The bench in Castelia City Plaza.
Lu Ye was still thinking, wondering why he had run into Ash.
The fountain glittered in the sunlight, a rainbow arcing through the spray. Togepi, Axew, and Pikachu lined up on the fountain edge, standing on tiptoe to keep their balance.
Haunter was rubbing its face and flicking its tongue at the water, and the mirror-like surface reflected Darkrai with a head full of stress lines.
Ash held an ice cream and said to Cynthia, “To be honest, I was a little surprised to see you and Teacher Lu.”
“Why?” Cynthia replied.
“Because…” Ash swallowed his ice cream and mumbled, “Isn’t Flint the one who said you two would be honeymooning in Kalos?”
Cynthia paused, a faint pink coloring her snow-white cheeks. She murmured, “Well…we had plans, but…”
But he’d have to propose first, right?
Alice, sitting between them, glanced back and forth at Teacher Lu and Cynthia and thought grown-up affairs were so complicated. Suddenly she blurted out:
“Champion Cynthia, let’s have a battle!”
“Huh?” Cynthia looked surprised.
Alice stood up, put Axew on her shoulder, and smiled into the sunlight.
“ and this kid want to beco Dragon ssengers, so we’d like to learn from your Garchomp!”
Lu Ye licked his ice cream with a calm expression.
As expected of a future Unova champion, Alice was fearless.
“No problem.”
Cynthia thought for a mont, then smiled slightly and agreed to Alice’s challenge.
Lu Ye suddenly rembered how much Cynthia loved to thrash rookies—she once had Garchomp wipe out six of Paul’s Pokémon in a 1v6.
He looked at the golden-haired beauty with the upturned eyes and gentle smile.
Darkrai, reflected beneath the mirror-like water, wore a complicated expression.
This champion couple were truly rciless when it ca to schooling newcors…
“Co out, Garchomp!”
Cynthia took a Poké Ball from her black wide-leg pants pocket and tossed it into the air;
a beam of red light struck the ground.
“Gah!” Garchomp brandished its twin scythes, its eyes blood-red, radiating fierce montum.
Axew on Alice’s shoulder froze, glancing at the battle-ready Alice.
“Yaaah~!” Axew cried.
I can tell you’re just itching to send
to the Pokémon Center!
“Then it’s settled.” Ash said excitedly, “Pikachu, let’s battle Teacher Lu too!”
“Pikapi…(⊙??⊙)” Pikachu stood at the fountain edge, turning its head in a daze.
Ash, maybe you should just go out there yourself.
Clack!
As if a chanism had been triggered.
Lu Ye rose slowly, a friendly smile at the corner of his mouth, Cynthia standing beside him with one hand on her hip.
“A doubles battle, right?” Lu Ye asked with a smile.
Alice and Ash: “Exactly!”
Pikachu and Axew: Σ(っ°Д°;
)っ
If N were here, he’d surely be moved to tears by the plight of the Pokémon partners.
But Teacher Lu’s house always stocked Revival Root;
if worry over lowered affection occurred, there were also Energy Cubes.
Lu Ye slowly unbuttoned his shirt cuff and rolled his sleeve up, then took out a Poké Ball.
“Before the Ho-Oh filming crew logs this into the movie…”
Lu Ye thought to himself:
“Let the married couple get a double-battle vent on my Level 5 Pikachu first!”
“Go, Pikachu! Go, Axew!”
The two little partners jumped onto the battlefield, exchanged a glance, each with their own expression.
Cynthia watched Ash and Alice;
the battle aura around her stiffened. Beneath her golden hair, her grey eyes deepened as she said in a low voice:
“Garchomp, Dragon Rush!”
Lu Ye put one hand in his pocket, sensing the Power of Transcendence, and stretched his arm out:
“Haunter, Dark Void—control the strength, don’t attract the renovation team!”
“Gengarrr~” Haunter hovered high in front of Pikachu, gathering a small black hole in its hands.
“Gah!” Garchomp, like a jet fighter, launched, a purple dragon-shaped afterimage roaring toward Axew.
Boom!!
[Blastoise “Healing Pulse” in progress…]
Lu Ye felt pleasantly satisfied: “That was a delightful battle.”
Cynthia smiled and said, “I could see the bond between you two, Ash, Alice.”
Ash and Alice: “We’ll keep working hard!”
