Chapter 447: Snowfall and Northern Winds
Mr. Lu had yet to realize—
The little ones’ training (read: homewrecking) enthusiasm was about to soar once again.
Under Rotom’s guidance, the group entered a French restaurant with elegant décor and tastefully arranged greenery.
“Kalos’s Water-type Elite Four, Siebold, works as a chef on the side,” Wusong began with his signature ‘I-know-everything’ tone. “He specializes in seafood… though I wonder how strong he is in battle.”
“Looks like being an Elite Four isn’t enough to avoid opening a restaurant for income,” Lu Ye commented.
“P-probably not…”
“That’s exactly why training isn’t my main job,” Lu Ye nodded to himself.
“Sounds fair.” Wusong adjusted his glasses, actually agreeing. “After all, there’s also Kalos Champion Karine—her main job is being a movie star, which is a valid case in point.”
Lu Ye paused, glancing upward in thought.
Most Champions clashed with Legendary Pokémon, trading massive attacks—and even if not, they could still hold their own for several rounds. But Karine’s signature Gardevoir had been caught on TV by Team Rocket…
If we had to explain it somehow, maybe Gardevoir’s psychic powers sensed that Team Rocket weren’t truly evil.
Still, compared to other Champions’ battle feats… it was a bit underwhelming.
“Then again…” Lu Ye’s expression grew odd. “Being both a top actress and a Champion? That’s some terrifying talent!”
“Excuse me,” a waiter arrived with a silver tray, towel draped over his arm. As he lifted the lid with a flourish, he said, “Bon appétit.”
The fragrant aroma and rising steam immediately stirred appetites.
Wusong picked up his knife and fork with elegance—but when he looked at Ash, his expression crumbled a little. “Table manners, Ash!”
“Mm—try this, Wusong-senpai. It’s super good! (*⊙~⊙)”
“No thanks, you eat it.” Wusong sighed and held his forehead.
Lu Ye had ordered a small dessert—a cherry-topped ice cream.
It wasn’t even enough for one lick from Gengarrr’s tongue.
But it did taste excellent.
“No wonder it’s considered a local specialty,” Lu Ye murmured as he savored it.
This one’s mine. I’ll recreate it for my sweet girl later!
Outside, snowflakes drifted down gently. Inside, the windows fogged up from the warmth.
“Chachidui~”
Togepi stood on the couch and traced a big smiling face onto the fogged glass with her finger.
She scrutinized her work, nodded in satisfaction, and smiled brightly.
Lu Ye couldn’t help but smile too, his mind wandering back to that afternoon’s battle against Salamence.
Though he’d joked about it being a family hierarchy ranking—
To Mr. Lu, he loved all his little ones equally.
…Well, sons and daughters are raised differently—and the emergency food stash is too.
“Quack! (´థ౪థ)σ” The snow-white commemorative Poké Ball on his belt began to shake.
Lu Ye raised a brow.
Goodness. Maybe Sirfetch’d was the most perceptive of them all!
Could this be… the camaraderie of freeloaders?
As for that Brave Bird from the Salamence fight—Sirfetch’d’s slash, like divine judgment from the heavens—
Even that normally timid duck had abandoned fear and become a valiant ‘Brave Bird’.
Maybe this… was the so-called Galarian knight spirit.
Lu Ye smiled softly, moved by the thought.
“That little guy… really does want to get stronger, huh?”
(Sirfetch’d: That’s not true! Don’t go spreading nonsense, quack! (´థ౪థ)σ)
Soft violin music began playing inside the restaurant.
“Aaahh…” Ash was still gorging himself.
Wusong, legs crossed, opened a book and read intently.
Fair’s fair—Wusong really was a good-looking guy when quiet… if you ignored the hairline crisis.
Lu Ye picked up Togepi and lifted her so she could draw higher up on the fogged window.
Lower sections were already scribbled all over with smudges and streaks.
“Chachidui~ (❁´◡`❁)✲ﾟ”
Bzz bzz—
Lu Ye set Togepi down. She immediately pouted in disappointment.
“Your turn on babysitting duty, Sylveon,” Lu Ye said, releasing a Poké Ball.
“Bui!” Sylveon sat on the couch, tilting her little head with its white ribbon.
After glancing once at Togepi with her round blue eyes, she looked away again—
But then, with a ribbon, she gently scooped Togepi up and cradled her like a rocking cradle.
“Chachidui~ ✧｡٩(ˊᗜˋ)و✧*｡”
After playing for a bit, Togepi gradually dozed off.
“You’ve really got a knack for babysitting,” Lu Ye chuckled.
“Bui~! o(´^｀)o” Sylveon squatted down and rested her little head on Lu Ye’s knee, slowly drifting to sleep too.
Wusong and Ash looked on in envy.
