I Really Didn’t Want to Be a Trainer

Night had fallen, and Celestic Town was cloaked in silence.

Team Rocket’s trio arrived with excitement, having been invited to dinner.

Passing through the backyard of the museum, they reached Cynthia’s house.

Warm orange light spilled from the windows. In the courtyard, now a messy training ground, Blastoise was still doing push-ups.

Blastoise cautiously lifted its gaze, then used Aura to verify identities.

Once it confirmed they were allies, it nodded. “Blastoise!”

“What’s it saying?” Jessie asked curiously.

“It said we’re not Ditto in disguise, so we can go in, nya!” Meowth translated.

James looked at Blastoise as its cannons slowly retracted. He wiped sweat from his brow.

The boss’s Blastoise... way too cautious! Inside, Professor Lu had just wrapped up a day of training.

In the kitchen, Gengar pulled out his portable Rotom Oven Form.

Professor Lu baked a batch of steaming hot bread—also known as Poffins.

Functionally similar to Pokéblocks in Johto and Curry in Galar, they were a core skill for any Breeder.

More importantly, Lu Ye had fully embraced his role as the household chef.

Right on schedule, he took over kitchen duty and began prepping dinner.

Splash, splash—

Cynthia’s golden hair cascaded over her shoulders as she leaned forward to wash some bright red, juicy tomatoes.

Lu Ye glanced at her focused expression—her side profile was fair and delicate, water flowing over her slender fingers.

"Those are spicy," Lu Ye warned.

Cynthia blinked. "I saw them in the fridge and figured they’d taste good, so I grabbed them."

Remembering Cynthia’s questionable cooking skills, Lu Ye relaxed and explained:

"They’re called Tamato Berries. They’re used to raise friendship."

Cynthia inspected the berry closely, raised her eyebrows in resignation, and set it aside on a plate.

Berries in the Pokémon world really were mysterious.

Dragon fruit were spicy. Tomatoes? Also spicy...

Lu Ye picked up the washed Tamato Berry, pondering for a moment.

Actually, spicy tomatoes didn’t sound too bad…

"Vee~" Sylveon wrapped its ribbons around Lu Ye’s arm, blinking its bright blue eyes and curiously watching him cook.

Its long, rabbit-like pink ears twitched adorably.

Knock—!

"Sorry to intrude!"

The trio bowed deeply and grinned awkwardly.

"If you don’t mind... can we mooch a meal off you?"

"Wobbuffet!" (That’s right~!)

In the kitchen—

Lu Ye realized tonight was going to be a lively dinner. There might not be enough rice.

With Rotom around… maybe it could cook faster?

Professor Lu pondered aloud:

"Rotom... could you switch into rice cooker mode?"

The legendary multi-appliance Rotom visibly slumped.

"Incomprehensible, Rotom! o(TヘTo)"

…

After what felt like a family-style dinner party—

Mustardseed was once again blown away by Professor Lu’s cooking.

Team Rocket pressed their palms together in thanks. "Thank you for the meal! (Ｔ▽Ｔ)"

The little ones were happily munching on freshly made Pokéblocks.

"Gengaa~(￣～￣)" Gengar tossed several gem-like cubes into the air, catching them with its long tongue.

"Raaawr! w(ﾟДﾟ)w" Garchomp had just speared one on its sickle-claw to chew on—only to stare in stunned silence.

Meowth glanced between Lu Ye and Cynthia, rubbing his paws together.

"Then we’ll be on our way, nya!"

"Huh? Not staying a bit longer?" Jessie was mid-bite and blinked in confusion.

James and Meowth turned pale.

Don’t get distracted by food and forget the atmosphere, for crying out loud!

"Thanks for the meal, Professor Lu!"

Meowth and James grabbed Jessie and half a piece of bread, then dashed out the door.

"See you tomorrow!"

The house quieted once again.

Mustardseed sat in her chair, both hands on her cane, murmuring to herself, "They’re quite reliable... very good with their hands."

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.

Quite good? More like…

Give those three blueprints and they’d probably build a Zygarde Gundam!

Cynthia smiled slightly and asked:

"Grandma, any results from the analysis?"

"I checked with the Verdanturf Space Center. The composition matches meteorite samples quite closely."

Mustardseed spoke slowly: "According to records, the item known as the Spear Key is the key to Mount Coronet."

"Mount Coronet is shrouded in mist, but the Spear Key can guide those who are pure of heart, strong in will, and full of wisdom to the right path."

"It’s also the key that balances the powers of Time and Space."

Her description matched the system’s notes on the Spear Key exactly.

But how it balanced those forces, and why they’d become unstable—remained a mystery.

Lu Ye recalled the movie The Rise of Darkrai, the massive battle between Dialga and Palkia… and frowned.

