Not only the shop owner, but also Mao and Etorre stared wide-eyed.
Etorre had always hoped to see Mewtwo again and regarded it as a legendary Pokémon. His pursuit gained meaning because of Luther's appearance.
It was Luther who first told him Mewtwo's name and that such a life form existed in this world.
At that moment, he wasn't shocked by Darkrai; he was ecstatic about the possibility of an encounter.
The fact that people he knew could meet a legendary Pokémon gave him tremendous confidence.
He didn't want to capture Mewtwo; he simply wanted to see it again.
As for what he would do after seeing Mewtwo again, he didn't know.
To outsiders, this would certainly look foolish. Why was he so obsessed with something basically meaningless, especially when the chance of meeting Mewtwo again was so low?
The one who supported him was Mao.
"If you have to assign meaning to every single thing, then life would be way too boring."
Thus, Etorre, who had foolishly traveled in hopes of encountering Mewtwo again, gained a foolish companion to travel with him.
Meanwhile, Mao lunged straight over and clung to Darkrai.
"So handsome! Let big sister hug you! Let me touch you—so this is what Darkrai feels like? Amazing!"
"Those blue eyes look so cool! And his cold, indifferent vibe when he's silent is perfect, too! Ettore, why are you tugging on my clothes? I want to touch his face again!"
"Sorry. When she sees a Pokémon she really likes, she kind of loses control and becomes less calm," Etorre apologized.
Now, Etorre and Mao's images were completely reversed.
Watching Etorre push Mao away, Luther really wanted to put the words "perfect match" on their faces. Their personalities were truly complementary.
Mai asked curiously, "So you're not going to hide the fact that Darkrai is with you anymore?"
"I thought about it for a long time and changed my mind."
Luther knew what Mai was worried about. Once the photos were released, it was likely that competitors from all sides, perhaps even the Hodgepodge Organization, would see them.
The competitors weren't a big problem. As long as the shop owner released the photos after the tournament ended, everything would be fine. The fact that the shop owner proactively used the blackboard to block out other people's group photos proved that he was trustworthy. Luther was at ease about that.
As for the Hodgepodge Organization...
Luther had kept Darkrai hidden all this time so he could use him as a trump card against the Hodgepodge Organization when the time came.
However, after his recent conversation with Cynthia and learning more about the organization, Luther decided to reveal Darkrai.
What he wanted now was deterrence, not a surprise effect.
He believed that, given his current strength, he no longer needed to worry about the Organization's petty tricks. If they wanted to attack him directly, Darkrai's existence would make them think twice.
Instead of waiting for the Hodgepodge Organization to make a move and then counterattacking, it was better to let them weigh the pros and cons and retreat when faced with difficulty.
The shop owner trembled with excitement. A Pokémon Trainer carrying a Legendary Pokémon had come into his shop. What kind of...!
"Can we start taking pictures?" Luther asked.
The shop owner froze for a moment, then hurriedly got himself together.
After snapping several photos in a row, he asked Luther and the Pokémon to change their poses. While taking candid shots, the shop owner captured an interesting scene.
Houndoom was stretching lazily. Mismagius licked Luther's face. Milcery wasn't looking at the camera; she was clinging tightly to Luther's neck. For some unknown reason, Jumpluff sneezed, sending cotton fluff flying everywhere, which stuck to Espurr's fur. Espurr stared blankly at Jumpluff.
Chansey held a Nutrient Egg in one hand and a frying pan in the other. If Kirlia hadn't stopped her, she would have rushed over to Luther to steal the spotlight.
Darkrai didn't have the slightest hint of a smile on his face. His deeply aggrieved expression formed a sharp contrast with the smiling Marill sitting on his head.
Off-camera, Mao whispered to Darkrai to smile, but it was useless.
"Last shot!" The shop owner called out.
Luther thought for a moment and started to walk toward Mao when Corsola suddenly jumped up.
Trying to steal the spotlight, Corsola had forgotten that Silcoon was still on her head.
The Silcoon was flung into the air. The sensation of flying made her feel a bit frillish, but the moment she saw the ground below, she felt dizzy.
Mismagius had just been about to rush over to protect Silcoon when her body trembled and the dim courtyard lit up.
Everyone froze. The shop owner was the first to recover. He took the camera off the stand, aimed it at Silcoon glowing in midair, and started snapping photos rapidly.
Within the light, Silcoon's outline began to change. Wings slowly unfolded on both sides, and a slightly curved, slender proboscis gradually extended.
The cocoon shape disappeared, and the figure of a butterfly emerged from within the glow.
A sudden evolution. Each of Wurmple's evolutions was always this abrupt.
The newly evolved Beautifly flapped her wings, blinked her big eyes, and curiously experienced her light body.
When she was a cocoon, the stiff, sluggish feeling throughout her body had made her extremely uncomfortable. Now, she felt much better.
Enjoying the thrill of flight, Beautifly spun around in midair, fluttering up and down happily. When she saw Mai reach out her hand, Beautifly dove into her arms immediately.
"These tiny arms and legs are so cute!" Mai immediately reached out a finger to touch Beautifly's hands.
"I like her big eyes more," Luther said.
The shop owner looked at the camera in delight. It had captured Silcoon gradually evolving into Beautifly. He hadn't expected that the family photo would also capture that moment. Today was truly wonderful.
With Beautifly joining the team, the final family photo had to be taken more carefully.
Luther placed the Pokémon onto Darkrai. Looking at all the lively Pokémon on him, Darkrai suddenly felt like he had become the head of a kindergarten.
Luther works hard every day. Darkrai couldn't help but sigh.
Espurr and Jumpluff seemed to sense something from Luther's movements. They looked at Luther as he walked toward Mai, anticipation written on their faces.
Luther gently wrapped an arm around Mai, turned his head with a smile, and said to the shop owner, "Last shot—we're ready."
Seeing Mai tremble in Luther's arms with a shy, sweet expression on her face, Mao pouted and shot Etorre a sidelong glance.
"Comparing people just makes you mad. Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk."
Etorre also noticed Mao's gaze and silently turned back to pet his Jellicent.
Seeing Mao's murderous look, Jellicent shrank back and floated behind Trevenant.
Etorre's outstretched hand stopped in midair. Trevenant protected Jellicent and slowly backed away, completely blocking Etorre's path.
The sound of the camera flash went off. Cheers from Luther's Pokémon rang out. Trevenant and Jellicent exchanged encouraging glances.
Atmospheres are contagious. So are emotions.
Suddenly, Luther's actions gave Etorre tremendous courage.
Looking at Mao, who had been standing there with her hands behind her back, staring at him the whole time, he made up his mind.
"Not going to pet your Jellicent anymore?" Mao asked, looking at Etorre as he walked up to her.
Before the words had even finished leaving her mouth, Etorre pressed a hand on Mao's shoulder. The sensation on her forehead made Mao freeze.
It was too fast, so fast that her brain hadn't even processed it yet.
It wasn't until Trevenant, Flygon, and the others also started cheering like Marill and the others that Mao finally came back to her senses.
"Just once. I've accompanied you for so far, for so long, you know…"
This time, Mao's voice was very gentle.
(End of Chapter)
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