"It's already so late, another meal won't make a difference... right?"
Victor watched as Cynthia squinted her eyes at him. He rubbed his nose and, just like Gengar, broke into a wide grin.
Cynthia held the Petilil in her arms and, seeing Victor's awkward expression, smiled gracefully.
Although they had only just met, she could tell that Victor was a good person from the way he treated his Pokémon.
That's why she was willing to spend more time with him. People who love Pokémon always find it easy to gain the favor of others who love Pokémon.
She frowned slightly, holding the Petilil with one arm. With her other hand, she placed her slender, snow-white fingers on her smooth chin, her thumb gently rubbing it as she pretended to consider his offer.
Seeing Victor holding his breath, she finally spoke slowly, "Alright."
Victor let out a sigh of relief. Then, seeing the mischievous look in her eyes, he sighed helplessly to himself.
Yep, I'm still leagues behind her.
Cynthia couldn't help but laugh internally.
It seems Victor doesn't interact with girls very often, she thought.
Victor stood up and told Cynthia to continue enjoying her tea while he and Gengar went to the garden to pick some vegetables.
Seeing this, Cynthia offered to help. Under her sincere gaze, Victor nodded and had Gengar take her to the garden.
He went to the entrance and brought out a new, unopened pair of slippers that he had bought as extras when he purchased some for Laura and the others. He then ran back to the kitchen and grabbed a vegetable basket from the wall.
Arriving at the backyard, Victor placed the slippers in front of Cynthia. The backyard was all dirt paths and grass, very inconvenient for high heels. He then handed the basket to Gengar.
Cynthia looked at the slippers, hesitated for a moment, then bent down to take off her high heels. Her fair ankles and toes emerged, and her painted toenails flashed past Victor's eyes before disappearing into the slippers.
Looking at the slippers, which were clearly several sizes too big, and the brightly colored nail polish beneath them, Victor coughed twice and averted his gaze.
Cynthia shifted her feet a little to get used to them, then placed her high heels neatly by the chair and stood up, still holding the Petilil.
After giving Gengar a few instructions, Victor took Mime Jr. back to the kitchen to prepare the other ingredients.
Ever since Mime Jr. had hatched, Gengar had slowly begun to hand over its kitchen duties to it.
Watching Victor and Mime Jr. disappear through the door, Cynthia reached into the pocket of her trench coat, pulled out a handful of Poké Balls, and tossed them into the air.
All of Cynthia's Pokémon appeared in the Breeding House. Victor, alerted by the status window, peeked through the window.
Lucario, Gastrodon, Spiritomb, Togekiss, Roserade, Glaceon, and Milotic.
He glanced at their movesets. As expected of a Champion's team, they were overwhelmingly powerful.
Cynthia had them tone down their auras, explained the situation to them, and then followed Gengar to the vegetable garden.
Cynthia held the Petilil in one arm and linked the other with Gengar's. Gengar, with its other hand held palm up and the basket hanging naturally from its elbow, floated along as if it were walking on flat ground, its posture every bit that of a noble lady.
Seeing Gengar's antics, Victor shook his head in exasperation. I really need to control what weird videos Gengar watches.
Cynthia followed Gengar to the garden, a patch of vibrant green. She couldn't tell which vegetables they needed and asked Gengar, who patted its chest as if to say, "Leave it to me."
Gengar then floated into the garden and pointed out the required vegetables.
"Gengar—"
"This one's tasty."
Cynthia opened the wooden gate to the garden, walked in, and began to pick the vegetables, mimicking Gengar's posture.
This was a novel experience for her. Dressed in her trench coat, she pushed back her long, golden hair and continued to pick, one type, two types, three types...
Just as she was about to place a head of cauliflower in the basket, she realized it was already full.
"This..."
"Are the vegetables picked... yet?"
Before she could finish, Victor's voice came from outside the garden. He was standing there, looking at the vegetables in her hands and the overflowing basket, speechless.
"I'm sorry, I got a bit carried away," Cynthia said, holding the cauliflower, her cheeks feeling a little warm. For the Champion, this was a rather embarrassing moment.
"Hiss..."
Victor looked at the huge, overflowing basket, then at the now-bare patch in the garden, and then back at the cauliflower in Cynthia's hands.
