Cedon University Cafeteria

  After bidding farewell to President Furuya, August and Blue headed to the cafeteria for dinner.

  As he finished the st bite of his dessert, August casually compared the quality of the League Headquarters’ cafeteria to that of Cedon University.

  His conclusion? Both had their merits.

  The League’s cafeteria had the advantage of a massive budget.

  With top-tier ingredients—some of which were rare delicacies—and highly paid professional chefs, the meals were of such high quality that they could rival or even surpass most high-end restaurants.

  Cedon University, on the other hand, couldn’t match that level of luxury.

  However, because it had students from all over the world, its cafeteria offered an extensive variety of dishes from nearly every region.

  You could find just about any regional specialty here.

  For example, the creamy pudding August had just eaten—topped with aromatic Alcremie whipped cream—was a rare treat that was nearly impossible to find in Kanto.

  “Guess I won’t be getting tired of Cedon University’s food anytime soon,” August remarked.

  “Bagon!”

  Bagon, clutching its pte, nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

  August gnced at the towering stack of empty ptes in front of Bagon, his eye twitching.

  “…You need to eat less.”

  Even with a staff discount on meals, his wallet couldn’t handle Bagon’s appetite.

  Bagon, however, completely ignored him and kept devouring its food.

  By comparison, Dratini was far less troublesome.

  The little dragon sat neatly curled up, delicately nibbling on a berry sad in an elegant manner—clearly taking after Gardevoir.

  It was already starting to resemble a Dragonair in temperament.

  August then turned his attention to the other side of the table.

  Blue was currently locked in an intense internal struggle as she stared at the st remaining dessert in front of her.

  Should she eat it?

  She had already eaten way too much over the past two days.

  If she ate any more, she’d definitely gain weight.

  But if she didn’t eat it…

  She remembered how highly August had praised this dessert earlier. She really didn’t want to miss out.

  Just as Blue made up her mind to temporarily abandon her weight-control concerns—

  A pink figure suddenly hopped onto the table, grabbed the pte, and shoved the pudding into its mouth.

  “Jiggly~!”

  Jigglypuff looked completely satisfied.

  “Jiggly!”

  Blue’s voice trembled as she stared at the whipped cream on Jigglypuff’s lips, her heart utterly shattered.

  “Jiggly?” Jigglypuff blinked innocently.

  Blue had hesitated for so long that Jigglypuff assumed she didn’t want the pudding anymore.

  Blue wanted to cry.

  She had waited too long and ended up sending the wrong message.

  But since the pudding was already in Jigglypuff’s stomach, all she could do was convince herself that Jiggly had helped her with her diet.

  “Want me to get you another one?” August asked, having witnessed the entire scene.

  After all, if Bagon had already eaten this much, one more dessert wouldn’t make much of a difference.

  “…No need.”

  Now that she was thinking rationally again, Blue decided that keeping her weight in check was the better choice.

  At that moment, Bagon stuffed the st bit of food into its mouth, then leaned back in its chair, belly up, completely satisfied.

  And then—

  Right before August’s eyes—

  Bagon suddenly began to glow.

  “…Is it evolving?” Blue asked in surprise.

  Within the radiant glow, Bagon’s body underwent a massive transformation.

  Its once-small frame rapidly expanded, and when the light finally faded, a much rger Pokémon—now standing at nearly five feet tall, encased in a tough, white exoskeleton—stood before them.

  Blue examined the newly evolved Shelgon, recalling the knowledge she had learned in the Masked Corps.

  She knew about battle-triggered evolutions, evolution stone evolutions, trade evolutions, and even evolutions influenced by special artifacts.

  But an evolution triggered by eating too much?

  That was a first.

  August was speechless.

  Sure, Shelgon’s growth had already reached the point where evolution was imminent.

  But evolving because it was full?

  Should he be impressed… or should he just accept that he had a Pokémon even Lance would be frustrated with?

  “Kegon!”

  Shelgon let out a deep, muffled cry as it curiously examined its new body.

  Its energy levels surged with excitement.

  And then—

  It realized something horrifying.

  It no longer had a mouth.

  A Moment of Realization

  She was completely covered in an armored shell.

  Only her stubby limbs and eyes were exposed.

  Which meant…

  She couldn’t eat anymore.

  Shelgon froze.

  No mouth meant no food.

  And for a food-obsessed Pokémon, this was nothing short of the cruelest fate imaginable.

  What was supposed to be a regur meal had turned into…

  Her st meal.

  Staring at the ptes in front of her, Shelgon’s wide eyes slowly lost their sparkle.

  She sank into the deepest depression of her life.

  With his Viridian Force, August keenly sensed Shelgon’s emotional state.

  He sighed and gave her a reassuring pat on the shell.

  “Don’t get too down about it. It’s not forever.”

  “When you evolve into Samence, you’ll have a mouth again.”

  “In fact—” August grinned and waved his hand dramatically.

  “When you become a Samence, you can eat as much as you want!”

  A feast awaited her at the finish line.

  Shelgon had never been exposed to the art of motivational speeches.

  The moment she heard August’s words, the dim light in her eyes rekindled.

  That tiny spark of hope quickly grew, igniting into a bzing fire of determination.

  She had found her new purpose in life.

  Her eyes turned sharp with resolve.

  “Kegon!”

  Shelgon let out a deep, resolute cry.

  She would evolve into Samence—no matter what it took!

  August: “…”

  Other Shelgon dreamed of soaring through the skies.

  His Shelgon just wanted to eat again.

  Not sure if that’s good or bad…

  But as long as she had a goal and wasn’t wallowing in despair, it was fine.

  Giving Shelgon another pat, August turned to Blue.

  “By the way—since you’re officially part of the team now, it’s only right that we follow our division’s tradition and test your skills.”

  “We just ate, so how about a battle as a little post-dinner workout?”

  Blue, knowing nothing about the International Police’s customs, assumed this was a real tradition.

  “Sure!” she agreed. Then she added, “But you can’t use Gardevoir.”

  She had already experienced Gardevoir’s strength firsthand.

  If August used her, Blue wouldn’t stand a chance.

  “Of course. This is just a skill assessment—you think I’d pick on someone weaker than me?”

  “…Isn’t that exactly what you do?”

  The rookie trainers outside Cedon were still crying.

  Cough.

  August cleared his throat, quickly changing the subject.

  Recalling Shelgon and Dratini, he stood up.

  “Let’s go. I hear Cedon University has a fantastic battle arena.”