"There is no conclusive evidence yet that N is the 'king' of Team Plasma, but he already wields a certain degree of influence in the Unova region."

The middle-aged man rubbed his chin and frowned. "I'm worried he might stir up something like creating a new world…"

'Handsome Guy' the detective received no reply. He looked at his boss, who wore a contemplative expression, and cautiously asked, "Sir? Inspector Lu Ye?"

Lu Ye snapped back to attention, looked at the middle-aged man, and asked, "My jurisdiction over your mission in Unova is confirmed?"

"Strictly speaking, I'm under your command for the operation. Any arrests must be approved by you first."

'Handsome Guy' the detective answered.

Lu Ye nodded slightly and, in a tone that brooked no argument, said, "Then continue investigating 'N'. Do not take any detours until I issue further orders."

The middle-aged man paused briefly, then nodded. "Understood."

At once, 'Handsome Guy' relaxed from his taut state and smiled, "Then I'll remain in Unova and await your arrival to provide guidance?"

Lu Ye's mood was complicated;

he forced a nod.

N's storyline involves the Twin Dragon legend. The danger level is high enough to devastate the entire Unova region.

If 'Handsome Guy' went in alone... it could easily go wrong.

Besides, Cynthia and the trio are already in Unova;

more information is needed.

"Alright then. I'll keep tailing that green-haired youth named 'N' and submit regular reports to you!"

'Handsome Guy' the detective's expression turned serious again;

he saluted and cut communications.

As the screen went dark, the Rotom Pokédex blinked and asked, "What happened, Roto?"

Outside, the night was tranquil. Lu Ye sat on the sofa with his hands folded and stared out the window.

"I'm still thinking it over..."

When N was mentioned, an image came to mind: a lanky, green-haired youth wearing a baseball cap. His eyes were dim, his aura melancholic.

Rumor had it that N was a child of humans and Pokémon, fluent in Pokémon language and capable of talking with them. In Black and White, N viewed humans as the opposite of Pokémon;

in Black 2 and White 2, through travel and the bond formed with Touya, N gradually understood the emotions between humans and Pokémon.

N wasn't a villain in the traditional sense. He had an unlucky childhood and suffered tragically being manipulated by Ghetsis. Ghetsis fed N paranoid ideology;

his real aim was to exploit N's background and abilities to bolster the Twin Dragon legend and recruit followers, thereby securing his ambition to dominate Unova.

Compared to Giovanni, who has fatherly love and the Power of Viridian,

Ghetsis is pure scum. The bonds trainers cherish—even his adoptive son N—were nothing to him but tools to realize his ambition.

"Red and Fleur-de-Lis truly wanted to create a world without conflict. Wultratree and Redflame Pine, those two idiots, would also join hands to save Hoenn."

Lu Ye folded his hands;

a faint sheen flickered in his dark pupils.

"Only Ghetsis... is the rotten core of Rainbow Rocket."

A trip to Unova was necessary.

Even with the risk of being stabbed in the back, Teacher Lu still wanted to meet N.

Maybe it was just a teacher's whim.

But Lu Ye still wanted to talk to this melancholic green-haired youth about N's views on Pokémon and humans.

This world isn't strictly black and white;

there must be heroes beyond those extremes.

Given how perilous the trip could be,

Lu Ye decided to meet N and then hurriedly took Mengmengda and ran.

Leave Team Plasma's headaches to Alder.

Working for free? No way, and not even for extra pay!

Lu Ye looked up at the sky: "Gotta avoid bumping into Ash... and A-Jin too."

Given these two troublemakers' knack for finding chaos, trouble follows them anywhere!

To be cautious,

he needed to prepare more medicines—Full Recovery Potions, Revival Root, Energy Cubes, Angry Steamed Buns that cure status ailments...

"I remember there's a traditional medicine shop in Miare City!"

Lu Ye suddenly realized.

Even before coming to the Kalos region, members of the group had mentioned it—a century-old establishment.

A shop that can stand in Miare City's prime commercial district must have a solid foundation—

Tomorrow he'll take Blastoise and check out the shop's quality!

After arranging his itinerary, Teacher Lu nodded slightly, closed his eyes, and sensed the beam of the Power of Transcendence.

A faint white light braided into threads stretching far away—

A message that transcended space and time reached White Poplar Town where the tower stands and the verdant Pokémon Garden.

The stoic Darkrai churned black mist and slowly opened his deep blue eyes.

Lu Ye: "There? Ready to come to work?"

Darkrai: "?"

Though he'd already agreed to go to Kalos, now he felt a little reluctant...

Lu Ye: "Be there before dawn tomorrow. I'll prepare an employee meal for you."

Darkrai: "!"

Black mist billowed as Darkrai's stern face and black sash fluttered, slowly sinking into the dark shadow.

Move fast—travel under cover of night!

A flash of spirit light halted Darkrai's movement;

his mood turned strange.

The first time he encountered him was when fighting Palkia and Dialga.

The second time was fighting the Renegade Pokémon Giratina.

The third time, damn it, even Arceus showed up—

Please don't let this time be another mess!

Darkrai pressed his lips together.

"Third time's the charm, hmm... this time should be fine!"

He nodded to himself, satisfied, and slipped into the shadows heading toward Kalos.