His teeth ached.
Finally, seeing the look on Cynthia's face, Victor smiled and said it was fine.
"It's no problem. These vegetables needed to be picked anyway, or they'd get old and not taste good. We'll just eat these tonight. If we can't finish them, we'll just give them to Gengar. It has a big appetite."
"Gengar?! Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾉ)ﾉ"
Me?!
Gengar took one look, then nodded.
"Gengar!!"
Hearing this, Cynthia whipped her head back towards the garden. Victor quickly called her out, not wanting her to ravage his vegetable patch any further.
Cynthia walked out with a look of regret, handed the vegetables to Victor, and watched him carry the basket and the extra veggies away, feeling a bit bored.
She looked around the yard and had Gengar give her a tour.
When she returned to the house, Victor had just finished cooking dinner.
"Cynthia, would you like to eat in the backyard or in the kitchen?"
"The backyard," she said, looking at the scenery and all the Pokémon.
Victor nodded and had Gengar and the others move the table and chairs outside while he brought out the food.
Considering Cynthia might not be used to eating rice, Victor had made her a bowl of fragrant noodle soup.
After distributing the Poffins, Victor sat down at the table.
Cynthia held her chopsticks, looked at the food before her, and sniffed gently. Her beautiful eyes curved into crescents, and she clasped her hands together.
"Thank you for the meal."
She then lowered her head and took a bite of the noodles. Her eyes curved even further into crescent moons.
Seeing this, Victor nodded proudly. The great-aunt's recipe book lived up to its name.
He then lowered his head and started on his own food.
The two of them quietly enjoyed their meal, the sound of Pokémon squabbling occasionally reaching their ears, along with the cries of Starly in the sky. Cynthia finished the soup in her bowl and took the napkin Victor offered to wipe the sweat from her brow.
"That was a wonderful meal," Cynthia's gentle voice said, feeling like a spring breeze on the still-hot evening.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Victor had Gengar finish the leftovers, then took Mime Jr. back to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Cynthia, led by the Petilil, went to the swing and sat down. Her Garchomp gently pushed it.
Not far away, Dali and the others were having their after-dinner activity: wrestling. Lucario watched for a bit, then went over to join in, taking the opportunity to guide the three Machoke.
Gengar, meanwhile, was asking Togekiss for advice about something.
The sky slowly darkened. The evening wind blew through Cynthia's golden hair. She sat on the swing, watching everything unfold.
"Garchomp, it feels like it's been a long time since we've been on a swing," she said softly.
The Garchomp behind her had a nostalgic look in its eyes and nodded gently.
The little girl who once loved to sit on swings was now the strongest trainer in the Sinnoh region, the Champion.
"Lili?" The Petilil in her lap looked up at her curiously.
Why did you stop sitting on swings?
Sensing the Petilil's emotion and guessing its question, Cynthia, just like Victor, gently stroked the leaves on its head. "Because I grew up," she said. "And with that came responsibilities I had to bear."
"Lili?" The Petilil didn't understand, its little face wrinkling in confusion.
Cynthia smiled. "That's why, Petilil, you should grow up slowly. You have a trainer who adores you."
With that, Cynthia had her Garchomp push the swing with more force. The woman in black with golden hair swung back and forth, back and forth, swinging up the childhood in her arms, swinging back to her own childhood.
When Victor finished the dishes and returned to the yard, he saw Cynthia on the swing, being pushed by her Garchomp.
The smile on her face was breathtaking, but it was tinged with a hint of weariness.
Seeing this, Victor smiled softly, then walked over to the swing and sat down under the tree.
Seeing Victor, Cynthia stopped the swing, but neither of them spoke.
One sat under the tree, leaning against its trunk. The other sat on the swing under the tree, holding a Petilil, with a Garchomp standing beside her.
They just quietly enjoyed the evening breeze and watched as the stars filled the sky.
The other Pokémon slowly gathered around, and in just a short while, they had all become one big, happy group.
Mime Jr. curled up on Victor's lap and slowly drifted off to sleep.
"Mime Jr..." Its sleep-talking pulled the two of them from their thoughts.
