"You're coming back to Hoenn with us?"
Chen Shi's eyes widened as he blurted it out.
Cynthia glanced at him, calmly pulled out a tissue, and wiped her lips with unhurried elegance.
"What? Am I not allowed to go to Hoenn?"
"No, that's not what I meant," Chen Shi said quickly. "I'm just wondering… why the sudden decision to visit Hoenn?"
Cynthia's tone stayed even. "Didn't you invite me to your family farm before?"
"Now is the perfect time. The World Tournament just ended, and I don't have anything urgent to deal with. So I'll go to your place and relax for a bit."
Chen Shi's face instantly turned miserable.
He'd sworn to his grandparents—with absolute confidence—that he and Cynthia were just normal friends. He'd even gotten lectured for it.
And now?
The little boat of friendship had sailed straight into the sea of romance.
And Cynthia was about to show up at his home.
He could already imagine the way his grandparents would tease him without mercy.
The thought alone made him feel like the food in his mouth had lost its flavor.
"What's with that expression?" Cynthia raised an eyebrow, her voice cooling. "Don't tell me you're not welcoming me."
"No—of course not!" Chen Shi forced a smile. "I'm happy you're coming. How could I not welcome you?"
On the other side, Phoebe looked downright delighted.
"That's perfect! Cynthia, you can sunbathe with us!"
Chen Shi's face went dark.
This little rascal… all she ever thinks about is sunbathing.
No wonder she was so tanned.
Steven spoke up as well. "Then it's settled. We'll take the private jet back together tomorrow."
"We'll probably land in Rustboro City, though. You'll need to get yourselves back to Verdanturf Town."
The three of them nodded—no objections.
...…
Dinner ended quickly.
Chen Shi carried Victini's egg back to his room first, then took out a stack of energy blocks and released all his partners.
"Eat up," he said. "We're heading home tomorrow. You've all worked hard these days—so I'm giving you a few days off."
"Toge~kiss!"
"Lea~feon!"
The moment they heard days off, the happiest ones were Togekiss and Leafeon. Even their eating speed noticeably increased.
Then Chen Shi suddenly said something that made Leafeon freeze on the spot like a statue.
"Since I said 'days off' and Leafeon said 'no,' then Leafeon doesn't get a break."
"You haven't suffered much anyway. Since you said no… you can keep training."
Leafeon's entire brain short-circuited.
She just stood there blankly, not even touching her food, her tiny head filled with question marks.
But… I always make that sound! I didn't say 'no'—I said 'Lea-feon'!
You can't do this to me!
Nearby, Togekiss covered her mouth with a wing, giggling at her best friend's misery.
Once Leafeon finally realized what was happening, she immediately put on the most pitiful expression she could manage, dove straight into Chen Shi's arms, and started shamelessly acting cute.
"Lea… lea… lea-feoooon…"
Chen Shi laughed so hard his shoulders shook. When he looked down, Leafeon's big bright eyes were glistening—like she was desperately trying to squeeze out tears.
He couldn't help but feel both amused and helpless.
"Alright, alright. You get a break too. Happy now?"
"Lea-feon~!"
Only then did Leafeon relax. She hopped out of his arms, strolled back to her bowl as if nothing had happened, and continued eating her energy blocks with exaggerated calm.
Chen Shi pulled out his space backpack and cleared his throat.
"Alright—there's something I need to say."
All seven Pokémon stopped eating and looked up at him, confused.
"We won the World Tournament, right? There were rewards from that, plus what we exchanged with Mega Evolution—so this time, I ended up with four pieces of legendary-tier resources."
"Some of you didn't get anything before… so now I'm making it up to you."
"Toge~kiss!"
Togekiss' eyes instantly lit up. She stared at Chen Shi eagerly—he'd promised her before that she'd get a legendary resource too.
"Alright, alright—don't rush me."
Chen Shi took out a green box and placed it in front of Leafeon.
"This one is for Leafeon."
"You didn't get to battle in the World Tournament, but you still trained hard, and you're still part of our team."
"And this time, I happened to find something perfect for you, so I brought it back. Go on—open it and see if you like it."
Leafeon stared at the green box, completely flustered.
She knew she wasn't a fan of battling. She also knew she wasn't the strongest. She had assumed she wouldn't get anything at all.
And yet… the first gift was hers.
"Go on," Chen Shi said gently, rubbing her head. "What are you waiting for?"
Leafeon looked up at him uncertainly, her eyes clearly asking: Is this really for me?
"It's for you," Chen Shi said. "Take it."
"Don't forget—you're our partner. You're part of the team."
Leafeon glanced at Dragapult, Florges, Charizard… and when she saw all of them looking at her with encouragement, she finally stopped hesitating.
She lifted a leg and opened the box.
Inside lay a pink flower, giving off a soft, gentle glow.
Leafeon could feel it—an aura that made her shiver, and yet drew her in with irresistible warmth.
"You like it?" Chen Shi asked with a smile.
"Lea-feon~!"
Leafeon nodded eagerly, her voice bright and happy.
"Good," Chen Shi said. "Then next—Togekiss' turn!"
As he spoke, he pulled out another box.
"Toge~kiss!"
Before he could even hand it over, Togekiss snatched it with her wing, set it on the floor, and opened it with sparkling anticipation.
Inside was a green feather.
Togekiss could instantly sense the pure Flying-type energy contained within—it suited her perfectly.
"Toge~kiss!"
She beamed, flew straight up to Chen Shi, and affectionately rubbed her head against his cheek.
"Alright, alright, stop that." Chen Shi pushed her away with a laugh.
"Toge~kiss~!"
Togekiss didn't get upset. She happily flew back to the box, carefully closed the lid, and then brought it back to Chen Shi—like she was asking him to store it safely.
Chen Shi grinned mischievously.
"Oh? So you don't want it? Fine—then I'll give it to Charizard instead. He can use it too."
"Toge… to—ge—KISS!"
Togekiss instantly panicked.
What do you mean I don't want it?! I was asking you to put it away!
Do you not understand Pokémon language or what?!
Chen Shi laughed, pulled out a string, tied up the feather, and hung it around Togekiss' neck.
"Better?"
Togekiss flew a circle in the room, feeling the feather sway lightly against her chest—and she looked so satisfied she might as well have been glowing.
"Toge~kiss~!"
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