“Don’t be afraid, little guy,” Shane crouched down, his voice soft, holding a high-grade Grass-type Pokéblock in his palm.
“You can completely relax here.
Look, this is a welcome gift for you.”
Skiddo’s little nose twitched; the pure aroma was irresistible to him.
He looked hesitantly at Kade, then at Shane’s gentle smile and the seemingly glowing Pokéblock.
Finally overcoming his timidity, he bounced over cheerfully like a little cannonball with a “Skiddo!” He affectionately rubbed the fluff on his head against Shane’s palm, then took small bites of the Pokéblock.
“Hey, hey!”
Kade watched his new partner instantly switch sides.
He exaggeratedly clutched his chest, looking utterly heartbroken.
“Skiddo!
I’m your trainer!
It took me forever to get you to leave the forest with me!
You little guy, you defect the moment you see Shane?”
Shane watched Skiddo affectionately nuzzling his hand, then looked at Kade’s jealous expression and couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
“Maybe I just feel more like a companion to him than you do?”
“Tch, Pokémon Charmer!” Kade jokingly scolded.
He twisted open a bottle of soda and clinked it loudly against Charizard’s bottle.
“Come on, bottoms up!
Let’s celebrate our Skiddo finding a new love!”
Charizard let out a cooperative low roar, tilting his head back to chug the drink.
Shane was about to call Whimsicott over to eat, but he noticed the little guy holding his phone.
The camera was pointed right at the lively scene.
The screen’s light reflected in his round orange eyes, and his small face was filled with an excited, triumphant smile.
“Whimsicott,” Shane said, slightly surprised before realization dawned on him.
“Are you…
filming a video?”
Whimsicott nodded vigorously, his body shaking like a rattle drum.
“El!
Whimsicott, el!”
He gestured excitedly.
A cozy slice of life!
This was exactly the perfect cozy slice-of-life footage Shane needed!
Shane walked over, took the phone, and clamped it securely onto a nearby tripod.
He adjusted the angle so the camera framed the small, aromatic dining table and the companions gathered around it.
“Alright,” he gently patted Whimsicott’s head.
“Let it record on its own.
Now, it’s time to enjoy the fruits of our labor!
Let’s eat!”
“El!”
Whimsicott immediately cheered, hopping onto his designated little stool and picking up his Pokéblock bowl and spoon.
“Skiddo!”
Skiddo also temporarily set aside his beloved Pokéblock, drawn by the rich aroma wafting from the table.
Kade had already picked up a sauce-slathered rib and stuffed it into his mouth.
It was so hot he kept blowing air, but he refused to spit it out, praising indistinctly, “Mmm!
Shane…
incredible!
With these skills…
it’s a shame you didn’t open a restaurant…”
“If I opened a restaurant, there wouldn’t be any left for you!”
“Never mind, you’d better not open a restaurant then.”
“Hahahahaha!”
The two humans and three Pokémon ate and drank their fill, then immediately lay back.
Kade sprawled on the sofa, contentedly rubbing his slightly bulging stomach.
He let out a loud, drawn-out burp, sinking into the soft cushions as if all the bones had been removed from his body.
“Burp—that hits the spot!
Shane, your cooking puts the head chef at Magic City University’s cafeteria to shame!”
Shane took the phone off the tripod, which Whimsicott had left recording for over two hours.
The screen was still on, displaying an astonishing recording time.
“Good grief, it recorded for so long.
Good thing it’s a new phone with a full battery.”
Marveling at the duration, he quickly plugged the phone into a charger.
His fingertips swiped across the screen, transferring the massive video file to a nearby tablet.
“El whim?”
Whimsicott, who had been curled up by Shane’s leg with a round, full belly, curiously poked his head out.
Kade also lazily leaned over.
The tablet screen lit up, and the video began to play.
It started with shaky, bumpy footage accompanied by Whimsicott’s cheerful “El, el” sounds.
The viewing angle was very low, showing Whimsicott’s hands and berries occasionally sweeping past the lens.
A few Oran Berries and Occa Berries rolled across the floor as he walked.
Then the footage stabilized, focusing on the kitchen counter.
Shane was intently washing and sorting berries.
A gleaming silver blade precisely scraped out the fruit’s essence, his profile looking exceptionally focused under the kitchen’s overhead lights.
Next came the hum of the Pokéblock blender in operation, followed by three types of enticingly colored blocks emerging one after another.
After that, Kade burst through the door and clumsily prepped ingredients.
Shane flipped a spatula at the stove, hot oil sizzling as various dishes were born amid rising steam and an overpowering aroma.
Finally, it showed the lively scene of them gathered around the dining table.
The two-hour video completely documented the entire process, from meal prep to their joyful gathering.
“Why did you suddenly decide to film this?”
Shane paused the video.
“The shop was still pretty empty this afternoon.
I thought about doing some online promotion and tried filming myself making coffee, but the result…”
He recalled the rigid, lifeless video from earlier and shook his head helplessly.
“It was a disaster.”
“I think this video is great, really great!” Kade immediately sat up straighter.
“Look at Whimsicott’s little expressions, and Charizard knocking back soda.
People will definitely love watching this kind of stuff.”
“It’s not bad,” Shane nodded in agreement, his finger tracing the long progress bar on the tablet.
“But the problem is…
two hours?
Who has the patience to watch such a long, unedited slice of life?”
He imagined potential viewers swiping away the moment they saw the runtime.
“Just edit it!” Kade said matter-of-factly.
“Cut out the best parts and make a highlight reel that’s just a few minutes long!”
Shane looked up at him with a questioning gaze.
“Edit?
Do you know how?”
Kade choked on his words, scratched his head, and laughed sheepishly.
“Uh…
well…
I watch battle videos all the time, but editing them myself…
do you think these hands, made for holding Poké Balls, look like they can master editing software?”
He spread open his lightly calloused palms.
Shane chuckled and sighed.
“Forget it, I can’t count on you.
Looks like I’ll have to figure it out myself.”
He picked up the tablet and swiped through the video thumbnails.
Looking at the scenes full of life, he pondered where to begin.
To think he actually had to learn video editing just for the coffee shop.
*Sigh.*
*Life is hard,* Shane sighed to himself.
Kade slapped his thigh, brimming with enthusiasm.
“Once you post the video, I’ll be the first to like it!
I’ll get everyone I know to share it and guarantee your Forest Song goes viral on YouTube!”
“Alright then!
I’ll hold you to that,” Shane replied with a smile.