November 7th, Wednesday
Beginning of Winter
A light drizzle pattered against the window, and the temperature had suddenly dropped.
As expected, Sylveon was burrowed deep into the blankets, reluctant to leave its cozy spot.
Meanwhile, Togepi had claimed a small pillow, curled up in an egg-like shape, snoring softly.
Yawning, Lu Ye pulled on a hoodie and got out of bed to freshen up.
Gengar stood in front of the mirror, brushing its teeth alongside him.
Though he was used to this by now, Lu Ye still couldn't help but complain, "Do ghosts even need to brush their teeth?"
"Gengarr!"
Gengar gargled, then flashed a sparkling white grin—ding!
"…Forget I said anything."
His parents called.
Aside from reminding him to dress warmly, they also told him to eat dumplings today.
Due to family traditions, they always had dumplings not just on the Winter Solstice but also at the start of winter.
Lu Ye's mother, Liang Fang, dusted flour off her apron as she nagged, "Do you want me to send you some homemade dumplings?"
"No need. I'll make them with my Pokémon tonight."
"That works… Oh, by the way, that regional championship you won—was it a big deal?"
Liang Fang sounded confused. "Your dad's been bragging about it to everyone for a whole week."
Even though Trainer battles were popular, many regular people didn't fully understand their significance.
After all, owning a Pokémon and training one for high-level battles were two entirely different things.
"It was just a friendly competition, nothing to worry about." Lu Ye chuckled.
"If you say so. As long as you're doing well…"
Then, after a brief pause, his mother added shyly, "Oh, your dad's planning a trip with me soon."
"I've never really traveled before. He says it's like… a belated honeymoon or something."
Hearing that, Lu Ye felt a mix of emotions—sweet yet slightly sour. He sighed, smiling helplessly.
"Go enjoy your trip! Don't worry about me."
After some more casual family talk, Lu Ye casually mentioned his plans to study in Kanto.
His parents had no objections. His father, Lu Yong, simply said,
"You brat, just take care of yourself and don't bother your mother and me!"
Lu Ye: …
Fine. No house, no car, and now even his parents were busy.
At this rate, maybe they'd even have a second child after their honeymoon.
---
Pokémon Chat Group
Everyone was discussing the Eastern dumpling tradition.
[Blue: Do they boost Pokémon's friendship level?]
As expected of a hardcore breeder—Lu Ye couldn't help but sweatdrop.
[Lu Ye: They're just delicious, that's all!]
[Yellow: (¯﹃¯)]
[Green: I remember Brock mentioning he was making dumplings too, right?] She rubbed her chin.]
[Green: Can we go mooch off him?]
Brock, currently rolling out dumpling wrappers, wiped his forehead and replied via voice message, "I'm in the middle of making them! If you guys want to come over, feel free… Geodude, give me a hand!"
[Red: With all his siblings at home, he probably has to make at least ten servings… Maybe we shouldn't disturb him.]
Then, Lorelei sent a photo.
It was a selfie—she and Misty were at a hotpot restaurant in Cerulean City.
On this chilly start-of-winter day, steam from the hotpot had fogged up the window.
Lorelei's cheeks were flushed, like a glass of fine red wine, while Misty was making a peace sign near her eyes.
Even more surprising—Lorelei had added cute stickers to her selfie!
Gold nearly choked from holding back laughter.
He was just about to type a joke—
But thankfully, Lu Ye's 24-hour mute punishment on him was still active.
Disaster averted.
With one troublemaker temporarily silenced, the chatroom remained in peaceful harmony.
---
Lu Ye idly scrolled the chat for a while before deciding to stream a match.
Before setting up, he suddenly thought of something and shouted toward the living room,
"Gengar! Go buy some flour and veggies this afternoon—we're making dumpling wrappers tonight!"
"Gengarr!"
From the living room, Gengar—who was currently playing cards with Togepi—called back in acknowledgment.
Since it had just lost to Togepi, Gengar leaned in and doodled all over Togepi's face.
"Tchugki-briee!"
Togepi giggled, holding a marker, and drew a huge heart on Gengar's cheek.
"Gengarr!"
Gengar hoisted Togepi onto the sofa, turned on the Pokémon Battle channel, and then picked up a shopping basket, preparing to head out.
Just as it reached the door—Gengar suddenly felt someone watching him.
Togepi looked up at Gengar with an eager expression.
"Gengarr?" (What do you want?)
"Tchugki-briee!" (I'll go instead!)
Togepi hopped once, grabbed the shopping basket, and happily trotted outside.
---
Outside, the drizzle had turned into a heavier rain, making the roads slick.
Togepi had barely made it down the stairs before tripping over its own tiny feet.
From the shadows, Gengar quickly caught it, discreetly wiping away cold sweat.
"Tchugki-briee~~ (๓´╰╯`๓)"
As Togepi walked under the eaves, a group of Meowth lurking at the alleyway entrance locked their eyes on it with bad intentions.
"Meow!!"
Just as the Meowth reached out their claws—A large shadow suddenly dropped from the sky.
