Chapter 131: The Power of Love (It’s the beginning of the month—please vote for me!! Will there really be any??? Expectant.JPG)

"Knock, knock, knock."

Lucian stood outside the door, staring at the two so-called "gifts" in his hands, momentarily at a loss. What use were this small treasure chest and the gold coins inside? They were certainly pretty to look at, but were they, what, some kind of token of affection? Lucian had never been in a relationship, so he had no clue what their purpose might be. The parchment scroll looked quite antique, but would Cynthia really appreciate something made from the hide of an unknown species of "sheep" Pokémon, even if it were a historical document?

There was also a letter. The letter itself was fine; after all, Lucian wasn't the type to pry into other people's privacy.

"Please, come in!" Cynthia’s melodious voice drifted from behind the door.

Lucian pushed the door open and stepped inside. The first thing that caught his eye was a mountain of documents piled perilously high. It was a scene that brought to mind a verse about towers reaching tens of thousands of feet, leaning precariously toward the southeast. Of course, Lucian didn't know the poem, so he could only sigh.

"So much work. You've been working hard, Cynthia!" A rare sense of relief washed over Lucian’s face; usually, such mountains of paperwork were kept on his own desk. To think he would actually live to see the day he could watch someone else toil away!

Cynthia looked up from her paper fortress. Her normally beautiful face appeared somewhat haggard, with faint dark circles under her eyes and slightly disheveled hair. She truly looked like someone who had been buried in work, neglecting her own appearance. Yet, even so, Cynthia still possessed a unique, decadent beauty—or perhaps it was that her beauty had simply taken on a more distinctive quality.

*The Importance of Appearance*, he mused.

Lucian was stunned for a moment by her appearance, but only for a moment. Because the first thing Cynthia said shattered his composure.

"Oh, Lucian, you're back!" There was a childlike jubilation in her voice, but Lucian instinctively sensed trouble.

"Quick then, take your work away. This pile here, and this pile too!" Cynthia pointed with her slender, fair fingers at the two mounds of documents on her desk.

Lucian then realized that once he took his own work away, Cynthia would only have about ten centimeters of paperwork left to handle.

*The clown was me all along,* he thought.

Lucian adjusted his glasses and said helplessly, "I'll take my work back to handle in a moment, but you should deal with the gift Dr. Chen Ou sent you first."

As he spoke, he took out the treasure chest, the necklace, the parchment scroll, and the letter from his pocket. Upon hearing this, the exhaustion on Cynthia’s face faded slightly, though the excitement she had shown earlier dissipated into a calm, elegant composure, like a lotus blooming in water.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lucian," Cynthia said, thanking him with a touch of formality.

Lucian waved a hand dismissively. "It was no trouble at all. In the end, I was just acting as your courier while I was on vacation. It actually saved me the trouble of buying souvenirs." Of course, he was joking; none of them were short on money for gifts.

Lucian had returned by long-distance flight, but he hadn't dared to take one on the way there, as a plane couldn't fly faster than a Staraptor. Besides, if an egg were to hatch on a crowded plane, it would be a real headache. Pokémon, by nature, were somewhat stubborn. From the moment they hatched, the first person they saw was the one they would naturally feel an affinity for. Generally, people preferred to hatch their own eggs. By rushing over on his Staraptor, Lucian had bought Chen Ou two precious days, allowing him to hatch the Chimchar egg at his own pace.

Lucian had truly put in the effort, and Chen Ou understood that. This was one of the reasons Chen Ou hadn't kept any secrets from Lucian when discussing those matters; he didn't view Lucian as an outsider. Truth be told, those secrets weren't things one shared lightly. Professor Magnolia was a researcher with deep ties to Professor Oak, and with Oak’s endorsement, Chen Ou had no reason to distrust her. As for Lance, he was his best "frenemy," so of course, Chen Ou wasn't worried about him.

Lucian was the only new friend in the group. It was precisely because of Lucian’s genuine dedication that Chen Ou didn't treat him as an outsider. Otherwise, he wouldn't just tell anyone about such sensitive matters. Chen Ou wasn't a fool; if he told everyone, he might as well just go write a research paper on it.

Cynthia took the gifts from Lucian's hands, a satisfied smile blooming on her face. She composed herself, placed the items on her desk, and asked, "How was your time in Kanto?"

Lucian thanked the Lucario that brought him a chair, sat down, and said to Cynthia, "It was fine. The shopping center in Saffron City is indeed huge, and the goods there are quite good. The scenery on Mt. Silver is also nice, and the Pokémon there are incredibly strong—especially the Tyranitar population. They are truly powerful. Red is also strong, though he seems to be at a rather difficult stage."

"What kind of stage?" Cynthia asked, curious. She couldn't imagine what could possibly trouble Red, who was so decisive in his commands and actions.

"Misty, the Gym Leader of Cerulean City, and a young girl named Yellow are both following him around for special training. And..." Lucian adjusted his glasses, a hint of amusement in his voice, "They both seem to have feelings for Red, but he doesn't seem to know how to choose. So, after Lance and I arrived at Mt. Silver, Red has been hanging around us all day..."

Cynthia laughed upon hearing this. Chen Ou had told her the stories about Misty, Yellow (the girl from Viridian City), and Red. Besides, something that could trouble Red so much had to have been orchestrated by that guy, Chen Ou.

"Can love really change a person that much?" Lucian suddenly asked, puzzled. He had never been in love, nor did he have anyone he liked. Most of the Elite Four and Champions were in the same boat. After all, human energy was finite. Becoming a Champion wasn't something achieved by talent alone. Once they chose this arduous path, their lives were destined to be spent in the company of Pokémon, honing themselves through danger and hardship. Once they reached their goals, they seemed to grow accustomed to a life of solitude. Furthermore, it was rare to find someone who possessed both the strength to be admired and the personal charm to be attractive.

Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, Champions, Professors... It sounded like a lot, but in reality, there were only a handful in each region. To find a soulmate among such a small group? Did one really expect everyone to just settle?

"It really can, Lucian," Cynthia said with a smile, her eyes fixed intently on the letter, which was addressed: *To my dear fairy, Cynthia – from your Chen Ou.* Her eyes rippled with a tenderness as soft as water.

Lucian: ...

There was a tightness in his chest—a sudden, heavy tightness.