Saturday, August 22, dawned with sunlight streaming through the window.
Seated before the computer screen, a man with blue hair, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, his lapel adorned with a Key Stone brooch, addressed Luke with a slight smile.
"Thank you for your hard work, Your Excellency Luke."
It had always felt strange to let the dignified former Champion of Hoenn address him as "Teacher." Therefore, Luke had asked Steven and Cynthia to use his name when addressing him.
Luke cleared his throat and spoke, "There's a small matter; could you provide the Dawn Stone in installments?"
"Of course," Steven replied with a nod. "I'll arrange for the delivery of Dawn Stones to your home. Also, please take care of yourself considering the significant temperature difference between day and night."
"Uh, alright," Luke muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed. He couldn't help but blush at the playful banter.
On the Integral Points ranking list, Steven managed to secure the top spot after a night of dedicated playing. Wattson, ranking second, seemed persistent in his quest, continually increasing his playtime.
Luke couldn't help but chuckle. "Wattson, I think we need to check your background to see if a ban is warranted..."
"Goodnight, Mr. Steven," Luke said as he powered down his computer.
Afterwards, Luke pondered the situation. Despite working tirelessly to make money, he found himself accumulating more debts.
He took a deep breath, his eyes determined. "I'll pay off this debt someday!"
…
In Teacher Luke's Water Friends Group:
Wattson: Little Luke, I got banned all of a sudden! I was just looking for a Physical plug-in made by the rich king!
Luke's eyebrows twitched.
"Old Master, you really have no shame!"
Gold: Hahaha, as soon as Old Master got banned, my ranking shot up!
Wattson: Didn't you let Pichu play on your behalf!
Gold: Well, at least I'm not banned. (Smirking)
[Group member 'Gold' has been banned by group owner 'Teacher Luke' for 5 minutes]
Gold: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Luke sighed wearily.
These two are impossible to deal with!
Green: The Qixi Festival is just around the corner; have you all thought about who you want to give Presents to? (Smirking)
Luke was momentarily taken aback.
Oh right… It's already late August, and in a few days, it will be the Qixi Festival, the traditional festival of mutual affection.
It's been less than three months since the beginning of the journey, and Teacher Luke had almost forgotten the concept of holidays. He hadn't expected that the traditional festival of mutual affection was just around the corner.
Luke pondered for a moment, thinking about who he could give a Present to. However, he currently didn't have a specific recipient in mind.
Green chimed in, "If you're unsure about what to give, you can purchase Presents from me."
He posted several pictures showcasing his products. "People who received these Presents were deeply moved and even cried!" (Covering their mouths and crying)
Luke couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as he clicked on the pictures one by one. The items included a glowing Jigglypuff music box, a petal-shaped Jynx makeup box, and a mother Machamp pillow.
He was taken aback. Would anyone actually buy these items? Wouldn't giving such Presents risk offending the recipients?
Red interjected, "Oh, they look amazing! Save a set for me!"
Luke was momentarily stunned. Did people really buy these items?
Green teased, "Are you sure one set is enough? Do you want to buy more?" (Smirking)
Red touched his chin, deep in thought for a moment. Then, he clapped his hands and said enthusiastically, "Alright, I'll prepare a set for Blue as well!"
Green laughed and said, "Sounds like a plan!"
Blue, who covered his face with one hand, couldn't help but chime in, his voice tinged with frostiness, "…If you dare give me this, I dare to break up with you."
Red couldn't help but sneer and scratch his head. "Well, if it's not possible… maybe Professor Oak?"
Luke rolled on the bed in laughter. "You deserve that, Fighter!"
Brock suggested, "The Qixi Festival is essentially Valentine's Day in the Orient Region. However, our younger siblings aren't of marriageable age yet, so I plan to host a family dinner at home to celebrate."
Teacher Luke chimed in, "Aren't you thinking about yourself? Why not go after some beautiful older sisters?"
Brock blushed and scratched his head, replying, "Well, to be honest, that was my plan initially. But let's wait for our younger siblings to grow up before thinking about it."
Luke gazed at the sky, his mind deep in thought.
The Brock featured in the special chapter was indeed a much more mature character than the one portrayed on television. However, Brock was no longer interested in pursuing beautiful older sisters; his youthful days were behind him.
Lorelei, a somewhat sensitive person when it came to this topic, so Lance changed the subject abruptly. He mentioned, "By the way, I heard that this year's Qixi Festival will have a once-in-a-thousand-years event: a comet passing by!"
Lance interjected, "You won't be receiving a Present this time, Lorelei, so I changed the subject. @Lorelei"
Lorelei's forehead seemed to display the character "# # #" as she bristled. "Do you believe that I'll come to Kanto now for a 6V6 battle to teach you how to be a man?!"
Lance responded with hearty laughter, "Challenge accepted!"
Teacher Luke chuckled. He couldn't help but feel that, after spending time in this group, everyone was slowly adopting Gold's playful and mischievous demeanor.
However, Lorelei's mention of the comet caught Luke's attention. He inquired, "Comet once in a thousand years? Where can I see it?"
Lorelei responded, "It appears to be in the Orient Region. In fact, it is most visible from Xiangchu!"
Xiangchu? Luke paused, a peculiar expression on his face. The Wulingyuan in Xiangchu was the real-life inspiration for Forina. Could the comet mentioned be related to Jirachi?
Luke knew that Jirachi, like Celebi, had multiple sightings documented, including three in the TV series and special chapters. There had even been a special report about Jirachi in Astronomy Magazine. So, if someone were to observe Jirachi, it wouldn't be entirely surprising.
Yellow expressed her desire to see the comet but lamented that Orient was too far away. Red suggested watching the broadcast, to which Gold came up with a brilliant idea: "Isn't Teacher Luke in the Orient? Let him live-stream it!"
Yellow enthusiastically agreed, and Teacher Luke gazed up at the sky, pondering. He hadn't taken any of his Pokémon companions on a summer trip this year. The idea of camping under the stars, surrounded by Pokémon, with an Orange Yellow-themed bonfire was incredibly appealing.
He mused aloud, "It would be even better if I could invite Cynthia on a date!"
Luke gave himself a mental pat on the back for the idea. With Cynthia by his side, he wouldn't have to worry about personal safety during any unforeseen events.
He chuckled and said to himself, "You've got some good ideas, Teacher Luke!"