Today, Cynthia was wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of light-blue jeans. It had to be said—she really had a good foundation.
At eleven years old and already 150 cm tall, she was considered quite tall among her peers. Dressed like this, people would easily believe she was fifteen.
As soon as she came downstairs, she saw the two freeloaders sitting on the sofa in the living room, waiting to mooch a meal.
So she greeted them, "Good morning, Row—eh? Wasn't it wearing a Snorlax outfit yesterday? Why is it a Blissey today?"
In response, Lumiere glanced at her and replied casually, "Pink looks better on girls."
"There's such a saying?" Cynthia asked, half believing it, since she personally thought black looked better.
"Nope. I just made it up."
"..."
Cynthia was left speechless. She then headed into the kitchen alone to prepare breakfast.
Lumiere followed out of curiosity. Seeing her start heating water, he asked, "Where's Volo?"
"The door to his room is open. He's not home—who knows where he ran off to again."
"So he's not here…" Lumiere muttered softly.
Then he felt a chill coming from the pickling stone not far away and shivered without realizing it.
"That Spiritomb…" He was at a loss for words. It wasn't like he was going to do anything bad.
Turning back to Cynthia, he asked curiously, "Honestly, you and Volo look pretty similar. Are you related?"
"Nope. I picked him up," Cynthia replied while taking out the kettle.
Lumiere: "???"
She explained, "My hometown is Celestic Town in north-central Sinnoh. When I was four, I was playing in town and saw him soaking in a pond, almost bloated. So I fished him out and brought him home."
"That's… a pretty suspicious background."
"Maybe. But my grandmother took quite an interest in him. She even trusted him enough to hand me over to him last year and let him bring me to Jubilife City for school."
Hearing this, Lumiere felt something was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Just as he was about to ask more, Cynthia suddenly said, "Breakfast's ready."
"That fast?"
"It's instant noodles. Three minutes is enough."
Lumiere froze for a moment, then asked, "You eat this for breakfast? Can you even keep up nutritionally?"
"Volo isn't home, and this is the only thing I know how to make…" Cynthia said a little embarrassed, as if suggesting to just make do.
Lumiere: "..."
No way. I am not eating instant noodles every meal! Volo, you useless man—look at what kind of life you've arranged here. I came to freeload nutritious breakfasts, not live off instant noodles!
"Are there any ingredients left at home?" Lumiere asked.
Cynthia thought for a moment. "The fridge should still have some…"
"Then don't eat instant noodles. I'll make breakfast."
"Huh? You can cook?"
"I lived alone before. I know a little."
Saying that, Lumiere opened the fridge. At a glance, it looked decent.
There were eggs and such—perfect for making something nice for Rowlet. He could starve himself, but not his little princess. As for Cynthia, that was just incidental.
Before long, breakfast was done—simple egg rolls and a cup of soy milk. Comfortable and satisfying.
"Rowlet, time to eat."
Rowlet flapped its wings, landed on the table, and started eating enthusiastically. Cynthia looked at the egg rolls on her plate and took a bite.
"Mmm~ That's good!"
She was just about to say something in praise when she saw Lumiere head back into the kitchen and come out with a bowl of vegetable salad, walking toward her.
Smiling, she said, "Thanks, but I can't eat that mu—"
Before she could finish, Lumiere placed the bowl in front of Rowlet instead, stroked its feathers, and said, "Slow down, don't choke. There's more here."
"..."
After the meal, Cynthia casually said thank you, chatted with him for a bit, and then went back to her room. She still needed to take care of the Gible egg.
Lumiere, meanwhile, carried Rowlet and went out, planning to wander around the area to get familiar with the layout—and hopefully see if there were any commissions he could take. After all, he was still buried under massive debt.
Following yesterday's route, he left the residential area and saw Trainers and Pokémon playing together along the way.
Rowlet glanced at them, then flew from Lumiere's arms onto his shoulder, wobbling a bit before steadying itself and rubbing its face against his.
"Do you want me to play with you too?"
Rowlet nodded.
"Let's talk about it after we get back. We'll look around nearby first."
Rowlet nodded again.
Lumiere had no choice but to agree for now. Soon after, he passed by the Pokémon School he'd seen last night.
In daylight, it really looked impressive. He'd heard it was the largest Pokémon School in Jubilife City, with several thousand—maybe close to ten thousand—students.
The enrollment age here was ten, and students graduated at thirteen. There was also a clear rule: you had to attend for at least one year before being allowed to choose a starter Pokémon and successfully register as a Trainer.
One year was enough time to get familiar with Pokémon, reducing the risk of accidents later on.
Only after becoming a Trainer would the school start teaching professional knowledge like Pokémon battles.
It was said that Professor Rowan from Sandgem Town often came with his assistants to give lectures, and he was extremely popular.
Of course, this wasn't the only Pokémon School in Jubilife City. There were several others, but they were branch campuses. While there was some difference compared to the main school, it wasn't that big.
After standing at the school gate for a bit, Lumiere continued on. It took him two hours to walk around the area, and he even found a Pokémon Center.
There were quite a few Pokémon Centers here—understandable for such a large city.
So he went inside with Rowlet to rest for a bit and check the big screen. He'd shamelessly borrowed money from Cynthia to come out anyway—since he already owed so much, a little more didn't matter.
"Chansey."
As soon as he entered, a Chansey wearing a nurse's cap walked over.
Rowlet imitated it, flapping its wings and saying, "Chansey."
Chansey: "???"
After sending Chansey away, Lumiere walked over to the big screen. There were still a few people around, but he ignored them and slowly scrolled down the listings.
"As expected of a big city. The difference from a place like Floaroma Town is huge—not just more commissions, but also way messier. There's even stuff like helping with homework…"
He looked for a long time. The passersby around him all found commissions and left, but he still hadn't seen a single one he felt confident he could complete with his current abilities.
Finally, a newly refreshed commission at the very bottom caught his attention. It seemed like the client was nearby too.
〔Commission from Anonymous User 32451: Please help me find my Glameow. It was clearly still at home last night, but it was gone this morning. I'm really worried about its safety / Reward: 200 Pokédollars. If found, please wait for me at the Pokémon Center next to the Pokémon School〕
"Looking for a cat, huh. This one'll do!"