Let's Do It!

I turned and ground the other pot and then drenched the pasta in the thick, creamy, and heavy sauce. Then I sprinkled some chopped parsley on top and then mixed it in. The smell wafted up, and even my own mouth started to water.

"Try it!" I said, and the whole class took their forks to the plate, but Saguaro was the first to take a bite.

As he did, the class went quiet again as everyone waited to see what his response was going to be. Then tears started to roll down Mr. Saguaro's face as he clenched the fork in his fist so tightly that it bent.

"I have had a lot of great food, but this! This is something more than just food. THIS IS A TREASURE!" Saguaro declared as he wiped the tears away and clapped his hands together. "Landon, you have done it! You are to be praised for your cooking skill! I know it is a bit out of the ordinary but! I must award you the highest score on this test!"

The class cheered, and Saguaro continued talking about how he never knew someone who could make such a masterpiece. Tallia came up to me as everyone else ate and grabbed my hand as she leaned in close to take the bite from my fork.

"That was amazing! You have just proven to the class that you are a master chef, and I couldn't be more proud of you!" She exclaimed, and I blushed before looking back with a soft smile.

"Thanks, it means a lot," I said as everyone else went up for seconds.

"No problem," Tallia said with a smile as she grabbed my hand, and we went for the exit.

"Where are you two going? There is still more to eat!" Saguaro called after us, but I just waved at him from over my shoulder as we both laughed. He didn't seem to care that much as we left, but I looked over at Tallia now that we were out of the room.

"What now? If Nemona isn't coming, is there something that you want to do?" I asked curiously, and Tallia grinned.

"I thought that we would go and try to catch you a Pokémon. I am actually curious to know how it works, and I would like to see your abilities in action if that is okay?" Tallia asked, and I felt my heart skip a beat as excitement flooded me.

This was what I had been waiting for, and after the win with the food and most with the statue, this would be the perfect way to end the day! So far, the day was going very well, and this was just the icing on the cake!

"Yes! Let's do it!" I exclaimed, and Tallia smiled, but then it fell. It looked like there was something else, and I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew what it was.

"The only thing is that we have to take a cab, or it will be nightfall by the time we get there," Tallia said slowly, and I groaned, but from what I had seen out the window, the sky had cleared up.

"I am going to have to get used to this crazy taxi, and my urge to catch Pokémon is much greater than my fear of dying!" I laughed, and Tallia smiled back as she pulled out her Rotom Phone to call the cab to the front entrance of the school where she had dropped me off this morning.

It didn't take long for the cab to come, and then we got into it, and both of us buckled up. Tallia sat close to me again, but there was almost no wind now, and the skies were perfectly clear.

"Can you take us to my house?" Tallia asked, and Larry nodded.

"Over off of Poco Path? Sure!" He laughed, and soon we were lifting back into the air, but this time I was actually able to really enjoy the view. Everywhere we went, I could see different areas of the region and how many different Pokémon were out in the open.

Tallia watched me with a smile as I looked around and then back at her as we started to get close to her house. She pointed off into the distance towards a large lighthouse that was on a cliff.

"That is Poco Path Lighthouse and where we will be going. There are lots of good low-level Pokémon there to start with, but it is better to go up from my house where the weakest Pokémon are," Tallia explained, and I smiled.

"I want to try to catch as many as I can, but I am not really trying to fill a Pokedex right now. I am sort of worried about how many I should be catching," I said because it was something that was on my mind. While I knew that I needed a team, just how many Pokémon was I going to be turning like Cosmog?

"That is actually a good question. I think that it all depends on how you want to train them and what type of team you are looking for. You don't want to capture too many Pokémon because then they all end up not getting enough attention when it comes to training," Tallia explained as the cab dropped down to her house, then she paused before speaking again. "I was wondering about some stuff, but I will wait till we are alone to ask you about it."

That made my heart skip a beat as I looked back at her with a smile. "Okay, then let's go. We still have some time before the sun sets!" I said, and Tallia nodded before getting out of the cab and leading me up the walkway away from her house.

I was curious to know what kind of questions she would ask, but the excitement of catching new Pokémon was almost out weighing it!