"It's already this late. Surely staying for a meal won't make much difference... right?"
Fang Yan rubbed his nose as Cynthia watched him through slightly narrowed eyes, then spread his mouth into a Gengar-like grin and spoke.
Holding Petilil in her arms, Cynthia smiled at Fang Yan's embarrassed expression.
They had only just met, but she could sense that Fang Yan was a decent person. His attitude toward Pokémon told her that much.
That was why she continued spending time with him. Someone who loved Pokémon could always easily win the favor of another Pokémon lover.
She frowned slightly, holding Petilil with one arm while the slender, pale fingers of her other hand rested lightly against her smooth chin. Her thumb gently rubbed her chin as she pretended to consider it.
Seeing Fang Yan hardly daring to breathe, she slowly said, "Sure."
Fang Yan breathed a sigh of relief, then caught the teasing look in her eyes and sighed helplessly inside.
He really was still far behind her.
Cynthia could not help laughing inwardly at the sight.
It looks like Fang Yan rarely talks to girls.
That was what Cynthia thought.
Fang Yan stood up and told Cynthia to keep enjoying her afternoon tea while he went to pick some vegetables with Gengar.
Cynthia offered to help. Under her earnest gaze, Fang Yan nodded, then had Gengar take her to pick vegetables.
Returning to the entrance, he took out an unopened pair of slippers. He had bought an extra pair when buying some for Xia Lan and the others. He ran back to the kitchen and took a vegetable basket off the wall.
Once in the backyard, Fang Yan set the slippers in front of Cynthia. The backyard was all dirt paths and grass, making high heels inconvenient. Then he handed the basket to Gengar.
Cynthia hesitated at the slippers set before her, then bent down and took off her heels. Her pale ankles and toes emerged from the shoes, her polished toenails flashing briefly before Fang Yan's eyes before slipping into the slippers.
Looking at the slippers, which were clearly several sizes too large, and the eye-catching nail polish beneath them, Fang Yan coughed twice and looked away.
Cynthia moved her feet a little to get used to them, then placed her heels together beside the chair and stood up with Petilil in her arms.
After giving Gengar a few instructions, Fang Yan took Mime Jr. back to the kitchen to prepare the other ingredients.
Ever since Mime Jr. had been born, Gengar had gradually begun handing over the kitchen work to Mime Jr.
Watching Fang Yan and Mime Jr. disappear through the doorway, Cynthia slipped one hand into her coat pocket, then pulled it out filled with Poké Balls and tossed them into the air.
All of Cynthia's Pokémon appeared at the Pokémon Day Care. Alerted by the status panel, Fang Yan looked through the window.
Lucario, Gastrodon, Spiritomb, Togekiss, Roserade, Glaceon, and Milotic.
He glanced at the moves they knew. As expected of a Champion's team, they were incredibly powerful.
Cynthia had them rein in their auras, explained the situation to them, then followed Gengar toward the vegetable garden.
Cynthia carried Petilil in one arm while Gengar linked arms with her other one. Gengar held its free palm toward the sky, the vegetable basket hanging naturally from its elbow. It moved through the air as though walking on level ground, looking every bit a noblewoman.
Watching Gengar's movements, Fang Yan shook his head with a headache. It seemed he needed to keep Gengar in check and stop letting it watch strange videos.
Cynthia followed Gengar to the vegetable garden, where everything was lush and green. Unable to tell which vegetables they needed, she asked Gengar, who patted its chest to say she could leave it to it.
Then Gengar floated into the garden and pointed out the vegetables they needed.
"Gengar-"
This one tastes good.
Cynthia opened the garden's wooden gate, went inside, and copied Gengar's movements as she picked vegetables.
It was a novel experience for her. Wearing her coat, she gathered her long blond hair together, then kept picking vegetables. One kind, two kinds, three kinds...
Just as she was about to put the cauliflower in her hands into the basket, she discovered that the basket had already filled up at some point.
"Um..."
"Have you finished picking... yet?"
Before she could finish, Fang Yan's voice reached her. At some point, he had come to stand outside the garden. Looking at the vegetables in her hands and the overflowing basket, he remained silent for a long while.
"Sorry, I got carried away."
Holding the cauliflower, Cynthia felt her cheeks grow warm. The Champion found herself a little embarrassed.
"Hiss..."
Fang Yan looked at the enormous basket filled with vegetables, the bare patch in the garden, then the cauliflower in Cynthia's hands.
