Read up to 30 advanced chapters exclusively on my Patreon at - patreon.com/LoverrBoy
---------------------------------
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three days had passed. That afternoon, a few people gathered in Liam's new apartment for a farewell meal.
"Wow! Liam, your cooking is amazing! I'm definitely coming over more often to freeload!!"
Bruno had his mouth stuffed with food, eyes sparkling as he watched Liam walk over with another plate in hand.
"Hmph, it's just decent, edible at best..."
Lance said with a cold face and a flat tone, but his hands never stopped moving, cutting and eating with precise elegance.
"Haha, eat, eat, stuff yourselves! Today's meal is to send Lorelei off—yet you two gluttons haven't even said a word of thanks. Might as well let you eat yourselves to death."
Liam placed the final dish on the dining table and took off his apron, sitting down beside Delia with a smile as he joked with Bruno and Lance.
"Tch! We came prepared, alright? I think you're the one who hasn't done anything. Come, Lorelei, I heard you're heading back for some intense training to prepare for your challenge against the Elite Four. Since you're leaving so suddenly, I didn't have much time to get something fancy. But this is something of value I had on me—take it. Hope you don't mind."
Bruno shot Liam a scornful glance, wiped his hands casually on his pants, then pulled out a beautifully crafted necklace from his pocket. Dangling from it was a tiny golden cross-shaped star.
"Whoa! A necklace made from a Star Piece? Bruno, turns out you're secretly rich!"
Liam immediately recognized the origin of the pendant, his eyes widening slightly as he called out in mock astonishment.
"Huh? This thing's called a Star Piece? I had no idea… I just picked it up by chance once and kept it ever since. Then I heard you were leaving, so I had someone make it into a necklace overnight. Lorelei, it's yours now."
Bruno scratched his head and laughed sheepishly, walking over to Lorelei and respectfully placing the necklace in her hands.
"Thank you, Bruno… I'll treasure it."
Lorelei accepted the necklace with a small smile.
"Haha, that's good to hear. Really glad you like it!"
Bruno chuckled and patted his head as he returned to his seat and resumed demolishing his plate of food.
"Hmph, I got something for you too. These are some of Johto's special products—custom-made PokeBalls by Mr. Kurt. There are four of them: a Heavy Ball, a Fast Ball, a Friend Ball, and a Lure Ball."
"The Heavy Ball is more effective on heavier Pokémon, the Fast Ball works better on speedy ones, the Lure Ball helps catch Pokémon fished up with a rod, and the Friend Ball makes your newly caught Pokémon grow friendlier faster. All of them are rare and valuable—specialized PokeBalls I brought all the way from Johto. I hope they're of use to you."
Lance snorted as he pulled out a finely wrapped box and opened it carefully, revealing four uniquely designed PokeBalls that immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Another rich guy, huh? Lance, does your family know how much of a big spender you are?"
Liam glanced at the four specialty balls with casual interest. In his mind, these weren't all that rare—each one only cost ten times the price of a regular PokeBall in the system, about 200 points each. And with his current wealth well into five figures, 200 points was nothing. His earlier words even carried a trace of subtle sarcasm.
"Hmph, looks like you at least know their worth. I'll give you that much. Lorelei, this is my farewell gift to you. Please accept it."
Lance completely missed the sarcasm in Liam's voice and, chin slightly raised, pushed the box toward Lorelei. Then, like Bruno, he turned his attention back to his food without another word.
"Thank you, Lance. I'll make good use of them. Hehe~ Liam? I wasn't planning to accept anything, but now that Bruno and Lance have both given me gifts, shouldn't you be stepping up too~?"
Lorelei put the box away and turned to Liam with a mischievous smile, clearly expecting something good.
"Yeah, yeah! We want to see what you prepared too! I'm telling you, if your gift isn't as good as ours, you better not even show it. It'll be embarrassing! But don't worry—we're all friends here, we totally won't mock you or anything…"
Bruno immediately joined in, pretending to be innocent, but the excitement in his eyes betrayed him. If Liam pulled out something subpar, he'd definitely roast him without mercy.
"Hehe, of course I've got a gift. Just wait a sec, I'll go get it."
Liam let out a mysterious chuckle and got up, heading into the bedroom. When he returned, he was holding something wrapped in black cloth.
"Hehe, watch closely! Here's my gift!"
He walked up to Lorelei and yanked off the cloth—revealing a snow-white Pokémon egg nestled in his arms.
"This is the egg of an Ice-type Pokémon. It's sure to hatch into a cute Ice-type someday. I'm giving it to you, as a gift from both Delia and me. Please take good care of it."
Liam gently handed the Pokémon egg to Lorelei, his face full of warmth.
Lorelei cradled the white egg in both arms, resting her cheek against it to feel its gentle, cool energy. A sweet smile blossomed on her face.
"Mm, I'll take good care of it. I never expected you'd give me a Pokémon egg… This might be the best gift I've ever received. I really can't wait to see what kind of Pokémon hatches from it."
She looked up at Liam with pure joy, completely ignoring the now-petrified Bruno and Lance next to her.
"Ahem… haha, that's great, that's great! Come on, everyone, eat up before the food gets cold."
Liam looked visibly awkward under Lorelei's gaze and finally coughed, returning to his seat to defuse the moment.
"Hey! Liam! Where did you even get that Pokémon egg? Don't tell me it's something lame like a Rattata or Caterpie!"
Lance snapped out of his stupor and turned to glare at Liam with suspicion.
"What, are you looking down on me? I'm the Kanto Champion now! You think it's hard for me to get a Pokémon egg? And I already told you—it's an Ice-type. Of course it's not a Caterpie or something!"
Liam squinted at Lance with a scornful glare.
"Tch! Don't get cocky. The moment I beat the Elite Four, I'm coming for you! Just wait—I'll teach you a lesson!"
Lance huffed, refusing to back down, then sullenly went back to eating.
...
After the meal, once Lorelei and the others had left, Delia—who had been quiet most of the time—suddenly stood at the door with her hands on her hips, a dangerous smile on her face, blocking Liam's path.
"Hmph! What's the deal with that Pokémon egg? When did you sneak off and prepare that without telling me?"
"Uh…"
Liam couldn't help laughing at her puffed-up cheeks, trying to hide the grin tugging at his lips as he dragged her back into the bedroom.
Before entering, he even covered her eyes. Once they were inside, he uncovered them with an air of mystery.
"Ta-da! This one's for you, Delia!"
He pointed at a sky-blue Pokémon egg lying safely on the bed, giving her a look that said, You really think I'd forget you?
"Ah! Amazing! Thank you, Liam~"
Realizing she also had a Pokémon egg of her own, Delia squealed with delight and threw herself into Liam's arms, as happy as a child—forgetting everything else.