Chapter 187: The Mid-Autumn Gathering
September 28th, Monday.
The Research Summit had officially ended. Over the three-day event, Growlithe had mastered Agility by dashing back and forth relentlessly. Additionally, Lu Ye had received Flint's Flamethrower training guide as a "friendship gift". This left Lu Ye feeling… complicated. "Will my house… still be livable in the future?" he muttered to himself.
Time had flown by—October was approaching, and with it, the Mid-Autumn Festival. After bidding farewell to Professor Rowan, Lu Ye headed to Jubilife City's airport. To avoid attracting attention, Cynthia didn't come to see him off in person, but she did send a text.
[Cabbage Ice Cream]: See you next time.
Lu Ye sighed softly. "Next time… Who knows when that will be?"
On the flight back to Modu, Sylveon curled up on Lu Ye's lap, dozing off peacefully. Its rosy feelers wrapped loosely around his arm. Lu Ye absentmindedly toyed with them while opening the Master Chat Group. The Gigantamax phenomenon from the summit had sparked quite a discussion.
Green, being Professor Oak's grandson, was particularly interested in the topic.
Green: @Teacher Lu, so far, no negative effects have been found with Dynamaxing. You can keep the Dynamax Band for now.
Lorelei frowned.
Lorelei: "I don't really like Dynamaxing… Feels kind of weird."
Lance, as always, was blunt.
Lance: "That just means you can't keep up with the times!"
Lorelei's eyebrow twitched. But considering Lance was among the first trainers to experiment with Dynamaxing, she had no solid counterargument.
Green pondered.
Green: "Compared to Mega Evolution, which can be used in the wild, Dynamaxing is more tailored for commercial tournaments…" But because of that, it completely removes the trainer's role in battles. Maybe that's why Red doesn't like using Dynamax…
Gold: "Damn it! Why did the League have to change the rules?! I wanna battle with my Pokémon too!"
Blue chuckled.
Blue: "That's because it's too dangerous, obviously. But hey, if you're so eager, why not challenge Red on Mt. Silver?"
Gold immediately went silent.
Lu Ye: @Gold, do you have Silver's contact info? I'll be heading to Johto soon and need to ask him for a favor.
Gold: "Oh yeah, I just got in touch with him recently! He's busy dodging Interpol right now… Those guys are a real pain!"
Lance frowned. After all, Silver was technically Giovanni's biological son. Interpol was probably trying to use him as bait to lure out Giovanni.
Blue: "I'm not worried about Silver. I'm more worried about you betraying him, Gold."
Gold: "What?! I'm loyal, okay?!"
What followed was a barrage of nostalgic bragging about how they had fought Pryce, encountered Celebi, and shared countless adventures. The group chat instantly became lively. Lu Ye rubbed his chin. When he reached Johto, he should take the time to meet Gold in person. He might not be able to beat Gold in pool, but fishing? That was another story.
Then came Blue's infamous "product recommendation segment." With the Mid-Autumn Festival around the corner, she had acquired a batch of Lunatone-shaped mooncakes, but hadn't sold a single one. After some shameless marketing, Red finally spoke up.
Red: "Oh, those sound nice. I'll take a few."
Blue: "You got it!"
Meanwhile, Red was making a mental checklist: "Green… Professor Oak… Who else should I buy for…? Forget it—why not just invite everyone to a feast and hand them out there?" Satisfied with his plan, Red nodded to himself.
The Mid-Autumn Festival was in two days. Lu Ye checked his schedule—he could celebrate first and head to Johto afterward. Meanwhile, back at his studio, their latest project, Angry Tranquill, was about to launch. Lu Ye planned to return to his hometown the next day to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with his parents.
Back at his villa, he was greeted with a familiar sight. "Wartortle~~" Wartortle dove into its long-missed fish tank, exhaling deeply in satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Haunter eagerly picked up a broom and began sweeping the house with great enthusiasm. By the afternoon, members of the neighborhood committee stopped by with boxes of mooncakes.
"These are for Sylveon as a thank-you," one of the aunties grinned, handing over two boxes. "And this one's for Haunter!"
"...So, I don't get any?" Lu Ye sighed.
"Oh, right! You should've said something earlier!" The aunt laughed. "I just assumed you didn't like mooncakes!"
To Lu Ye's surprise, a new renovation company had recently opened nearby. "Teacher Lu, long time no see!" The foreman personally stopped by to introduce himself. "If you ever need renovations, remember to call us!"
Lu Ye's expression turned stiff. "...I'll keep that in mind."
September 30th, Wednesday
With autumn settling in, Sylveon had developed a habit of sneaking into Lu Ye's bed. Growlithe also liked to nap on him, but it was often shoved off by Sylveon's feelers.
Taking advantage of the Mid-Autumn holiday, Lu Ye returned to his hometown. He walked along the farmland paths, Sylveon padding beside him. With a nostalgic smile, he teased, "You didn't even want to be caught back then."
"Vee! o(´^｀)o" Sylveon huffed and turned its head away.
Lu Ye chuckled, walking side by side with his Pokémon along the shadowed countryside trails. Thinking back, it had been less than six months since he caught his first Pokémon. Yet, they had become an inseparable part of his life.
That evening, the family sat in the cool courtyard, enjoying the night breeze. Growlithe ran laps around the yard, while Wartortle was doing one-armed push-ups. Sylveon sat in Lu Ye's lap, gazing at the moonlit sky.
The full moon shone brightly above, and his chat group was buzzing nonstop.
Red: @Teacher Lu [Video]
Lu Ye opened the video. It showed familiar faces gathered at Professor Oak's lab in Kanto—Brock, Misty, Blue, and many other Kanto Trainers were hosting a grand feast. Red was distributing the Lunatone mooncakes he had bought from Blue.
Erika: "Brock's cooking is amazing!"
Brock scratched his head humbly. "It's still not as good as Teacher Lu's."
Sapphire: "Oh, oh! Ruby and I are back in Hoenn! [Picture]"
The photo showed Sapphire and Ruby sitting side by side. Next to them sat a very uncomfortable Professor Birch and Ruby's father, Norman…
Gold: "That totally looks like a meet-the-parents dinner!"
Lorelei: "Don't even talk about it… My heart hurts just watching."
Elsewhere, a Dragonite soared through the night sky, carrying Lance, who was still hunting down criminals. Meanwhile, beneath the same full moon, a well-dressed man in a suit gently caressed an old photograph. And in Celestic Town, Cynthia had returned home to visit her grandmother.
The elderly woman, ever perceptive, spoke up, "You seem to have something on your mind, Cynthia."
Cynthia snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at the moon, giving a small, knowing smile. "Maybe so."
With the Mid-Autumn Festival over, it was back to work and school. But for Pokémon fans, there was something exciting on the horizon. Pokémon Studio's third game was about to launch! Beyond its polished design and stunning visuals, the studio had gained a reputation for educational Pokémon content, earning praise from parents and teachers alike. But most importantly—their games were insanely fun!
Even before its official release, pre-orders had skyrocketed, pushing it into the Top 3 on the sales charts. All eyes were now on this new gaming sensation—Angry Tranquill.
[Inorin Note:
If you wish to support me so I can continue to survive and afford proper food, you can join my membership on Patreon [patreon.com/InorinTL]. Be sure to check out "The Founding Pillars"—a special, limited-time tier that offers all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" at a discounted price! Slots are limited, so grab yours before they run out. Besides membership, you can also donate via Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/inorintl].
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]