December 24th, Christmas Eve.
Snow was falling heavily outside.
Soft and fluffy flakes drifted down, lit up by the glow of the streetlamps.
Lu Ye turned his head and saw that Cynthia's cheeks were flushed red, making her look especially alluring.
When they reached the doorway bathed in a warm orange glow.
She walked ahead lightly, stopped, turned, and smiled, "I already figured out tonight's menu!"
"That fast?"
"Of course." Cynthia looked a little proud.
She seemed more lively than usual. Lu Ye stepped forward slowly, "How come you showed up there earlier?"
"I saw you guys having a snowball fight from the balcony, so I came down to join in."
"You could've joined right in... but no using Glaceon, that's totally unfair!"
"What about Garchomp?"
Teacher Lu made a conflicted face. "Let me think that one over."
Cynthia watched him with a smile, softly exhaled a breath of mist, and murmured, "It feels... a little different."
"What does?"
Cynthia shook her head, tucked her golden hair behind her ear, her eyes curling into a crescent shape.
"Nothing... Let's have another snowball fight later!"
"Honestly, staying in to play chess sounds pretty nice too," Teacher Lu muttered.
Cynthia's deep eyes lit up as she grinned, "Then let's play games~"
---
Back inside, they were greeted by a wave of warmth.
Lu Ye let out the little ones, getting ready to give them all a hot bath.
Like humans, Pokémon could catch colds too.
Take Pikachu, for example—if its cheeks spark unexpectedly, that's an early sign of illness.
In real life, there are actual Pokémon doctors—Brock, for one, is very skilled in this field.
A red beam flashed from the Poké Balls. The little ones ran about excitedly inside, still caught up in the earlier playful mood.
"Tchugki~briee~" Togepi waddled happily toward the door.
But Teacher Lu scooped it up with a sigh, "Don't go back out when you're all sweaty. You'll catch a cold."
"Briee!" Togepi nodded seriously. But the moment Lu Ye set it down, it dashed to the door again in glee.
He picked it up again.
After repeating this two or three more times, Togepi started loving this game and giggled with delight.
Cynthia sat on the sofa, watching with a smile.
"You go take a bath first. I'll look after Togepi for you," she offered.
Lu Ye thought for a moment, nodded, and casually picked up Sylveon by his side.
"Veeon~"
Seemed tired from playing, Sylveon quietly nestled on Lu Ye's shoulder.
When he came out of the bathroom, Sylveon shook the dew off her ribbons and yawned lazily.
But Cynthia was nowhere to be seen.
He headed upstairs, looked out toward the balcony, and saw Cynthia joyfully tossing snowballs with Togepi.
Lu Ye paused, then chuckled helplessly.
"Dinner's ready!" he called.
Cynthia looked up, breathed out white mist, and scratched her cheek a little shyly.
"Tchugki~briee~Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ" Togepi looked like it wasn't done playing, but Cynthia still picked it up and came back inside.
"I'll give Togepi a bath."
"Count me in."
Cynthia blinked teasingly, "Next time, okay?"
Even you've started messing around now!
Teacher Lu looked up at the sky and thought to himself, 'I wonder when that 'next time' will actually be…'
The sound of running water echoed.
Teacher Lu gave a side-eye to Lucario, who was standing guard, then quietly slipped into the kitchen.
He started prepping tonight's dish: Chaliapin Steak Rice Bowl.
He sautéed shallots in the pan, letting their aroma fill the air, and used red wine to prepare the sauce. The steak had been marinated earlier—honey added both flavor and tenderness. He placed the seared steak on pearly rice, then topped it with crispy golden shallots.
With Lu Ye's cooking skills, this was Tang Chef level at least.
"Sir~fetched…" Sirfetch'd stood nervously nearby, terrified that Teacher Lu might grab its prized leek and chop it up.
Lu Ye glanced at Sirfetch'd and reassured him, "Relax… Just stick your leek in the planter. I'll snip off some fresh shoots."
"Sir~fetched! =͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪‧̣̥̇)" Sirfetch'd froze. (So in the end, you still won't let the leek go, huh?!)
Since Cynthia preferred sweeter flavors, Teacher Lu paid extra attention while mixing the sauce.
