The event organizers had prepared a second testing machine, but Cynthia's attitude, looking ready to pay and continue the challenge, left them drenched in cold sweat.
The compromise? The challenge event was directly brought to an early end, and Cynthia walked away with two Pokémon eggs.
To Luther, Cynthia didn't seem like someone participating in an event, she looked more like she was here to cause trouble for the organizers.
"It's exactly like you said, causing trouble," Cynthia said as she patted the Pokémon eggs cradled in her arms. "Do you know this organizer was being shady? They promised two Kadabra and one Malamar, but in reality, they had two more Psychic-type Pokémon hidden in the arena."
"Double Vanillish?" Luther suddenly recalled the strange distortion that occurred after the dual Vanillish broke through the blockade with Blizzard.
"Mhm. Thought they were being sneaky."
Well, that explains it. If you try to pull a fast one on Cynthia, you've got no one but yourself to blame. No wonder she went out of her way to push back. The organizers must've been sweating bullets, knowing Cynthia might be wandering around the Moonloop Mall, they wouldn't dare try any more shady tricks.
The tenth floor was the food court. The moment they stepped off the elevator, a rich aroma hit them square in the face.
The sweet scent of cream, the fresh fragrance of herbs, and the spicy aroma all drifted through the air, making Luther instantly feel hungry.
Each of them was carrying a Pokémon egg, which made it hard to move around, so they temporarily stored them at a counter.
Cynthia, suffering from decision paralysis, was tasked with holding a seat, while Luther and Mai went to get lunch.
Cynthia wanted a cake with a thick layer of cream, easy enough. Any cake shop should be able to add an extra layer of cream on request.
Thinking about how Chansey used to help out in a cake shop, Luther was curious about what Chansey thought of Kalos-style cakes.
There weren't many people at the tasting counter. Luther picked up a piece of cake and fed it to Chansey.
Chansey chewed lightly, frowned, tasted it again, and slowly shook her head.
Luther took a piece for himself.
"That thick maple syrup flavor again... No wonder you don't like it."
This tasting stand's cakes looked great, thick layers of cream topped with cherries made them seem much tastier than the previous maple syrup one.
Luther handed a piece to Chansey, and they both dug in.
Chansey still shook her head after finishing.
"Eh, I thought the cream was really smooth, and the cherries were fresh and crisp."
Chansey pointed at the uneaten portion on her plate, indicating that the texture there was poor.
Well, Chansey is clearly a strict food critic.
As they walked, Luther was drawn to another cake shop, not for the cake, but because the one handing out samples was a Lilligant.
This was one of the most popular Grass-type Pokémon in the world. After all, beauty is justice, no matter where you go.
Luther picked a piece of matcha cake from Lilligant's tray, split it in two, and shared it with Chansey.
Their reactions were surprisingly in sync. They looked at each other, no words needed, and immediately bought enough for their Pokémon and for Cynthia.
Before leaving, Luther asked the shop owner for permission and took a photo of Lilligant holding the tasting tray. Chansey even leaned in for a group selfie.
Back at the rest area, Mai, who had gone to get fried noodles, was already surrounded by drooling Pokémon.
"You're so slow. If you didn't get back soon, I was going to feed your portion to Togekiss," Cynthia said.
Nothing soothes the soul like dessert. As soon as Luther laid the cakes on the table, Cynthia's annoyance vanished.
"You still want more?"
Luther had just finished handing out lunch when he suddenly looked over at Marill, who was lying nearby.
Marill lifted her head, looked at the cake and fried noodles, then looked at Espurr and Ralts who were happily munching away... and struggled to get up.
"I can still eat!"
She felt that not eating would be a loss, she had to at least have a taste!
"Just one bite, okay? If you eat too much again, you'll feel sick," Luther said, using chopsticks to pick up some fried noodles and feed Marill.
Marill took a deep breath in front of the noodles being offered.
"Slurp, slurp…"
Luther noticed something was off, the fried noodles on his plate were disappearing way too fast. He quickly pressed his hand on Marill's head and used the chopsticks to break the noodles.
Still chewing, Marill looked unsatisfied and stared longingly at the nearby cake.
Luther had learned his lesson. He used a fork to cut off a small piece and let Marill try it. Then, ignoring her pitiful begging, he buried his head and started eating by himself.
Espurr had already finished her cake. Her appetite wasn't large, so she was fully content. The wonderful taste of the cream had left her enchanted. Even though she was full, she was still savoring the aftertaste. When she saw a bit of cream left on Ralts' face, she hesitated, then leaned in and licked it clean.
Ralts panicked and tried to resist, but Espurr was faster. In just a few quick licks, it was spotless.
Marill saw this and suddenly felt like she had learned something new. She began scanning the room, eagerly hoping someone had eaten messily so she could put her new "skill" to use.
But Jumpluff and Chansey had eaten very cleanly and even wiped their mouths afterward. Mismagius was eating fried noodles with Luther, so Marill had no choice but to turn her eyes toward Mai's Pokémon.
Slowpoke was slowly stuffing cake into its mouth. Eevee and Pachirisu had already been wiped clean by Mai after eating. Corsola? It just sipped some orange juice and called it lunch.
No luck on Mai's side…
Marill looked up, only to see Garchomp with cream on its face.
The two Pokémon locked eyes for a moment… then quickly turned their heads away.
Suddenly, Mai looked at her navigation guide and asked, "The floor across from here has shops that sell clothes for Pokémon. Do you want to check it out?"
To be honest, Luther really wasn't into shopping for clothes, so he decisively opted out. He just wanted to sit and rest.
Cynthia thought for a moment and said she wanted to check out the Grass-type Pokémon spa on this floor. If the service was good, she'd let her Roserade experience it. Afterward, she could meet up with Mai.
Sure enough, Luther, who had no intention of moving, got left behind. The two girls had a very consistent opinion about him:
So boring.
And since he was left behind, he naturally had to clean up the leftover trash from their lunch.
By the time he returned to his seat, the Moonloop Mall had reached peak traffic. The tenth-floor food court was now bustling, and all the resting seats were quickly occupied.
Luther sat alone in a corner of the rest area. The view was fantastic, through the glass, he could look down at the cityscape of Lumiose City.
As he scrolled through Pokémon literature on his phone, the corner of his vision darkened, someone had sat down across from him.
It was mealtime rush, so sharing tables was normal. Luther didn't even bother to look up.
But after a while, something felt off. The person across from him hadn't brought any food, wasn't doing anything else, and seemed to be staring at him the whole time.
Luther looked up. The man wore a white baseball cap and dark green-rimmed glasses. He looked scholarly and clean-cut, refined, with pale skin.
He appeared to be about the same age and height as Luther, dressed in a light green casual shirt and slightly faded jeans.
"Luther?" the man suddenly spoke.
Luther froze. He had zero impression of this person, but the guy knew his name?
"Do we know each other?"
The man chuckled. "I've only seen your photo in the files."
Files? What a coincidence. Since coming to this world, Cynthia had learned about him through files, Oleander had made contact with him that way too… not to mention Lucian, the first person he met.
"International Police?"
There were only so many possibilities anyway. Luther had been reading something interesting and casually guessed as he lowered his head back to his phone.
"I used to work there for a while."
"Retired?"
"No, I was fired."
"Fired? So, who are you?"
"They call me Evergreen."
(End of Chapter)
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