Chapter 152:
"Huh, so you're..." Hayashi Kaede feigned a look of astonishment as he regarded it.
But Mew pursed its lips and stared at him. "Mew?!" (You knew my identity all along, didn't you?)
"..." Hayashi Kaede's expression of amazement froze. Only then did he realize that Mew had discovered he'd seen through its disguise. He could only nod, chuckling cheerfully, "Isn't it because you like to play? I was just playing along with you."
Mew: "..."
It had nothing to say.
It seemed both wronged and angry, but in the end, it didn't know what else to say. As if overwhelmed by frustration, it simply tossed its head and flew off in the direction Mewtwo had gone.
Leaving Hayashi Kaede standing there, looking baffled. "...Just left like that..."
But he didn't chase after it. He just found it amusing that Mew, who had lived who knows how many years, could still have such a childlike side. He couldn't help but smile inwardly.
When he turned back, he noticed Champion Kazephyr looking utterly stunned.
"Was that... Mew just now?" Kazephyr said, sounding incredulous.
While the average person might not know about Pokémon like Mew, as one of the Champion of the Pokemon League, he was naturally aware of Mew's existence.
According to those who enjoyed research, wasn't it the ancestor of all Pokémon?
But that Mew seemed like it had been bullied by this plantation owner?
Good grief, what kind of plantation owner was this?
Hayashi Kaede nodded. "Well... probably, yes. But it seems to be throwing a little tantrum."
However, the Friendship level hadn't dropped; it was still in the seventies, so Hayashi Kaede wasn't worried about Mew's situation.
"This... this..."
"Are you a Breeder?" Kazephyr asked, sounding dazed.
He couldn't find any other way to express his shock.
Seriously, is your plantation even legal?
With so many powerful Pokémon around?
And Mythical Pokémon…
Hayashi Kaede nodded. "Yes, I have an Advanced Breeder certificate issued by the League. The breeding house downstairs was left by my parents."
"....." Kazephyr fell silent again.
Originally, the matter should have been considered resolved, but now Kazephyr felt he had another issue on his mind.
He had a strong urge to investigate the secrets of this plantation owner.
But that might not be appropriate?
Moreover, he noticed something else at this moment.
Hayashi Kaede was floating in the air on his own, not lifted by Gardevoir's psychic power.
This meant Hayashi Kaede himself was a Psychic!
This was unbelievable...
Was he really just a plantation owner?
Kazephyr had lost count of how many times he'd sighed inwardly like this.
Just then, Hayashi Kaede politely said, "Thank you for your trouble coming all this way, Champion. Would you like to come in for a drink?"
"Ah... sure, sure..." Kazephyr quickly accepted the polite offer.
"..."
Hayashi Kaede didn't say much more. After all, he had his own little scheme:
Tomorrow, his video channel would feature a clip of the Champion visiting his breeding house.
He slowly descended with Gardevoir until they landed in front of the breeding house. Kazephyr also had Moltres land gently before recalling it.
He looked around curiously at the breeding house before him.
Neighborhood Breeding House.
The name was very ordinary. In front was a simple bluestone path that looked quite old. Strangely, even in autumn, the sides of the path were covered with green moss, and above, bright flowers bloomed.
The breeding house was very clean inside, clearly because it was lunchtime, and no one was around.
Following Hayashi Kaede inside, at the checkout counter stood a young Indeedee. From its furrowed brow, it was clear this was the male Indeedee.
Then, on the right counter, there were Alcremie and Vulpix, with frost cakes or cream cakes below.
In front were various Energy Cubes.
'The products sold are quite diverse.'
This was Kazephyr's first impression after looking around.
And after seeing the prices and description, his second thought was:
'Do these Energy Cubes really have such effects?'
If they did, then the prices were too cheap. If not, they were too expensive.
But he didn't ask or buy anything immediately.
Hayashi Kaede led him to the living room—the same place where they had eaten earlier.
He asked softly, "What would you like to drink, Champion? We have juice, fresh milk, honey water, rice wine, or Grepa Berry Wine."
"Uh... some juice, please."
Hayashi Kaede took a cup of juice from the refrigerator and poured it for Kazephyr.
The latter took it. After running around for so long, he was indeed thirsty and downed it in one go.
But after drinking it, his expression changed. "This... this juice?"
"Yes, it's juice made with Bounsweet. Tasty, right?" Hayashi Kaede interrupted him.
Kazephyr let out a puzzled "Huh?" and paused.
Then he shook his head. "That's not what I meant."
To be honest, he had been quite stressed lately.
This year, he was already thirty-three or thirty-four. Since becoming Champion, he had been constantly busy with League affairs, leaving no time to find a girlfriend, which meant he was still single.
He didn't think it was a problem.
But his parents...
That's right...
Even as Champion, he couldn't escape the pressure to get married.
When he was younger, it was fine; his parents only occasionally nagged him.
But after turning thirty, the calls came three or four times a day, sometimes even five or six.
It was all about blind dates, blind dates.
All his free time was spent on blind dates.
After all, his parents' nagging and the arranged meetings were hard to avoid.
Sigh...
It was just hard to put into words.
So he had been feeling irritable all the time.
Lately, it had been better. He ran into an old rival, battled them, and felt much better.
But now, after drinking this cup of juice, he felt that irritability vanish instantly.
It was as if some pent-up emotion had been released, and he had never felt so comfortable before.
Hayashi Kaede continued asking: "So it's not good? Would you like something else?"
"Uh... no, this is great. Could I have another cup?" Kazephyr raised his glass to him.
Hayashi Kaede poured him another cup.
After downing it again, Kazephyr studied Hayashi Kaede, murmuring to himself:
'So young...'
He wanted to ask but suddenly realized he didn't even know the young man's name. So he could only say: "Young man, may I ask what grade of Breeder you are?"
"Well... that? The certificate I tested for is Advanced grade, but actually, my skills should be above Advanced" Hayashi Kaede replied breezily.
"Above Advanced?"