Absol Saw the Loose Cup Rack First

Yue Guan did not return to the Papal Hall to deliver the message.

Bibi Dong was right outside.

She was not wearing formal robes today, only a deep purple outer cloak. Ghost was still hidden in the shadows, but having learned from being labeled Number Two last time, he took the initiative to reveal himself before entering.

Zorua lay atop the counter, looking somewhat disappointed.

"It turned green?" Bibi Dong asked.

"Just changed." Yue Guan handed the application form back to her.

The door to the Encounter Room slowly opened.

A white figure beyond the door stepped into the light.

It had four slender legs, with white fur flowing down one side of its body. Its face and tail were dark, and a curved horn grew from the side of its forehead, shaped like a sharp crescent moon. Its red eyes swept across the front hall before quickly settling on Bibi Dong.

"Absol, a Dark-type Pokémon. It is highly sensitive to the slightest changes in its surroundings. Air currents, the ground, and vibrations from far away can all be detected in advance, Rotom."

Bibi Dong did not ask about its strength first.

She remained where she was and let Absol observe her.

The woman and Pokémon looked at each other for a moment.

Then Absol suddenly turned its head.

It stopped looking at Bibi Dong and instead stared at the cup rack above the counter.

The rack had only been installed yesterday. Indeedee had already checked its height, and more than a dozen cups had been neatly arranged on it. It looked perfectly fine.

"It isn't interested in me?" Bibi Dong asked.

"Maybe it's thinking," Xia Che said.

"It has four brains too?"

Metagross turned its eyes toward them.

"One," Rotom hurriedly answered.

Absol continued staring at the cup rack.

Indeedee walked over and inspected it from top to bottom but found nothing loose. Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, Magby suddenly sneezed in the backyard.

Pfft.

A faint vibration traveled through the wall.

The wooden peg at the far right of the cup rack slowly slid out half an inch. One teacup tilted with it, about to fall from its height.

Absol let out a low cry.

Metagross raised an arm. The teacup stopped in midair and was steadily returned to the counter.

Indeedee immediately fetched a small hammer and drove the peg back in. When she finished, she glanced at Xia Che.

"The carpenter installed it," Xia Che said.

"Indeedee."

"I signed for the delivery. Fine, half the blame is mine too."

Rotom wrote on the maintenance sheet: Reinforce cup rack. Carpenter and shop owner to inspect once each.

Bibi Dong looked at Absol. "You were looking at that just now?"

Absol did not nod. It merely turned its gaze back to her.

"At least it wasn't uninterested in you," Yue Guan said.

"You're rather talkative today as well."

Yue Guan picked up the remaining half cup of tea and decided to keep quiet.

The formal meeting was arranged in the backyard.

There was no crowd there, only a stone table, several wooden chairs, and towels that had only been half dried in the sun. Indeedee led Absol over first, and Bibi Dong entered afterward.

Just as she was about to sit down, Absol stopped again.

Its red eyes were fixed on the chair in front of her.

Bibi Dong did not pause her movement. "What now?"

Pancham ran over to inspect the chair legs. It pushed the chair back and forth twice, and it was sturdy. Then it lay on the ground to look underneath, where there were no cracks either.

"Pancham."

No problem.

Yet Absol still did not move.

Xia Che glanced over from the window. "Change chairs."

"Why?" Bibi Dong asked.

"You'll know once you change."

With practiced ease, Yue Guan moved over the chair beside it. Bibi Dong looked at him before finally changing seats.

Only then did Absol walk over and sit on the other side of the stone table.

Unconvinced, Pancham pushed the original chair a few more times. On the third push, a tiny iron clasp fell from the gap in the chair back.

Clink.

The clasp landed on the stone tabletop.

It had been left behind when the carpenter tightened the backrest. It normally did not move, but if someone sat down, it would happen to press against their back through the gap.

Pancham picked up the clasp, its expression immediately turning serious.

It dragged the chair to the repair corner and hung a small sign on it forbidding its use.

Bibi Dong looked at the tiny clasp. "It could detect even that?"

"The ground, smell, and sounds all changed," Rotom said. "As for exactly what it noticed, that depends on what it chose to pay attention to, Rotom."

"Can it see the future?"

"No." Xia Che answered crisply. "The cup was loose, and there was something in the chair. Those were things that had already happened."

Bibi Dong gave a slight nod.

That answer instead made her take it more seriously. Exaggerated prophecies were useless. Finding real problems through subtle changes was what deserved trust.

Indeedee brought over two cups of water.

Absol sniffed its cup first but did not drink. It walked around the backyard, its nose occasionally twitching, before finally stopping in front of the wooden rack holding the drying towels.