For a moment, his teeth almost ached.
Finally, he glanced at Cynthia's expression and smiled, saying it was fine.
"It's fine. These vegetables needed picking anyway, or they'd get too old to taste good. We'll eat these tonight. Gengar can take care of anything left over. It has a big appetite."
"Gengar?! Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾉ)ﾉ"
Me?!
Gengar took a look, then nodded.
"Gengar!!"
Hearing that, Cynthia abruptly turned toward the vegetable patch. Fang Yan quickly called her out, refusing to let her wreak any more havoc on his garden.
Cynthia came out looking regretful. After handing Fang Yan the vegetables, she watched him leave carrying the basket and the vegetables in his hands, finding herself a little bored.
She looked around the backyard and had Gengar show her around.
By the time they returned to the Pokémon Day Care, Fang Yan had just finished cooking.
"Cynthia, would you like to eat in the backyard or the kitchen?"
"The backyard."
Cynthia spoke after glancing at the backyard scenery and the Pokémon.
Fang Yan nodded, then had Gengar and the others carry the table and chairs outside while he brought out the food.
Considering that Cynthia might not be used to rice, Fang Yan had made her a fragrant bowl of noodle soup.
After distributing the Pokéblocks, Fang Yan returned to the table and sat down.
Holding her chopsticks, Cynthia looked at the food before her and sniffed lightly with her delicate nose. Her beautiful eyes curved as she pressed her hands together.
"Let's eat."
Then she lowered her head to eat the noodles. After one bite, her eyes curved fully into crescents.
Fang Yan nodded proudly at the sight. His great-aunt's recipes certainly lived up to their reputation.
Then he lowered his head and started on his own food.
The two quietly enjoyed their meal, occasionally hearing Pokémon squabbling nearby and Starly calling in the sky a short distance away. Cynthia finished the soup in her bowl, then accepted the tissue Fang Yan offered and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Thank you for the meal."
Cynthia's gentle voice rang out, as refreshing as a spring breeze on this still somewhat hot evening.
"Sorry I couldn't offer more."
Fang Yan left the remaining food for Gengar to finish, then took Mime Jr. back to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Meanwhile, Petilil led Cynthia to the swing. She sat down, and Garchomp gently rocked it.
Nearby, Dali and the others were enjoying their after-dinner activity: wrestling. Lucario watched for a while before joining them, taking the opportunity to coach the three Machamp.
Off to one side, Gengar was asking Togekiss for advice about something.
The sky slowly darkened. The evening breeze stirred Cynthia's blond hair as she sat on the swing, watching everything nearby.
"Garchomp, it feels like we haven't been on a swing in a long time."
Cynthia spoke softly.
A reminiscent gleam appeared in Garchomp's eyes behind her, and it nodded gently.
The little girl who had once loved swings had now become the strongest Trainer in the Sinnoh Region and claimed the Champion's throne.
"Petilil?"
Petilil looked up at her curiously from her arms.
Why did you stop going on swings?
Sensing Petilil's feelings and guessing its question, Cynthia gently brushed the leaves on its head just as Fang Yan did. "Because I grew up and had responsibilities to shoulder."
"Petilil?"
Petilil did not understand, its little face scrunching up in confusion.
Cynthia smiled and said, "So, Petilil, take your time growing up. You have a Trainer who really dotes on you."
With that, Cynthia had Garchomp push the swing harder. The blond woman in black swung back and forth, rocking the childhood in her arms and swinging back into her own.
After washing the dishes, Fang Yan returned to the backyard and saw Cynthia swinging with Garchomp's help.
The smile on her face was breathtaking, yet tinged with weariness.
Fang Yan chuckled softly at the sight, then walked over and sat beneath the tree beside the swing.
Seeing Fang Yan, Cynthia stopped the swing, but neither of them spoke.
One sat beneath the tree with his back against its trunk. The other sat on the swing beneath it, holding Petilil, with Garchomp standing beside her.
They quietly let the evening breeze wash over them and watched the stars fill the sky.
The other Pokémon slowly looked their way too. In just a short while, they had all become fast friends.
Mime Jr. lay on Fang Yan's lap and slowly drifted off to sleep.
"Mime Jr..."
Mime Jr.'s sleep-talking brought them both back from their thoughts.
Looking at Mime Jr. sleeping soundly on Fang Yan's lap, Cynthia smiled gently.
