Chapter 72: Let me pick up Cynthia?
July 16th, Thursday.
Thanks to having a template, progress on Plants vs. Zombies was quick, and a prototype would be ready before the weekend.
Dayou's hairline receded another 2 centimeters, a sight that made anyone who saw it feel both sad and tearful, but at this point, it no longer mattered. As long as you stay up late enough, there's no time left for sorrow!
Eevee casually stepped over Lu Ye's face. Although its soft, chubby paw pads felt comfortable, waking up like this didn't seem quite right.
Lu Ye scratched his head and reassured the two eager Pokémon, "Alright, I'll make breakfast right away!"
"Gengarr! (*≧▽≦)"
"Bui! (▼ヘ▼#)"
Lu Ye opened the fridge and, under Haunter's resentful gaze, blatantly drank a can of MooMoo Milk. He scrolled through his feed for a bit.
On Saturday, the Master Tournament would kick off in Modu, and the chat group discussions revolved around this event.
Gold: "The groups are out? Anyone there I can actually beat?"
Blue: "Unfortunately… probably not. Red Team's got Lance from the Kanto League. You've experienced his strength before."
Tokiwa Erika: "Mr. Lance is also from Tokiwa Forest. He's a nice guy! (╹▽╹)"
Gold shivered, recalling those two Dragonair that expertly controlled the weather. Gritting his teeth, he asked, "What about Blue Team? I've got to have at least a 10% chance there!"
Whitney: "Blue Team has Cynthia. You beating her? Yeah, right!"
But Brock replied seriously, "Theoretically, a 10% chance still exists."
Red: "Gold's gotten a lot better… 10% may be low, but it's fair."
Green: "Agreed."
Gold burst into tears.
"Are you guys really trying to encourage me? Thanks, I guess!"
Closing the chat window, Lu Ye scratched his head.
"Cynthia's coming to Modu for the tournament?"
"No wonder she hasn't been gaming these past few days," Lu Ye sighed with regret. Losing that extra income just made his already poor household situation worse!
But considering Cynthia's champion-level strength, going to watch the tournament live would be a good experience.
Bzzzt!
His phone rang. Lu Ye answered.
"Hello, who's calling?"
"Lu Ye, sorry for calling so early. Are you free on Friday?"
"Professor Yamana?" Lu Ye was surprised. "What's up?"
"Last time, you mentioned Eevee's Anticipation symptoms. Are they still there?"
Lu Ye paused and glanced at Eevee. Haunter was already too hungry to move, slumped weakly against the wall, while Eevee played with its Substitute…
Crash!
The newly bought enamel cup shattered. Eevee blinked and sneaked a glance at Lu Ye.
"Bui! Σ(っ°Д°;)っ"
Their eyes met, and Eevee, caught red-handed, awkwardly turned away, puffing up its cheeks and angrily swatting at the broken cup.
Lu Ye's eyebrow twitched, and he coughed lightly. "Professor Yamana, uh… I think the symptoms are still there…"
"Don't worry too much. It's likely a normal reaction," Professor Yamana said. "My assistant will be visiting Donghuang on Friday to check it out."
"That's great!" Lu Ye smiled. "Do you need me to pick her up?"
"I called you for that reason," Professor Yamana chuckled. "She'll arrive at Modu Airport on Friday morning."
"I'm worried she might get lost since she's unfamiliar with the area. It'd be great if you could pick her up."
"No problem! What's her name? I'll make a pickup sign."
"No need for a sign. You'll recognize her immediately—it's someone you've met before," Professor Yamana said. "She's the champion from the Sinnoh Region, Cynthia."
"Got it!" Lu Ye agreed readily, then froze, his brain going blank.
Wait, what?
Are we talking about the same Cynthia?
The beautiful, curvy one…
The one coming to Modu for the tournament this weekend?!
Before he could process it, the efficient Professor Yamana had already hung up.
Lu Ye stared blankly, still holding the MooMoo Milk, forgetting to open his mouth. Haunter floated below him, mouth wide open to catch the milk dripping down.
"…Makes sense."
After a long pause, Lu Ye nodded to himself.
"She's coming to check on Eevee's condition, so I should pick her up…"
"Bui Bui!" Eevee scratched at the wall, famished.
Haunter tearfully stared at the MooMoo Milk in Lu Ye's hand.
Just give it to me! Who drinks bottled milk without opening their mouth?!
"Coming, coming!"
As Lu Ye prepared to make breakfast, his phone vibrated again.
"Seriously? Can't a guy catch a break in the morning?!"
Grumbling, Lu Ye opened his phone and froze.
Cabbage Ice Cream: "Can you voice chat?"
Teacher Lu: "Sure…"
Humble, weak, and helpless.
Moments later, a call invitation from Cynthia popped up.
Lu Ye answered, and that familiar, magnetic voice came through.
"I'll be arriving in Modu on Friday morning. If it's convenient, could you pick me up at the airport?"
"I…"
"It's okay."
Hearing Lu Ye's hesitation, Cynthia paused.
"I was presumptuous. We can game together another time."
"Wait!"
Just as Cynthia was about to hang up, Lu Ye shouted, "I'm free! Totally free!"
Perhaps realizing her request was a bit abrupt, Cynthia carefully chose her next words.
"I'm not very familiar with Modu…"
"You're my only friend in Donghuang."
"I know."
"So, you'll pick me up tomorrow?"
"Of course! If I don't, I'm a Growlithe!"
A faint smile appeared on Cynthia's face. Her slightly husky voice, transmitted across the ocean, sounded even more magnetic. Lu Ye could hear her breathing.
The nerves at the back of his head bristled.
Cynthia said, "See you then."
Lu Ye replied, "See you tomorrow."
…
Hanging up, Lu Ye let out a long breath. Clutching his chest, he muttered, "Why is my heart beating so fast?"
"It's just meeting an online friend… It's not like she's going to stay over at my place, right?"
Lu Ye was trained for situations like this. His heart quickly calmed down.
The only thing that bothered him was—
"What identity should I use to meet her…?"
Lu Ye's expression twisted.
"A game companion? A research assistant? Just a plain Modu University student?"
Finally, he rubbed his chin and decided to wing it. No need to lie. Cynthia could tell his skill level at a glance, and he'd never hidden anything anyway.
Just pick her up and drop her off at the hotel.
So ultimately, Cynthia's only role… was to diagnose Eevee.
Lu Ye blinked. "So Cynthia's just a tool person?"
"Gengarr! ﾍ(;´Д｀ﾍ)"
Haunter, starving, looked pale.
Eevee bit a napkin tearfully, saying nothing.
Lu Ye scratched his head helplessly.
"Okay, okay! Breakfast is coming!"