Walking out of the Casual Ruins and back into daylight, Lu Ye raised a hand to block the sun, inexplicably a little sentimental. Man, the sunlight's blinding!
“Gengarr~” Gengar looked unusually serious as it examined the newly acquired cube—the Spear Key. Stored snugly in its pocket, the Spear Key’s energy didn’t leak out. Lu Ye was only worried that Gengar might… accidentally swallow it whole.
Who wouldn’t drool over a legendary item that balances Dialga and Palkia? “Gengarr~（¯﹃¯）” Gengar kept peeking into its pocket, drooling a little more each time.
Meowth translated, “It wants to know if it can lick it. Just a tiny taste.” Lu Ye: “You’ll get diarrhea!!” Cynthia smiled warmly. “What does it matter? It’s not ice cream. It’s not going to melt~”
Gengar nodded solemnly, then stuck out its bright red tongue with a mischievous grin. “Gengarr! (ૢ˃ꌂ˂⁎)” (Let’s dig in!) (Spear Key: Don’t you dare!!)
Cynthia was the kind of Champion who could smile like the girl next door but also cut through an entire league when serious. After these few days together, Lu Ye had come to understand her sweet and easygoing personality more deeply.
As for himself— When playing in the Baby Cup, he usually held back. When serious… well, he kept playing in the Baby Cup.
Leaving the ruins behind, they resumed their journey toward Celestic Town as planned. Gengar was licking the Spear Key with utter joy in the back seat.
The Pokémon had been recalled to their Poké Balls, replaced in the back row by the Team Rocket trio.
Lu Ye, pulling gently on Sylveon while riding shotgun, said offhandedly, “You’re underestimating yourselves… You’re Team Rocket—multi-talented pros!”
The trio exchanged glances, suddenly fired up with glowing eyes. “Oh yeah, we’re fired up now!” “Don’t worry, we’ll work hard! No days off, ever!” “All for the budget, meow!”
Lu Ye suddenly got a little sentimental. So this is what motivational speakers do—hyping workers into overdrive. These three really were easy to con into labor...
Still, the benefits at the Pokémon Company weren’t bad. Besides everyone going bald from stress, it was practically an industry benchmark...
The sun shone brightly, fields lush with spring green. Miltanks grazed lazily across Casual Town’s pastures. Meowth leaned on the window, peeking out, then turned and asked: “Say—” He corrected himself: “Say, Lu-sensei, how long are we staying here?” Jessie and James panicked. “Meowth, no cussing!”
Lu Ye blinked, coughed lightly. “Not sure… maybe two or three days.” “My grandma… can be a bit eccentric,” Cynthia smiled awkwardly. “You’ll need to be mentally prepared.”
In her memory, Grandma was always a dominant presence. Especially in old age, she had a no strangers allowed kind of vibe. Cynthia even worried that if her grandma saw Lu Ye, she might swing her cane straight at him…
“Don’t worry. Your grandma’s my grandma,” Lu Ye declared with absolute sincerity. Cynthia blinked, eyeing him suspiciously. But when she saw the serious, non-flirty expression on his face, she raised an eyebrow in amusement.
In the back seat, the trio eavesdropped. “As expected of our boss—he even snagged Sinnoh’s Champion!” Meowth whispered. “Finally met a woman more attractive than me,” Jessie evaluated proudly. “She passes!” “They look so sweet together…” James grinned dumbly. Then he remembered his own fiancée—and his face instantly soured. He glanced hesitantly at Jessie.
“What are you staring at me for?!” Jessie snapped. “Nothing, nothing,” James replied with a sweat-drenched smile. With a temper like hers, only Meowth and I could possibly put up with it…
As dusk settled, the plains glowed golden. Their white SUV cruised through open fields. Above flew Staraptors; in the trees danced Ambipom; Shinx basked on sun-warmed rocks.
“Beep beep… New Pokémon data detected! Beep beep…” “Rotom, you’re so noisy,” Lu Ye muttered. Rotom pouted in silence for a moment—then yelled even louder: “Beep beep… Approaching destination—Celestic Town!”
Celestic Town preserved Sinnoh’s history and old-world traditions. The town was small, with very few residents. Its only real attractions were the museum and Celestic Ruins.
And yet, this tiny town produced both Sinnoh’s Champion Cynthia and Kalos’ Dragon-type Elite Four, Drasna. Though the two weren’t close, they were technically distant relatives, generations apart.
In the museum, an elderly woman with white hair and a punkish outfit—complete with sunglasses—leaned on her cane, gazing at a display in the center. A flawless, pearl-like orb glistened under the light.
The Lustrous Orb—symbol of Palkia.
“That rascal Shirona—why isn’t she back yet?” The old woman pushed up her round glasses and muttered to herself. “There are bad people out there. What if she gets tricked by some random guy…”
Today was the day Cynthia was supposed to arrive. But Professor Mustardseed kept pacing with her cane—still no sign of her granddaughter. “Oh dear! This is nerve-wracking!”
She stomped her cane on the ground and mumbled as she walked out: “Champion or not, she’s still a kid… can’t even keep her room tidy…”
Night breeze gently stirred. Cynthia stood with hands in her pockets, her black outfit blending into the darkness. “Celestic Town,” she murmured with a smile. “I’m home.”
Lu Ye stood beside her, carrying the Adamant Orb in its safe. Suddenly, he felt nervous. “Why are you shaking?” “It’s a little chilly.” “Not nervous?” Cynthia grinned. “Hah! The one who should be nervous is your grandma!”
Cynthia raised a brow as Lu Ye stepped behind her and declared, “Lead the way!”
With a wry smile, Cynthia released her Garchomp and strode elegantly into the night. Lu Ye turned back to the trio and instructed, “Find a place to set up camp. I’ll scout enemy territory and report back.”
The trio saluted like secret agents—faces more nervous than his. “R-roger that!”
Watching their boss leave, Meowth trembled. “S-s-so this is meeting the p-p-parents?!” “Boss, you got this!!” Jessie clenched her fist. James: “So jealous… When I met my fiancée’s parents, there was nothing this romantic… o(╥﹏╥)o”
Under the night sky, the museum came into view. Seeing the hunched, familiar figure pacing by the door, Cynthia smiled with the warmth of a long-lost traveler returning home.
That smile made Lu Ye freeze for a moment.
Then, the two of them walked toward the figure by the entrance. “Grandma.” Cynthia’s voice had a hint of girlish charm as she smiled softly. “I’m back~”
“Oh, good, you’re back.” Professor Mustardseed had just been worrying about her granddaughter getting stolen by some scumbag— Now, she visibly relaxed. Then she narrowed her eyes, peering behind Cynthia. “And this is…”
Lu Ye opened his mouth to speak—then suddenly paled.
The old woman raised her cane, trembling, and took a step forward— “So it’s you, huh?! The one trying to steal my cabbage!?”