Phew...
Cynthia let out a quiet breath and glanced at the clock hanging on the cream-colored wall. The hour and minute hands had already met at twelve.
She was starting to regret making this trip. It was honestly hard to imagine that the laid-back, carefree young man in front of her had really been Sinnoh's Champion for the last two years.
"Kael," Cynthia said after a pause, "the Sinnoh League Council has unanimously voted to formally invite you to join the council as a member." She hesitated, then added, "You would be appointed directly. No selection process would be required."
"...No thanks."
Kael plucked a bunch of grapes from the fruit basket on the tea table, popped a few into his mouth, and turned it down without a trace of hesitation.
"I'm not cut out for all the League's internal business," he said simply.
Cynthia did not seem especially surprised by the answer. She only gave a slight nod. "Understood. I'll pass your response along to the council."
"In that case, Kael, Lucian, I'll be on my way."
With that, she inclined her head politely to both of them and turned to leave the villa.
"Take care, Champion," Lucian said, rising to see her out.
"Being Champion really keeps you busy..." Kael murmured as he watched Cynthia's retreating figure, privately grateful that he was no longer the one carrying that title.
Lucian turned back and looked helplessly at Kael, who was lounging there with one leg crossed over the other. "You won't even accept a seat on the Sinnoh League Council, so what exactly do you plan to do?"
Kael waved a hand. "Didn't I already say? Go back to Floaroma Town and open a coffee shop."
Knock knock knock.
The moment he finished speaking, someone knocked on the villa door again.
"You've got a lot of visitors today," Lucian said, frowning in puzzlement as he set down the documents in his hand and walked toward the entrance.
"Maybe Cynthia forgot something and came back for it," Kael said casually, picking up his open novel again.
Creak.
"Delii!"
The one standing outside was not Cynthia, but a red-and-white Delibird. It reached into the satchel slung across its body, pulled out a yellow envelope, and handed it to Lucian.
"To Kael, personally."
Lucian took the letter, then pulled a Pokéblock from his coat pocket and bent down to place it in Delibird's red claws.
"Thanks for your hard work, little guy," he said with a gentle smile.
"Delii!"
Delibird happily stuffed the Pokéblock into its mouth, flapped its wings, and flew off.
Lucian returned to the sofa opposite Kael and set the letter on the tea table. "Mail for you."
"Can't believe people still write letters these days."
Closing his novel, Kael picked up the envelope and broke the yellow seal.
Since smartphones had become widespread, this kind of traditional communication had mostly faded away.
"Who's it from?" Lucian asked curiously.
Kael slowly unfolded the letter, and the first line at the top came into view in neat handwriting:
Coronet Academy
---
Deep within the snow-covered Mt. Coronet range stood the oldest school in the Sinnoh region: Coronet Academy.
One month earlier, former Sinnoh Champion Kael had come there and officially taken up a position as the academy's battle instructor.
But he had not remained at Coronet Academy under his identity as the former Champion, Kael. Instead, he had taken the alias Dylan - the name he had borne in his previous life.
His real responsibility was not, in fact, teaching battles. It was ensuring the students' safety from the shadows whenever they entered the mountain range to carry out academy assignments.
Because of that, it was a fairly easy posting most of the time.
And during his free hours, Kael ran a quiet little café tucked into one corner of the academy library.
---
Warm orange sunlight spilled through the fifth-floor windows that afternoon, pouring cleanly into the café.
A handful of customers sat quietly reading. Behind the counter, a part-time girl worked with her head lowered in concentration. A young man in the café owner's uniform polished a glass in his hand, an Espeon draped across his shoulder. On the countertop, an unusually tiny Raichu wearing black-rimmed glasses was sprawled over a book larger than itself, reading with complete absorption.
A green-haired boy in Coronet Academy's uniform passed through the library corridor, and his attention was instantly caught by the café.
The boy's name was Aaron, a third-year student at the academy.
Whenever he had no classes and no field assignment to carry out, he often came to the academy library. He liked the quiet atmosphere there.
In his memory, the library had always been nothing but dark bookcases, plain desks and chairs, and rows of pale, lifeless books.