Axew and Pikachu: o(╥﹏╥)o
“lo~” loetta floated in the air, smiling as she listened to the colorful heartfelt emotions, narrowing her erald eyes.
Darkrai crossed his arms and glanced at the very happy-looking loetta.
Lu Ye’s physiology is unusual too, huh.
He always ets these rare legendary Pokémon.
Wait…so does that an he’ll et other legendaries in the future?!
Darkrai: “…Being a bodyguard, I can’t work for free anymore!”
**
The doubles battle at Castelia Plaza drew quite a crowd.
Roxie, with her wild white pigtail and oversized purple long-sleeved shirt, bass strapped to her back and wearing studded boots, climbed over the railing and looked up at Teacher Lu.
“I heard soone was causing trouble here, so I ca to check it out.”
Roxie complained, “Turns out it’s Teacher Lu and those kids…”
“Roxie-senpai, good to see you again!” Ash greeted.
“Oh…” Roxie glanced at Ash and responded lightly, “That Poison Badge I gave you last ti—if you don’t perform well with it, I’ll take it back.”
“Don’t worry, Pikachu and I won’t let the badge down!”
Lu Ye looked down at Roxie curiously: “You lost to Ash?”
“It wasn’t a loss, it was the gym leader’s recognition!” Roxie snapped, then glanced at Cynthia and asked in a low voice: “Why are you in Castelia?”
“Here to see your concert.” Cynthia said with a smile. “Roxie, make sure you give a great performance tonight.”
“Uh…” Roxie stared at Cynthia’s bright, gentle smile and blushed slightly, clicking her tongue. “Tonight’s not rock… I promised the theater director I’d perform a concert.”
“So you’ll be wearing a pretty dress.” Alice’s eyes lit up as she looked at Roxie. “Roxie, I can’t wait! Hey, do you want
to film the show for you?”
Roxie didn’t want people seeing a side of her outside rock. She scratched her head: “The fewer people who co, the better.”
Lu Ye stroked his chin and considered sothing else, grinning:
“We’re in the sa group—does that an concert tickets are free for us?”
Roxie: ?
Then she seed to get an idea, narrowed her eyes, and grinned:
“That’s possible, but Teacher Lu…you should perform with !”
Lu Ye was taken aback for a mont and replied:
“Haunter performing is fine;
Lu Ye performing is not.”
“Friends and family of the staff can watch for free—” Roxie folded her arms as if that were obvious, “Besides, Teacher Lu, you play a lot of instrunts, don’t you?”
“And you don’t have to worry about embarrassnt;
it’s a private invitation concert.” Roxie added in a low voice, “It’s for the theater director who’s retiring. He took care of
a lot. That’s why I’ll play the cello…”
She omitted the part about learning cello as a kid and actually hating it, preferring rock instead.
Lu Ye fell into thought—he was professionally competent on virtually every instrunt… [Performance Lv3] wasn’t top-tier, but it was respectable.
Lu Ye looked toward Cynthia and asked.
“I’m looking forward to it.” Cynthia smiled.
“Gengarrr! Gengarrr!” Haunter excitedly offered to sing backup.
Lu Ye calmly pressed Haunter back into the shadows and said:
“Save your Perish Song for competitions.”
“Gengarrr~︿(￣︶￣)︿” (Can’t help it, I forgive you.)
There’s a trainer category called Pokémon Musicians. So treat it as a branch of Perforrs, others as a type of Coordinators.
Lu Ye had t the minstrel Nando, a musician trainer, and Roxie—Galar’s poison gym leader—was a household-na tenor.
These trainers often partnered with Exploud, loetta, Jigglypuff…maybe Haunter counts too.
They agreed to perform that night.
Lu Ye and his group arrived at Castelia City Grand Theater;
the bulletin board announced tonight’s concert.
“Is it really okay to switch the perforrs so easily?” Lu Ye asked Roxie.
“No problem, no problem!” Roxie encouraged him. “They’re all invited friends. Besides, aren’t you a musician too? If you’re going to ss up in a place like this, you might as well do electronic rap!”
Lu Ye: “…”
He felt like his reputation as an electronic/rap fan, like Marshal’s, was being sared.
Cynthia looked at him with a smiling face and nodded lightly.
“Good luck, Teacher Lu.”
“Don’t shout and make a scene, Ash.”
“Huh? You’re the one who shouts.”
Alice and Ash exchanged a look that sparked like flint—if they could, they’d strip down and fight right then.