"Is there anything I can do?" Cynthia asked.

Mustardseed shook her head, then reached out to gently stroke her granddaughter’s golden hair.

"Time, space… these are ancient and eternal forces."

"As your grandmother, my advice is simple—"

She smiled warmly, her voice weathered by age.

"Remember the now. That’s enough."

Lu Ye’s heart stirred.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga, there was a plot involving alternate timelines.

Celebi changed the past, bringing back characters like Steven Stone who had died.

It was one of the saddest arcs—

Yet thanks to Pokémon, regrets were given a second chance.

That, perhaps, was the true charm of the Pokémon world.

Professor Lu’s eyes flickered.

That meant… there were worlds where Adorably Cute didn’t exist. Worlds with no Pokémon at all.

(Like in the movie I Choose You, where Ash dreams of a world without Pokémon and finally remembers Pikachu.)

But here and now, I meet new lives and form new bonds…

Remember the now. That’s enough.

Almost instinctively, Lu Ye turned to glance at Cynthia’s deep gray eyes.

She paused for a beat.

Then Cynthia smiled softly and nodded.

"Hmph!"

Mustardseed raised an eyebrow and huffed.

"Pay attention when I’m talking!"

And so began another one of Dr. Mustardseed’s long-winded lectures.

Lu Ye sighed and smiled, fingers brushing the Pokéballs at his belt—feeling a calm settle over him.

Cynthia rested her cheek on one hand, listening intently.

All Lu Ye remembered… was that under the table,

Cynthia reached out with her cool, soft fingers and gently held his hand…

…

Over the next two days—

The little ones continued their solid and intense training under Cynthia’s guidance and with the help of legendary-tier resources.

Gengar’s progress was the most noticeable. It grew more and more skilled at using Gravity.

In the courtyard training ground—

"Blastoise!" Blastoise let Gengar apply Gravity directly onto its shell, visibly trembling under the weight.

Then it took a deep breath and started weight training...

Professor Lu’s eye twitched, feeling a bit conflicted.

Looks like…

That next reunion with the Renovation Squad Leader isn’t far off!

Team Rocket continued working as security staff at the Celestic Town Museum.

The place’s security system looked completely overhauled—like they’d hired pros.

When it came to odd jobs, maybe only Brock could compete with those three.

Besides coaching Gengar and training Garchomp personally—

Cynthia spent most of her time in the research institute.

Their joint paper for the Research Summit made significant progress over these three days.

Dr. Mustardseed grew more fond of Lu Ye.

One time, while Cynthia was busy—

She took out a cherished photo frame and handed it to Lu Ye with a smile.

"Come, let me show you what little Cynthia looked like when she was a kid..."

"Let me see."

Lu Ye leaned in with curiosity. The photo showed a lively, blonde-haired little girl—

He gasped sharply.

Too cute!!

…

In the chat group—

Gold lazily messaged: "When’s your new game dropping, Professor Lu? Feels like it’s taking forever."

"You gave up on Pokémon Legends already?" Old Man Ironspin asked.

Gold replied helplessly: "Togepi hijacked my account..."

Blue: "I heard it’s coming out in April? Can I sell my beta key for cash?"

"No one remembers games that launch on time and suck."

Steven laughed: "That’s a Professor Lu quote."

"Haven’t seen him online in days," Gold grumbled. "I would’ve challenged him by now."

Professor Lu: "?"

"Aha! You online, Professor Lu? Come battle me!"

Gold cracked his knuckles. "I’m feeling lucky!"

"I’ve been out of town," Lu Ye said. "Back home tomorrow. We’ll do a teaching match then."

"This got anything to do with that Poaching Syndicate in Sinnoh?" Lance asked, recalling the message Lu Ye had sent him.

"More or less."

Lu Ye was planning to contact the Sinnoh Rocket Squad to wipe out Hunter J’s base.

The rescued Pokémon? He’d let them decide whether to be released or rehomed.

He’d gain reputation points and impress his boss’s son—

Giovanni would be thrilled!

"Professor Lu!"

Ruby’s eyes sparkled. "Can we invite you to the Mikuri Cup this year?"

Lu Ye blinked. "You and your master are already headliners. Why would you need me?"

Ruby was a top-tier Coordinator with massive popularity in Johto.

And Wallace was a literal coordinating legend.

Having me, a measly Lv3, show up… is a bit too generous!

"I was planning to go—"

Ruby scratched his cheek. "But I’ll be traveling soon..."

"Yup! With me!" came Safiya’s excited voice from Ruby’s mic.

"We’re heading to Alola for a week!"

"Hey! Gimme back my phone—!"