Hu Liena happened to enter from the front hall with Eevee.

The instant Eevee saw the unfamiliar white Pokémon, it stopped walking. Absol's curved horn was longer than its entire body, and its dark claws could not be hidden. It looked far less approachable than Pancham.

"Vee."

Eevee edged a little closer to Hu Liena's leg.

Hearing the sound, Absol slowly turned around. It did not walk toward Eevee. Instead, it turned sideways, pointing its curved horn in the other direction, then slowly lowered itself to the ground.

Its tall silhouette became lower.

Eevee waited for a while, then cautiously took two steps forward.

Absol did not move.

It took two more steps, and its nose finally touched the long white fur. Absol's ears twitched softly, but it still did not raise its head. It merely moved its tail aside, leaving more room for Eevee.

Eevee circled it and sniffed it all over, its tense tail gradually relaxing. Finally, it sat beside the water cup and lowered its head to take two drinks.

Only then did Absol rise and drink its own water as well.

"Was it waiting for Eevee just now?" Hu Liena asked.

"Its horn is too conspicuous. Turning it aside is safer," Xia Che said.

Bibi Dong looked at her disciple. "Do you bring Eevee here every day?"

"Only when it wants to come."

"What about today's training?"

"It was completed this morning. It chose to come to the shop first and rest in the afternoon."

Hearing this, Eevee raised its head and gave a cry, as if confirming her words.

Bibi Dong offered no comment. She simply placed a small piece of Berry in her palm, then set it on the stone table near Absol.

Absol smelled the fruit's scent but did not take it immediately. It waited until Bibi Dong withdrew her hand before taking the Berry in its mouth.

"Faster than last time," Yue Guan said.

Bibi Dong glanced at him.

"I meant the Pokémon."

"I know."

Hu Liena picked up Eevee and quietly turned her face away. She always felt that Elder Yue Guan's explanation made his words sound even stranger.

After Absol finished the Berry, there was a little less distance in its gaze when it looked at Bibi Dong again.

Bibi Dong called its name once. "Absol."

The white Pokémon's ears twitched, and it looked up in response.

This counted as their first real greeting.

A moment later, it continued walking around the backyard and stopped in front of the wooden rack holding the drying towels.

"What is it this time?" Ghost asked.

A gust of wind passed through.

The outermost white towel slipped free from its clip and landed right on Absol's back.

White fur covered by white cloth was almost impossible to distinguish from a distance.

Zorua saw this from its hiding place by the doorway and immediately added three more towels with an illusion. A stack of towels instantly piled up on Absol's back, leaving only its curved horn and red eyes exposed.

It slowly turned its head.

Zorua immediately withdrew the illusion and turned to run.

Absol did not chase it. It merely shook off the real towel and pinned it beneath a forepaw so the wind would not carry it away again.

Indeedee took the towel and clipped it back securely. Then she brought Zorua back as well, making the little fox inspect the remaining clips itself.

Zorua pressed them one by one. Just as it pressed the fourth, the clip snapped shut and caught the fur on its paw.

"Ow!"

Absol's ears twitched, and it stepped closer.

Indeedee had already loosened the clip for Zorua. It was not injured, though two black hairs had fallen out.

Zorua clutched its paw, its face full of grievance.

Absol lowered its head to sniff it. After confirming that it was fine, it returned to its original spot.

Bibi Dong watched the entire time.

"It pays close attention to everything around it."

"Or maybe it just finds noise annoying," Xia Che said.

Absol glanced at him.

"See? It agrees with the first half."

This time, even Ghost turned his head and smiled.

Bibi Dong did not ask it to display its strength or make Absol prove anything further. She removed her outer cloak and placed it over the chair back, its metal clasp making a faint sound.

Absol's ears twitched again, but it did not rise.

It was beginning to adapt to these ordinary sounds.

"When should I come next?" Bibi Dong asked.

Xia Che pointed to the application form she had filled out herself. "Half an hour after dinner."

"Does today count?"

"Have you eaten dinner?"

"Not yet."

"Then it doesn't count."

Bibi Dong picked up her outer cloak and rose to leave.

When she reached the backyard entrance, Absol suddenly followed her for two steps.

Yue Guan thought it had already made its choice and was just about to speak when the white figure stopped beside Bibi Dong and tapped the hem of her robe with a forepaw.

Below the outer cloak, one decorative clasp was hanging by only half a thread.

Bibi Dong lowered her head and looked at it for two breaths before removing the loose clasp and placing it in her palm.

"After dinner, I will return."

Only then did Absol retreat back inside the doorway.