It's only a little over $430,000. Once Plants vs. Zombies launches, breaking even shouldn't take long.
Compared to something as trivial as money, I can't let my own Pokémon down.
You caught them, you own the responsibility that comes with it, you absolute coward.
Even fully committed to his own chuunibyou resolve, Luke couldn't help wanting to slap himself. Teacher Luke, in that moment, was the living embodiment of "putting on a brave face while quietly falling apart inside."
I genuinely cannot believe Cynthia was the mole this whole time.
Training the Pokémon was one thing. Actually floating a loan on top of it, though? Was this part of the plan too?
Luke rubbed his temples, gritting his teeth internally. There will absolutely not be a next time. I, Teacher Luke, refuse to become an actual Trainer for the rest of my natural life.
"Kojie! o(≧▽≦)ツ"* Haunter, thrilled, zipped around the room and settled in to give Cynthia an enthusiastic shoulder massage.
A fresh wave of betrayal hit Luke. I'm the one paying for all of this. I even bought you that Dusk Stone. And this is how—
"Oh, and one more thing about Eevee," Cynthia said, glancing at the peacefully sleeping Eevee nearby. "I'd recommend custom training equipment for her too. Given her size the cost shouldn't run past $140,000."
Cynthia tucked her hair back and sighed softly. "She trains so hard already. Custom gear would adjust how the force actually distributes through her body, so there's less long-term risk to her bone structure."
Teacher Luke, freshly locked into his solemn vow of loyalty, paused and glanced over at Eevee shifting restlessly in her sleep.
"...Buy it," Luke managed, his heart audibly breaking.
"All together, that puts us around $700,000," Cynthia said, smiling. "Genuinely reasonable, honestly."
Luke's expression went somewhere between numb and devastated. Do we have fundamentally different definitions of the word "reasonable"?
Then again — for Cynthia this was probably equivalent to a single 6v6 match's overhead. Her actual cumulative Pokémon investment was likely sitting comfortably in the hundreds of millions.
Cynthia tossed a card over and Luke caught it without thinking. Five million yuan meant essentially nothing to her, and she genuinely hadn't expected any kind of formal IOU in return. Still, since this was fundamentally different from covering a bill, Luke intended to pay it back properly, on his own terms, over time.
I hadn't even become a Trainer yet and I'm already $700,000 in debt.
Luke let out a weary sigh. This is a setup. A complete, total setup.
"I'll get this back to you as fast as I can," Luke said.
He had genuine confidence in Plants vs. Zombies, and figured this counted as an early investment in a sense.
"No rush at all," Cynthia said, smiling. "Your Pokémon's training matters more right now."
Cynthia herself wasn't remotely worried about the $700,000. Between the caliber of his Pokéblock craft and his tactical instincts, there was no version of reality where Teacher Luke stayed short on money for long. This was clearly just a temporary cash crunch.
Her mouth curved into a small, satisfied smile at the thought that she'd actually been useful to him.
"Repayment date?" Luke asked.
"Whatever works for you," Cynthia said through a small yawn. "Write down anything you'd like."
Luke's mouth twitched. Do you genuinely think $700,000 is that trivial? I feel personally insulted right now.
Complaints aside, he wrote out a proper IOU in duplicate and handed it over solemnly. Cynthia accepted it with a faint smile and offered nothing further either way.
Judging purely by Haunter's giddy expression, the single most electrifying moment for any Trainer was apparently watching their money disappear. Eevee, still blissfully unaware of the transaction, would at least genuinely benefit from proper equipment on health grounds alone.
Over $430,000 for Haunter's amusement. Over $140,000 to reduce Eevee's injury risk.
Clutching a $700,000 IOU, Luke let out a strangled gasp, a fresh pang of financial grief hitting square in the chest.
"...Great deal. Truly."
______________________________
Night settled in fully. As the city lights flickered to life outside, Eevee blinked awake from her nap to find a fresh bowl of Oran Berry Pokéblock waiting nearby.
Across the room Haunter studied the printed Shadow Ball training method Luke had prepared, deep in what looked like genuine contemplation of Calm Mind. Luke sat curled up on the couch watching TV while Cynthia, across from him, was fully absorbed in a game.
Eevee shook her head, letting out a soft, contented growl. A month felt like a lifetime ago.If this is a dream, I never want to wake up.
She smiled sweetly, shifted into a more comfortable position, and drifted back off with her head resting on the silk scarf.
Luke pulled a DSLR camera out of seemingly nowhere.
"...Really?" Cynthia blinked, caught off guard.
"Just say the tagline."
"What tagline?"
"You know — if you're really down for this, go with something like 'Plants vs. Zombies is genuinely fun.' That works fine."
"This feels a little embarrassing," Cynthia admitted, cheeks flushing slightly.
"We'll formally bring you on as the game's spokesperson afterward, don't worry."
Cynthia relaxed and nodded with a smile.
Between the Master League and somehow accumulating a $700,000 debt in the same afternoon, Luke was thoroughly drained. He yawned and waved a hand. "Get some rest."
He scooped up the sleeping Eevee, settled her comfortably against the couch cushions, and pulled the blanket over both of them.
Cynthia nodded, then asked, "What are your plans for tomorrow?"
Luke poked his head out from under the covers. "Going out somewhere?"
"My flight's at ten tomorrow night."
"That works," Luke said, smiling. "I know this area pretty well."
"Wouldn't that draw a lot of attention, though?"
"Then let's just find somewhere quieter," Luke joked. "Or, I don't know, buy out the whole street."
Cynthia nodded, entirely serious. "I'll make a call and check if that's possible."
Luke's expression went strange. Is this genuinely how wealthy people think?Could she actually buy out an entire commercial district in Metro City?
______________________________
Metro City Pokémon Association.
The fact that Cynthia had personally invited Luke into her guest box had already genuinely rattled Chairman Preston. Venue footage confirmed it further — Luke had gone toe-to-toe with Lance in a friendly match and walked away with a draw.
Preston rubbed his temples, his read on Luke's actual strength growing hazier by the minute. No wonder his commanding looked so masterful at the Piplup Cup.
"Someone at that level, choosing to grind a rookie tournament for fun," Preston muttered, shaking his head with a wry smile. "Genuinely, the world never runs out of surprises."
Right then his secretary's call pulled his attention, and his brow furrowed.
"Cynthia? Out shopping? With who?"
Hearing Luke's name attached to it, Preston paused, then immediately understood the implication. Whether the two of them had a prior history or not was unclear, but based on current circumstances Cynthia had apparently been staying at Luke's place for at least two days running.
Regardless of the details, Luke being local to the Orient region while cultivating a genuine friendship with someone like Cynthia could only be beneficial for the region overall.
"He is genuinely handsome, I'll give him that," Preston said, rubbing his chin. "I wonder if he could actually win her over properly."
I've genuinely never heard of Cynthia growing this close to any man before.
Preston tapped a finger against his desk, dialed a number, and gave the order.
"Clear the roads. Give them room to move freely if this is actually happening."