December 25th. Light snow. Christmas Day.
According to later fan recaps, This was undoubtedly a historic moment in the annals of Teacher Lu's stream.
Just like usual, Teacher Lu sat down with Sylveon on his lap, typed in a title, and started the stream.
As soon as the notification went out, fans flooded in.
"I'm here for Sylveon-chan~!"
"Is it another no-cam tech stream today?"
"Teacher Lu's ghosted us for more than three days now!"
"Why didn't Teacher Lu stream last night?"
Lu Ye glanced at the chat. "I was having dinner with my cutie last night."
Cynthia sat beside him, holding Togepi and dragging over a pink gaming chair, pointing to the gift notifications flashing on screen.
Lu Ye gave a thumbs-up. Cynthia instantly smiled with delight.
"Thanks to 'Did Teacher Lu Find His Cutie Yet' for the Rocket..."
Teacher Lu mused aloud, "I found her. Did you?"
The chat paused, then—
"????"
"Teacher Lu's sleep-talking again?"
"A man standing atop the Pokémon world shouldn't be dating!"
Seeing Lu Ye wasn't joking, the chat exploded.
"D*mn it, even Teacher Lu's got a cutie now. Am I the only one left?!"
"I thought Teacher Lu was single like me for Christmas… turns out I'm the only one?!"
"Congrats to Teacher Lu for finding his cutie… sob sob~ o(╥﹏╥)o"
Gifts effects flashed non-stop on the screen.
Lu Ye barely had time to sip water—he spent most of the early stream just thanking people.
"Thanks to 'How Can Teacher Lu Find His Cutie' for the Giant Sword… uh, no clue, try it and see."
"Thanks to 'Teacher Lu Wanna Touch Cutie's Feet?' for the Rocket…"
Teacher Lu paused for a second and glanced sideways.
Cynthia wore black hairclips on both sides, a youthful white cashmere sweater, smiling as she played with Togepi.
His gaze drifted downward—under her light blue wide-legged jeans, fair ankles peeked out. Her small feet rested in fluffy slippers.
"…What are you looking at?" Cynthia leaned in and whispered.
Her golden hair brushed over her shoulders and chest, carrying a sweet fragrance. A glance revealed soft pink lips.
Teacher Lu strained to turn his head away and roared loudly:
"Next question!"
The chat blew up with question marks.
"Saying you don't wanna touch = secretly wanna touch."
"D*mn it! Why is the cafeteria suddenly serving dog food?!"
"Nurse Joy sheds a tear!"
"Teacher Lu's got a cutie, I don't have a cutie—I'm so mad!!"
The stream was bursting with jealousy and joy.
Sunlight poured in through the window, warm and gentle. Cynthia put down Togepi, stretched lazily, and her sweater traced graceful curves.
She glanced back at the shouting Teacher Lu. A faint smile danced across her brows and eyes.
"Should I say hi?" Cynthia whispered softly.
Just as the fans had settled down emotionally, chaos broke out again.
"Broooos, did I just hear Cutie's voice?!"
"Lure us in with Pokémon, then slay us with sweetness on Christmas!"
"So this is what it feels like…"
"Teacher Lu, let Cutie coach on the side!"
Though Cynthia was the Sinnoh Champion—Her battle tactics and command were easily on par with Teacher Lu's 'Divine Punishment' ability.
But obviously, people came here to learn gameplay. If Cynthia took over coaching, wouldn't he be out of a job?!
"A man at the top of the Pokémon world still needs coaching?" Teacher Lu snorted. "Just watch my gameplay!"
"???"
"Can the mic go back to Cutie now, please?"
Amid the jokes, Lu Ye opened the team editor.
"This time, we're running a revised Perish Song Strategy," he said, glancing sideways.
As if remembering something, Cynthia smiled softly.
"On our first time streaming the Perish Song Strategy." Teacher Lu paused. "The opponent back then was the Sinnoh Champion—Cynthia."
"Old fans showed up without invite. That was the video that got me hooked!"
"Calling her Cynthia to her face? You're sleeping on the keyboard tonight!"
"Don't tell me Cutie is actually Cynthia, haha!"
Cynthia held Togepi, shaking the black clips in her hair, smiling silently.
