July 21st, Tuesday.
A loud boom from the living room jolted Teacher Luke awake. He bolted upright and rushed out to find Haunter and Eevee mid-battle.
"Kojie!" Haunter rubbed its palms together and sent a small Shadow Ball straight at Eevee. She just shook her head, completely unharmed.
"Vee!" Eevee bared her teeth and answered with a Return that sailed right through Haunter without effect.
Haunter burst out laughing — right up until it caught sight of Luke standing in the corner, radiating pure resentment.
Mutual immunity between the two of you, and you're using it to train moves against each other in the living room.You two really thought this one through, didn't you.
Luke glanced up at the ceiling where fresh debris had shaken loose and muttered, "This apartment's going to collapse one of these days."
He called in a repair crew, and while chewing on a piece of bread mid-morning he jotted down the bill: -$280. He let out a small sigh of relief. "Thank god, only $280."
As if someone $700,000 in debt has room to worry about pocket change like that.
Repairs stretched into the afternoon. Before Luke could even properly process the loneliness of Cynthia's departure, a delivery notification pulled him out the door.
"Pelipper Logistics, signature required!"
The Pelipper's pouch was roomy enough to fit an entire gashapon machine, easily swallowing the two packages inside.
Under Eevee and Haunter's expectant stares Luke solemnly opened the $700,000 package.
"That expensive and not even a free gift included?" Luke groaned. "One-star review, honestly—"
"...Wait, there's actually something here?"
He pulled out an elegant card, mildly surprised — a lifetime VIP membership to the Wilderness Group, the same company Eevee's training vest had been ordered from. Their main business was custom training equipment for Pokémon, everything from artificial exoskeleton support to waterproof rock coatings and beyond. In a world with actual space program-level technology this kind of engineering barely registered as impressive.
"I still don't fully understand how a Poké Ball even works," Luke said, scratching his head. "Science really is something else."
"Vee?" Eevee eyed a light pink ankle brace with a small bow attached, head tilted in confusion.
"Custom-made, just for you. Isn't it cute?" Luke grinned. "You'll look even better wearing it."
Per the system's scan the item functioned similarly to a Competitive Vest, boosting effective Speed EVs. In the real world the concept of Effort Values ran a lot fuzzier, but per Cynthia's explanation it would correct Eevee's current form and reduce strain risk during training over time.
Luke lifted Eevee by the scruff and, despite her squirming, fitted the brace onto her leg. She blinked, took a few experimental steps, and looked distinctly awkward.
"It'll feel weird at first," Luke laughed. "But Cynthia recommended it, and honestly it looks great on you."
"Buh, Vee... (○｀3′○)" Eevee puffed her cheeks and reluctantly accepted her fate.
"Kojie!" Haunter's eyes lit up, digging eagerly into the second package.
Luke opened the elegant wooden box inside and an almost tangible chill settled over the room.
"Kojie! (′▽`〃)" Just the scent alone left Haunter completely dazed.
The box, worth well over $430,000 on its own, held two layers, each holding a pair of matte, jet-black Dusk Stones. Luke already had a small frame of reference here, having personally traded 5000 BP once for a single small piece — which said plenty about how valuable a full set like this really was.
Dusk Stones fell into the broader Evolution Stone family, and Red famously owned three of the "eternal" trio — Fire, Water, Thunder.
Luke paused. "No wonder Red's loaded."
"Those three stones alone are probably worth tens of billions."
A letter sat tucked beside the box.
"It's an honor to share the beauty of these minerals with you. If this sparks a real interest in stones, all the better.
Sincerely, Steven Stone."
"That explains the quality," Luke said, nodding slowly. "Straight from an actual rock collector's personal stash."
Steven's collection normally wasn't for sale at any price, but he'd personally selected these two Dusk Stones at Cynthia's request — an objectively ideal resource for Haunter's Shadow Ball training.
Luke let out a heavy sigh, thoroughly drained already. "Training Shadow Ball is probably going to take this apartment down eventually."
"Kojie! (⊙~⊙)"* Haunter, wide-eyed, extended its tongue and eagerly licked at the Dusk Stone, drooling openly.
Across the room Eevee, decked out in her bow-tied ankle brace and silk scarf, hesitated nervously in front of the mirror.
"Vee!" She grinned at her own reflection, then immediately shrank back, embarrassed.
Catching Luke watching her, she flushed red and turned away fast, pretending nothing had happened.
Luke smiled softly. As long as they stay this happy, that's really all that matters. His own ambitions had never been especially grand — just a quiet life spent alongside his Pokémon. But if Haunter and Eevee genuinely wanted to keep fighting and growing, walking that road alongside them didn't sound like such a bad deal either.
The thought had crystallized somewhere in the quiet ache left behind after Cynthia's departure. Humans crossing paths with Pokémon, forging bonds, reshaping each other's lives in the process — that had to be at the very heart of what made this whole world worth living in.
Training specifics, obviously, he'd leave to Haunter's own initiative. Genius or not, my actual job here is earning enough to keep this household running.
If things go well, Luke thought idly, maybe supporting a literal Sinnoh Champion isn't entirely out of reach as a small goal.
He reached into his pocket out of habit and pulled out the IOU. His expression fell instantly.
"...Right. Priority one: pay off the $700,000 first."
______________________________
"And your Master League champion: Cynthia!"
The blonde woman in the black trench coat glanced instinctively toward the guest table. Diantha, silver-haired and blue-eyed, dressed in a pristine white gown, clapped elegantly from her seat.
Cynthia smiled and met her in the player tunnel, the two sharing a light embrace.
"How was the trip to the Orient region?" Diantha asked.
"Genuinely good," Cynthia said, smiling.
"I thought you disliked traveling this far from home," Diantha said, mildly surprised.
"New people, new Pokémon, though." Cynthia thought of Haunter and Eevee, her eyes softening into a warm crescent. "There's something to that."
Diantha nodded gently. "Travel does shift your mood for the better. Though I imagine you'll be swamped again the moment you're back."
Thinking of her packed schedule for the rest of the year, Cynthia rubbed her forehead with a resigned sigh.
Reaching into her pocket, her fingers brushed against a folded piece of paper. She pulled it out, curious, and unfolded Luke's handwriting — bold enough it practically pressed through the page. She could almost picture his exact expression while writing it.
For no particular reason, Cynthia found herself smiling.