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None of them knew whose idea it had been, but in the end it didn't really matter. It was equal amounts of awkward and fun...eventually. At first it was just awkward.
Restaurant Le Yeah was pretty nice about letting all four of them in, they were more laid back than Le Wow and even if they hadn't been they wouldn't dare say no to the Champion. So the group found a table for four in the back, away from any crowds that might beg for autographs or slobber all over the professor or Lysandre.
They made a funny foursome, they did. A champion and her energetic girlfriend, a hot professor and his hot mess of a boyfriend who was recovering from genocidal insanity. (But they weren't going to say anything about the last thing tonight. Tonight was going to be fun.)
"We don't battle if it's a party," the owner said, much to Serena's relief. She'd taken Shauna to Le Wow plenty of times and they always ended up battling between courses, but it was nice to see that this place let that rule go for larger groups. The waitress took their orders shortly after and left them to talk.
"So...I saw a cute little Pachirisu this morning!" Shauna piped up. "I wanted to catch it, but it was eating and I decided that'd just be mean."
"Don't they use food to capture Pokemon in some of the other regions?" Serena asked. "I heard something about places where Pokemon run free and trainers pay money to catch them. Sounds kind of silly, if you ask me."
"Ridiculous," Lysandre snorted. "Why would anyone pay money for Pokemon when they could catch them in the wild? It's things like that which contribute to our lack of resources!" Professor Sycamore patted his hand.
"That's why we don't have one in Kalos. We're trying to set a good example."
"Augustine, you know I don't like being placated."
"I'm serious," the professor said. "Safari Zones are fascinating indeed, and I do understand the appeal of paying to catch rare Pokemon. But too many trainers walk away frustrated after spending half their money at those places. Five-hundred for thirty balls, and you can't even battle the Pokemon to weaken them."
"I can't imagine doing that!" Shauna said. "I mean, I'll try it when I finally do go away on a journey, but it's still silly."
"I think Unova's the only region besides Kalos not to have one, actually," Serena said. "But they have Pokemon musicals and movies!"
"And Sinnoh and Hoenn have the contests!" Shauna said. "Wow, now I can't decide where I wanna go for a vacation. Serena, you pick the place!" Lysandre smiled a little, trying not to be amused.
"Vacation doesn't sound like a bad idea," he mused. "Augustine, perhaps you and I..."
"You don't even have to convince me." The professor smiled, squeezing his hand. "That sounds wonderful. My assistants can easily look after the lab."
After the two couples promised to make vacation plans later, it went quiet. Mainly because the appetizers and soup had arrived, but also because nobody knew what else to talk about. But the food was delicious, as always, and every now and then someone would let their smaller Pokemon out to sneak them a few tastes.
"So, Serena," Lysandre ventured, "I take it you've done more research on Mega Evolution? I hear your friends Trevor and Calem are still looking into it."
"Just Calem," Serena said. "Trevor points out which Pokemon have Mega Evolutions but he's more interested in filling the Pokedex. And Tierno's still working on his dance team."
"I see." Lysandre took a sip of his tea. "Augustine still hasn't considered taking up his own research again. He claimed not to be any good at it, but my guess is he merely lost interest...he was somewhat flighty." The professor blushed.
"Lysandre, really."
When the main dishes arrived, the conversation turned to fossils and the old mine outside of Couriway Town. Serena and Lysandre debated the morality of reviving ancient Pokemon from their fossil states while Shauna babbled about the cute little Shuckles she always ran into while rock-breaking in the mine. Sycamore just smiled and tried to keep up with everyone, offering his input now and then.
After the meal was over, Lysandre paid for everything. "After trying to destroy the whole world, it's the least I can do," he said. "Now, where shall we go next?"
"Anywhere but skating!" Sycamore laughed. "How about the museum? They've just put in some new paintings."
Thankfully, the museum gave them plenty of things to talk about, thus putting an end to any awkwardness.