Chapter 191
Mike and Lucian had nearly reached the museum exit when someone called after them.
"Elite Four Lucian! Researcher Mike! Please wait!"
Mike stopped and turned around.
An Officer Jenny was running toward them at full speed.
"Officer Jenny?"
Mike waited until she reached them.
"Did you need something?"
Jenny bent over with both hands on her knees, breathing heavily.
Gengar immediately produced a bottle of cola, opened it, and offered it to her.
Jenny accepted without hesitation and took a long drink.
Cold soda on a hot day clearly did wonders for her.
Once she caught her breath, she stood upright and introduced herself properly.
"Elite Four Lucian, Researcher Mike, hello. I’m Officer Jenny of Eterna City, and this is my partner, Stunky."
Mike looked toward the Stunky standing proudly beside her.
He was mildly surprised.
"Eterna City’s Officer Jenny partners with Stunky?"
"Yes."
Jenny’s pride was obvious.
"Stunky is my best partner."
Mike nodded politely.
"Nice to meet you both. What can we help you with?"
Jenny smiled and looked directly at Mike.
"Researcher Mike, what do you think of Eterna City?"
Mike blinked.
He had no idea why she was suddenly asking about the city itself.
Still, he answered honestly.
"I only arrived today, but I like it. It’s beautiful in a different way from Floaroma Town."
Jenny’s smile widened.
"In that case, since you’re already here, could I ask you for a favor?"
Mike became even more confused.
"What kind of favor? If it’s something I can help with, I’ll certainly try."
"Well... I watched the promotional video you made in Jubilife City."
Jenny looked slightly embarrassed.
"The results were extremely good."
She clasped her hands together.
"So... since you’ve already come all the way to Eterna City, could you make one for us too?"
Mike fell silent.
"A promotional video?"
"Yes. Something similar to what you did for Jubilife City. You could introduce the city and include some educational material."
Jenny spoke more enthusiastically now that she had started.
"Eterna City has beautiful scenery too. Thanks partly to Gym Leader Gardenia’s influence, residents grow plenty of flowers and greenery, and our city has a very long history. This museum alone gives us plenty worth introducing."
Her tone became slightly more serious.
"To tell you the truth, Eterna City’s tourism numbers aren’t very impressive. Most people come here to challenge the Gym or simply pass through on their way somewhere else."
"We’d really like more people to visit because they actually want to see the city, so we were hoping you could help us film a promotional video."
Mike stared at her.
Why did this feel so familiar?
Then he realized what was happening.
’Is this what being an influencer feels like?’
He hesitated.
"Well..."
Jenny immediately added, "Naturally, we wouldn’t expect you to work for free. Eterna City will prepare proper compensation."
Mike’s hesitation vanished.
"No problem! What exactly do you need me to film?"
Officer Jenny broke into a delighted smile.
Mike extended his hand and Jenny shook it.
Both of them were smiling brightly now.
...
Late the next morning, Mike’s phone began ringing.
He poked his head out from beneath the blankets, accepted the phone Hatenna handed him, and answered in a muffled voice.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Mr. Mike? We’re with the Paldea Delivery Company. Your package has arrived in Eterna City. Would it be convenient for you to come receive it?"
"Could you bring it to the first floor of the Eterna Hotel for me?"
Mike’s voice remained half buried beneath the blankets.
"Certainly."
The call ended.
Mike tossed the phone beside his pillow and called out without emerging any farther.
"Gengar, help me pick up the package."
"Gar—"
Gengar answered, floated straight through the wall, and headed downstairs.
Hatenna watched Mike curl his entire body back beneath the blanket and looked genuinely curious.
She turned toward the corner of the room, where Snivy sat comfortably in a hammock woven from Bug-type silk.
Snivy held the Leaf Stone in her arms and gave a small nod.
"Sni."
[Leave him alone. Let him sleep a little longer.]
Hatenna looked toward the human-shaped lump beneath the blanket, nodded obediently, and walked over to a nearby chair.
She held the Clamperl pearl hanging from her neck, closed her eyes, and began absorbing the psychic energy within it.
Mike had no idea how much later it was when he finally opened his eyes again.
The air beneath the blanket had become stuffy, so he pushed his head out and took a long breath.
Gengar had already returned.
He was hanging upside down in the corner of the room with Beedrill, the two of them chewing on Toxic Orbs while discussing the adventure story they had been building together.
Snivy remained in her silk hammock, steadily absorbing energy from the Leaf Stone.
Hatenna sat on the chair with her pearl cupped between both hands.
Glameow was playing with her red string ball.
Mike slowly sat up and yawned.
"Morning."
"Gar—"
Gengar, as always, was the first to answer.
The rest of the room quickly filled with familiar Pokémon cries.
A smile appeared on Mike’s face as he reached for his phone and checked the time.
