A Champion in a Twisted World

Chapter 23 - Taste Testing

"Ah! You're finally back. Took you long enough." Ace calls out to your group as you reenter the kitchen.

Trey smiles as you guys set the bags on the counter, having cleaned up the bag on the way back and gotten a new egg carton. No one- outside of you, Deuce, Grim, Moonstone, and Poni- needs to know what went down.

Trey finishes mixing up the chestnut paste as you and Ace make the dough and roll it out. Deuce sits at the counter, going through a mid-life crisis about the eggs.

You and Ace finally place the dough into the tins, and Trey pours the chestnut paste in. He sets the now-filled tins in the oven and sets timer for how long the goods need to bake.

Casual banter fills the kitchen as you wait for the tarts to bake.

"Heh, this reminds me of the time Ms. Katy taught me how to bake." You say with a smile.

"Oh, who's that?" Trey asks, looking curious.

"She's a Gym Leader back home. She runs the Bug-Type gym in Cortondo. She's a baker, too." You explain. "She taught me how to bake when she learned I didn't know how, heh."

"Oh, interesting." Trey says with a smile.

The group keeps chatting absent-mindedly, and even Chile comes out of his Pokéball to hang out with you. Eventually, the timer goes off and causes Grim to jump into your arms in a panic.

You, Trey, Chile, and Ace giggle at Grim being startled by the timer. You all- outside of Deuce- eagerly watch Trey pull the tarts out of the oven and set it on the kitchen island, next to the bag of powdered sugar Trey pulled out when the tarts were baking.

"Now, we just sprinkle on a little powdered sugar and..." Trey sprinkles a good amount of powdered sugar onto the tarts.

"Finished!" Grim and Ace chipperly call out, and you and Chile grin.

"Fin...ished..." Deuce mumbles, sitting next to you as he stares blankly ahead at nothing.

You gently pat him on the head to comfort him as Ace gives you two a confused look. "Did something happen when you were shopping."

"Deuce has a right to tell you himself when he feels better." You calmly respond as Deuce buries his head in his arms.

"For sixteen years, I was so sure." Deuce grumbles into his arms, relaxing slightly as you pat him.

"Yeah, whatever..." Ace rolls his eyes without seeming to care too much. "I'm pretty beat. Making tarts sure takes it outta you."

"Hey fam!" A familar and upbeat voice gets everyone's attention.

"Oh, hey Cater." You say with a smile at the new boy walking in.

"Heya!" Cater says with a grin at you, before making a small snicker at your guy's disheveled appearance. "You looked wrecked. Are the tarts done? Ooh! Those look soooo cute! Lemme snap a quick pic for Magicam!"

You idly watch Cater snap pictures of the tarts, keeping a close eye to make sure he doesn't try to take any pictures of you. Ace watches, unamused, with crossed arms. "What? Now you decide to show up?"

"I just came to see how hard my little newbs are working..." Cater shrugs, and you give him a strained and slightly annoyed smile at that comment.

He doesn't know- or need to know- how fucking brutal you are. And you're good at video games. You have the power many wish they had...

"It's tough work if your not used to it." Trey comments as he slices into one of the tarts. "But there's no better cure for the ails of fatigue than something sweet from the oven! Help yourself to some of this tart."