Staying in Undella Town for two days was leisurely and pleasant.

A fair number of amusing incidents occurred during that time.

For example, the Dragonite that Alice had just captured threw a tantrum while Lu Ye and Cynthia were out shopping, but after Sylveon landed a Dragon Claw, the draconic troublemaker behaved a lot more obediently.

Then there was Haunter asking Meloetta for singing tips—

According to Detective Rotom’s later recollection, during Haunter’s concert the little ones barely escaped by using Rotom’s Ally Switch.

The wild Pokémon of Undella Town were not so lucky…

Rows of shimmering Chrysaor jellies along the coastline fled overnight. Because of that exodus, the risk for tourists swimming dropped considerably.

Officer Jenny sighed with admiration, saying Teacher Lu really is an expert at handling “wild Pokémon disasters”!

When Lu Ye learned about this afterward, he glanced at Haunter, who was humming as he cleaned the room.

Not even Meloetta’s artistic vibrations could save the “fat Haunter tiger” from a deathly performance.

From another angle, his Haunter’s grasp of Perish Song was beyond even Meloetta’s reach!

“This might be the bond between me and the Perish Song team,” Teacher Lu thought with mixed feelings.

Over the two days, Cynthia carefully coached Alice’s training;

Teacher Lu continued instructing Ash on tactical usage.

“Since you make good use of Flying-types, having U-turn is a solid choice,” Lu Ye commented.

A fast-attack lineup is a tumor but also so much fun.

Don’t ask—pirate-style battle is number one!

Ash nodded, then looked back toward Alice, who was talking with Cynthia while tilting her head.

Dragonite stood arrogantly behind her;

at a glance it saw Sylveon’s older sister acting irritable and immediately slumped its wings in retreat.

Ash reminisced, “My Charizard… has a temper similar to Alice’s Dragonite. I wonder which one’s stronger.”

“This Dragonite had a high level before capture, plus Alice’s affinity for dragons,” Lu Ye said. “Even your Charizard would need precise commands to beat Alice’s.”

Ash’s eyes burned with expectation. Looking forward to the World Juniors next week, he clenched his fist: “I won’t lose!”

Lu Ye folded his arms and looked up at the sky.

Two months after the World Juniors would be the Vertress Conference of the Unova Alliance.

By then, his café would officially open.

Ash would also inevitably meet the comedic powerhouse Tocci at the Vertress Conference.

Tocci wasn’t particularly strong, but being a comic relief character made him oddly hard to defeat.

“The Vertress Conference doesn’t carry that much weight…” Lu Ye thought.

“I’ll just go watch the Lumiose Conference when Cynthia faces Alain.”

That night the summer air was cool;

wisps of steam rose from the marble terrace.

Lu Ye wore an apron and was barbecuing outdoors.

The sizzling meat took on a golden color as fat dripped into the coals with a hiss;

sprinkled with cumin and chili flakes, Ash and Alice swallowed hard.

The sea’s surf could be heard on the night breeze;

under the dark sky the stars twinkled and the ocean was a sheet of black.

They stood on the seaside villa’s terrace and gazed at the night view.

“Melo~” Meloetta floated in the air, her sea-wave green hair swaying in the wind. Eyes closed, hand over her chest, she hummed an ancient melody.

Cynthia sat at the table with the white cloth, legs crossed, stirring her juice with a straw and lifting the corner of her mouth in a faint smile.

Everyone’s mood calmed;

the waves choralized Meloetta’s song and pale blue light shimmered across the sea.

“According to Unova legend, that’s the underwater shrine guarded by Meloetta.”

Cynthia looked over, her gray eyes deep as she said, “Her tribe guarded her for centuries so Meloetta wouldn’t fall into malevolent hands.”

Alice and Ash both looked at Meloetta.

“She must be very lonely,” Lu Ye said as he flipped meat on the grill and lowered his head.

“Watching those around you age one by one, the song itself grows ancient.”

The gentle, beautiful song drifted in the wind;

Meloetta did not seem to hear it.