Looking at the sleeping Mime Jr. on Victor's lap, Cynthia smiled gently.
"It's been a long time since I've felt this at ease," she said. Ever since she became the Champion of Sinnoh, it felt like it had been forever since she had been able to just sit and watch the stars with her beloved Pokémon. She usually only felt this relaxed when she was with her closest friends. And even though she often skipped her duties, her mind was always tense. But today, in this Breeding House she was visiting for the first time, she felt a long-lost sense of childhood contentment.
No need to talk. Just sitting quietly with her Pokémon. Just sitting.
She glanced at the man beside her, and her lips curved into an unconscious smile.
She had known him for less than a day, yet she felt incredibly comfortable around him. There was no forced conversation. Just like now, he gave her plenty of space to enjoy her own time.
This was the first time Victor had truly realized that reality was different from the anime. The Champion must have a lot to deal with—fighting criminal organizations, sometimes even guarding against rampaging legendary Pokémon. It was definitely not as carefree as it was portrayed in the show.
It was the same for Victor in his past life. He was constantly being given empty promises by his boss and pressured to get married at home. He had almost no time for himself.
So, he hadn't disturbed Cynthia just now. He had just quietly enjoyed this hard-won moment of personal time with her.
"Since you're tired, why not completely let go and rest for a few days?" Victor said, wiping a bit of drool from Mime Jr.'s face.
"Hmm?" Cynthia looked at him, confused.
"You know, when I started this place, I just wanted the Pokémon here to be able to live happily. That's why I named it a 'paradise.' Later, I met a little girl, and that's when I realized that people need comfort, too. They need a place to escape."
He then slowly told her Shana's story. When he finished, he turned to her. "So, from that moment on, I decided that the Breeding House I run wouldn't be for just people, or just for Pokémon. It would be a Breeding House for both people and Pokémon. A paradise for both people and Pokémon."
"What I mean is, you could stay here for a few days and properly relax. You skip work all the time anyway, right? And we happen to have a room rental service," Victor said with a smile. He then picked up Mime Jr., preparing to take it back to its room.
His words to Cynthia were sincere.
His hope for her to relax was sincere. And his desire for her to stay a few more days was also sincere.
"Gengar?! (ﾟ⊿ﾟ)ﾂ"
We have a room rental service? How come I don't know about that?
Gengar was confused, its gaze darting back and forth between Victor and Cynthia.
"Gengar—⊙∀⊙!"
Oh~ right, yes, we do have that service.
Watching Victor's disappearing back, Cynthia fell into thought. She then handed the Petilil to Gengar and looked at her Garchomp, Lucario, and the others. Seeing the unwavering support in their eyes, she smiled.
Her smile stunned Gengar, Dali, and the others. Gengar, in particular, was like a boiling kettle, shooting around like a popped balloon.
The bright moon was in the sky, and a beautiful woman was on the ground.
It was a shame Victor missed this scene.
"How arrogant. Who does he think I am? I am the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia!"
Cynthia stood up, recalled her Lucario and the others into their Poké Balls, then climbed onto her Garchomp's back and flew off into the distance.
After putting Mime Jr. to bed, Victor returned to the yard but saw no sign of Cynthia.
"She's already gone?"
Victor chuckled, then sighed. He went back to his room, took a shower, and then came out to clean up the rest of the yard. When he got to the afternoon tea area, he froze. Cynthia's high heels were still placed neatly under the chair.
"Gengar?" Gengar, holding a broom, saw Victor stop and floated over curiously.
Just as Victor was wondering if Cynthia had forgotten her shoes, a sound came from the distant sky. Cynthia, standing on her Garchomp's back, descended into the backyard.
She was now wearing a pair of fluffy Buneary-themed slippers, and there was a suitcase on her Garchomp's back.
She jumped down and smiled gracefully at Victor.
"You're right. I'll just skip work for a little while longer."
Seeing this, Victor suppressed his joy. "Welcome~"
"You're happy that I'm staying?"
Hearing her cool voice, Victor answered without a second thought.
"Of course."
"And Gengar?"
"Gengar!!!"
Victor instinctively gave Gengar's tail a tug.
Psssssshhhh~
"Gengar~"
"Gengar is so cute. So, where's my room?"
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