"Anyway!" Lu Ye exhaled and grinned. "Watch me sweep today!"
In doubles, the Perish Song Strategy now featured Gothitelle and its 'Shadow Tag' ability, letting the comp shine fully.
"Also, I added Amoonguss with the 'Regenerator' ability," Lu Ye explained. "This tests your pivoting skills. Technically, Primarina would give us more firepower, but today we're sticking with Gengar…"
"Gengarr~! (๑`▽´๑)۶"
Responding to the call, Gengar leapt from the shadows, punching the air excitedly.
"Pfft." Cynthia couldn't help but laugh.
Teacher Lu cast a sidelong glance.
As expected, the stream's viewership spiked, and the chat exploded again.
"Sorry," Cynthia chuckled. "I'll be more careful next time."
From the very first Perish Song build to this upgraded version, Gengar returned once more.
Loyal viewers were already spamming "tears in eyes" in the chat.
But even with Cutie's luck boost, Teacher Lu's stream was still cursed with "Divine Punishment."
"Nani?! That missed too?!" Lu Ye blinked, watching Lapras fire a Hydro Pump, falling into stunned silence.
Cynthia: "Ahem!"
"This dish's got lemon in it, sob sob!"
"So this is what 'just okay' means (lemon yellow)!"
The stream ran nearly two hours and broke a new viewer record.
Although it was still classic "down-to-earth" gameplay, With Cutie's presence, it evolved from a solo monologue to a duo comedy routine.
Truly super effective.
"Well then, that's it for today's stream," Lu Ye coughed. "See you next time!"
"Next time it might be a duo comedy stream!"
"I'm so mad! Teacher Lu, take my Iron Head!"
"Teacher Lu, you better be happy!!"
Neither Interpol, Team Rocket, Officer Jenny, nor Nurse Joy had recovered from the shock.
But soon, the same thought surfaced in everyone's minds—Aside from sending gifts… should we also prepare wedding presents for Teacher Lu?
After the stream, Lu Ye propped his feet on the table and rolled his gaming chair into the sunlight.
"Feels… pretty fun," Cynthia said with a giggle, lounging in her chair.
"You can help me coach too," Lu Ye smiled. "The audience seems totally cool with it."
Cynthia nodded with a chuckle. "Just… your luck is as bad as always."
"That's because I used it all up meeting you."
Her heart skipped a beat. A blush crept up her delicate ears, her skin warming. Cynthia lifted her golden hair, revealing the soft pink of her neck.
She seemed about to say something, but turned and saw the boy reclining, half-asleep.
His long lashes, his sharp features under the sunlight… he looked like he'd walked right out of a Sinnoh legend.
Cynthia smiled gently.
And said nothing at all.
The sky had cleared outside. Warm golden sunlight blanketed the snowy ground. It was already perfect, just like this.
After gaming all night with Cynthia and streaming that morning, Teacher Lu took a nap and woke feeling refreshed.
In the quiet room, Cynthia slept on the couch, her golden hair spilling over her waist, breathing evenly like a small animal. Lucario was playing cards with Togepi, clearly struggling—his face already covered in random marker doodles.
"Briee~! (≧∇≦)ﾉ"
The little one played a winning card triumphantly.
Lucario's expression darkened… but silently leaned in for more drawing.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the wall shook and debris crumbled.
Teacher Lu blinked and stepped out to the balcony.
In the yard, Squirtle was training with Garchomp.
"Graaawr!" Garchomp swung her scythes, unleashing Dragon Pulse as a roaring violet dragon.
"Squirtlee!" Squirtle held his breath, gathering the same energy between his palms—it looked like Hanzo charging an ult.
"When it evolves into Blastoise…" Cynthia, now awake, stood beside him and smiled. "It'll be able to fire Dragon Pulse from its cannons."
"Yeah," Teacher Lu nodded with a sigh. "Just thinking about them growing up makes me a little sad. Like watching kids grow up."
Cynthia leaned on the railing, her golden hair fluttering in the breeze. "I feel that way sometimes too."
She thought of her grandmother, alone at home.
Cynthia had started her journey young—she could barely remember her parents' faces.
From being all about strength, to forging bonds with Pokémon… she'd come to believe in the value of emotional connections.
