Garchomp: No, I don't want to!

[Holy shit??? Cynthia herself is here?]

[??? You know Sinnoh's Champion too, not just Hoenn's Champion Steven, Streamer?]

[Seriously, dude, who even are you?]

[The three-year wait is over-the son-in-law of Sinnoh returns?]

As Cynthia appeared in the stream with her eye-catching gold message, the chat instantly became a storm of question marks, flooding the screen.

Qingyu was stunned.

Where the hell have I ended up? Is this still Poké TV?

Why did Cynthia suddenly show up in my stream and throw money at me...?

Is this normal?

Though he had no idea why she was there, Qingyu still offered his customary thanks:

"Thanks to Mythologist Cynthia for the paid message. So generous, boss~"

Then, amid the storm of question marks, he decisively ended the stream.

[??? Where'd he go?]

[Does Streamer not realize that's Cynthia's account...?]

[A role model for us all. Not even Cynthia can stop him from ending his stream. A true sigma male!]

After his glorious exit, Qingyu pressed a hand to his nervously pounding heart and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Luckily, he'd reacted fast enough. Otherwise, it would have turned into a streaming disaster.

He definitely couldn't respond to her directly.

Never mind that he and Cynthia hadn't coordinated at all-without being on the same page, they'd only make things worse.

By ending the stream at lightning speed right then, he'd probably leave the chat with nothing more than a few jokes. They'd forget about it by tomorrow.

Wait...?

Qingyu suddenly froze.

What exactly am I afraid of, anyway?

My childhood friend, whom I haven't seen in years, came to my stream to boost my popularity. Couldn't I just chat with her openly?

Why do I care so much about the chat stirring things up?

At that thought, Qingyu heaved a long sigh and helplessly covered his face.

He had to admit that ever since he'd understood the future the system was pointing toward, he'd found it a little hard to even look at Cynthia's name.

He couldn't understand what was going on in his own head...

But things had already happened. There was no point agonizing over them any longer.

He might as well figure out why Cynthia had appeared in his stream first.

Qingyu picked up his phone. Sure enough, Cynthia had already replied.

Not only had she completely overlooked his leaving her on read for half a year, she was even showing concern and encouraging him.

Mom, I think I've just seen an actual angel descend to earth!

But he couldn't quite understand the next line.

"Why is Cynthia asking me to confirm the gym's location?"

Qingyu was puzzled.

Since he couldn't figure it out, he might as well ask.

[Qingyu: That's right. Why do you ask all of a sudden?]

Almost as soon as he sent the message, she replied.

However, she didn't answer his question directly. Instead...

[Cynthia: So that really was you, Streamer, on Poké TV just now! Your voice sounds more mature, but I still recognized you right away!]

Even through the screen, he could sense the little note of pride in her tone.

Qingyu scratched his head.

Somehow, the Cynthia chatting with him now seemed different from the one he'd pictured.

But that made sense. The mature, elegant Cynthia of his fixed impression had been Champion for a long time and was much more composed.

Right now, she was still something of a newcomer who'd become Champion right after starting out. Emotionally, she wasn't nearly as mature as he'd imagined.

[Qingyu: No wonder you sent that message. You really did recognize me. Thanks for the tip, my number-one donor~]

Faced with such an endearingly chatty Cynthia, Qingyu gradually relaxed.

He even started cracking little jokes himself.

[Cynthia: It's only a little money. I'm just glad if it helps.]

[Cynthia: Running a gym all by yourself in Paldea can't be easy, right?]

[Cynthia: If you run into any problems I can help with, please be sure to contact me.]

"Hiss-"

What kind of domineering CEO line was that?!

Qingyu couldn't shake the feeling that she'd just flirted with him.

But aren't our gender roles reversed here?

I'm probably overthinking it.

Qingyu shook his head, tossing those irrelevant thoughts aside.

After that, the two chatted through their PokéNavs for a long time.

It might even have been their longest conversation since they'd added each other as contacts after he moved away from Celestic Town.

Though it was all inconsequential everyday chatter, Qingyu thoroughly enjoyed it.

Time slipped quietly by.

Only when Cynthia took the initiative to say goodbye did Qingyu belatedly realize they'd been talking for an entire hour.

He usually ended his streams at seven thirty. An extra hour of chatting hardly affected his routine.

But Paldea and Sinnoh had a seven-hour time difference...

"So it's already almost four in the morning for Cynthia?"

If she didn't go to bed soon, she might as well stay up all night.

[Qingyu: Sorry! I completely lost track of time and kept you talking for so long!]

Qingyu immediately threw himself at her mercy.

At the thought of Cynthia, a Champion, potentially showing up at the Pokémon League tomorrow with dark circles under her eyes...

He'd kept a Champion around just to help him pass the time. Suddenly, he wondered if he ought to commit seppuku to atone.

[Cynthia: Well then, good night. See you tomorrow.]

[Qingyu: See you tomorrow.]

[Qingyu: ...Wait? What do you mean, see you tomorrow?]

Perhaps their years as childhood friends had left memories etched into his DNA, because Qingyu instinctively sensed something off about her words.

A glance at their earlier messages made it clear that they never chatted on any fixed schedule.

That made her "see you tomorrow" rather intriguing.

She'd been found out.

At the other end, Cynthia, now dressed in her pajamas, kept yawning, yet a smile unconsciously lingered on her lips.

[Cynthia: I wanted to surprise you, but I didn't expect Detective Qingyu to see right through me.]

[Cynthia: Actually, Grandma asked me to deliver a Pokémon to you. I happen to be free tomorrow, so I'll come see you while I'm at it.]

[Cynthia: I'm going to bed now. Bye~]

"Huh?"

After receiving those messages, Qingyu was dumbfounded.

Cynthia was coming to the Sunshine Gym tomorrow?

Seriously?

Was this a pleasant surprise or a nasty shock?

Why did he suddenly feel like he was nervously preparing to meet an online friend in person...?

Compared with Qingyu's bewilderment, Cynthia seemed far calmer.

If one ignored how tightly both her hands were gripping her phone, anyway.

"I can't believe I actually said it..."

Cynthia breathed a sigh of relief.

She'd just said that her grandmother had asked her to deliver a Pokémon to Qingyu.

That was a lie.

In truth, Professor Carolina had never said anything of the sort.

However, there really was a fairly strong Pokémon at the laboratory that, for various reasons, had yet to find a suitable Trainer.

"If it's Qingyu, he should be able to earn that little one's approval, right?"

Muttering to herself, Cynthia walked over to the sleeping Garchomp and gently nudged him.

"Graa..."

Annoyed at having his sweet dreams interrupted, Garchomp opened his eyes and met his Trainer's expectant gaze.

"Garchomp, do you remember Qingyu from next door?"

When Qingyu left Celestic Town five years ago, Garchomp had still been a newly hatched Gible.

He even held you when you were little.jpg

"I bet you'd really like to see him, so let's set off for the Paldea Region tomorrow~"

Cynthia covered her mouth with a soft laugh, her tone light.

Before Garchomp could react, she'd already made the decision and strolled into her bedroom.

All that remained was a thoroughly bewildered Garchomp.

???

Garchomp: No, I don't want to!

_(:з"∠)_ The second Pokémon will be Riolu! Should have some pretty great chemistry with Eevee ()