Ye Li's "vacation" officially began in a fashion that bordered on extravagance.
Giovanni seemed to have truly erased him from his busy schedule. There were no more urgent missions pressing him, nor any of that ghostlike, all-pervasive Telepathy. He played the part of an impeccable "boss," generously granting Ye Li a stretch of time entirely his own, a blank interval for "recuperation."
And so, Ye Li's life sank into a highly regimented decadence.
He no longer woke to an alarm, instead sleeping until he woke naturally each day beneath velvet-soft bedding. Whenever he opened his eyes, delicacies Athena-Little Ya-had already prepared awaited him. The food on his plates came from every corner of the world, from the freshest Oran Berries flown in from the Unova Region to muffins made from a top Kalos Region chef's secret recipe. Every bite was like a magnificent melody played upon his tongue.
He whiled away his mornings in the rooftop garden suspended above the city. He lay on an exquisitely designed wicker recliner, basking in the perpetually warm, gentle "sunlight" cast by a simulated natural lighting system, holding a cup of expensive, hand-ground coffee from distant mountains. The aroma of coffee mingled with the fragrance of the garden's exotic plants and flowers, often leaving him in a daze as he wondered where he truly was and where he would go.
Afternoons were reserved without fail for Pokémon battle practice, and his opponent was naturally Athena.
"Lord Ye Li, I look forward to learning from you." She always bowed slightly as she spoke, her words respectful, but undisguised fighting spirit burned in her eyes.
Athena's strength far exceeded Ye Li's expectations. Her Pokémon team's composition was exemplary, every member superbly raised. Her tactical style was so calm it bordered on cold-blooded, every move seemingly calculated