With the main course done, he started on the rest of Cynthia's requested menu.
Golden, crispy fried chicken pieces were placed atop fresh lettuce. One bite and you could taste the juicy, tender meat inside. Paired with iced cola, it was pure joy.
Satisfied with the presentation, Lu Ye nodded.
He carried the dishes to the long rectangular table by the French windows, just the right size for the Pokémon to dine together.
The little ones were already drooling in anticipation, just waiting for dinner to begin.
Cynthia changed into a white blouse layered under a beige sweater, her golden hair flowing down as she sat gracefully.
The rich aroma of the food filled the air.
Cynthia picked up a piece of fried chicken, took a small bite, and immediately wore a blissful expression.
"Gengarr…" Gengar rubbed its eyes in confusion. (Did… did that chicken just glow?!)
When Cynthia lifted the steak rice bowl, her chopsticks flew but her table manners remained flawless.
Teacher Lu watched Cynthia's cheeks with interest.
After a while, Cynthia set down her utensils and let out a soft breath.
"Your cooking… seems to have improved again," she said, blushing.
Well, he had leveled up from Pro Chef to Shokugeki no Soma tier.
Lu Ye thought to himself, then nodded, "Because I added the most important ingredient."
"What?" Cynthia blinked. "Berries?"
"Nope. Loads and loads of emotion."
Lu Ye smiled. "When you cook with the desire to share happiness, the food really does taste better."
"Gengarr~! (*⊙~⊙)" Gengar, with rice still stuck to his mouth, looked up and held out his bowl. (Another round, chef!)
At the long rectangular table, their Pokémon filled up the seats.
Clink clink! The sounds of utensils echoed throughout the room.
"Graaawr!" Garchomp stabbed a steak piece with her scythe and chewed unceremoniously.
Lucario glanced at the glowing Squirtle nearby, then down at the food in front of him.
"Lucaa…" Lucario fell deep into thought. (Letting this human take care of my master… might not be such a bad idea?)
"Emotion makes food taste better?" Cynthia thought back to when she baked a cake herself, her cheeks suddenly turning red.
Then how come my cake turned out so bad?
I clearly—!
"I got you a Christmas present," Lu Ye said suddenly.
Cynthia tilted her head slightly and nodded.
Lu Ye walked to the bedroom and brought out a guitar. After checking the tuning, he strummed a chord, "I heard this from a street musician once. Memorized it. It's called Hey, Jude."
Outside, wind and snow howled. A Christmas tree on the street flickered with lights.
Delibird carried a giant bag, ready to deliver joy.
Soft, gentle guitar chords filled the room, driving away the winter chill.
"Hey Jude, don't make it bad."
"Take a sad song and make it better…"
The melody echoed in the cozy little house.
The little ones listened quietly.
This was a legendary rock ballad, beloved worldwide.
Even if Teacher Lu could only replicate part of it, his gentle voice was enough.
"Veeon~" Sylveon tied her ribbon around her arm and stared at Lu Ye, deep in thought.
Togepi snuggled into its shell, curled up on Arcanine's warm back, breathing softly in sweet dreams.
"Briee~~"
As the last chord faded…
"Graaawr~!" Garchomp's eyes were teary. (D*mn it, some sand got in my eyes!)
In the quiet, warm house, Cynthia's deep gray eyes reflected a faint light.
She whispered, "Who was the street musician singing about?"
"Maybe his child. Maybe someone he loved…"
Cynthia smiled gently and said softly, "I really liked it."
Lu Ye paused, then smiled and nodded too, "Me too."
"Actually… I got you a gift too." A rare blush spread across Cynthia's cheeks.
She stood, pulled a small USB from her black coat.
Teacher Lu froze.
"It's for Sylveon," Cynthia explained softly, "It's not as powerful as Hyper Voice, but it'll help improve her mastery of Fairy-type moves…"
"W-What is it?" Lu Ye asked, his voice trembling.
"Moonblast," Cynthia smiled radiantly. "Training under a good moonlight will boost the effects even more."
Teacher Lu pressed his lips together.
With mixed feelings, he took the USB from Cynthia.
"Th-Thanks… really."
