Lu Ye was somewhat surprised; after all, the customer service etiquette was quite high—they hadn’t hung up proactively after such a long time.
It wasn’t until Mallow softly explained that Lu Ye suddenly smacked his forehead.
The last time when he asked Wallace for the contact of the “Fairy-type Master,” he hadn’t gotten around to calling, and now the person in question had come knocking on his door!
“Miss Mallow,” Lu Ye said seriously, “If it’s convenient, we can arrange a time and place to talk face to face.”
“No problem. I will arrive in the Sinnoh region this afternoon.”
Mallow smiled and covered her sleeves. Perhaps this was the casual side of a champion, her tone apologetic:
“I didn’t have time to prepare a meeting gift. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
No meeting gift? That was perfect!
“Don’t bother with those things,” Lu Ye said cheerfully. “Where will you be next? I’ll come to meet you.”
Mallow’s side job was a “fashion designer,” much like the glamorous master Melisa.
However, Mallow’s design style mainly focused on kimonos, while Melisa’s signature works were Western-style dance dresses.
In Miara City of Kalos, modeled after Paris, Mallow’s works had repeatedly appeared in fashion week exhibitions.
“No wonder it’s Kalos,” Lu Ye thought to himself.
“The gym leaders are all busy with side jobs, and trainers have become the secondary career…”
“No problem,” Lu Ye said. “Then let’s meet in Jubilife City. I happen to have a few questions for you.”
For example, why is my Sylveon so adorable? (crossed out)
Sylveon’s fighting style is that of a close-combat mage. Maybe there’s something off about that…
“You flatter me too much,” Mallow said softly. “Well then, I’ll trouble you when the time comes, Mr. Lu Ye.”
“What flavor of energy cubes does your Sylveon like to eat?” Lu Ye suddenly asked.
“Eh?” Mallow’s perfect etiquette slipped, and she let out a light girl’s exclamation.
“I can also make macarons, which can serve as souvenirs to take back to Kalos,” Lu Ye said without boasting. “After all, it will be hard to taste this quality again next time.”
Mallow hesitated, about to refuse, but smiled and said,
“Astringent flavor, similar to Unova style… Thank you, Teacher Lu.”
Lu Ye hung up the phone, and Mallow’s figure gradually appeared in his mind.
This Fairy-type gym leader from Kalos had flowing black hair like a geisha dancer from the Bell Tower.
Since this time he was asking Mallow for advice on the advanced training methods for Sylveon, he would prepare the meeting gift in advance.
When you eat from someone’s hand, you can’t afford to be stingy. If price was mentioned, Mallow wouldn’t be unreasonable.
Lu Ye nodded slightly, walked into the kitchen, and activated Rotom in oven mode.
While cooking lunch, he added astringent chestnut fruit into the macarons.
Waiting for the oven timer to reach zero, he took out his phone and sent a message to the group chat.
Teacher Lu: “@Wallace, Mallow is coming to Sinnoh today. Why didn’t you give me a heads-up?”
Wallace was slightly stunned and gently replied, “Maybe because Jubilife City is hosting a fashion exhibition recently, and since you were also invited, she came straight here.”
“Teacher Lu, are you attending the fashion exhibition too?” Melisa laughed. “I designed a dress style that suits you very well!”
Teacher Lu: “Oh? Send it over for a look.”
“Isn’t this a women’s style?” The girl immediately recognized it.
Ruby’s eyes lit up: “This style is so cute!”
“A bow too, it matches Sylveon perfectly!” Aunt Lorelei teased.
“Yeah, yeah, if Teacher Lu wears it, it will definitely be very popular!” A-Jin grinned mischievously.
[Group member ‘A-Jin’ was muted by group owner ‘Teacher Lu’ for 2 hours.]
Ash scratched his head and curiously asked, “Why is it always Senior A-Jin who gets muted?”
Lu Ye was stunned: “Right, you have a point.”
[Group member ‘Ash’ was muted by group owner ‘Teacher Lu’ for 2 hours.]
Lance: “So lively and chaotic, haha.”
Yellow-haired girl: (I don’t dare speak · jpg)
Nazi’s lips curled uncontrollably, but her face remained cold: …
Silver kept a poker face: …
Lila smiled and covered her mouth: “I also think it suits Teacher Lu very well~”
Brock squinted his eyes: “(ー_ー)☆ Not bad, young sir thinks it’s very good.”
Considering that authoritarian control was unwise, Teacher Lu joined the self-mockery team.
He extended A-Jin’s mute duration to 24 hours.
When Ash’s mute was lifted, it seemed a little “Emotional Intelligence +0.1” appeared above his forehead.
A world where only A-Jin got hurt was achieved.
The oven timer hit zero, and the dessert was freshly baked.
“Haunter, come and try this poison.” Following the family tradition, Lu Ye handed the macarons to Haunter.
“Gengarrr~ (￣～￣)” Haunter chewed, sucked the chocolate crumbs from its hands, and gave a thumbs-up.
“I added astringent chestnut, so it’s a chocolate nut macaron,” Lu Ye said with a smile. “I’m quite good at desserts.”
“Don’t shove them all into your mouth. Save some for others!”
Another batch of macarons was freshly baked.
Lu Ye sent off his beloved Arcanine and set off for Jubilife City.
“Awooo~ (｀0´)” Arcanine’s fiery red mane and intimidating roar startled the Delibird delivering the package stiff.
