"Holy crap, Team Galactic!"
Lumiere was genuinely startled. Although their hairstyles weren't the teal bowl cuts from the games or anime, just looking at those uniforms, there was no mistaking it!
This was getting ridiculous. Team Galactic grunts were actually strolling around the Pokémon Center in broad daylight. If this were Team Rocket instead…
What surprised Lumiere even more was that some Trainers passing by barely reacted when they saw the two of them, as if they were just ordinary strangers, casually glancing over before looking away.
That made Lumiere feel puzzled. Could it be that Team Galactic hadn't started causing trouble yet?
Or perhaps in this Arce region, Team Galactic wasn't actually a villainous organization?
To confirm this guess, Lumiere quietly edged closer, trying to overhear what they were talking about…
"Today's commissions feel way too hard. They're all about helping people catch Pokémon. I'm exhausted."
"Seriously, can't these people catch Pokémon themselves?"
"You can tell at a glance they're kids from town. They want to show off in front of their friends, but they can't handle it. In the end, their parents probably just release the Pokémon anyway."
"Yeah…"
"Oh right, someone saw Volo in town yesterday."
"The Volo from the Ginkgo Guild?"
"Yeah. I heard he took on Mai's commission."
"So it was him? I was thinking of taking it myself, since Mai…"
"Sigh, forget it. Let's just keep taking the Floaroma Flower Shop commission. Their pay is pretty good."
"Watering berry trees again? Please spare me…"
"Stop complaining. Let's go, let's go."
Watching the two Team Galactic members walk past him and leave, Lumiere didn't know what kind of expression he should be wearing anymore.
It felt like something had just shattered—maybe his entire understanding had gone wrong somewhere.
"Good grief, is this really Team Galactic? Are you sure they're not some kind of retirement club?"
It took Lumiere a while to barely accept this contrast. Then he walked over to the white screen, wanting to see what it actually displayed.
"Villain Mutual Aid Society… Floaroma Town's commissions for today… what kind of nonsense is this?"
〔Commission from Anonymous User 31137: Please help capture a Pachirisu. Pachirisu is just too cute. Ever since I saw someone else's, I've wanted one / Reward: 200 Pokédollars. Double if female, ten times if shiny! After completion, please notify me. I'll come to the Pokémon Center to pick it up〕
〔Commission from Anonymous User 64525: Please help capture a Munchlax. I heard it eats a lot, so I want to see if it's true / Reward: 150 Pokédollars. Notify me after completion please〕
〔Commission from the Floaroma Flower Shop owner: The orchard berries are about to ripen, but wild Pokémon keep sneaking in to eat them. We've been too busy driving them away to water the berry trees. Looking for a few friends to help with watering / Reward: 320 Pokédollars per day. This commission is available every day before the berries ripen, as long as it's not raining. After accepting, come directly to the Floaroma Flower Shop counter〕
…
"Wow, it's actually a quest board."
Lumiere was genuinely surprised, then recalled what Volo had said yesterday. So the commissions were real after all.
And it looked like anyone could take these commissions. The rewards ranged from low to high—maybe this was a way for him to make some money.
A few hundred per job. Ten jobs would be a few thousand… maybe it wouldn't take long to achieve financial freedom and let Rowlet live the good life!
That said, these commissions did seem pretty troublesome, and some of them didn't even make much sense.
Also, there didn't seem to be any option to accept the commissions on the screen. Instead, each task had a strange string of numbers after it.
Just then, one particular commission caught Lumiere's attention—not for any special reason, but because it was literally glowing gold, incredibly eye-catching.
〔Commission from Gold Member Volo: Ahhh, last night while doing a commission in Floaroma Town, Togepi accidentally injured a passerby. I wanted to take him to the hospital, but he ran too fast and I couldn't catch up. If anyone sees him, please notify me / Reward: 50 Pokédollars. Note: he's not as handsome as me, but he's carrying a Rowlet dressed like Snorlax, very distinctive (This commission has been completed)〕
"Gold Member… Volo? And what's with this Gold Member thing?"
Lumiere didn't quite get it, but this commission was clearly Volo looking for him. So he really had his eye on me, huh.
And I'm only worth fifty Pokédollars? That's way too cheap. Also, what does 'commission completed' mean? I wasn't found at all—
Just then, a hand gently landed on Lumiere's shoulder. His body jolted, and he heard that familiar laugh from behind him.
"Found you~"
"..."
Lumiere nearly jumped into the screen. The movement startled Rowlet in his arms, which lifted its head and looked at him in confusion.
"Rowlet?"
Forcing himself not to bolt on the spot, Lumiere turned around. That familiar figure—sure enough, it was Volo…
At the moment, Volo was chatting happily with a miniskirt girl who had a Bibarel with her, and it seemed he'd even been asked for an autograph and added as a contact.
Sensing someone watching, the miniskirt girl smiled shyly at Lumiere.
Then she raised her hand with pink-painted nails, made a peace sign, and showed off her phone screen—a wallpaper of Rowlet cosplaying as Snorlax…
Now the truth was clear. Early in the morning, the miniskirt girl had woken up and spotted Lumiere and Rowlet still sleeping nearby.
She secretly snapped a photo of sleeping Rowlet, then saw Volo's commission while browsing here. Photo acquired, fifty Pokédollars earned, autograph and contact obtained—miniskirt girl was the true winner.
After she left, Volo finally turned around with a smile—then instantly changed expressions, his face turning serious as he looked at Lumiere.
"You ran way too fast last night. I said I'd cover the medical expenses."
"It's nothing. I'm fully recovered now, so no need to trouble you," Lumiere laughed awkwardly, eager to get away.
"Your memory's back?"
"I slept it off. I feel refreshed. Probably recovered… I guess."
Volo pondered for a moment, then probed, "Then do you remember your name?"
"My name is Luther!" Lumiere answered without hesitation.
"Stare——" Volo stroked his chin, silently staring at him, his expression full of disbelief.
Seeing he'd been exposed, Lumiere could only admit it. "Actually, my name is Lumiere. An unemployed drifter of the land."
After staring for a bit longer, Volo finally showed a sly smile and seemed convinced. Then he introduced himself. "My name is Volo, a freelance merchant from the Ginkgo Guild. I occasionally take commissions from the Villain Mutual Aid Society. I'm fairly well-known in the Sinnoh region."
"So that's how it is…"
Aside from the shared connection to the Ginkgo Guild, everything else seemed different. Maybe in this world, he really was a good guy?
Lumiere trusted him a little more now, but there were still questions he needed answered—and Volo was definitely the one who knew them!
So he pretended to still have memory loss and asked with a puzzled expression, "Um, could you explain what the Ginkgo Guild and the Villain Mutual Aid Society are? I can't quite remember…"
"Oh, that…" Volo paused, then turned to the screen and said playfully,
"Let's talk about that in the next chapter~"
"Damn it!"