"It's been so long since I felt this relaxed."
Cynthia spoke. Ever since becoming Sinnoh's Champion, it seemed she had not quietly watched the stars with her beloved Pokémon like this in a long time. As far as she remembered, she only felt this relaxed when meeting her best friend. Although she often skipped work, she was always tense inside. Today, in this Pokémon Day Care she was visiting for the first time, she had once again felt the ease of childhood.
There was no need to talk. She could simply sit quietly with her Pokémon, just sit quietly.
Glancing at the man, Cynthia's lips unconsciously curved upward.
She had spent less than a day with him, yet he made her feel very comfortable. He did not force conversation. Just like now, he gave her plenty of time to enjoy a moment of her own.
For the first time, Fang Yan also felt that reality was different from the anime. A Champion surely had plenty to deal with, from fighting criminal organizations to sometimes guarding against Legendary Pokémon causing trouble. It definitely could not be as easy and carefree as in the anime.
Fang Yan's previous life had been the same. His boss fed him empty promises all day, and he was pressured to marry when he got home. He had almost no time to himself.
That was why he had not spoken to disturb Cynthia earlier, instead quietly enjoying this hard-won time of their own alongside her.
"If you're tired, why not let go completely and take a few days to rest?"
Fang Yan wiped away Mime Jr.'s drool as he spoke.
"Hmm?"
Cynthia looked at him questioningly.
"At first, I just wanted all the Pokémon here to live happily. That's why I named it Paradise. Later, I met a little girl and realized that people need comfort too. They need somewhere to escape to."
He slowly told her about Shauna, then turned toward Cynthia. "So, from that moment on, I decided that this Pokémon Day Care wouldn't be a day care for people or a day care for Pokémon. It would be a day care for people and Pokémon, and a paradise for both."
"What I mean is, you could stay here for a few days and really relax. You skip work all the time anyway, don't you? Besides, we rent out rooms here too."
Fang Yan smiled, then picked up Mime Jr., preparing to take it back to the room to sleep.
Everything he had said to Cynthia was sincere.
His wish for her to relax was sincere, and so was his desire for her to stay a few more days.
"Gengar?! (ﾟ⊿ﾟ)ﾂ"
We rent out rooms here? How come I didn't know?
Gengar looked puzzled by those words, its gaze moving back and forth between Fang Yan and Cynthia.
"Gengar-⊙∀⊙!"
Oh~ Right, we do offer that service.
Watching Fang Yan disappear, Cynthia sank into thought. Then she handed Petilil to Gengar and looked at Garchomp, Lucario, and the others. Seeing their gazes, which supported her no matter what she did, she smiled.
Her smile left Gengar, Dali, and the others staring in a daze. Gengar even became like a boiling kettle, darting around like a punctured balloon.
A bright moon graced the sky, and a beauty graced the earth.
Unfortunately, Fang Yan was not fortunate enough to enjoy the sight.
"How arrogant. Who does he think I am? I'm Cynthia, the Champion of Sinnoh!"
Cynthia stood up, recalled Lucario and the others into their Poké Balls, then climbed onto Garchomp's back and flew into the distance.
After putting Mime Jr. back in bed, Fang Yan returned to the backyard, but Cynthia was nowhere to be seen.
"She already left?"
Fang Yan gave a laugh, then sighed. He went back to his room for a shower, then came outside to tidy up the remaining things. When he reached the place where they had enjoyed afternoon tea, he froze at the sight of Cynthia's high heels still neatly arranged beneath the chair.
"Gengar?"
Seeing Fang Yan stop, Gengar floated over curiously, still holding a broom.
Just as Fang Yan was wondering whether Cynthia had forgotten her heels, a sound came from the distant sky. Then Cynthia descended into the backyard, standing on Garchomp's back.
She was wearing snug Buneary cotton slippers, and there was a suitcase on Garchomp's back too.
She jumped down and smiled at Fang Yan.
"You're right. I'll skip work a little longer, then."
Fang Yan fought to contain his joy. "Welcome~"
"Are you happy I'm staying?"
Hearing her cool voice, Fang Yan answered without thinking.
"Of course."
"And Gengar?"
"Gengar!!!"
Fang Yan gave Gengar's tail a tug.
"Whoosh~"
"Gengaar~"
"Gengar's so cute. Where's my room?"
Before you continue