Night fell as a gentle breeze swept across the summer harbor.

"That's a Lanturn," Cynthia said, her black trench coat fluttering slightly as she gazed at the shimmering dark sea, elegantly tucking back her golden hair.

"They inhabit the deep sea and rise with ocean currents. Trainers have a chance to catch them."

"At least it's not Tentacool," Lu Ye remarked.

"There are several other Water-type Pokémon that can glow," Cynthia smiled, raising a finger. "Like Chinchou, Lanturn, and Starmie, for example."

The lighthouse of Hearthome City cast its beam, scanning the sea surface.

"Do you think there are undiscovered deep-sea Pokémon out there?"

"Such as?"

"Giant squid-like creatures, or octopuses afraid of ships."

Lu Ye's mind conjured images of some rather poorly designed Pokémon and said,

"Considering even Dhelmise—which barely looks like a Pokémon—was discovered, there must be new species waiting to be found."

The shifting light played across Cynthia's refined profile as the two fell into a shared sense of mystery and awe over the idea of colossal deep-sea Pokémon.

"Weren't we supposed to train later?" Cynthia murmured, feeling the warmth of his hand.

"I usually leave that to Haunter."

"What about the Larvitar you just caught?"

"I'll take you to see it in a bit."

"I can stay a little longer."

The sea reflected their swaying silhouettes as they drew closer, the sound of waves mingling with the distant cry of a Wailmer.

Cynthia rested her head on Lu Ye's shoulder, her black hair accessory brushing against his ear as she felt his hand gently stroke her smooth golden hair.

After a long silence, the lighthouse beam continued its rotation, and a faint smile curved Cynthia's lips.

"We could go see the summer fireworks in Sinnoh."

"Like last year in Shanghai?"

"Yeah..." She let out a soft sigh in the night. "Has it really been that long already?"

"And then?"

"Then we can finish that newly released game, prepare for the Lily of the Valley Conference, and present awards to the champion..."

"Well, I'm definitely winning that championship," Lu Ye said with a frown.

Sorry, Ash—better luck next region!

Cynthia's arm curled around his neck as she closed her long-lashed eyes, her voice laced with gentle amusement.

"Then you'd better give it your all."

"Count on it," Lu Ye nodded.

"Alright."

Cynthia naturally withdrew her arm, stretching lazily before walking ahead. She turned back with a smile.

"Let's go see that Larvitar of yours!"

"It's at the battle arena in the lakeside park."

Lu Ye watched as Mengmengda effortlessly tied up her golden hair, then followed after her.

"Haunter's keeping an eye on it—shouldn't be any issues..."

**

During this trip to Hearthome City, Cynthia had also prepared a gift for Larvitar—a legacy technique from Celestic Town's Dragon-type lineage: **Dragon Dance**.

Since Garchomp couldn't master **Dragon Dance**, the manual Cynthia possessed had never been put to practical use.

Coincidentally, Larvitar could learn **Dragon Dance** via TM, so Cynthia had brought the manual along to gift to Teacher Lu.

This was also her way, as Sinnoh Champion, of expressing gratitude to the trainer who had saved Sinnoh multiple times.

Arriving at the park under the night sky, they found the swings, merry-go-round, and slides deserted.

However, a few adorable little Pokémon had taken over the place, incidentally driving away the wild Pokémon that had previously occupied it.

(Wild Shinx: Meow!!

Translation: Damn that Sylveon! We'll be back!)

"Togepi~! ヾ(◍°∇°◍)ﾉﾞ"

Togepi slid down the slide cheerfully before scrambling back up for another round.

"Gengarrr~" Haunter used its tongue to lift Togepi mid-air, sparing it the trip up and down.

"Eevee~" Sylveon was happily swinging on the seat it had tied with its ribbons, beaming with joy.

Upon spotting Teacher Lu, Sylveon immediately leapt down, proudly raising the bow on its chest.

