After seeing Gardevoir off, Leo returned to the café and let out a long sigh of relief.
Everything he had said earlier about wanting to become a Pokémon Trainer had been completely made up. The only reasons he played that "electronic girlfriend" game were simple—boredom. (In og he said lust but we don't do that here)
As for being a fan of Diantha… that was nonsense too.
If he had to choose, he preferred big-sister Cynthia.
When faced with Gardevoir's passionate request that he become a Trainer, Leo's response was simple:
Stall.
His excuse was that he still hadn't decided which Pokémon he wanted to catch.
In the current Lumiose City, becoming a Pokémon Trainer was incredibly easy.
All someone needed to do was buy a few Poké Balls, catch a random Pokémon in the Wild Zone, and register it at a Pokémon Center.
Because of this, the number of Trainers in Lumiose City had skyrocketed.
Every night, certain areas in the city were designated for Trainers to practice and battle. These locations were known as the Battle Zones.
The Trainers who gathered there were a mixed bunch.
Some were powerful enough to rival Gym Leaders or even members of the Elite Four.
Others didn't even know basic Type Matchups.
To manage the chaos, the Kalos authorities introduced the ZA Summit Battle in Lumiose City.
Trainers were ranked into 26 tiers, from Rank Z to Rank A, based on their strength.
Everyone started at Rank Z.
By defeating other participants in Pokémon battles, they could steadily climb the ranks.
Upon reaching Rank A, the Trainer would receive the title and honor of the strongest—and would even be granted one wish.
To this, Leo had only one reaction.
"What the hell does that have to do with me?"
"Time to clock out and play games."
---
Business had indeed been much better lately.
But most of that success had nothing to do with cakes or coffee.
It was all because of Gardevoir.
That afternoon, several tables of customers had sat in the café, completely ignoring their desserts and drinks. Instead, they focused entirely on trying to get Gardevoir's attention.
Hiring her as a long-term employee had definitely been the right decision.
Tonight, Leo decided to treat himself for once.
Dinner consisted of instant noodles with sausage and egg, along with a glass of iced black tea packed with ice cubes.
While sipping the sweet, refreshing drink, he took out his phone and habitually opened the game while waiting for the noodles to finish cooking.
By this time, Gardevoir should have already clocked out and gone home.
After a brief black screen, the phone displayed something unexpected.
Not the usual start menu—
But an update announcement.
Leo raised an eyebrow.
He wiped his right hand—still damp with condensation from the cup—carelessly on his apron and sat up straighter while waiting for the update to finish.
During that time, he carefully read through the patch notes.
---
[1. Status Bar Refinement]
"The Girlfriend's status is no longer limited to Health Value."
"It has been refined into Mood, Satiety, Energy, Health Status, and more."
"Pay attention to the Girlfriend's various conditions. Do not let her become sad, hungry, tired, or sick… or you will bear the consequences."
---
[2. Interaction Mode]
"Players can interact with the Girlfriend by tapping or touching her."
"They can also communicate with her by inputting text."
Leo blinked.
"Communication? Does it use an AI model?"
If that were true, then future gal games might really develop in that direction—assuming the AI didn't respond like an idiot.
---
[3. Affection Level]
"Players can increase or decrease the Girlfriend's Affection Level through various actions."
---
That was the entire update.
But for a game like this, it was actually a huge overhaul.
After waiting a while, the update finally finished.
Leo tapped into the game again.
The familiar cozy little home appeared on the screen.
Under warm lighting, Gardevoir sat at the dining table, resting her chin on one hand, seemingly deep in thought.
He checked her status panel.
---
Mood: 90 (Joyful)
Satiety: Hungry
Energy: Slightly Tired
Health: Good
Affection Level: 10 (Casual Acquaintance)
---
"Right… she just came back from work, and I didn't buy her any food," Leo muttered.
He was about to open the in-game shop when he suddenly remembered the update announcement.
Why not try the new features first?
He could ask her what she wanted to eat.
Maybe he could even raise her Affection Level a little.
With that thought, he reached out and poked the head of the Gardevoir on the screen.
---
Inside the small rental house.
Gardevoir sat at the dining table, lost in thought.
Her roommate Bunny would be coming home a little later tonight.
It was obvious the café manager was extremely hesitant about becoming a Pokémon Trainer.
But if he didn't take that step, how could her later "accident plan" move forward?
Just as she was deep in thought—
Poke… poke.
Gardevoir froze.
What was that?
A moment later, the familiar sensation returned.
Something was repeatedly stroking her head.
One stroke.
Two strokes.
Three strokes.
"…!"
Gardevoir finally clutched her head, unable to take it anymore.
What was so great about patting her head?!
If this continued, her poor brain was going to be rubbed smooth!
Right now, she desperately wanted to use Teleport, rush straight to LeBlanc Café, and hang the manager up for a beating.
But reason ultimately prevailed.
This wasn't the manager's fault.
He was just playing a game.
The real culprit was the bastard who made the game.
If she ever found that developer, she would personally treat him to thirteen point-blank Moonblast attacks!
---
Meanwhile, on Leo's phone:
[…The Girlfriend senses your presence.]
[Affection Level too low. The Girlfriend was hit by Astonish.]
[Enduring…]
[Cannot endure!]
[The Girlfriend's Mood has decreased. Current Mood: 80]
---
Leo watched the notifications pop up one after another.
But he had absolutely no intention of stopping.
On the screen, Gardevoir puffed out her cheeks angrily, glaring up at him like an irritated hamster.
So cute (๑•.•๑)
As long as the Mood bar didn't drop too low, there shouldn't be a problem.
It was still green.
He could stop once it turned yellow.
Or even red.
It was just a little poke.
Surely that wouldn't lower the Affection Level, right?
Just as he was about to poke somewhere else—
A speech bubble suddenly appeared beside Gardevoir on the screen.
"Stop patting me! You'll rub my brain smooth!!!"
Leo: "…"
This update was pretty impressive.
It seemed that AI technology in the Pokémon world was quite advanced.
By tapping the speech bubble, he could start a conversation with Gardevoir.
The annoying part was that the game had no save or load function, even though it was single-player.
Normally, dialogue choices at moments like this could increase Affection Level.
But if he said the wrong thing…
It might decrease instead.
So he had to be careful.
After thinking for a moment, Leo typed:
"I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time."
---
Suddenly, the café manager's voice echoed in her ears.
Gardevoir immediately shuddered.
It was late at night, and she was home alone.
Could he please stop making such terrifying noises?!
---
[System Notification: The Girlfriend was hit by Astonish.]
---
Leo: "…"
This kid is way too timid.
But I like it.
Everything was difficult at the beginning.
As long as the Affection Level didn't drop, everything was fine.
He typed again.
"I didn't mean it. How about I buy you dinner?"
The moment the message was sent—
A hot pizza suddenly appeared on the dining table inside the game.
---
Gardevoir stared blankly at the pizza.
Then drool slowly leaked from the corner of her mouth.
She hated him.
She really hated him.