Cynthia fell silent. Alice propped her chin on her hand and said, “Human lifespans are nothing compared to a mythical Pokémon’s.”

“Precisely because of that.” Lu Ye placed the golden, fragrant meat on a white plate and smiled, “Humans race against the clock, striving for the infinite with limited time.”

“All right, let’s eat!”

With gloom swept away, Ash and Alice cheered and lunged for the table while Lu Ye and Cynthia exchanged a glance.

“Do you want to bring that kid back to Miare City?” Cynthia asked softly.

“I’ll respect Meloetta’s wishes,” Lu Ye replied quietly. “More Pokémon means a livelier café… having a resident singer would be nice.”

Cynthia smiled slightly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear;

her pale cheek tinted with a faint blush as she said with a gentle smile, “You’re a very good teacher… and handsome.”

“Better to drop the ‘very,’” Lu Ye said.

Cynthia pinched Lu Ye’s side;

he hissed and instinctively held her hand.

Someone set off fireworks on the shore, likely because summer nights had returned;

they shot up with whistles and pierced the dark.

Ash and Alice looked up at once;

Lu Ye and Cynthia watched the sky.

“Gah! (´థ౪థ)σ”

Sirfetch’d stroked its long leek with reverence, sighing in relief that it had escaped unscathed.

“Aww… (இωஇ)” Pupitar stared at the feast on the table and suddenly teared up.

So hungry, I want chips~

*

The day before they left Undella Town, a not-so-small incident occurred.

Togepi was sprawled on the indoor sofa, leisurely playing a game: “Cha-gee-doo-ee~(ﾉﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉ”

Suddenly a thunderous crash came from outside, shaking Togepi off the sofa before it plopped back down.

“Dooi?” Togepi blinked curiously, then happily picked the game console up again.

Outside, on the battle ground,

Krookodile was rehearsing a match against Dragonite.

“Grr!!”

Under pressure and encouraged by the watching senior “sunglasses-wearing Blastoise,” the scrappy Croc erupted with fighting spirit, emitting brilliant white light and evolving into the red-and-black striped Krookodile!

At the same time, the ground beneath Krookodile cracked;

it hoisted a massive boulder and hurled it at Dragonite!

Rotom Pokédex blurted in shock:

“Wa-wait, Roto! Σ(°△°|||)︴”

“That’ll attract the renovation crew… Ro-ro-Rotom!” Rotom stammered nervously.

Dragonite twisted its mouth and flapped to avoid the incoming rock.

The boulder smashed down with a crash—Kala shattered!

Alice and Ash’s battle had to be halted;

they stared at the gaping crater in the center, nervously swallowing.

“This is bad…” Alice’s face went pale. “We caused trouble.”

“It evolved, Krookodile,” Ash said, not yet understanding the severity, grinning: “Nice work!”

“Idiot Ash, this is the Bamboo Lan champion’s mansion—if we damage it, compensation will be at least…”

Alice counted on her fingers, making a miserable face: “We’ll have to contact Grandpa Drayden.”

“Eh, is it that serious?”

Ash scratched his head. Hearing Alice’s estimate, his expression shifted.

“This is bad, Pikachu!”

“Pika… Σ(ﾟДﾟ;

)” Pikachu straightened and took a nervous half-step back.

“You should apologize to Teacher Lu and Champion Bamboo Lan right away;

there’s still time to make amends, Ash.”

Alice realized the burden on Ash was heavier and covered her mouth, delighting in his misfortune.

Ash sulked and gritted his teeth: “I’ll go find Teacher Lu!”

Scene cut.

Meloetta hovered curiously in front of the crater, looking left and right.

Lu Ye rubbed his brow and sighed as if seeing the usual: “Do you want to call, or shall I go apologize to Aunt Delia in person?”

“I’ll contact my mom,” Ash answered, sincere in admitting fault.

Krookodile leaned against the wall, sweat beading on its forehead, its sunglasses pushed down to the tip of its nose.

