Perhaps realizing that wandering around idly really wasn't very interesting, Cynthia glanced at the time and decided to take Luther to get something to eat.
A bustling commercial building stood nearby, but instead of entering it, Cynthia led Luther through the crowd, turning left and right on the main road before slipping into a narrow alley.
Compared to the highly modernized Sun Heart City outside, this alley was exceptionally quiet.
Outside was a surging sea of people, but the moment they stepped into the alley, all the noise vanished. The sound of old air conditioners dripping water, the dense tangle of electric lines, the mottled walls…
If it weren't for the occasional Pokémon appearing in the alley, Luther would have thought he'd traveled to another world again.
Cynthia stopped halfway down the alley. Luther looked up at the signboard above. It was so worn from age that he could barely make out that it was a ramen shop.
Cynthia gently slid open the wooden door and gestured for Luther to enter.
Luther walked in, still confused, only to find that the interior space was much larger than expected. Contrary to what he'd imagined, it wasn't old or shabby at all, its décor was surprisingly elegant.
The bookshelf by the entrance and the violin on display even made Luther question whether this was really a ramen shop.
The restaurant was lit warmly by yellow wall lamps, and there wasn't a single customer inside. Given the odd hour, that wasn't surprising.
A Skitty and a Wynaut saw guests enter and jumped down from a table. They hurried over to neatly arrange Luther's and Cynthia's shoes, then picked up menus and handed them to Luther.
The owner was an elderly lady with a head full of white hair. When she saw Cynthia enter, she came out specifically to greet her.
"Your boyfriend?" She asked curiously, glancing at Luther.
Cynthia pinched Wynaut's cheeks as she waved her hand. "No, no, just a friend. We had some free time, so I brought him here for a meal."
"Thanks for the business," The old lady said with a smile before tying on her apron and disappearing into the kitchen.
"What business? One more meal, one less meal, it's just sharing something good with him," Cynthia replied with a grin.
Luther sat on a tall stool. As he hugged Skitty and prepared to pet her, he heard Cynthia's words and asked curiously, "One more meal, one less meal?"
"If you're curious, you can ask her after she brings out the food."
"Food?" Luther scratched his head. "But I haven't ordered yet."
"You can just have the same set meal as me."
Alright then, since Cynthia was clearly a regular, whatever she ordered was bound to be delicious.
Sure enough, what was served was ramen. Cynthia's recommendation was well-founded, the toppings piled on top were spectacular. For someone like Luther, who loved noodles and lots of toppings, it felt tailor-made.
After just two bites, Luther was completely immersed in the rich flavor of the noodles and broth. The craftsmanship was undeniable.
Skitty, sitting in his arms, stared at him with drooling anticipation. Laughing, Luther picked up a piece of meat from the ramen and fed it to her.
"There she goes again," Cynthia laughed, explaining. "Whenever customers come, Skitty always manages to mooch food with her cuteness. Poor Wynaut isn't very clingy, so he can only watch her perform."
Fine then, Luther decided to be fair. He picked up a bite and held it out to Wynaut as well.
Wynaut hesitated for a moment but couldn't resist the temptation and took a big bite.
At that moment, the old lady came out of the kitchen carrying a small bowl. She set it down in front of Luther.
Inside the bowl were extra ramen toppings, meat, vegetables, and even half a small bowl of concentrated broth.
"This comes with the meal?" Luther asked.
"Well, I can't let my Skitty and Wynaut steal your food and shortchange you, can I? This is on the house."
Luther was about to say it was fine and she didn't need to worry, but Cynthia's chopsticks shot out instantly and snatched a piece from the bowl. That left Luther no choice but to start eating as well.
As they were about to finish eating, Luther finally remembered what Cynthia had mentioned earlier. He looked up and asked, "Excuse me, what did you mean by 'one more meal, one less meal'?"
The elderly lady, who was preparing ingredients behind the counter, paused for a moment before smiling. "Look at me, and look at how quiet this place is. Do you think I can keep this shop running for much longer?"
"This shop has been open for decades. Now that it's been passed down to me, this is probably the end of the line."
Luther had originally assumed it was just a popularity issue, that Cynthia's reputation as the Champion could easily turn things around. But the problem wasn't business; it was inheritance.
If Cynthia used her influence to bring crowds here, it might cause the owner more trouble instead. After all, how could an elderly lady handle that much work?
"Doesn't anyone in your family want to take over?" Luther asked.
Cynthia finished her broth and stole another piece of fish cake from Luther's toppings bowl.
"Her kids all went out to travel," Cynthia said. "According to them, they want to become great Pokémon Masters. It's cool, and traveling is fun, way more exciting than staying home making ramen."
Luther looked at the old lady. She didn't seem bothered at all and smiled warmly.
"Young people always have young people's dreams."
When they left, the elderly lady personally walked them out. Skitty and Wynaut also ran outside to wave goodbye to Luther.
All Luther could do was promise them that he would come back again when he had the time.
"This is the reality," Cynthia said as they walked. "With the Pokémon League's subsidies, most young people choose to become Pokémon Trainers first. They go on their training journeys, dreaming of becoming Pokémon Masters."
"Often, it takes them a decade or more to realize they will never reach the top ranks. And only then do they return to ordinary life."
"I've seen many good things lose their successors because of this. This shop is just a small example."
This was a societal issue, and Luther didn't want to dig into the deeper implications. Instead, he gently took Cynthia's hand.
Cynthia blinked in surprise and looked at him. "So forward? I underestimated you."
"There's someone behind us," Luther said with a smile as he slipped an arm around her shoulder. "Honestly, I'm impressed he dared follow us into a dead-end alley like this."
"Take care of him?" Cynthia asked.
"Did you forget we need him to report what he sees back to Evergreen?" Luther shook his head lightly. "If anything, this is probably the only thing we've done today that even resembles a date. Evergreen should be satisfied now."
The person following them really was a member of the Hodgepodge organization, tasked with tracking Cynthia's movements. But the first half of the day had been baffling. Luther and Cynthia beat up rookies at a battle arena, then sat around drinking and spacing out.
None of this resembled the "date observation" Evergreen had instructed him to perform. After he sent those updates, Evergreen didn't even respond.
Now, seeing Luther with his arm around Cynthia, he finally had something worth reporting.
"Luther's account appears to be true."
There was no need to keep following them. He exited through the opposite end of the alley and checked the messages from the rescue team.
The message was short, just one glance to read it.
"Unexpected complications in the rescue. The remaining two operatives in Sun Heart City must withdraw immediately."
(End of Chapter)
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