Hearthome City.
Around ten o'clock at night.
After training Lucario, Cynthia returned to her villa.
Cynthia's villa wasn't particularly spacious, but it had a nice yard.
The story actually started a bit earlier in the evening.
When Wayne had gone to the supermarket to buy ingredients, he'd noticed Metagross intently reading a Breeding Manual while Lucario seemed eager for more training.
To thank Wayne for going out late at night specifically to cook a meal for her, Cynthia decided to take Lucario and the others out for some training. Garchomp could help train Drakloak as well.
So when Wayne arrived at the villa, the place was empty.
If Cynthia hadn't given him the correct password beforehand, Wayne might have thought he'd gone to the wrong house.
Once he learned that Cynthia had taken Lucario and the others out to train, Wayne stopped worrying.
Though taking Lucario and the others out for training this late at night seemed unusual, it was really everyone else who should be concerned.
With Garchomp protecting her, Cynthia was as safe as anyone could be.
Cynthia skillfully entered her birthday as the code: 1029.
"Beep, beep... beep-beep-beep."
The moment she unlocked the door, Cynthia's gaze went straight ahead, but she didn't see Wayne's figure.
However, a delicious aroma had already drifted over to greet her.
Passing through the entryway into the living room, the obstacles blocking Cynthia's view disappeared.
In the modest-sized kitchen, Cynthia spotted a busy figure working with his back turned.
From Cynthia's perspective, Wayne had an excellent physique—broad shoulders that weren't overly muscular.
Although Bruno and Alan were very strong, Cynthia politely had no interest in associating with such muscle-bound types.
It wasn't that such physiques were bad, they just didn't align with her aesthetic preferences.
She preferred the slender yet sturdy, smoothly contoured forms similar to Garchomp and Lucario.
"You're back?"
In the kitchen, the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board didn't stop.
Wayne's greeting was quite ordinary—so ordinary that Cynthia was slightly taken aback.
Cynthia couldn't help but smile. "I'm back."
The weather had turned warmer, and Cynthia took off her black trench coat, revealing the green shirt she wore underneath.
She unbuttoned her cuffs, skillfully tied her golden hair into a simple ponytail, then rolled up her sleeves and walked over to Wayne's side.
"Do you need any help?"
Wayne shook his head.
"You must be tired from training Lucario and the others. You should go sit down and relax. It'll be ready soon."
Although Cynthia meant well, her cooking skills were... better left unmentioned.
A natural smile appeared on Cynthia's lips.
"Today, I'm not just a guest. Even though my cooking isn't very good, I can still help out."
Wayne remained skeptical, but he had to believe the evidence right before his eyes.
Cynthia handled the knife steadily when cutting vegetables, clearly having done this before.
Her knife skills were average—so much so that even a Farfetch'd might look down on them—but she was pretty while doing it, and that was enough.
Wayne asked with confusion, "You haven't studied cooking, so why are you so skilled at cutting vegetables?"
"Have you forgotten? Celeste learned cooking from Grandpa Lionel."
That was true, but Wayne still didn't understand the connection.
"But what does that have to do with this?"
"Although Celeste usually does the cooking at home, I still help her out when I have time."
Wayne nodded in understanding.
He stopped talking to avoid disturbing Cynthia as she cut vegetables.
With Wayne's knife skills, he could casually look away while cutting without any issues, but if Cynthia wasn't careful, she might hurt herself.
Meanwhile, Wayne's and Cynthia's Pokémon were crowded together in the living room but didn't come into the kitchen.
"Do I only need to cut these?"
Wayne glanced at Cynthia, whose hair was simply tied into a ponytail with a rubber band, a playful strand of hair falling beside her cheek.
"Yes, you can go rest now. It'll be ready soon."
Seeing that Wayne's hot pot base was indeed almost finished, Cynthia put down the knife, washed it, then washed her hands and rolled down her sleeves.
Since they were eating together with their Pokémon, Wayne simply decided to make hot pot for convenience.
He'd wanted to prepare something more elaborate, but time didn't allow it.
If he cooked several more dishes, who knows when they'd finally get to eat.
During the cooking process, Wayne also found time to make Energy Cubes.
This seemed quite remarkable to Cynthia.
When most people made Energy Cubes, they wished they could watch them constantly.
Wayne, on the other hand, cooked and made Energy Cubes simultaneously.
What was truly impressive was that the Energy Cubes he produced were of perfect quality.
Perhaps this was what true talent looked like.
At least this was something Cynthia couldn't replicate.
Around ten o'clock, they finally sat down for their dinner.
Wayne first placed custom-flavored Energy Cubes before Garchomp and Lucario.
Wayne and Cynthia ate in relative quiet, falling into a comfortable pattern of casual conversation.
In contrast, the Pokémon's behavior was quite lively. Garchomp and Dragapult were laughing heartily together.
The two Lucario formed a stark contrast with each other.
Wayne's Lucario ate slowly, lifting each spoonful with exquisite elegance.
Meanwhile, Cynthia's Lucario's paws moved in a blur, its mouth nearly stuffed full with Energy Cubes.
Cynthia suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, why did you become a Breeder?"
Wayne thought for a moment. "At first, I thought it was because of debt, but later I realized it must be passion."
It had taken Wayne quite a while to come to this realization.
"Passion, huh?"
Cynthia understood completely—it was just like her love for researching ancient myths and history.
Cynthia looked at Lucario, Metagross, Arcanine, and Drakloak, her gaze slowly sweeping over each of them.
If not for genuine passion, Wayne wouldn't treat his Pokémon as friends and family.
Cynthia felt the same way.
She had long since come to consider her own Pokémon as family.
"How's the Breeding Center doing lately? Nothing like that incident has happened again, has it?"
"No, everything's been good. Why do you ask?"
The Breeding Center had been running surprisingly smoothly lately.
Except for the main quest—that was proving to be quite challenging.
Cynthia's expression relaxed. "That's good to hear."
What Wayne didn't know was that Cynthia had been secretly looking after the Breeding Center.
She wasn't suppressing other Breeding Houses or anything like that.
She had simply informed the Alliance that, under normal operating conditions, the Breeding Center shouldn't encounter any problems.
Later, Cynthia learned the full story.
Coronet Breeding House in Jubilife City had first engaged in a price war, then attempted to smear the Breeding Center through procurement channels and online reviews, but neither tactic succeeded.
This had all happened during the period when she was temporarily staying at the Breeding Center.
In fact, if Wayne or even the Breeding Center's employees had just mentioned it to her, Cynthia could have ended Coronet Breeding House's price war on the grounds of unfair competition.
But Wayne and the Breeding Center's employees never brought it up.
If she hadn't been informed afterward, Cynthia wouldn't have believed it.
Thinking about this, Cynthia asked curiously, "Back then, Coronet Breeding House was clearly targeting you. Why didn't you tell me? We've known each other since childhood, so we should at least be considered friends, right?"
Wayne pondered for a moment. "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"