A café inside the academy... he had never heard of such a thing.
Driven by curiosity, he stepped inside.
"One hot latte, please."
Aaron took a seat at the counter, his eyes roaming curiously around the place.
Everything in the café was brand new. Brand-new redwood tables and chairs, brand-new floor-to-ceiling windows, brand-new sky-blue curtains...
And brand new as well were the owner with an Espeon on his shoulder and the Raichu sprawled across the counter reading a book.
The Thunderbolt Love Story...
Aaron sneaked a glance at the book Raichu was reading. It was the kind of light novel that absolutely should not have existed anywhere near Coronet Academy.
And yet this entire bright new place seemed strangely at odds with the academy's famously strict culture. Most students here lived on a rigid cycle of classes, battles, and exams. Entertainment had little place in their lives.
This café, which had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, felt like someone had splashed bold color across the academy's black-and-white grid.
"Here you go."
The young man in the owner's uniform gently slid the finished latte toward the boy and gave a slight nod.
As Aaron reached for the cup, his gaze drifted down to the owner's name tag.
"Thank you... Mr. Dylan."
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. "Are you a new teacher? I don't think I've seen you here before."
The café owner was Kael, going by the alias Dylan. At the question, he paused, then smiled and nodded.
"That's right."
And it all traced back to the letter he had received a month earlier.
Professor Rowan of Coronet Academy had personally written to invite former Champion Kael to come teach.
Rowan had been Kael's mentor at the start of his journey as a Trainer, and that was an invitation he simply could not refuse.
So, after discussing it together, the academy had arranged this relatively easy position for him and allowed him to open this café inside the library.
"That's right. I'm the new battle instructor, and the owner of this café."
"I see."
Aaron nodded and took a sip of his latte, though his eyes kept drifting back toward Kael.
In Aaron's mind, Mr. Dylan's face gradually began to overlap with someone else he knew.
The former Champion of Sinnoh, Kael, who had come from Aaron's hometown of Floaroma Town.
Looking up at him, Aaron asked cautiously, "Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like someone?"
"Who?" Kael asked with a smile in his eyes as he wiped down the glass in his hand with a polishing cloth.
"Former Champion Kael," Aaron replied seriously.
"You've seen him before?" Kael set down the glass, sounding genuinely surprised.
During his two years as League Champion, his style had been low-profile to the point of secrecy.
In all that time, he had never once appeared in public media, nor had he participated in a single public exhibition match.
People in Sinnoh knew only that they had a mysterious Champion, and that his ace Pokémon was a Salamence.
"Yeah, about three years ago." Aaron took another sip of latte and spoke slowly. "I was lucky enough to watch one of his battles in person."
"It should've been the one on Victory Road against Lucian of the Elite Four," Aaron said, looking up as he searched his memory. "I still remember the way the Champion's Gallade battled Bronzong. I've never forgotten it."
Aaron would never have guessed that the man in front of him, Dylan, was that very same Champion Kael.
The two only shared similar features. Their names and the air they carried felt completely different.
In Aaron's mind, Champion Kael was supposed to be a sharp, spirited young man. But the Dylan sitting before him looked more like a scruffy older guy who had not even shaved properly.
Hearing Aaron talk, Kael's own memories stirred a little.
When he had first arrived in this world, it had been in Floaroma Town. He had no parents, and it was thanks to the kindness of the townspeople there that he had managed to grow up safely.
To repay what he owed them, after becoming Champion, he had done everything he could to secure benefits for Floaroma Town.
He had even invited the people of Floaroma to come watch one of his battles on Victory Road.
He just had not expected Aaron to have been one of the children in that cheering crowd.
The two were about to continue chatting when a sudden burst of noise came from the hallway outside.
"Move aside! Student Council enforcement!"
Kael looked over in confusion and saw a group of students entering the café, led by a short-haired blond boy at the front.
They wore academy uniforms, and blue Coronet Academy crests were fastened to their sleeves.
Aaron lowered his gaze and said quietly, "Mr. Dylan... looks like you've got trouble."