed themselves on either side of Xu Mu.

Whenever another skewer was ready, the two cuties looked up at him with pitiful eyes, waiting to be fed.

As for Greninja, Charizard, and Gible...

Sorry. They weren't cute enough to earn a skewer.

Gible couldn't take it anymore. Seeing Cynthia and Arceus get delicious food just by looking cute, he came over too, his oversized head leading the way.

"Gible!"

He gave a soft cry, trying to catch Xu Mu's attention.

But perhaps his attempt at being cute was simply too ugly. Xu Mu glanced at him once and paid him no more mind.

He went right back to feeding his two little cuties.

[Ding! System upgrade complete. Host, please check it!]

The system spoke up. Maybe the damned thing had seen the food and gotten hungry too.

Xu Mu ignored it completely and kept grilling for Cynthia and Arceus with his full attention.