It glanced at the still-stoic Blastoise and swallowed.

I don’t know if I can hold this back…

“What exactly happened?” Cynthia asked, hand on her chin.

After hearing the whole story, Lu Ye pondered: “Hmm… Krookodile just evolved, so it can’t control its strength yet.”

It seemed Ash’s Unova ace Krookodile was showing its first signs of promise.

“That’s understandable,” Lu Ye said, “but you and Krookodile should still reflect seriously.”

Ash and Krookodile: o(╥﹏╥)o

Alice sneered sideways and, also being singled out by Teacher Lu, hung her head despondently.

“So we’ll have to hire someone to repair it…” Lu Ye rubbed his chin.

Cynthia: “I’ve already contacted Jerome;

he’ll hire a professional team.”

A professional… team?

Lu Ye froze.

Not half an hour later, as they realized things weren’t right, a box truck came speeding down the road.

The professional team braked stylishly. A somewhat familiar-looking driver slammed the door, opened the cargo hold, and a brash crew of laborers strode out carrying bricks.

One of them introduced themselves: “Unova region, Qinghaibo City Renovations—pleased to meet you all.”

Lu Ye: “...Do you have a relative in Miare City too?”

The renovation foreman blinked and smiled: “That person’s my second uncle—he used to be a tenor.”

Lu Ye: “And the one in Goldenrod City?”

“That’s my first uncle…”

The foreman seemed to recall something and moved his lips without making a sound. He studied Lu Ye carefully.

Then his expression finally turned respectful and he called out clearly:

“Teacher Lu!”

Lu Ye pressed his lips together, speechless.

He knew that between him and the renovation company, this was already the fifth unlocked form of relationship…

That night,

Delia contacted Teacher Lu, insisting on offering apologies.

She was a strong and gentle mother, sometimes unexpectedly stubborn.

“No need,” Lu Ye said. “Renovation foreman—Unova form—waive the fee.”

Delia repeated in a daze: “Unova form?”

“Like Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, and East George of the Unova region…” Lu Ye said, his voice heavy with feeling. “It’s a very large extended family!”

...

After the Undella Town holiday ended, Meloetta joined the travel party.

She was a shy little one who usually kept invisible;

occasionally she sat on Lu Ye’s shoulder, swinging her slender legs while happily tasting Pecha Berries.

When they left, Togepi walked with white, long limbs and proudly held the bow as it linked arms with Teacher Lu.

The ribbon seemed wound even tighter, as if jealous. Its expression was disdainful.

“Bui~(๑`^´๑)”

Most of the time, tsundere loses to fate-from-the-sky types.

But Teacher Lu is on the Eriri team.

So in the Special Episode’s Little Red’s slaughterhouse scene, he especially sympathizes with the losing Misty.

Misty was clearly first there... first time fighting side by side, first time borrowing Gyarados...

“Ahem! Time to head to the airport.” Lu Ye interrupted his musings.

Their next stop would be Twinleaf City, then they would take transport to Lacunosa Town.

It had been a long time since Lu Ye rode Arcanine out in the wild;

the bug-catching boy was stunned—

It felt like a max-level boss riding a legendary mount around the newbie village.

Lu Ye yearned inwardly. Before takeoff he lingered in the chat group, then waved his phone at Alice.

“By the way, Alice… want to join the group? Have Ash add you.”

Alice glanced at the group roster, her eyes shining as she exclaimed, “Please, pretty please, Teacher Lu.”

Lu Ye smiled slightly.

Nice, I’ve recruited a new partner for my photo-collecting team! (scratch that)

[Beep beep… group member ‘Alice’ joined the chat]

“Welcome~!”

A-Jin popped up first, lamenting: “Eh, darn—so it’s not Elesa…”

Marshal sighed softly: “It’s a kid who joined.”

Roxie grumbled: “How much do you all want Elesa in the group!?”

A-Jin: “Put a 1 if you want her.”

Old Man Ironspin, cheering for the girl’s mental health: “1.”