“All right.” Cynthia gently stopped them with a smile. “How about I treat you to ice cream? There are stalls outside selling so.”
“But we already had ice cream this afternoon.” Lu Ye blinked.
“Afternoon was afternoon, now is now.” Cynthia folded her arms and said matter-of-factly.
Lu Ye smiled slightly.
ngngda that loves ice cream is very cute!
“Let’s go, Teacher Lu.” Roxie grabbed Lu Ye’s hand. “Co change clothes with !”
“I already agreed…don’t worry, I won’t bail halfway.” Lu Ye said helplessly.
Cynthia paused, looking at the two walking away, seeming to want to say sothing but stopping herself.
“The dressing rooms must be separate, right, Champion Cynthia?” Alice snickered.
“Ahem, I know.” Cynthia touched her chin and nodded gently.
**
The concert was set for seven in the evening.
Audience mbers arrived one after another, greeting the retiring theater director.
He smiled and nodded, looking at the theater with a bit of reluctance.
I’m an antique from the last century…seeing the theater renovated makes
sad, but perhaps this is for the best.
The director shook his head. It’s ti to retire.
“Hey, Old Man…” Roxie stepped from behind the curtain. “Co check this outfit—does it work?”
The director folded his hands behind his back and smiled: “I’m already happy you’re here, Roxie.”
“I know.” Roxie said softly. “I don’t like this theater’s vibe, but you’re a good director. Every ti my dad ca, you helped smooth things over… I promise this theater will live on.”
“Nothing lasts forever, Roxie.”
The director smiled kindly. “But once it exists, the aning of that existence doesn’t disappear.”
Roxie blinked and stared at the director with cloudy eyes.
The old director was staring at the huge Jigglypuff sign hanging over the curtain and whispered:
“When I was a child, I heard a beautiful piece of music. I forgot the lody, but I still rember how moved I was when I first heard it.”
“Just like people and Pokémon.” The director smiled. “When my partners left , what remained in my heart wasn’t sadness or regret, but the joy and emotion they brought.”
“I…don’t understand.” Roxie said softly.
“You’ll understand soday.” The director smiled. “Now show
what you’ve got.”
Roxie stepped out from behind the curtain, still with her white pigtail, but her oversized purple shirt had been swapped for a white dress. Her cheeks had a faint flush, her collarbone and chest fair and smooth, and the bass handle was replaced with a cello bow at her right hand.
“What a lovely girl, Roxie.” The director said: “Tonight will be the last ti I hear you play the cello, won’t it?”
Roxie fell silent and softly said, “Actually…I invited a friend. He’s playing piano, and I’ll accompany him.”
“Oh?” The director asked, “What’s the piece called?”
“That was the first ti I heard it—Teacher Lu calls it…” Roxie answered:
“‘Oración’.”
**
Seven in the evening.
The farewell concert officially began.
Cynthia, Ash, and Alice sat near the front.
Ash had Pikachu on his left shoulder, Alice had Axew on her right, and Cynthia cradled Togepi in her arms.
“Chee-chi-doo~” Togepi’s eyes sparkled as it clapped along with everyone.
Musicians took the stage one by one;
the director gently clapped, his eyes full of nostalgia for his youth and the old theater.
He had once been a reckless trainer, partnered with a shy Hoothoot. They toured together, perford in theaters, and eventually he beca the theater director.
Sitting now in the empty theater, his youth felt like a dream—only the music remained clear and moving.
The prompter took the stage.
“Next, please enjoy ‘Oración,’ perford by Lu Ye and Roxie.”
So whispered about the perforrs’ backgrounds. Ash whispered, “It’s Teacher Lu’s turn.”
Alice looked at the convergence of stage lights and covered her mouth in a soft exhale: “Teacher Lu is so handso…”
The well-tailored black suit, broad shoulders and narrow waist, tall fra and dark hair—he glimred under the spotlight.
Next to him, Roxie wore white braids and a white dress, holding the cello. A completely different scene from her rock performances.
Lu Ye sat at the piano bench as the applause rose at just the right mont;
the director’s eyes shimred.
In Lu Ye he vaguely saw the vitality of his younger self—hope leaping, firm conviction, a hunger for pursuit.
“lo~”
loetta hovered invisibly above the theater;
her sea-green hair flowed like waves as she watched the young man at the piano.
Soft notes began to flow.
