"True, that's easier said than done..." Fang Yuan tilted his head slightly and glanced at Eevee, sorry, I lost, um, the money you make might really not be enough.
The price of perfumes in this world is outrageously high!
Even my Beauty God Perfume wouldn't dare to sell for so much.
This single bottle is priced higher than a Dratini egg.
Although, it sounds quite prestigious...
"Let's look at the others then," Fang Yuan said helplessly.
It seemed he would have to wait until he placed in the top 10 of the championship, did a few commercial gigs, and earned some appearance fees to afford the best perfumes.
"Mr. Fang Yuan?"
As Fang Yuan pondered whether to settle for buying a few high-end but ordinary perfumes to appease Milotic for now, a gentle voice approached.
Realizing Fang Yuan was shopping for perfumes, Erika graciously approached and curtsied, "Mr. Fang Yuan, we meet again."
"Uh... Miss Erika?" Seeing Erika, Fang Yuan was also quite surprised, but remembering that Erika was the owner of the perfume shop, he understood why she was there and replied, "Yes, Miss Erika, we meet again."
"Having such a formidable person grace our humble shop again truly inspires me. Mr. Fang Yuan, are you selecting perfumes? If you're choosing for your Venusaur, I would recommend this one..." Erika said as she moved forward to introduce.
"No... it's not specifically for it. I'm planning to get many different styles," Fang Yuan explained.
"I see," Erika stopped and said vibrantly, "For your powerful Pokemon, only the most suitable perfumes will do. I have a rather bold request. I hope to observe your Venusaur up close. As a token of gratitude, afterwards, I will tailor a unique perfume for each of your Pokemon."
"Mr. Fang Yuan, I hope you can grant my request," Erika pleaded.
She really wanted to closely observe Fang Yuan's Venusaur.
This morning, due to Fang Yuan's hasty departure, she had no chance to extend the invitation.
"Bwoo..." As Erika finished speaking, the Eevee on Fang Yuan's shoulder froze, astonished; it was almost unbelievable that a Trainer was now so entranced by a creature as ugly as Garlic Turtle.
"Well... just observing Venusaur would be fine, of course."
It wasn't a difficult request, and he could get a bunch of custom perfumes for free, so Fang Yuan agreed without a second thought.
"Really? That's wonderful!" Erika beamed with joy.
Perfect! As a Plant system expert, Erika was confident she could discern everything about Fang Yuan from his Venusaur, and then defeat him in their next battle.
…
"Hmm... what exactly is going on?"
The most puzzled at the moment was the female sales associate from earlier.
She had been working all day and didn't know about Erika's battle. Now seeing how politely Erika was inviting Fang Yuan into the Rainbow Dojo, her curiosity grew.
Was that young man some sort of VIP?
The young sales associate started to fantasize, but a second later, a cough came from in front of her.
She slowly looked up and saw a man with red hedgehog hair, wearing a cloak, looking very handsome and commanding, resting one hand on the counter and tapping the glass to get her attention.
The sales associate turned her head and they held eye contact for a few seconds, during which she was in a daze.
"You... you... you..." After a moment, the sales associate suddenly snapped out of it and said incredulously, "You're the Dragon King, Lance!"
Lance replied amicably, "It's Champion now; I've secured the Four Heavenly Kings Cup."
"Ah!!!!!" The sales associate screamed in delight, feeling ecstatic. She might not be sure about Fang Yuan's importance, but Lance... without a doubt, was a top-tier wealthy and handsome man!
Lance said, "...Miss, is Miss Erika around? I'd like to visit her... and the young man with her."
[Mostly, I just want to meet that Fang Yuan.]
Lance thought to himself.
Entrusted by Giovanni, after getting his own business out of the way, he had started investigating Fang Yuan, leading up to this moment.
With the day turning to night, Lance didn't want to wait until tomorrow to meet Fang Yuan. Seeing Fang Yuan appear at the Rainbow Dojo, he decided to make his move right now.
All because, in the course of investigating Fang Yuan, he came across some highly suspicious information.
For instance, there were rumors in Game City today about an Eevee that excelled at playing games and won several houses... and that Eevee's Trainer was Fang Yuan, whom he was investigating.