Embarrassing electric expert and rap enthusiast Marshal: “1.”

Volkner, hoping to discuss modification techniques with Elesa: “1.”

Lu Ye subconsciously reached to press 1 but his body trembled as a Garchomp-like glare landed on him from nearby.

[Group member ‘A-Jin’ muted by group owner ‘Teacher Lu’ for 1 hour]

Lu Ye calmly said, “No spamming.”

Sorry, A-Jin.

This is the initiation for Mengmengda!

Dependable Green steered the topic back: “Alice… a trainer from Dragon’s Home?”

“That’s right.” Alice grinned. “Nice to meet you all!”

“The clan leaders from Smoke City often mention you,” Kotone said with a smile. “A sensitivity to dragons’ minds is very rare—even among the Dragon Tamers of Indigo.”

Lance: “?”

Lance: “Isn’t that basic operation?”

Kotone: “...don’t be cocky, cousin.”

Lance straightened: “Dragons are powerful. Taming them comes with risks. If you have any dragon-related questions, ask me, Alice.”

Xiao Yin: “Are you sure it’s not about Flying-types?”

Lance’s eyebrow twitched as he shouted: “Little Gold, don’t log into Xiao Yin’s account!”

Xiao Yin kept a deadpan face and said calmly, “That wasn’t me just now.”

“Thank you, Uncle Lance!” Alice smiled brightly.

Lance: “…”

So there’s an age gap between me and the new generation of trainers after all.

By rank, Alice’s manner of address was correct;

she respectfully called Drayden and Alder “grandpa.”

Alice was younger than Ash yet had become Unova Champion—her special ability “Dragon Heart” clearly helped.

Since the first generation, Dragon-types symbolized rarity and power.

But with the introduction of Fairy-types, dragons’ threat level dropped significantly.

And with designers’ obsession for giving everything a dragon attribute, dragons’ prestige took a dive.

If in the fifth generation Doduo could still bond with Hydreigon,

by the eighth generation Doduo could only connect with Applin and Barraskewda…

“Compared to ‘Dragon Heart,’ I find Lucian’s ‘Speed Reading’ more practical,” Lu Ye thought.

Among special abilities, Yellow, Lance, and Giovanni all possess the Power of Viridian, but manifested differently.

Yellow leans toward breeding and healing;

Lance connects mentally with Dragonite and builds tactics;

Giovanni excels in sustained combat.

Teacher Lu’s current abilities—Power of Transcendence and Aura—are both extremely practical.

Of course, he still envied Ash’s New Hero physiology… that was beyond human scope.

After welcoming Alice to the group,

Lu Ye seriously began to consider recruiting Elesa into the chat… no, he began to think about the Twinleaf City ice plot.

“Today we’re just passing through Twinleaf City… and I’m traveling with Ash…”

Lu Ye’s feelings were complicated.

“It probably... isn’t that much of a coincidence, right?”

…

Lacunosa Town, Giant Chasm.

A dark airborne warship: the parked Plasma destroyer.

Team Plasma scientist, Professor Acerola, adjusted his glasses.

“Dark Iron Triangle… where is the intel I requested?”

In Acerola’s shadow, the three masked twin-men knelt on one knee and said in unison:

“The DNA Splicers are currently guarded by Mayor Drayden in Twinleaf City… Legend says they can fuse two into one.”

“Is that so…”

Acerola’s eyes flickered as he looked down at the console buttons before him.

“Using ancient power with the DNA Splicers to fuse Kyurem is somewhat lacking in challenge…” Acerola’s lenses flashed blue. A flicker of mad scientific conviction passed before he calmly said, “Whatever—this is the most time- and effort-saving method.”

No need for unnecessary complications or rash new-tech experiments.

“What if the operation fails,” the three darkness trio rasped.

“Fails?”

Acerola’s mouth curled into a mocking smile.

“In the face of my genius Acerola’s plan, failure is impossible!”

“Team Plasma, move out. Target—”

Acerola said coldly:

“Twinleaf City!”