Two days before the League Conference, at Gengar's Paradise, in the morning.
Cynthia hung up, tapped her phone screen twice, then turned it off and lay back in a chair in the lounge.
"Why do I get the feeling you're not in a very good mood?"
Fang Yan brought her and Shauna two glasses of warm honey water.
She took the honey water, drank a couple of sips, and said, "The League Conference starts the day after tomorrow."
"Time went by that fast?"
Fang Yan was a little dazed. "You're leaving?"
"Yes."
Cynthia nodded and drained the honey water in her hand.
Beside them, Shauna exchanged a look with Chingling, indicating that she couldn't understand their conversation, and could only silently drink her honey water.
"Going to miss me?"
Cynthia gave Fang Yan a teasing look and asked.
"A little."
Fang Yan nodded honestly.
"Then I'll head back tomorrow evening instead. I happen to be a little reluctant to leave this place myself."
"And our little Shauna, Gengar, Petilil, Mime Jr., and the others."
"Aren't you forgetting someone?"
"What?"
Cynthia looked at him in puzzlement.
Fine, you win.
Looking at the innocent expression on Cynthia's face, Fang Yan inwardly ground his teeth.
Seeing Fang Yan's expression, Cynthia couldn't help chuckling.
"You should go."
Fang Yan's words left her a little puzzled.
"Hmm?"
"You're the Sinnoh Region's Champion, aren't you? Champion Cynthia of Sinnoh. With something as important as the League Conference, you still need to go back and check things over, right? Otherwise, Elite Four Lucian will be calling to hurry you along again."
Fang Yan looked at her as he spoke.
Cynthia fell silent. Just now, Lucian had called to ask her to come back and check the venue preparations and tournament schedule.
Fang Yan stood up, returned to his room, took a key from a drawer, and came back to sit beside her.
"Here, the key."
Cynthia watched him hold his hand out toward her, a key lying quietly in his palm.
"This is the key to the Pokémon Day Care. Whenever you're tired from work, you can come back. You're always welcome here. If you don't believe me, ask Gengar and the others, or ask Shauna."
"Gengar-"
"Petilil~"
"Mime~"
"That's right, Cynthia."
When Cynthia said nothing, Fang Yan continued, "Or you could wait until the League Conference is over and dump your work on Lucian. As one of Sinnoh's Elite Four, he's already used to working overtime anyway."
Cynthia laughed, then looked at Fang Yan. His gaze was gentle and deep.
"I don't know whether I should say this, but you're Sinnoh's Champion, the person everyone's aiming to surpass."
Cynthia reached out and took the key.
"I know."
I'm the Champion. That was already decided when I chose to take the Champion's throne. I'll shoulder the responsibilities that belong to the Champion.
"I want bamboo shoots for lunch."
After spending a week together, the two no longer had any unnecessary sense of distance between them.
"All right, bamboo shoots it is. Then we'll have special ice cream for dessert."
Cynthia's eyes lit up.
"Okay."
Fang Yan smiled, then stood up. "Gengar, Mime Jr., come lend a hand."
"Gengar-"
I'm coming.
"Mime~"
I'm coming too.
Mime Jr. seemed to be taking after Gengar.
"Cynthia, are you leaving?"
Shauna's soft, sweet voice reached her, and Cynthia turned to look at her.
She reached out and patted her hair, then had her sit in front of her and tied her hair into a bun.
It made her look even cuter. Compared with how frightened and timid she had been when she first arrived, Shauna had now completely transformed after spending time with her parents, Chingling, Fang Yan at the Pokémon Day Care, and the day care's Pokémon.
She no longer hid behind adults in fear when facing strangers and had grown confident.
"Yes, because there are things I absolutely, absolutely have to do."
"Just like Uncle Fang Yan?"
"That's right."
Shauna nodded, only half understanding.
"Time to eat."
Fang Yan came out of the kitchen and called to them.
The two stood and headed toward the kitchen.
After lunch, Cynthia took the ice cream Fang Yan had specially made for her and jumped onto Garchomp's back.