"As long as you like it." Cynthia smiled, lowering her gaze, 'After all… compared to what you gave me, this feels like nothing.'
Teacher Lu's emotions were complicated.
This grudge… I probably won't remember it.
But if I don't jot something down in my little notebook, it just feels wrong.
Lu Ye had an epiphany. He took a deep breath.
Gold, this grudge—I, Teacher Lu, won't forget it!
---
December 25th, Christmas Day.
Teacher Lu walked out of the room in a Gengar-themed hoodie onesie, yawning.
In the living room, Cynthia sat on the couch, swaying her head side to side, the hood's tassels swinging along.
"I wanna join too."
Lu Ye tugged on his hood strings, making Gengar's ears perk up.
"Actually, this is a little embarrassing to say…" Cynthia smiled softly, "I still like Pikachu more."
"What?!" Teacher Lu looked like he'd just been struck by lightning.
"Gengarr?" Gengar peeked out from behind Lu Ye in a Pikachu onesie.
Cynthia's eyes lit up. She grinned: "Come here, let me squish your cheeks."
Gengar floated forward, letting Cynthia stretch its big ol' face, and gave Lu Ye a silent thumbs-up.
Teacher Lu's heart trembled.
I'm ordering a Pikachu onesie online, right now!
Lu Ye made breakfast again.
Fragrant coffee, sizzling ham and eggs, and a soft 'ding' of the toaster.
"Mm…" Cynthia bit a slice of toast, tapping on her cloud PC to conveniently play Pokémon Auto Chess.
Lu Ye glanced over.
Holy crap—she's got a full set of blessings, just one chosen unit short!
---
After breakfast, Lu Ye called Oleana to go over the next steps for the Pokémon Studio.
"Put the Unova expansion on hold for now," Lu Ye said. "Focus on developing an online version of the PTCG."
Though the Pokémon Company had only been around for half a year, They'd already released several hit single-player titles and one trending online game.
Though not technically complex, it provided solid funding for future development.
At this pace… they could rival the country's top game studios.
But to match Lu Ye's vision of Game Freak, or even Nintendo, there was still a long road ahead.
Per Oleana's suggestion—What the company needed was a flagship online game that could be both iconic and profitable.
Lu Ye set his sights on one of Blizzard's masterpieces: Hearthstone.
Of course, they wouldn't copy Hearthstone's mechanics directly.
Instead, they'd tweak the PTCG rules to be more user-friendly, then port it to PC.
Adopting Hearthstone-style card packs and pre-order systems
Could help bridge online and offline markets.
"I get it now," Oleana said, eyes lighting up. "So, what should we call it?"
Lu Ye paused. "Pokémon Legends?"
"Sounds like a knockoff mobile game." Oleana quietly adjusted her glasses.
"I've always been bad at names," Lu Ye coughed. "Let's just go with it. Content is king!"
More importantly, Lu Ye thought to himself—Without the phrase 'Golden Legend,' it just doesn't hit right!
"Oh, and let the team rest over the holidays. Their hairlines will thank you."
Oleana instinctively touched the tips of her hair and sighed.
"To be honest… with the bonuses you give, not working overtime feels like a waste!"
Lu Ye blinked.
So basically… as long as the pay's good, overtime isn't even a problem?
After finalizing the next game plan, Teacher Lu returned to the living room.
Cynthia, in slim-rimmed glasses, was flipping through a book.
Hearing footsteps, she closed it and smiled softly.
"Go on, keep reading," Lu Ye scratched his cheek.
"It's about Sinnoh's myths," Cynthia said. "I've read it a lot, just brushing up again."
Lu Ye nodded in realization.
"What're you doing later?" Cynthia asked.
"Streaming," Lu Ye replied. "Promised the fans I'd stream after the tournament"
"And then I'll head to Professor Oak's place for tonight's party…" Teacher Lu ran through the schedule.
Cynthia blinked with interest.
"Can I watch your stream?"
"You can even join me on stream," Lu Ye said casually. "I'm a skill-based streamer. Haven't shown my face much lately. Just don't talk too much. People are here for my plays, not for cutesy stuff."
Cynthia nodded thoughtfully and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll just watch quietly—I won't disturb you!"