Chapter 35: I don't want to work hard anymore
The luxurious hotel in Sootopolis City was a quiet retreat. For two whole days, Cynthia hadn't stepped outside.
The handcrafted carpet in the room was strewn with large volumes of books and documents—mythology, history, and ruins—all borrowed from the Sootopolis City library. Even during her vacations, Cynthia was deeply engrossed in these subjects.
As the sky darkened, Cynthia, wearing a plain white T-shirt, lifted her slightly weary face and lazily stretched.
"Mm—"
Her impressive figure leaned forward on the desk, unmistakably striking. She took the glass of water handed to her with a soft smile. "Thank you."
Lucario nodded silently and resumed its watch on the balcony.
Roserade carefully organized the scattered books around the room and released a soothing aroma to ease Cynthia's fatigue. Meanwhile, Glaceon nimbly jumped onto the desk, licking Cynthia's cheek with its cold little tongue.
Cynthia squinted her eyes, smiling.
"Alright, I got it. Tomorrow, I'll take you all out for some fun."
Lazy days always seemed both pleasant and fleeting. The mere thought of the bureaucratic formalities within the League gave Cynthia a headache. But as Champion, maintaining the stability of the Sinnoh Region was her duty. Not even Cynthia could act purely as she pleased.
However, she firmly believed in living in the moment.
"All set! To celebrate my return to the League tomorrow, I'm rewarding myself with a night of gaming!"
With a self-assured nod, the earlier fatigue disappeared as Cynthia skillfully turned on the screen.
[Cabbage Ice Cream] was Cynthia's gaming alias. Her friend list contained only [Diantha] and [Did Lu Teacher Cook Today].
Diantha rarely played games and only joined in under Cynthia's persistent requests.
Recalling the Trainer skilled in Perish Song tactics, Cynthia brushed her golden hair back, a playful smile forming at the corners of her lips.
Today, I won't lose again!
[Cabbage Ice Cream: Online, ready for some games.]
Lu Ye was puzzled.
Why is it that every time I try to focus on studying, someone shows up and drags me into gaming?
Refusing wasn't an option. There's no way I'd ever say no to gaming with a rich lady.
She's cute, has a sweet voice—who wouldn't love a rich lady?
[Lu Teacher: Got it.]
[Lu Teacher: Voice chat?]
[Cabbage Ice Cream: Why voice chat?]
[Lu Teacher: Voice chat is extra—commentary comes at a price.]
[Cabbage Ice Cream: No need, I can understand.]
Although he doubted her confidence, Lu Ye adhered to the golden rule: the customer is always right. As a first-time game companion, Lu Ye connected nervously, asking,
[Lu Teacher: Gentle or aggressive?]
[Cabbage Ice Cream: ?]
[Lu Teacher: Your playstyle preference—I'm versatile.]
[Cabbage Ice Cream: Go with what you're good at.]
Relieved, Lu Ye smiled. If she'd asked for a brute-force approach, he might have struggled. After all, techniques like Life Orb sweeps or Dragon Dance setups weren't his forte.
Happily, he added Gengar to his team.
At the end of the day, Substitute-Protect-Toxic is what I'm best at!
"Pay attention, this'll be your go-to tactic someday!" Lu Ye encouraged Gastly.
"Gengaa!" Gastly nodded eagerly.
The battle began, and Lu Ye's face froze as he saw the opponent's Pokémon.
Water splashed as a Milotic with a creamy white body and pink, ribbon-like fins cried out ethereally. Seeing the Milotic, Lu Ye immediately understood the opponent's plan: Coil would boost Milotic's Attack, Defense, and Accuracy, making its Hypnosis almost unavoidable after repeated setups.
But once the strategy was deciphered, countering it was straightforward. Lu Ye smiled faintly.
"Trying to outplay me? You're still too young for that!"
On the other side, Cynthia's lips curved upward when she recognized the familiar Gengar. But what surprised her was Gengar's opening. It didn't use Toxic or Perish Song but floated eerily, eyes glowing with a sinister light and a menacing grin.
"Nasty Plot?" Cynthia murmured. "Why the sudden change in tactics?"
Nasty Plot sharply boosted Gengar's Special Attack but left it vulnerable. Against a Pokémon like Milotic, which relied on setups, striking first was the best choice!
"Gengar, use Thunderbolt!"
On-screen, a deafening Thunderbolt struck, reducing Milotic to a sliver of health!
Gastly glanced at Lu Ye in confusion.
"Gengaa?"
Isn't this supposed to be Substitute-Protect-Toxic?
Lu Ye coughed awkwardly. "This isn't for you. The next one will be."
Cynthia's second Pokémon was Togekiss. Lu Ye assumed Gengar's speed would easily surpass Togekiss, but it turned out her Togekiss held a Choice Scarf, massively boosting its speed. Left with no choice, Lu Ye had Gengar self-destruct, chipping away at Togekiss's health.
The screen exploded with a dramatic boom, leaving Gengar in pieces.
Gastly: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Was this what you meant by a "tactic"?
Lu Ye cleared his throat. "No, not this… Well, maybe this…"
Despite Cynthia's evolving strategies catching him off guard, Lu Ye managed to stay composed. The match ended in a narrow 5-6 victory for Lu Ye, with just a sliver of health remaining. Leaning weakly in his chair, Lu Ye muttered, "That was exhausting."
"Earning money from rich ladies isn't easy!"
His phone buzzed.
[Cabbage Ice Cream: Again.]
[Lu Teacher: More?]
[Cabbage Ice Cream: 5,000 per match, 3,000 for a loss.]
[Lu Teacher: I'm in!]
By the time the night ended, Lu Ye had fought 5 full 6V6 matches. He narrowly won 2 matches and lost 3 after putting in his all.
"Good thing I lost," he muttered. "Otherwise, it might've turned into a best-of-seven!"
On the other side, Cynthia, competitive as ever, smiled contentedly and stretched lazily.
[Cabbage Ice Cream: Not bad.]
[Cabbage Ice Cream: That's 21,000. I'll transfer it shortly.]
Lu Ye gulped.
21,000 yuan… that's almost half a month's salary! Forget Red. This is the real champion!
[Cabbage Ice Cream: Up for other games?]
[Lu Teacher: Definitely!]
[Cabbage Ice Cream: Weren't you done for the night?]
[Lu Teacher: Whether I'm done or not, you'll see!]
The two moved on to an FPS game resembling Resident Evil. As a console gamer, Lu Ye excelled at FPS games, making it through with ease. By 1 a.m., after defeating the level boss and watching the cutscene, Cynthia sent a message.
[Cabbage Ice Cream: We actually cleared it…]
[Lu Teacher: Don't tell me you struggled with something this easy?]
[Cabbage Ice Cream: …Logging off now.]
Her sudden departure left Lu Ye speechless.
Goodness, not even I end streams this fast!
But offending a rich lady was out of the question. After some thought, Lu Ye composed and sent a message.
[Lu Teacher: Rest well.]
Two minutes later, he added,
[Lu Teacher: If you can't sleep, call me for another match.]
Receiving no reply, he tossed his phone aside.
Outside, the wild Pokémon calls echoed through the night. Looking up, he saw Gastly on the ceiling, already fast asleep. Yawning, Lu Ye drifted off as well.
Half an hour later, his phone lit up in the dark room.
Cynthia, lying in bed, lazily tapped her screen.
[Cabbage Ice Cream: Sure.]