Chapter 288: Aya Is On Her Way
As the city lights flickered on, the winter night fell.
Togepi and Farfetch’d were lying side by side by the floor-to-ceiling window, drawing together.
Lu Ye glanced over and smiled softly, rubbing the head of the Sylveon nestled in his arms.
“Bui~!” The little one let out a grumble of protest but didn’t struggle.
Around its neck, it wore a small pinkish-purple orb.
It was the Life Orb they’d earned during the last Inter-Academy Exchange Tournament.
By using Sylveon’s ribbon sensory ability, it could draw upon the life energy inside the orb.
Of course, that meant the orb would lose its power-boosting effect—
But hey, when it comes to training Pokémon, what matters most is swiping that card.
That afternoon, he’d taken Squirtle to “grind some dungeons” with Sylveon. Now, Squirtle was carefully tending to its shell.
“Jeni! (oﾟ▽ﾟ)o ”
Buffing my shell, so much fun!
As for Arcanine, thanks to its relentless efforts to detonate things in the sunroom every day—
Mastering Flare Blitz was just a matter of time.
Lu Ye felt a bit conflicted.
Why does it feel like… ever since this slacker joined the team…
Everyone else has been extra motivated?
Fortunately, on the Pokémon Company front—
Oleana had brought good news.
“Thanks to the Pokémon cards, the Sinnoh expansion pack is coming along smoothly,” Oleana said. “So we’ve started prep on the auto-chess project ahead of schedule.”
“It should launch before the end of the year.”
“You’ve worked hard,” Lu Ye said with gratitude. “Is there anything you need me to do?”
“To be precise… you’re the captain of the Pokémon Company, our leader and helmsman,” Oleana said, adjusting her thin-rimmed glasses. “Rather than stepping in directly, it’s more fitting for you to set the direction.”
Lu Ye blinked.
Wait, does that mean…
I can slack off with a clear conscience?
“But… the game company in Saffron City will be handling a dedicated promo event,” Oleana added. “You just need to make an appearance.”
“What about the press?”
Oleana narrowed her eyes slightly, her professionalism as a secretary shining through:
“I’ve already prepared a script for you!”
Lu Ye froze.
No wonder whenever the camera cuts to Giovanni, he’s just sitting there petting a cat.
So he doesn’t actually need to do anything himself?
“No problem,” Lu Ye coughed.
“Pass along my regards to Dayou and Mallow… and let’s not make baldness our company culture, alright?”
…
The promotional event Oleana mentioned was a small-scale press conference in Saffron City.
Only a handful of journalists and invitees would attend.
Lu Ye might have to shake a few hands and sign some autographs for the fans.
After all, Teacher Lu’s public image was that of a genius game developer.
More than his good looks, it was his overflowing talent that truly drew fans in.
“Busy schedule, huh.”
Lu Ye muttered as he kept thinking about Farfetch’d’s diet.
In Galar, leeks were extremely rare as a food source.
Farfetch’d evolved into a Fighting-type regional form due to fierce competition over food.
Sure, Berries could also serve as food—
But if the leek on its shoulder got stolen by another Farfetch’d, it might get so depressed it could die.
So in Galar, it was common to see Farfetch’d fencing each other for their leeks.
Still, since it was now living at Teacher Lu’s place—
Naturally, “Onion Pancake” didn’t need to worry about food anymore.
“The online order of leeks is still a few days out.”
Lu Ye glanced at the leek in Farfetch’d’s hand and muttered:
“Technically, if we stick it into a flowerpot, it should grow new leaves… right?”
Farfetch’d, in the middle of helping Togepi draw, suddenly felt a chill down its spine.
Something’s off!
Someone’s after my leek!
No way.
You can take my life, but not my leek!
Seeing Farfetch’d warily scanning the room, Lu Ye couldn’t help but laugh.
Yup. For Farfetch’d, the leek really is the main body.
Shaking his head and setting the thought aside, Lu Ye murmured:
“She should be here tonight.”
“Better get dinner ready!”
…
A tall blonde woman, wrapped in a black fur-trimmed coat, walked toward the house glowing with orange light.
For some reason, Cynthia curled her lips into a faint smile.
As she reached the entryway, Gengar floated out from inside the door.
“Gengaa~!”
“You’re sharp,” Cynthia said with a smile, patting Gengar’s head.
“Gengaa! (๑´ㅂ`๑)” Gengar chuckled.
After all, I can tell who’s coming just by the sound of their heels now!
Oh yeah… Miss Erika wears clogs.
Sabrina wears boots.
And…
As Cynthia opened the door, a wave of warmth greeted her—along with—
A faint scent of leek?
Cynthia looked surprised.
Is tonight’s meal… leek-themed?
But the mystery was quickly solved.
“Kwaa? ((;꒪ꈊ꒪;))”
Farfetch’d froze stiff at the sight of Garchomp by Cynthia’s side.