The entire theater fell silent.
loetta closed her eyes gently.
The lody of Oración was lyrical and moving;
Lu Ye’s fingers danced across the black and white keys, combining with Roxie’s cello, echoing throughout the empty theater.
Cynthia looked at Lu Ye on stage, recalling the upheaval at the Twin Space-Ti Towers and the quiet, water-like kiss under a tree, a slight smile curving her lips.
Darkrai was silent.
No one loved this piece more than he did.
In that mont, Lu Ye’s posture seed to overlap with Alicia’s shadow.
Darkrai inhaled deeply and blinked hard.
“Gengarrr~” Haunter had a handkerchief in its mouth as it gazed at its trainer on stage.
So beautiful, Gengarrr~
Alice: “I don’t understand it, but I’m so moved~o(╥﹏╥)o”
The piano kept playing, the theater imrsed in the music.
loetta drifted closer to Lu Ye, hand on her chest, the jewel on her forehead glowing faintly before she closed her eyes.
A wave of romantic, artistic energy washed over him.
Lu Ye’s heart stirred.
The notes flowed like rcury, his playing becoming smoother and silkier, instantly leaping in quality.
The theater director shivered.
If he had only been moved before, and could have still found flaws, when the piece entered its later phase the young man’s unreserved expression left no words adequate to describe the feeling.
The old man closed his eyes gently, recalling his youth—his wife who still existed in mory, his Pokémon partners.
At dusk the sll of stewed potatoes would drift from ho, Hoothoot helping keep ti, his wife washing dishes while grumbling about endless bills…
Tears fell silently from the old man, a smile on his mouth;
ancient pale mories blood into brilliant color.
He felt as if he heard again the song he’d once heard as a child—the voice of loetta.
When the piece ended, long-lasting applause filled the theater.
Audience mbers had red-rimd eyes, applauding from their hearts, and the old man breathed out deeply.
Lu Ye rose and his eyes t Cynthia’s in the audience;
they exchanged a smile.
Ruffles of applause—
Lu Ye and Roxie bowed together.
loetta remained “invisible,” hand over chest, hovering beside Lu Ye and bowing in perfect step with him.
…
After the concert, Lu Ye and the others had to catch a late flight and would arrive in Undella Town early the next morning.
Roxie had changed back into her punk outfit, bass on her back, and looked up: “Hmph…not bad, Teacher Lu. You’re a musician worthy of respect!”
Lu Ye recalled the sudden, almost hacked-through performance ability he’d experienced and stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Maybe I’m soone favored by the goddess of the arts.”
Roxie: “…”
Darn it, he tricked her!
Walking down the long theater corridor, Cynthia linked her arm through Lu Ye’s and whispered:
“You shone tonight.”
“The stars only shine for Cynthia,” Lu Ye said.
Cynthia smiled faintly: “One star is enough for .”
As they were about to leave, the theater director asked to speak with Lu Ye for a few minutes.
Lu Ye thought he might be inviting him to stay for more performances and was about to decline, but the old man handed him a folded scrap of paper.
“I…” the director faltered, then smiled kindly: “I really enjoyed your performance. Because of your playing, many beautiful mories returned to …thank you very much, Mr. Lu Ye.”
“This is…” The director looked at the scrap: “I copied down the score from mory. It’s a piece I heard in my childhood. I don’t think anyone else could play it except you.”
“I hope you’ll accept it…a personal request.” The director smiled.
Lu Ye didn’t refuse the old man’s request.
“I can’t guarantee the performance state from earlier.” Lu Ye waved the score. “But I’ll practice my best.”
The director’s cloudy eyes flickered and he nodded: “Please do.”
They said their goodbyes and left the theater.
Lu Ye unfolded the crumpled scrap. The notation was ssy—clearly written in haste, as if to avoid forgetting.
But it was still legible.
[Ancient Song (Sheet Music): The ancient lody moves the opponent’s heart, causing a ntal assault. It may sotis induce sleep. (When used by loetta, it can alter status.)]
loetta?
Lu Ye recalled his performance;
it had indeed been loetta lending artistic power.
He was about to use Aura for a careful examination when Cynthia said:
“No need to buy tickets—just go straight to the airport.”
“Why?” Alice asked.
Cynthia folded one arm and pointed with a finger, smiling:
“Because it’s a private plane.”
Lu Ye: ???
With ngngda there…that’s the real reason I don’t want to work hard!
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