Lorelei accidentally tapped the voice message, adjusted her glasses with trembling hands, and slowly typed:

Lorelei: ?

Can we kick these two out already?

They’re so sweet it hurts! (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)

Breathe… stay calm… those two really are adorable—

Lorelei took a deep breath and pulled out her notebook in a rage.

D*mn it, Gold!

I, the Ice-type Elite Four, will remember this grudge!

…

Ruby: "@Professor Lu, if you’re just a judge, you won’t have to battle."

"Master Mikuri will pay you… and the prize pool’s no smaller than the League’s thanks to our sponsors!"

"Hmm?" Lu Ye raised an eyebrow.

The prize money didn’t matter.

But watching others perform while getting paid—

Wasn’t that the legendary paid chilling gig?!

Lu Ye still had one Skill Upgrade Ticket.

If needed, he could bump his Glamorous Command to Lv4.

That would bring him up to Coordinator Master level, making him a credible judge.

But that could wait.

First, he was heading home to Masago Town for a good long nap…

March 4th, Thursday.

Cynthia was preparing to return to the Sinnoh League.

Before she left, Dr. Mustardseed came to see her off, leaning on her cane.

"I have a small request," she said hesitantly.

"Please go ahead," Lu Ye replied.

"I’d like to study the Spear Key a bit longer," Mustardseed said. "It won’t take too long. If you ever need it, I’ll have those three send it to you, but for now..."

"No problem," Lu Ye smiled. "If your research gets results, even better."

He didn’t urgently need the Spear Key anyway.

Honestly… he wasn’t even sure what to do with it.

Should he charge it with Aura every day like the Rainbow Wing?

Mustardseed was the top expert in this field. If she could uncover new insights, that could only help.

"Thank you…"

Mustardseed visibly relaxed and smiled, her tone meaningful:

"You’d better keep working hard too!"

"Hm?" Lu Ye blinked.

Cynthia stood nearby in black, arms crossed. Hearing that, she looked away, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

…

The wind blew gently through the tall grass; the ancient little town quietly swayed with it.

Mustardseed saw them to the edge of town, then suddenly added:

"By the way, those three will stay in Celestic a while longer."

Lu Ye nodded.

If those three saw him off now, they’d probably cry and cling again.

Letting them stay, build up some starting funds—it beat chasing Pikachu, anyway.

"Gengaa~! (￣▽￣)／"

Gengar floated beside Lu Ye, grinning and waving at Mustardseed.

The elderly woman watched her granddaughter and Lu Ye with a smile.

"I have a few final words for Cynthia."

Cynthia stepped forward and crouched beside her grandmother, her black coat trailing on the ground.

Mustardseed leaned in and whispered, "I’m quite satisfied."

Cynthia froze. Her black hair ornaments swayed gently. After a moment, she smiled softly:

"Your granddaughter… never makes the wrong choice."

Mustardseed pouted, huffed, then hobbled over to Lu Ye.

She didn’t speak—just looked up at him silently, studying him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"If there’s something I can’t do alone," Lu Ye said solemnly, "I can do it with my Pokémon."

"And if I have your granddaughter with me too—"

He leaned in, lowering his voice.

"Then it’s even easier."

Mustardseed gave him a look of disdain, muttered to herself, then turned with a loud voice:

"Let’s go! With that bell finally quiet, we can have some peace again!"

Cynthia brushed her windswept hair behind her ear and smiled helplessly.

Jingle—

The large silver bell in Mustardseed’s white hair gave a crisp, clear chime.

…

With matters in Celestic settled—

The Spear Key, excavated from the Ruins, would stay with Mustardseed for now.

Squinting thoughtfully,

She now had the Lustrous Orb, Adamant Orb, and Spear Key in hand.

Perhaps she could finally uncover the cause behind the recent space anomalies near Twinleaf Town…

As for Professor Lu—

Thanks to one-on-one coaching from the Sinnoh Champion, and buff boosts from two legendary orbs—

His team had made remarkable progress.

Feeling a strange mix of emotions, Lu Ye glanced at Cynthia.

"No need to thank me."

Cynthia rested her hand on the steering wheel and smiled. "It’s all thanks to your training plan—and Gengar’s tireless effort~"

"Gengaa! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧"

Lu Ye stared blankly for a long moment.

Wait, I had a training plan?!

…Oh.

Letting the Pokémon train themselves was his training plan.

Lu Ye facepalmed, emotionally overwhelmed.

Spending his days teasing Sylveon, walking Arcanine, playing cards with Togepi, and cooking meals on schedule…

And somehow, this trained a champion-tier team!?

Lu Ye couldn’t even laugh.

Tears were spinning in his gut.

He patted his own shoulder with bittersweet pride:

"Nice job, Professor Lu… nice f***ing job."

…