D*mn… even scarier than Arcanine!!
Why does this slacker Trainer have monsters like these around!?
Frozen stiff, Farfetch’d stood like it was challenging Garchomp, weapon and shield raised.
“Graaaw!” Garchomp, fierce as ever, let a glint of admiration flash through its crimson eyes.
This Farfetch’d… not bad.
Cynthia let out a soft laugh, revealing her pearly teeth. “Your new Pokémon?”
“Yup,” Lu Ye replied. “Handsome, just like me.”
To be fair, Farfetch’d did have V-shaped eyebrows and a deep, thoughtful look.
And even if it was a bit of a slacker like Teacher Lu…
It had secretly started training on its own, leaving Lu Ye a little conflicted.
“Looks pretty fierce,” Cynthia said with a smile. “If it wants to challenge Garchomp, that’s fine by me.”
“Graaaw!” Garchomp nodded as well.
Facing me without backing down—
You’ve earned my respect, Farfetch’d.
“Ahem!” Lu Ye coughed. “Not necessary. It’s still just a kid.”
Farfetch’d was crying inside.
Thank you, slacker Trainer!!
Cynthia didn’t press the matter.
For her, the most important thing was sharing dinner with Lu Ye.
Garchomp followed her in, quietly committing this Farfetch’d to memory.
There would be a battle one day.
Farfetch’d let out a long breath, gripping its leek with new resolve.
Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.
This… this is one of those “you laugh now, but thirty years from now I’ll be the boss” moments, huh?
Under the soft ceiling lights, Cynthia tucked a golden lock of hair behind her ear and picked up her chopsticks with her other hand.
Her flawless elegance, nearly perfect feminine charm, and the faint fragrance around her—somehow, even her movements were adorable.
“Thanks for the meal.” Cynthia lightly pressed her bright red lips together and exhaled softly.
Lu Ye almost instinctively blurted out “Sorry for the poor hospitality,” but instead just smiled:
“Don’t be so formal.”
While Gengar was lying on the couch, belly up, lazily sprawled out—
All the household appliances were finally doing their jobs.
Cynthia, wearing slippers, tried to grab Farfetch’d.
“Kwaa~!!”
“Don’t run!”
In the end, Cynthia flopped onto the sofa, happily plucking feathers.
“Reminds me of Golduck,” Lu Ye said offhandedly.
“What’s a Golduck?”
“Uh…” Lu Ye thought for a second.
“It’s also a cute duck Pokémon, like Farfetch’d.”
Farfetch’d folded its wings and let Cynthia pluck away, half-lidded eyes full of bliss.
So comfy quack~~~
…
Fuchsia City, Kanto.
Deep in the forested mountains, an old-style dojo stood tall.
A masked, shadowy man suddenly appeared in the treetop beside the dojo’s second floor.
Peering through the window, he spotted a purple-haired girl turning sharply.
“Who’s there!”
The man removed his mask, revealing a face 70% similar to hers.
“Impressive progress, Aya.” Koga, Kanto’s Poison-type Elite Four, nodded with satisfaction.
“No, Dad,” Aya said weakly. “It’s your Grimer. It just reeks too much…”
Koga immediately started coughing.
Glancing around her room, he noticed that despite being a ninja, Aya had a surprisingly girly setup.
On the wall, there was even a poster of someone who looked an awful lot like Teacher Lu.
“That’s Lu Ye, huh!” Koga thought.
Even I admire him for his use of the Minimize Tactic.
For a daughter who loves Poison-types, it’s only natural she’d be into someone using Substitute-Protect-Toxic.
Ignoring his daughter’s increasingly red face—
Koga spoke in a heartfelt fatherly tone:
“Aya… you’re not young anymore. Honestly, I think that Gym Leader from Ecruteak City isn’t bad…”
Aya flushed, clenching her fists in frustration.
She’d originally chosen Poison-types to search for her dad.
But ever since Koga became an Elite Four member and appeared publicly, she’d found it hard to adjust.
Maybe it was a middle-aged thing…
Turns out her cold, stoic father… was actually super chatty?
“I get it, okay!”
Aya slammed the window shut with a thud, leaving Koga perched awkwardly in the tree.
After a while, Koga sniffed the air, face conflicted.
“Does it really smell that bad?”
Inside the room—
Aya finally let out a breath.
As for her dad trying to set her up, she had actually given it some thought.
But the only ones who caught her eye were the Ecruteak Gym Leader, her kindred spirit Janine—
Both of their fathers had left their gyms for various reasons.
In order to follow in their footsteps, both had taken on the role of Gym Leader.
They really were two peas in a pod.
Other than that—
Aya also had a sort of fangirl-level admiration for Teacher Lu, the Poison-type expert.
“Lu-sensei should be in Saffron City right now for the promo event…”
Aya clutched her kunai and murmured:
“This is my chance… I’ll go ask him for some guidance!”