Lu Ye petted Sylveon’s snow-white fur, pulled out his phone, and glanced at a message.
[Cabbage Ice Cream]: What reward do you want?
His mind went blank.
System crash—one second… two seconds… reboot. Deep breath.
[Lu Ye]: Bunny girl outfit, please. I beg you.
“?”
[Cynthia]: Any more shameless and I might not survive this.
I meant the follow-up reward for clearing out the Pokémon poachers.
Cynthia sighed helplessly:
“Since your actions helped stabilize the Sinnoh region… the League will issue a generous reward.”
Lu Ye blinked, falling into thought.
If that’s the case… asking for the Sinnoh Champion as a reward seems pretty fair, doesn’t it?
But since this was a serious topic, Lu Ye gave a serious answer:
“Cash is fine.”
“That would make the Sinnoh League seem stingy, wouldn’t it?” Cynthia chuckled.
Lu Ye’s face twitched.
Please, the stingier the better—no need for anything fancy!
“I’ll pick for you!”
Cynthia declared with determination. “I promise you’ll be satisfied!”
Lu Ye could practically hear the resolve in her voice.
A known indecisive person… offering to pick things herself?
He smiled.
He happened to look up—and saw Wusong and Ash both staring at him like gossip hounds.
Lu Ye: “What are you looking at?”
Wusong wiggled his eyebrows: “M-my eyes hurt.”
“Ash, your eyes hurt too?” Lu Ye turned.
Ash blinked, then stammered, “M-my eyes… got sand in them. Pikachu, help me out.”
“Pika—CHU!!”
ZAP!!
Ash was electrocuted into a smoking crisp, moaning as he hit the floor:
“Not… not Thunderbolt…”
Panicked glances from nearby diners swiveled their way. Someone had already called the police.
Lu Ye’s face twitched. “Quit playing dead, Ash. Officer Jenny’s on the way!”
“This… doesn’t look ‘fine’ to me,” Wusong broke into a cold sweat.
“Haha, I was just joking.”
Ash shook off the soot, grinning sheepishly as he bowed in apology to the onlookers.
The other diners stared wide-eyed—as if they’d seen a ghost.
Did you just use Thunderbolt… for health therapy!?
In the end, Wusong footed the bill and paid damages.
Ash: “I’m sorry! I’ll use tomorrow’s Gym Challenge prize money to repay you!”
Wusong sighed, shook his head, and said nothing.
The three left the restaurant. The snow was falling even heavier now.
Lu Ye: “It snows in Snowpoint even in March?”
Ash: “I think it’s drifting down from Mt. Coronet.”
Wusong adjusted his glasses with trembling fingers and looked up.
The northern wind howled.
Such huge snowflakes!
…
In the group chat—
Erika popped up for once:
[@JustOneBerryADay] Lily-senpai, is it true there's a disaster drill in Snowpoint City?
Lily blinked. Wait, Erika’s in the group now? She nodded.
[Lily]: Yes, Candice told me. It’ll last about three days. The whole city’s relocating to nearby towns.
[Brock]: That’s huge. A city-wide evacuation seems excessive.
[Lorelei]: Snowpoint’s near Mt. Coronet. Even though it's always snowy, it's an active volcano. Maybe they detected something unusual.
Erika paused.
[Erika]: So… the “drill” is just a cover?
No one replied.
Ash muttered, “But I’m challenging the Snowpoint Gym tomorrow…”
[Lily]: The Gym will still be open. Candice just might not be there.
As everyone went back to chatting among themselves—
Erika finally realized:
So… I was ignored after all, huh. Haha…
[Sapphire]: Mt. Chimney in Hoenn’s also a volcano. But it usually gives warnings before eruption. They wouldn’t need to fake a drill.
[Wusong]: I’ll ask Candice tomorrow. As the Gym Leader, she should know more.
Lu Ye closed the chat and turned to Wusong.
“Does Snowpoint have a tradition of doing disaster drills?”
Wusong shrugged. “I’m planning to go with Ash to the Gym tomorrow. Maybe I’ll get some answers.”
Lu Ye looked at the dim sky and nodded.
“I’ll go with you guys. Let’s find a place to stay first.”
Suddenly, Wusong felt a deep sense of foreboding—
And saw Lu Ye and Ash walking off shoulder to shoulder toward the Pokémon Center.
“I wonder if the Pokémon Center in Snowpoint offers free lodging,” Ash mused.
“With me around, every Center is free.” Lu Ye replied.
“Rest up—tomorrow’s Gym Challenge day!” Ash pumped his fist.
Wusong stood frozen.
“Wait for me—hey!”
Heavy snow blanketed the ground. The earth faintly echoed with a distant rumble…
Like a great machine slowly starting up—
Only… this one was starting very slowly.
…