In the early morning, at Professor Rowan's lab in Sandgem Town.
A rampaging Electivire was causing destruction everywhere. The Pokémon within the lab were scattering in panic.
Clack, clack-clack—
The crisp, steady sound of high heels approached. The Electivire turned to look.
"Grawr."
A pair of crimson eyes appeared from the other side of the door, followed by their owner.
A Dragon-type Pokémon, deep blue in color with a head shaped like a hammerhead shark, was staring it down.
Clack, clack-clack, clack-clack-clack—
The sound of high heels on the marble floor seemed to travel through the air and straight into the Electivire's heart.
A flash of gold appeared from behind the Garchomp, followed by a black trench coat, long, wide-legged trousers, and black high heels with red soles.
A gentle smile graced a beautiful face.
"What happened?" a cool voice asked.
The Electivire looked at her. The crackling electricity around its raised fists fizzled out, and it lowered its hands.
As the Garchomp scraped its claws together, eager for a fight, the Electivire obediently walked over to Cynthia.
A nearby assistant let out a sigh of relief, gave her a nod of thanks, and ran outside.
"Cynthia, I have to trouble you again."
Cynthia turned. Professor Rowan's figure appeared from behind the door.
"Professor."
Cynthia patted the Electivire in front of her, signaling that it was okay to leave, before turning to greet Professor Rowan.
Professor Rowan nodded and led the way deeper into the lab. Cynthia and her Garchomp followed.
It wasn't until the afternoon that Cynthia and her Garchomp emerged from the research facility.
"Thanks to your help, this research went much more smoothly than it would have otherwise," Professor Rowan said with a hearty laugh.
"It was my honor to be of assistance," Cynthia replied with a graceful smile.
After saying their goodbyes, Cynthia and her Garchomp began to walk aimlessly.
It had been a long time since she had last visited Sandgem Town. She had come this time to help with Professor Rowan's research, which was a good excuse to take a break.
Not yet wanting to return to the League, she thought of Twinleaf Town and began walking in that direction with her Garchomp.
Walking along Route 219, Cynthia listened quietly to the cries of the Bug- and Flying-type Pokémon around her, getting lost in thought.
It felt like it had been a very long time since she had last stopped to properly rest.
The thought of returning to the League and having to deal with a mountain of official business made Cynthia sigh with a frown.
Being the Champion is so tiring...
Just then, a building in the distance caught her attention.
"Is this... a Breeding House?" Cynthia asked, looking at the sign outside the entrance.
"Grawr." Garchomp indicated that it didn't know either.
Hearing the sound of happy Pokémon laughter coming from inside, Cynthia's curiosity was piqued. She stood at the entrance, one elbow resting in the palm of her other hand as she held her chin, thinking for a moment. She then clapped her hands together and walked inside with her Garchomp.
As she entered, she noticed the lounge area in front of the counter. The clacking of her high heels echoed on the marble floor. She walked over, bent down, and picked up a photo frame from a table, looking at the picture inside.
A Petilil was smiling sweetly.
She then walked to the counter, where more photos were displayed. There were pictures of individual Pokémon, of people with Pokémon, and of people holding Pokémon Eggs.
The ones holding the eggs must be customers, and the other Pokémon must belong to the Breeding House, Cynthia thought, nodding to herself as she looked.
She could tell that all the Pokémon in the photos were very happy.
Then, one particular photo caught her eye. It was of a Gengar pressing its face against a man's, squishing his cheek to the side as it grinned widely. This was in stark contrast to the man's expression, which was a mix of annoyance and resignation.
She picked up the photo and examined it closely, an unconscious smile playing on her lips.
Just then, she heard laughter coming from a door behind the counter. Cynthia placed the photo back, positioning it to face the entrance. She thought for a moment, then walked behind the counter, pushed the door open, and went inside.
In the backyard, Victor was with Gengar and the others, preparing for the afternoon tea.
He had learned last night that Shana would be visiting her grandfather today, so he hadn't sent Dali to pick her up. Instead, he had opened for business as usual.
Since the midday weather was exceptionally hot, Victor had decided to make some homemade ice cream.
At that moment, he was standing in front of a box emitting cold vapor, scooping ice cream for Gengar and the others.
He asked Mime Jr. to help with the scooping, then had Gengar go ask the Vespiquen and its followers if they wanted any. After all, he had been using so much of their Sweet Honey these past few days, he couldn't just take it for free. Enjoying some delicious ice cream on a hot day before going back to making honey seemed like a wonderful option.
He then went back to the kitchen to bring out the desserts and officially start the day's tea time.
It feels a bit strange without Shana here, Victor thought with a sigh. I wonder if she likes ice cream.
Shaking his head, Victor reached out to open the kitchen door. Before his hand could touch the handle, the door opened on its own.
"?!"
Curious, Victor looked up to see who had opened it.
The first thing he saw was a head of brilliant blonde hair, a black trench coat, and long, wide-legged trousers that made the high-heeled legs look exceptionally slender.
He looked up and met the gaze of a face that was looking down at him from the top of the steps.
As beautiful as a painting...
Victor stared at the familiar face, in disbelief.
"Cynthia?"
"Hello. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to barge in."
Cynthia looked at the man at the bottom of the steps, her fair cheeks flushing slightly. She had come in out of curiosity, but entering without permission was very rude, and she had been caught red-handed. It was truly embarrassing.
"I'm so sorry. I'll leave right now."
Cynthia pressed her hands together in apology and was about to leave when she noticed the ice cream in the distance.
"Is that... ice cream?" Cynthia asked in surprise, freezing in place.
"Ah, yes."
Hearing her, Victor snapped out of his daze. He looked at the fair-skinned, beautiful Cynthia, took a deep breath to calm himself, and continued, "Would you like to try some? I made it myself."
"Oh? Is that really okay?" Cynthia asked, surprised.
"Of course." Victor nodded and stepped to the side to let her pass.
Cynthia hesitated for a moment, glanced at him, then at the Mime Jr. and Petilil in the distance, and finally at her own Garchomp.
She then nodded and, with her long, slender legs, walked out of the kitchen.
Victor led her to the ice cream box and took the large scoop from Mime Jr.
"So, what flavors would you like?"
"Umm..."
Seeing her struggle to decide, Victor remembered: Cynthia was a massive fan of ice cream, but she also suffered from a severe case of indecisiveness when it came to choosing flavors.
"How about this? I'll give you a little of each," Victor suggested with a smile, interrupting her thoughts.
Looking at the smile on his face, Cynthia clapped her hands together.
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
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