"Gengar-˚‧º·(˚˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅)‧º·˚"
Gengar stood beside them, biting a white cloth, reluctant to see her go.
Copying Fang Yan, Cynthia tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Good luck. Shauna, Gengar, the others, and I will cheer you on from the TV."
"I'm the Champion."
Cynthia said it with commanding confidence.
Fang Yan laughed when he heard that. "Of course, Champion Cynthia."
"Call me Cynthia."
Fang Yan froze for a moment, then said softly, "Then, Cynthia, may victory be yours."
Garchomp took flight, and Cynthia stood on his back as they headed straight into the distance, leaving a long white streak across the horizon.
Watching her figure disappear, Fang Yan drew a breath.
As expected of the Champion. She's even so accustomed to farewells.
Then he looked at Gengar and the others and clapped his hands. "All right, she's gone to do what she should be doing. We need to do what we should be doing too: take good care of this place and wait for their next visit."
Those words reignited Gengar and the others' fighting spirit.
"Gengar!"
He pulled a Black Belt out of nowhere and tied it around his forehead.
Why does that look so much like that Expert Belt?
After asking Shauna to sit at the counter and watch over the Pokémon Day Care, Fang Yan went upstairs and pushed open the door to the room Cynthia had been staying in.
As he walked inside, a delicate fragrance reached his nose. Traces of Cynthia's life lingered everywhere.
Her clothes were still in the wardrobe. Fang Yan opened it for a look, then closed it again with a red face. Fortunately, they were only trench coats.
A photo of her with Garchomp and the others sat on the table.
When he reached the balcony, he found a book lying closed on the balcony table, one end of a bookmark sticking out from between its pages, marking her reading progress.
Fang Yan picked it up. It was a book about research into Sinnoh's ruins. Only then did he remember that Cynthia was also a scholar who studied Sinnoh's ruins and had a keen interest in Sinnoh mythology.
In the anime, she often appeared near ruins. Her first meeting with Ash seemed to have been beside some ruins, too.
Fang Yan recalled her first meeting with Ash and the others, then put the book back on the table in the room and adjusted the photo's position.
The room was very clean. He would just have Mime Jr. come and tidy it later.
Back downstairs, he took out his recipe book and recorded his second recipe.
He had been wondering why the food from the past few days hadn't triggered Gourmet Critical Hit, but when he saw Cynthia off just now, it had popped up along with Cynthia's gift.
[In the scorching summer, you always need to find some refreshing food to whet the appetite. Fresh bamboo shoots are an excellent choice. Congratulations, you have developed your second original recipe: Pokémon Day Care Bamboo Shoot Family Portrait.] [Pokémon Day Care Bamboo Shoot Family Portrait: 100% chance to trigger Gourmet Critical Hit.] [Gourmet Critical Hit effects: 100% chance to cure all symptoms of appetite loss in Pokémon, improve Pokémon's mood, reduce fatigue, and slightly increase Pokémon's affection toward their own Trainers.] [So you're a gourmet too?-Your grand-aunt]
After recording this recipe, Fang Yan looked at another notification.
[Pokémon Day Care 1: Sinnoh Champion Cynthia cannot remember how long it has been since she last felt this relaxed. As Sinnoh's strongest Champion, she occasionally needs to unwind as well. This place happened to meet that need. Received Cynthia's gift.] [Cynthia's gift: As the Sinnoh Region's Champion, nothing is more valuable than her help training your Pokémon. Under her instruction, all the Pokémon at the Pokémon Day Care have mastered some new moves. Please check for yourself.] [Gengar: Dazzling Gleam; Machamp: Focus Punch (Dynamic Punch, Close Combat); Petilil: Energy Ball; Mime Jr.: Light Screen, Reflect.]
"Wow..."
Now Fang Yan was utterly stunned. The Pokémon Day Care's overall fighting strength had improved significantly.
[Pokémon Day Care 2: The Pokémon Day Care has become a place some people and Pokémon consider home. Please keep working hard to take even better care of it. During the League Conference, be sure to pay attention to safety and fire prevention.]