...

July 1, Thursday.

Dawn broke.

Miare City's tree-lined streets saw Fletchling flutter by;

the Prism Tower's glass shimmered.

On the south side, the Pokémon café opened for its first staff meal.

"Gengarrr~ (￣▽￣)／"

Haunter, a chubby little thing, carried a steaming plate of pizza to the round table—melty cheese dotted with sausages, placed at the center.

Around the table, the little ones' eyes sparkled as they made noises in unison.

"Even though it's a café, it can cook anything," Lu Ye said, arms crossed.

The drink was juice made from Lem-nacho Fruit;

from its name one could tell it's lemon-based.

All sorts of strange fruits have corresponding tree fruit prototypes and can be exchanged through the system—

The power of tree fruits is truly amazing!

Other dishes were brought out by Sirfetch’d, such as Honeycomb Waffle Pancakes and Alcremie Cupcakes...

Little Penguin stared at the dazzling spread, eyes widening slowly, covering its mouth: "Ooh~~"

Suddenly glad to be an employee at this place, hehehe~~

Darkrai glanced sideways, coolly: "Is that all?"

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow and asked Haunter to bring out Golden Razz Berry Egg Tarts.

These Golden Razz Berries only appeared in Let's Go Pikachu. Pokémon fed them become easier to catch;

they are extremely rare. They are also one of the raw materials for Lu's golden energy cubes.

Darkrai swallowed and craned his neck, staring at the tart, and mumbled: "Cough, it's... acceptable..."

So far, the café only had two employees;

it would still be some time before opening.

Teacher Lu told Darkrai about the trip to Unova and asked it to intervene if necessary.

Darkrai chewed on a tart, crumbs at the corner of his mouth, and readily agreed: "No problem~ You know what I can do!"

Lu Ye: "What if the two legendary Pokémon fuse..."

Darkrai: "......"

Staring at the tempting spread before him, Darkrai began to worry this might be a honey trap.

"Chu~" Little Penguin nibbled a sweet honey pancake, pink bubbles of happiness surrounding it.

Pupitar hid behind its mask and watched the Pokémon happily devouring food, feeling slightly left out.

"Shaji..."

Pupitar turned its head and saw Sirfetch’d, brows sharp and distinguished, standing behind it.

"Ra! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧"

Dad's always got your back no matter when!

"Shaji~ (இωஇ)" Pupitar's mask glistened with tears.

I'll train hard and evolve—to become stronger for everyone!

"By the way, Squirtle, we're heading out later."

Lu Ye said, "To the traditional medicine shop!"

Click—like pulling a trigger.

"Ka-may…ヾ(⌐■_■)"

Blastoise pushed up his sunglasses and, more expressive than usual, gave a thumbs-up indicating he wanted to go out.

"Togepi-doo~ (ﾉ´▽｀)ﾉ♪" Togepi showed it wanted to tag along too.

Teacher Lu nodded slightly.

In the past they had left Blastoise to mind the shop;

after all, leaving a husky alone watching the place wasn't reassuring.

Now—

Lu Ye and the stoic Darkrai exchanged a glance;

the mood was odd.

There probably isn't anyone who isn't afraid of death daring to come into my store...

...

Miare City, Spring Avenue.

A pack-goat mount ambled down the street, carrying a kindly old man on its back.

The elder hugged a pair of large shears wrapped in a leather pouch. He wore an army-green cap, jacket, and leather boots, with white whiskers on his cheeks.

He chatted cheerfully into his communicator: "Is that Lila? I'm already in Miare City. Yes, I left early this morning. Getting up early is good for the health."

"You're right," Lila replied with a smile. "Master Fu, the pruning techniques you taught me last time have been very helpful."

"Haha, plants are like people—they need to have their distractions trimmed away too."

Master Fu chuckled and glanced at the traditional medicine shop ahead.

"Anyway, I've reached my destination."

Lila nodded thoughtfully, smiling, "By the way, a friend of mine is also in Miare City, and he's interested in plants."

Otherwise Teacher Lu wouldn't have made that Plants vs. Zombies-type Pokédex game.

"Oh, you mean Lu Ye!" Master Fu laughed. "Many people have mentioned him to me. But this trip is about medicine books... I'll visit him when I have the chance."

Lila smiled lightly. "I'll go teach now."

Master Fu nodded with a smile. After cutting communications, he looked up at the medicine shop.

He dismounted the pack-goat, hunched, leaning on his gardening shears, and slowly walked toward the store.

Master Fu is the oldest curator in Kalos, fond of reading and tea-drinking. He would travel a thousand miles for tea leaves from their origin.

He owns a large ranch in Biyu City and is acquainted with Galar's Grass-type curator Alister;

grass-type experts regard him as a senior.

It was morning;

the sun was warm and comfortable.

Master Fu stood at the traditional medicine shop's door, shears in hand, face tilted to bask in the sun.

At some point, a Blastoise wearing sunglasses stood beside him.

"Oh? You, like this old man, are doing photosynthesis?" Master Fu teased with a smile.

To Master Fu's surprise, Blastoise nodded solemnly.

"Ka-may!ヾ(⌐■_■)"

Sunbathing helps calcium absorption... beneficial for better shell protection!