Hmph~ Swings are for kids. I’m way too mature for that.

"And this is...?" Cynthia pointed at the conspicuous turtle shell in the center of the park.

"That's Blastoise," Lu Ye facepalmed. "It's practicing Aura training using meditation techniques Lucario taught it."

Cynthia nodded thoughtfully before smiling and tossing out several Poké Balls in one go.

"Come on out, everyone."

Instantly, the quiet park was filled with the sounds of Pokémon.

Gastrodon leisurely trudged across the sand, leaving a trail of slug-like slime;

The shy Spiritomb tightly shut its foliage, pretending it didn't exist;

Togekiss soared overhead while Lucario meditated cross-legged, and Garchomp extended its scythe-like arm toward Lu Ye.

"Grah!"

Lu Ye blinked before pulling out a case of Pokéblocks.

"Big bro, want a snack?"

Garchomp grinned, approving of Lu Ye's perceptiveness.

Well, it's not like I can stop him anyway… Might as well get some treats out of it!

Larvitar was playing in the sandpit with Arcanine.

"Arf… (๑´ㅂ`๑)" While it seemed like Arcanine was babysitting, it had actually dug itself a cozy hole to nap in.

"Yoji…" Larvitar was wholly focused on building a sandcastle.

"Looking like a Sandygast there," Lu Ye commented.

"It's got quite the crafting talent," Cynthia chuckled.

Soon, the sandcastle was complete—a miniature but majestic palace.

Larvitar's eyes sparkled as it opened its mouth wide—

"Om nom! (￣～￣)"

Lu Ye: "..."

So you built a sandcastle just to make the sand tastier?

Give me back my childhood innocence, dammit!

After observing Larvitar's condition, Cynthia's eyes gleamed with intrigue.

This Larvitar's upbringing and training were impeccable.

Her confidence in teaching it **Dragon Dance** grew stronger.

"This is my gift for Larvitar."

Cynthia handed Lu Ye a purple USB drive, her expression serious. "You must accept it."

Lu Ye blinked. "That important?"

"It's my thanks for saving Sinnoh multiple times."

Cynthia frowned slightly, murmuring, "You know I don’t like owing people."

"Then don’t thank me—having you is enough," Lu Ye waved it off.

Cynthia shot him a glance.

Teacher Lu calmly took the USB, asking nonchalantly,

"What's on it?"

"A Technical Machine—Dragon Dance," Cynthia smiled.

Lu Ye: ?

Would **Dragon Dance** make Larvitar even hungrier?

No.

But it would amplify its demolition speed and power.

**Dragon Dance** was a top-tier Dragon-type move, perfectly suited for Tyranitar's role as a physical attacker.

Yet Garchomp had never been able to master it.

Perhaps that was why Mengmengda had passed it to him—to fulfill a lingering regret.

"Celestic Town has always nurtured Dragon-type trainers," Cynthia explained, recalling her grandmother's words.

"Even the Dragon-type Elite Four member Drasna from Kalos hails from Celestic Town."

"This contains the **Dragon Dance** technique passed down through Celestic Town’s lineage."

Cynthia added, "It should help with raising Larvitar."

Lu Ye's emotions were mixed.

A mental image surfaced: Haunter singing backup, Rotom providing music, and Larvitar busting moves...

The scene was bizarre and faintly reeked of money.

But Cynthia had come all the way to Hearthome City just to deliver this carefully prepared gift.

Of course he’d accept—the only question was where to train.

Pocketing the **Dragon Dance** TM, Teacher Lu thought:

"After the Gym challenge, I’ll ask Leader Volkner to borrow his arena."

Training at home was out of the question.

Professor Rowan was kind enough to let him use his backyard, but that wasn’t a permanent solution.

Guess I’ll just have to rent Gym arenas wherever I go…

Seeing Lu Ye accept the TM, Cynthia couldn’t help but smile.

"What now?"

"Do... what?" Lu Ye froze.

