The night deepened, the warm indoor air filled with a sense of leisure.
Teacher Lu was playing cards with Cynthia.
Togepi curiously watched from the side, while Gengar huddled behind Lu Ye, pointing and giving hints.
"Gengarr!" (Play this one!)
Lu Ye's expression was complicated as he glanced at Cynthia's deck.
It hadn't even been half a month since this expansion pack was released, and she had already collected every UR card…
Is this the power of money?!
Maybe he should print himself a full set too!
---
"Have you decided which card to play?"
Sleepiness creeping in, Lu Ye yawned.
"Let me think a bit more…"
Cynthia rested her chin on her hand, scrutinizing her hand of cards.
Lu Ye looked up at the ceiling.
"…You've been thinking for ten minutes already."
At this rate, was she planning to fall asleep here again?
"I've decided!"
Cynthia's gaze sharpened as she dramatically played her card.
"I activate Moon Stone, evolving my Nidorino into Nidoking!"
Lu Ye blinked.
"…But my Pidgeotto is a Flying-type, so it's immune to Ground-type moves—"
Cynthia smiled and wagged her finger.
"Even though it's a Ground-type move, Earth Power's seismic waves can reach airborne opponents."
"So, Pidgeotto's HP drops to zero, and I win."
As she spoke, she swiftly took one of Lu Ye's Prize Cards.
Wait, what?!
Lu Ye stared blankly for a moment before hesitantly asking,
"…But what if my Pidgeotto flew even higher to dodge Earth Power?"
Cynthia pondered for a moment—then casually returned the Prize Card.
"…That works too."
Lu Ye looked up at the ceiling again.
Are we just making up rules at this point?!
---
Cynthia, being a notorious indecisive strategist, took an entire hour to finish the game.
In the end, Lu Ye won—thanks to his superior verbal gymnastics.
"Why do you have Johto-region Pokémon in your deck?" Cynthia asked curiously.
"Because this is an unreleased expansion pack."
Lu Ye grinned. "Still in the testing phase."
"…Isn't that cheating?"
"What about the Sinnoh expansion pack?"
Cynthia tapped her chin. "And Garchomp…"
"Don't worry. You'll get a special edition version."
Lu Ye gave a thumbs-up.
"As long as you help promote the Pokémon card game, it won't count as favoritism!"
"No problem."
Cynthia smiled lightly.
---
Although things were relatively peaceful everywhere, as a Champion, slacking off every day wasn't an option.
As a blonde rich lady with a mild internet addiction, Cynthia was still much better than a certain rock fanatic.
Of course, saying that Champions were slacking off was just a joke in times of peace.
The moment a crisis arose, the ones rushing to the frontlines would undoubtedly be the Champions.
For instance, when the deity of spears appeared, Cynthia faced two divine beings with her mortal body.
Or when Steven single-handedly commanded the Regi trio to stop Groudon in the Mt. Chimney range.
Watching Cynthia's graceful figure disappear into the night, riding her Garchomp, Lu Ye rubbed his chin.
Still gotta keep grinding…
Maybe a small goal first—like being able to afford the Sinnoh Champion?
"Alright, time for bed!"
Tomorrow, he had to report to Celadon University.
As Lu Ye withdrew his gaze and stepped inside, his attention was drawn to an envelope on the sofa.
Behind it was a small USB drive.
Cynthia must've written it in her spare time—just a single line of text: [A suitable TM for Sylveon—Hyper Voice.]
Lu Ye: ???
Taking a hit even this late at night, was that really necessary?!
He turned his head and saw Sylveon lying on the sofa, blinking its bright blue eyes.
And next to it, Growlithe, who had already learned Roar, looking utterly confused.
Lu Ye held his forehead and sighed.
"…I get the feeling I'll never have a peaceful night's sleep again."
---
November 11th, Sunday.
The shopping craze of Singles' Day had even influenced the chat group.
[Gold: That's what I'm saying, all of this is just a marketing gimmick.] Gold, for once, was being serious.
[Gold: Johto doesn't have this kind of custom!]
Rarely seen in the chat, Jasmine sent a quiet voice message: "W-Well, um… with Donghuang's online shopping, chips are half-price now…"
Taking advantage of the shopping festival, Jasmine bought loads of snack bundles.
If she stacked them up at home, they'd probably reach her own petite height.
It was a little embarrassing, but Jasmine still kept her Kindergarten Big Eater award…
[Gold: Hmm… half-price chips!] Gold wavered.
[Green: If I order now and sell them after the event, could I make a profit] Green's eyes sparkled.
Blue twitched at the corner of his mouth.
[Blue: Do you think people are idiots?]
[Silver: …I'll buy them from you.]
[Gold: [furiously rubs the upstairs dog's head] You're acting weird!]
[Red: @Gold I'm free today. Want to spar on Mt. Silver?]
[Gold: No problem! Just don't blame me for not holding back if you lose.] Gold smirked.
[Red: Of course.] Red chuckled.
Lu Ye blinked.
Spending Singles' Day sparring on Mt. Silver…
Wasn't that just man on top of man?
Come to think of it, most people in the group were already coupled up.
So… who else was still single?
Lu Ye rubbed his chin.
Oh. Turns out it was me.
Koga adjusted his glasses.
[Koga: This kind of holiday isn't worth celebrating.]
Gold cautiously asked
[Gold: Because no one's chasing after you?]
Koga froze for a second, then a slow smile spread across his face.
Did you think just because you used honorifics, I wouldn't come to Johto and SOLO you?!
'The Hatcher'… I remember you now!
As the chaos continued, Erika was one of the few calm ones.
[Erika: @Teacher Lu, I'm at the Pokémon Center in Celadon City, not far from the high-speed rail station. You should be able to see it.]
[Lu Ye: On my way!]
[Yellow: Lu Ye's really going to work at Celadon University, that's amazing!]
[Gold: Oh ho! Doesn't that put him on equal footing with Old Man Oak?]
Professor Oak was currently a professor at Celadon University and an honorary dean.
Gold rubbed his chin and nodded slowly.
Hmm… Old Man Oak sure has a good eye for talent!
His disrespectful tone made Blue sigh.
[Blue: @Red, Make sure to teach him a lesson this afternoon.]
[Red: No problem] Red grinned.
Lu Ye silently gave Gold a flag in his mind.
Gold, you're in danger!
---
Closing the chat, Lu Ye headed toward the Pokémon Center.
As he walked, he rubbed his dark circles.
Last night, the little one had been watching Hyper Voice tutorial videos all night.
Even in his dreams, he could hear Sylveon softly calling, "Veon~ Veon~."
It was cute… but the penetration effect was just too strong.
And with Growlithe's Roar added to the mix…
Lu Ye's house might never know the joy of sleeping in again!
Remembering his dream this morning—himself lying in a pile of Eevees, all whispering Vee~ Vee~ in his ears—
Lu Ye felt weirdly emotional and yawned.
"Gengar, hit me with a wake-up call."
"Gengarr!"
Gengar grinned, stuck out its tongue, and slathered him with a big, wet lick.
Lu Ye fell into PARALYSIS status!
"…Nice."
Chewing on a Cherri Berry for breakfast, Lu Ye asked, "Got anything else?"
Gengar licked its lips, reached into its four-dimensional belly, and rummaged around.
"Ta-da!"
Gengar pulled out a bottle of extra strong coffee!
"Ohhh! You're the best, Gengar!"
This ability… was on par with a certain blue robotic cat!
Outside the Pokémon Center, a girl in a green kimono—Erika—had been waiting.
"I'm late."
"I just arrived as well."
Erika smiled softly. "Then, let me lead the way."