Lu Ye took the opportunity to flick the penguin on the head and flipped onto Arcanine, shouting, “Run!”
“Awooo!” Arcanine spread its limbs and sprinted like the wind toward Jubilife City.
Delibird was left disheveled in the wind, and after a while, it put down its heavy pack and covered its forehead with its white wings:
Next time, don’t deliver packages to the door. Let him go pick them up at the post office himself!
The sun set at dusk, the sunset slanting.
Jubilife City bathed in the afterglow, and employees dressed as clowns distributed flyers for the “Pokémon Watch Company” event.
Lu Ye remembered that in the Jewel Diamond game, there were similar NPCs; collecting three would earn a free “Pokémon Watch.”
But of course, in reality, there was no such treatment, and the “Pokémon Watch” was quite expensive.
Cynthia had once said she wanted to buy one for Teacher Lu.
Teacher Lu firmly refused and said next time no need to buy anything for him; living in Masago Town was good enough.
His gaze lingered on the street, then he looked toward the glass display window beside the road and walked toward the reserved location.
A Japanese restaurant decorated with a gentle breeze style, elegant and quiet in the private room.
Lu Ye met Mallow and her group, who had traveled a long way.
“Mr. Lu Ye, it’s an honor,” Mallow said, dressed in cherry-colored clothes, black stockings with lace garters on her legs, sitting properly on the tatami with impeccable etiquette.
“Just call me Lu Ye,” Teacher Lu glanced at the wooden clogs next to the tatami, raised his eyebrows slightly.
How on earth do girls walk in such high clogs without twisting their ankles?
The room was filled with a faint fragrance of incense. Outside the folding screen, the shamisen music played, and geishas softly hummed in harmony.
“Teacher Lu,” Mallow’s pupils were pitch black and bright, a faint smile on her face. “I prefer to call you that.”
Lu Ye nodded and chose to sit cross-legged. “I’m not very used to this atmosphere… I might be a bit careless with etiquette.”
“That’s fine.” Mallow smiled lightly, rolled up her long sleeves, and gently tapped the edge of the table.
The shamisen music stopped, footsteps rustled behind the screen, and the geishas gradually dispersed.
The room returned to silence.
“I’ve been wanting to ask,” Lu Ye looked at the large wings behind Mallow, “Aren’t they heavy?”
“A little.” Mallow smiled with a hint of helplessness, speaking softly, “But this is the best way to feel the Pokémon’s emotions.”
“Feel the Pokémon’s emotions?”
“People who desire to become butterflies also dream of butterflies in their sleep,” Mallow said. “Wearing fairy-shaped wings might help you sense their feelings.”
“Does it work?” Lu Ye asked.
Mallow nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face. “Yes, and I have greatly benefited from it.”
Lu Ye recalled that this fairy girl had mastered the Pokémon language.
Just like Meowth, who once longed to become human and learned to stand on two legs to speak human language.
Mallow desired to become a Pokémon, and by wearing fairy wings, she gained mastery of the Pokémon language.
Thinking of the “Zhuang Zhou’s butterfly dream” allusion Mallow mentioned earlier, Lu Ye pondered silently:
“In the Pokémon world, Zhuang Zhou’s dream should be of Butterfree... and even have his soul transferred into a Butterfree?”
Lu Ye cleared his throat and took out the gift bag he had brought, handing it to Mallow:
“You’ve traveled far; this is my gift as your host.”
Mallow took it with slight surprise. “Can I open it now?”
“Of course, you can eat it right away. They’re freshly baked.” Lu Ye said.
Mallow was slightly stunned, looking at Teacher Lu.
Compared to her, who couldn’t do things at will, Teacher Lu’s casualness made her feel a bit envious.
She bowed with perfect etiquette, her waterfall-like black hair spread over the tatami.
Then carefully, she unveiled the bag and slightly widened her eyes.
On her lap, Mallow’s Sylveon also raised its head and rubbed against Mallow’s chest.
“She says it smells delicious,” Mallow translated for Sylveon.
“If it smells good, give it a try,” Lu Ye said. “My Haunter has already finished a whole oven.”
“Gengarrr~ (¯﹃¯)” Haunter floated above Lu Ye.
Mallow held the delicate macaron in both hands and took a small bite of the chocolate shell; the deliciousness seeped into every corner of her body like a gentle stream.
The crunchy nuts in her mouth were like cherry blossom forests at the foot of a snowy mountain, the fragrance spreading across her lips and tongue.
Mallow’s cheeks blushed slightly; she covered her face with her long sleeves, adjusted her irregular breathing, then bowed and smiled:
“Very delicious, Teacher Lu.”
Lu Ye nodded. “Next, we should talk about the main matter…”
In an instant, countless images flashed through Mallow’s mind; her cheeks quietly flushed as she whispered:
“Please, give your instructions, Lord Lu Ye.”
“Take a look,” Lu Ye scratched his head. “Did I misallocate the points for my Sylveon?”
“…Please send out Sylveon.”
Mallow’s expression showed a hint of regret; after a pause, she smiled and said:
“In fact, I also prepared a meeting gift for Sylveon.”
A sense of crisis rose in Lu Ye’s heart.
Their eyes met; Mallow blinked, and Lu Ye’s mood became complicated:
In an instant, a fierce killing aura filled the room.
Mallow’s Sylveon shrank its head, and Mallow was slightly stunned...