Between people and Pokémon.
And between people too.
Cool and elegant as an ice queen, she often smiled gently. Poised and graceful, but sometimes playful like a girl.
Cynthia had always longed for a warm home—and she saw her Pokémon as family.
And now… she'd seemingly found someone kindred. Someone she could trust.
Suddenly, Cynthia's cheeks flushed slightly.
"How many kids do you have?" Lu Ye suddenly asked.
"Six," Cynthia answered automatically.
"…Huh?" Lu Ye blinked. Wasn't she an only child?
She had siblings like Brock?!
"No—no! I'm an only child!" Cynthia panicked for once.
"Oh." Teacher Lu nodded, deep in thought, 'So the 'six'... referred to what exactly?'
"L-Let's go to Professor Oak's lab!" Cynthia laughed. "Enough daydreaming—time to head out!"
Lu Ye nodded—then froze.
Squirtle's Dragon Pulse, overloaded with power, had formed a dragon shadow that looked ready to burst through the wall!
"Ryū ga waga teki wo kurau[1]?!" Lu Ye cried out.
Cynthia furrowed her brows, tossed out a Poké Ball—Spiritomb emerged, vines flaring.
"Calm Mind! Light Screen!" Cynthia commanded.
Spiritomb floated mid-air, erecting a massive glowing wall.
BOOM!!
The dragon and wall collided—cracks appeared.
"Squirtlee…" Squirtle cautiously adjusted his sunglasses.
Didn't pierce the enemy's armor… Gotta train harder!
"Whew…" Cynthia exhaled. "You okay?" she asked over her shoulder.
Lu Ye looked at her flushed cheeks—then down.
Their hands were clasped. Cynthia had pulled him behind her, shielding him from the attack.
"We'll have to… fix the house again," Cynthia said, releasing his hand, gazing at the cracked wall with a wry smile.
Lu Ye nodded.
Feeling that warm touch just now, he smiled at Squirtle in gratitude.
Worth it.
Besides training Squirtle's Dragon Pulse, Sirfetch'd and Arcanine were diligently practicing Close Combat too.
Cynthia blinked. "Your Pokémon… all this hardworking?"
Teacher Lu nodded with slight pain.
Cynthia smiled. "Maybe… they take after their trainer."
---
In the chat group, everyone was already discussing tonight's plans.
[Brock: Any idea how many people are coming? I need to prep ingredients.]
[Lu Ye: Let everyone bring a dish. That way, Brock won't have to handle it all alone.]
[Gold: Ohh, good idea! I'll just bring a pair of chopsticks…]
[Admin Lorelei muted 'Gold' for 5 minutes.]
Lu Ye's face twitched.
Honestly… that was what he had been thinking too!
[Steven: I might not make it to the lab—got company stuff.]
[Steven sent a red envelope to the group—claim it now!]
[Steven: These are just a little something. I'll follow up with more later] Steven added with a smile.
Lu Ye opened the gift—and was shocked by the number.
[Green: Thanks, boss!!]
Maylene, in a tank top, rubbed her frozen arms: "I can finally eat something besides steamed buns tonight… o(╥﹏╥)o"
In summary:
Ruby and Sapphire wouldn't be coming—they were spending time with family.
But folks from Kanto like Red, and Johto like Gold, would be at the lab.
Even Kanto's Elites and Gym Leaders were expected. It was going to be a lively party tonight.
---
"You're coming with me, right?"
Lu Ye looked at Cynthia, who was just putting on her shoes.
"Of course," Cynthia said.
She wore a black dress with a familiar black coat. Her slender legs wrapped in black stockings, toes curled into heels—she braced on the doorframe to buckle them.
Lu Ye looked away… then looked back, 'Can you blame a proper gentleman for this?!'
"Let's go." Cynthia smiled. "Time to party."
[1] "Ryū ga waga teki wo kurau" (竜が我が敵を喰らう) is a Japanese phrase, most famously used by the character Hanzo from the video game Overwatch, which translates to "Let the dragon consume my enemies". The phrase is associated with the ultimate ability, Dragonstrike, where the character summons two dragon spirit arrows. It literally means "Dragon, consume my foes".