Noticing Cynthia's playful expression, understanding dawned on him.

"No way—I’ve got a match against Volkner tomorrow!"

"It’s fine, I rarely get free time… Just three hours?"

"One hour!"

"I’ll pay you."

"Money’s not the issue."

Lu Ye strode ahead under the moonlight, his firm voice carried by the wind.

"I just want to play games with you…"

……

As everyone knows, being a paid gaming companion is one way to earn pocket money.

Perhaps this was just… a quirk between these two Champions.

The next morning.

Flint stood in the hallway, loudly talking on a video call:

"Whoa, calm down! Just because Teacher Lu’s battling today doesn’t mean you gotta lose sleep over it!"

Lucian, dark circles under his eyes from staying up all night, weakly waved him off.

"Think what you want… Just hurry back and relieve me."

"Relax."

Flint grinned. "After I watch today’s match, I’ll head straight to Lilycove Island!"

A door creaked open.

Ash emerged, heavy bags under his eyes, a drowsy Pikachu perched on his head.

"Morning, Flint…"

"You pulling an all-nighter too?" Flint asked, baffled.

"Nah," Ash yawned. "Just too excited about facing Leader Volkner—couldn’t sleep!"

Flint went "Oh?" as another door opened.

Ash and Flint simultaneously turned to Teacher Lu, exclaiming in unison:

"Teacher Lu, you didn’t sleep either?"

"What do you think?"

Lu Ye rubbed his dark circles.

Rustling came from the room as a golden-haired beauty stepped out behind him, smiling gracefully.

"Good morning, Ash, Flint."

Instantly, Flint turned to stone, jaw dropping with an audible *crack* as the wind blew past.

"Y-Y-You—C-C-Cynthia?!?!"

His eyes darted between the room and Lu Ye’s exhausted expression.

Flint grabbed his spiky hair, his brain visibly rebooting.

"Champion Cynthia!"

Ash’s eyes widened. "Did you and Teacher Lu spend all night discussing techniques?"

Cynthia tapped her chin thoughtfully before smiling. "Yes."

"In that case!"

Ash’s eyes blazed as he clenched his fists. "Before my match with Leader Volkner, battle me, Champion Cynthia!"

"Pika-chu~!"

Cynthia blinked her long-lashed eyes, seemingly considering the offer.

Lu Ye grabbed Ash’s head with a sigh.

"The match is starting soon—no more trouble!"

"Mmph… I’m Ash from Pallet Town, and I’ll defeat Paul to become Champion!" Ash protested.

Flint’s brain finally rebooted as he stammered at Cynthia:

"D-Do I need to… forget what I just saw?"

"Hm?" Cynthia paused. "We just played games all night."

"Got it!"

Flint nodded vigorously, repeating:

"Just played games all night!"

Cynthia tilted her head slightly, a thought flashing through her mind.

Glancing at Lu Ye chatting with Ash, her lips curled.

At the very least… I’ll wait for him to confess again during the fireworks festival.

Wait.

Wouldn’t that basically be… an engagement?

"I need to… go back to Celestic Town first!" Cynthia suddenly thought, lowering her head.

After saying goodbye, Cynthia hastily mounted Garchomp and soared into the clear blue sky.

Flint scratched his spiky hair.

Even *I* can tell something’s up with these two!

But… Flint mused internally, "Dating seems like such a hassle."

Battling Volkner is way more exciting!

Once the Gym exhibition match wraps up, maybe we can team up and dominate the Battle Zone together!

Flint grinned.

Suddenly, I get why Teacher Lu’s always so happy!

Meanwhile, Teacher Lu was pondering **Dragon Dance**’s applications while talking to Ash:

"What number challenger are you?"

"Uh, I think I’m one of the last few."

Flint slung an arm around Ash and Lu Ye, laughing boisterously:

"Let’s go, let’s go! Time to find Volkner—this’ll be good!"