That same Eevee was excellent at playing games...
Damn it!!! That has to be the Eevee that broke my Inspection Glasses!!
Doduo felt quite irked. Well, it seemed he could soon catch the main culprit.
…
Rainbow Dojo.
The Botanical Garden.
After Miss Lijia escorted Fang Yuan here, she took a deep breath and looked towards him.
Waiting for the other party to send out Venusaur...
Just as Fang Yuan was about to reach for the Poké Ball containing Venusaur, suddenly, a scream echoed through the room...
"Miss Lijia... Miss Lijia..." The receptionist hurried over, and under the puzzled expressions of Lijia, Fang Yuan, and Eevee, she caught her breath and said, "Mr. Lance... Mr. Lance is here!!"
"Lance??" Lijia was startled.
"It's that Lance, the number one Dragon Envoy in the world!" the receptionist exclaimed, clenching her fists and waving them.
"It's really him, I've confirmed it."
"Why would Mr. Lance come here..." Lijia was slightly taken aback; she knew Lance, and Lance knew her. The Champion and the Museum Owner roles were significantly different, but both were important within the Alliance system, especially for Trainers from a large metropolitan Gym such as the Rainbow Dojo, who often had the opportunity to interact with the Four Heavenly Kings.
However, even so, the two of them didn't actually have much contact, and as for why Lance would come here, Lijia had no idea.
"Mr. Lance said he would like to pay a visit to Miss Lijia... and... this gentleman," the receptionist said softly, glancing towards Fang Yuan.
Who is this man? Why would Mr. Lance want to find him?
"Looking for me?"
"Looking for Mr. Fang Yuan?"
"Bwoo?"
Fang Yuan felt very surprised upon hearing the name "Lance," and even more so upon learning Lance was looking for him.
He didn't even know Lance.
"Bwoo..." Just as surprised as Fang Yuan was Eevee; ever since earlier, it had a bad premonition. Carefully, Eevee released its Confusion to envelop the entire Rainbow Dojo.
Then, when it sensed the familiar Mental Fluctuation of the so-called Champion Lance, Eevee's heart sank.
It was over; the other party had come knocking!
Eevee was sweating bullets. That person, was he really the Champion??!!
What to do about blowing up the Champion's equipment? Online waiting, pretty urgent!
..........
"Miss Lijia, long time no see."
Moments later, Lance followed the receptionist into the interior of the Dojo.
Upon seeing Lijia, Lance slightly smiled and waved his Cloak in greeting.
"Mr. Lance, long time no see," Lijia said with a slight smile.
She was smart, and by now she had figured out that Lance wasn't there to see her, but rather the man next to her, Fang Yuan.
Indeed.
After greeting Lijia, Lance turned to look at Fang Yuan beside her.
And the Eevee on his shoulder.
"Hm?"
However, unlike what Lance had imagined, this Eevee looked completely different from the first Eevee he had met.
Suddenly a long fringe that covered its eyes appeared on Eevee's forehead, almost instantly changing its hairstyle, demurely resting on Fang Yuan's shoulder, silent and unspoken.
As if saying: Don't notice it, don't notice it, don't notice it!
Turning their heads along with Lance was also Lijia, who, upon seeing the Eevee on Fang Yuan's shoulder suddenly change its appearance, was also stunned.
She couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Fang Yuan... your Eevee...??"
Fang Yuan: "..."
With a puzzled frown, Fang Yuan remained silent, pondering over the sequence of events.
Having sensed Eevee's reaction, Fang Yuan roughly understood what was happening.
At this moment, all Fang Yuan wanted to say was, how the heck are there such coincidences.
Daring to blow up a Champion's stuff, Eevee, you're mighty indeed...
Next time, are you planning to blow up Da Wu's stones?
The time after that, are you going to break Giovanni's Persian's legs?
Lance stared at Eevee for a long time, and feeling the pressure of his aura, Eevee finally couldn't keep up the act...
After shaking its hair, Eevee reverted to its normal appearance, and showed an extremely embarrassed expression.
Eevee: (｡◕ˇ∀ˇ◕）Hehe, hi there, Champion.