Growlithe's Take Down slammed into the lead Meowth, pinning it to the ground with a mighty impact!
Seeing Togepi unharmed, both Growlithe and Gengar sighed in relief and quietly resumed following behind.
At last, they reached the supermarket.
Togepi couldn't reach the flour on the high shelf.
Just then, an invisible force gently lifted the bag off the shelf and placed it into Togepi's basket.
"Tchugki-briee~~ (≧∀≦)♪"
With the shopping list complete, Togepi checked out at the register.
Under the affectionate gaze of the cashier auntie, the security guard uncle picked Togepi up and carried it outside.
Whooosh!
A torrential downpour now blocked the way home.
Togepi sat innocently on the supermarket steps, swinging its tiny feet as it placed the shopping bag beside it.
Just then, it felt a tap on its head.
"Gengarr! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧"
Gengar stood next to it, grinning widely as it held up a big umbrella and a thumbs-up.
"Awoo~"
Growlithe nudged Togepi onto its back and dashed straight into the rainstorm.
"Tchugki-briee ~~ o(*≧▽≦)ツ"
As the rain poured down, Gengar hovered beside the speeding Growlithe, holding the umbrella steady.
Togepi clutched the shopping bag and let out gleeful laughter.
At the corner of a nearby alley, a thoroughly drenched Sylveon finally relaxed after confirming that Togepi had made it back safely.
---
Back home…
"Didn't I send Gengar out?"
Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. "Why did all four of you end up going?"
The four Pokémon exchanged glances before suddenly breaking into laughter.
"Forget it…"
Lu Ye shook his head with a smile. "I've boiled some hot water—go take a warm bath first."
"Tchugki-briee~~ ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ"
Togepi handed over the shopping bag with a proud grin.
Lu Ye paused, then pieced things together and finally understood what had happened.
Ruffling Togepi's head, he smiled.
"Good job, all of you."
"Briee! (⺣◡⺣)♡"
Looking at his team, Lu Ye stroked his chin.
Speaking of which, Squirtle had been in training for a week now.
Given its talent… could it be preparing some ultimate move?!
"That… shouldn't be the case, right?"
Lu Ye poured himself a cup of hot tea, but as he took a sip—
The teacup on the table suddenly began to tremble.
He froze and looked up.
"An earthquake?"
The source of the disturbance was coming from his bedroom.
---
Inside a water tank, Squirtle was suddenly alert.
Sensing the flow of Aura, its eyes snapped open.
A brilliant gleam flashed through Squirtle's gaze.
Placing its hands together, a glowing blue energy sphere began to form between them.
The intense Aura pressure rippled outward, making the entire villa tremble.
Outside, a thunderclap roared across the sky.
BOOM!!
A dazzling lightning strike split the heavens.
Squirtle exhaled slowly, the Aura dissipating from its palms.
With a nod, it had finally mastered—
Aura Sphere: Intermediate Level!
By now, the skies had cleared.
After the rainfall, the moonlight shone brightly in the fresh night air.
Lu Ye stared at the new "Aura Sphere" listed in Squirtle's moveset with mixed emotions.
Clearly, the tremors from earlier had been caused by Squirtle's training.
"Squirtle…" Lu Ye swallowed. "Before using Aura Sphere, please think it through carefully!"
"Squirtlee! ヾ(⌐■_■)" (Understood, Boss. Your wisdom is profound.)
With a serious nod, Squirtle pushed up its sunglasses.
If this was the current strength of Aura Sphere… it clearly wasn't something to be used recklessly.
Better to keep training—so that it could shoulder its master's burdens!
With that settled, Squirtle finally completed its seclusion training.
Meanwhile, Lu Ye taught everyone how to roll dumpling wrappers—while also keeping an eye on Growlithe, who was sneakily trying to steal food.
"Veeon~~ (｀・ω・´)"
Sylveon wrapped its ribbon around a rolling pin, meticulously pressing out dumpling skins.
"Gengarr!"
Gengar used Shadow Clone, speeding up the process at an absurd pace.
Lu Ye twitched. "Are we really going to eat this many?"
Gengar gave him a side-eye.
Was someone questioning its appetite?
Lu Ye's expression turned awkward.
"…Right, you basically have a black hole for a stomach."
With all eyes gleaming with anticipation, Lu Ye finally boiled the oddly shaped dumplings.
Steam rose from the bubbling pot, and the dumplings bobbed up and down.
Lu Ye immediately recognized Sylveon's handiwork—each dumpling was carefully pleated with delicate folds.
At the table, Lu Ye poured drinks for each of his Pokémon:
Orange juice for Sylveon
MooMoo Milk for Growlithe
Distilled water for Squirtle
Canned cola for Gengar
Bottled cola for Togepi
With the dumplings now served, Lu Ye—surrounded by his Pokémon—felt a familiar warmth.
Like a father surrounded by his children.
"Veeon!" (I'm digging in!)
"Gengarr! (*⊙~⊙) (I already finished!)