It was already after one in the afternoon.
"That late?"
He looked around.
"Are you guys hungry?"
Every Pokémon nodded.
"All right. Give me a minute to wash up and we’ll go eat."
Mike moved considerably faster after that.
𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Once he had washed his face, brushed his teeth, and changed clothes, he took the whole group downstairs for lunch.
They were already eating when the restaurant door opened and Lucian walked in.
He sat down at their table and ordered himself a coffee.
"Just wake up?"
Mike swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded.
"I meant to work on part of the PowerPoint last night, but I lost track of time once I got started. I ended up working until around three in the morning."
Lucian looked mildly surprised.
"You finished the whole thing?"
"More or less. I’ll look through it again later and make smaller adjustments if anything still needs adding."
Lucian’s eyes shifted thoughtfully.
Then he asked, "If you don’t mind, could I take a look?"
Mike nodded and told Gengar to bring out the tablet.
He sent the presentation over and handed it to Lucian.
Lucian placed the tablet on his lap and began reading while drinking his coffee.
As he went through Mike’s slides, he quietly memorized the overall structure, formatting, and way the information had been organized.
It would be easy enough to adapt later.
By the time Mike finished eating, Lucian handed the tablet back to Gengar.
"You still planning to challenge the Gym today?"
"When did Officer Jenny say the promotional shoot was?"
"If I remember correctly, five this afternoon."
Mike considered the schedule.
"Then yeah. Let’s go challenge the Gym first."
Lucian nodded, stood, and headed outside.
Mike followed him toward Eterna Gym.
...
The difference between Eterna Gym and Oreburgh Gym could hardly have been greater.
Oreburgh Gym leaned toward heavy stonework and muted gray-brown colors, while Eterna Gym was alive with greenery.
Its walls and decorations were dominated by fresh greens, giving the entire building a vibrant, almost garden-like atmosphere.
Lucian walked up to the front desk and spoke quietly with the staff member there.
Whatever he said made the receptionist visibly startle before nodding quickly and allowing Lucian to take Mike straight inside.
Normally, Trainers arriving for a Gym challenge first had to speak with the reception staff.
If the Gym Leader had room in their schedule, the challenge could proceed that day.
If the Leader was unavailable or all challenge slots had already been filled, the Trainer had to wait or make another appointment.
Gym Leaders did not accept an unlimited number of challengers each day.
The exact number varied from Gym to Gym depending on the Leader.
Even the way Badges were awarded sometimes depended heavily on the Leader’s personality.
Volkner of Sunyshore City, for example, had once become so bored with Gym battles that he simply left Badges near the entrance for challengers to take.
Mike glanced at Lucian.
"What did you just tell them? The receptionist looked terrified."
"Nothing much."
Lucian’s tone remained completely casual.
"I just told them this Gym battle would also serve as Gardenia’s Gym evaluation."
Mike nodded automatically.
"Oh. That’s all."
Then he stopped walking, his head turned sharply.
"Wait, what did you just say?!"
"The Gym evaluation."
Lucian adjusted his glasses.
"You’re already challenging the Gym anyway, so we may as well use the match for Eterna Gym’s annual assessment."
Mike pointed at himself.
"Me? I’m the evaluator?"
"Yes."
Lucian nodded and placed one hand on Mike’s shoulder.
"You need to believe in yourself. You can do it."
Mike’s mouth fell open.
"You want me to battle a Gym Leader using her full-strength team?"
"Battle strength is only one part of determining whether a Gym meets League standards. There are other categories as well, and you don’t need to worry about those. I’ll handle them."
Lucian continued walking as if nothing unusual had happened.
"Besides, you’re already here to challenge the Gym. This simply allows us to complete this year’s evaluation at the same time. Cynthia and I have both seen enough of your ability to know you can handle the battle portion."
Mike was about to point out that nobody had actually asked him whether he agreed to any of this.
Lucian cut him off.
"I reported it to Cynthia yesterday. She said to let you handle the battle first, and she would deal with the League paperwork."
"But I—"
"Cynthia also said she would apply for compensation on your behalf."
Lucian stopped walking.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked meaningfully at Mike.
"It shouldn’t be a small amount either. Evaluating a Gym is hard work."
Lucian tilted his head.
"What were you about to say?"
Mike immediately shook his head and straightened his clothes.
"I was going to say that I’ll do my best! As a member of the Sinnoh League, helping evaluate the strength and standards of its Gyms is obviously one of my responsibilities. I have absolutely no complaints about serving the League."
Lucian listened to Mike’s righteous declaration and remembered Cynthia’s exact words from their call yesterday.
’Just tell him there’ll be compensation and he’ll agree.’
Everything had gone precisely as she predicted.
Lucian adjusted his glasses.
He felt as though he had finally discovered the proper operating instructions for Mike.
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