FEPW Chapter 82 The Daily Life of Two People

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It was a blunt and slightly painful statement, but Luther didn't feel offended.

To be fair, he only had one Gym Badge. Still, he was personally selected by Gardenia.

"They're questioning your judgment."

"I know."

"Didn't you explain it to them?"

Gardenia finished the last bite of her fish cake, quickly shoveled in the rest of her rice, chewed a few times, opened a bottle of water, took a long sip, and let out a contented sigh.

"I did. Every time someone fails their challenge, I tell them you're in the backyard and they're welcome to come by anytime."

Luther finished his meal and fell into quiet thought.

Noticing his contemplative mood, Gardenia didn't interrupt. She reclined in her chair, scooted a drowsy Tropius closer to shade them both, and drifted off for a nap.

Meanwhile, Chansey and Jumpluff were comforting a teary-eyed Ralts. Just moments ago, Ralts had been convinced she'd succeeded, and Tropius had moved. Or so she thought.

Gardenia had already prepped the Pokémon food. As Roserade wheeled the cart into the courtyard, Chansey and Jumpluff gently bundled up the disappointed Ralts and brought her over to eat.

When Gardenia finally woke from her nap, she saw Luther still slouched in his chair, eyes lost in the sky.

"What's got you thinking so hard?" She asked.

"I'm trying to come up with a way to make those trainers want to come back here."

"You really care that much about holding class?"

Luther shook his head. "It's not that. I just feel bad about your salary. I love slacking off, but slacking off on your dime makes me feel guilty."

"Why's that?" Gardenia rose from her lounge chair, picking up a Poké Ball just as the Gym's bell chimed again.

"Maybe because I admire what you're trying to do."

She clipped the Poké Ball to her belt, stretched with a yawn, and added, "Don't overthink it. If a Tauros won't eat grass, are you gonna force his mouth open and stuff it in?"

"Fair enough. Oh, by the way, want beef for dinner tomorrow?"

"If you cook it well, sure. If not, I'm deducting it from your cooking budget."

Halfway to the Gym, Gardenia suddenly remembered something and tossed a set of keys to Luther.

"There are a bunch of books upstairs in my lounge. If you're bored out of your mind, reading's not a bad way to kill time."

But Luther didn't head upstairs to read. Instead, he stayed out in the courtyard with Ralts for Psychic practice, testing the Rookie Pokémon with Jumpluff. When the Gym's closing bell rang at five, Luther double-checked that no other trainers had come by the backyard before heading out.

He gently hooked Ralts' chin with his finger and checked how she was doing.

She'd worked hard all day. Luther reminded her that Tropius weighed three times more than Chansey, and it wasn't realistic to expect a breakthrough just yet.

As dinnertime approached, the supermarket's produce section became packed. Luther weaved through the meat aisle twice before settling on a nice cut of beef, a little over a pound. He grabbed two onions and a couple of tomatoes, just within budget, with a bit left to spare.

With the leftover change, he bought two bottles of yogurt. He took a few sips himself, then gave the rest to Ralts and Jumpluff to share.

As for Marill… she never settled for just "a little." So, Luther decided not to let her out this time.

When Luther returned to the hotel, Mai was nowhere in sight.

It was almost 8 p.m. when she finally came back, arms full of snacks and drinks in a small shopping bag.

"Working late?"

Mai tossed the bag onto the bed and flopped down next to it.

"Two baby Pokémon hatched today, so things took a little longer. But hey, both trainers brought us a ton of food as thanks."

The moment Mai landed on the bed, Eevee hopped off her shoulder and scurried to the corner, munching on a piece of soft candy.

Luther released his Pokémon, tossed a yogurt bottle to Mai, and rummaged through her snack bag to pull out some cookies for Marill.

The rest of the Pokémon happily dived into the bag, each searching for their favorite treats.

Chansey sipped orange juice, Pachirisu and Marill shared the remaining yogurt, and everyone nibbled on cookies with contented faces.

Ralts and Jumpluff each received a small bag of milk candies from Mai, while Corsola was happily soaking in a warm bath in the hotel bathroom.

Eevee tugged the soft candy bag over to Slowpoke, tore open a piece with her teeth, and gently dropped it into Slowpoke's ever-gaping mouth. After watching him instinctively chew and swallow, she turned and trotted away proudly.

She was touched by her own generosity, even if it was just a single piece of candy.

Compared to Luther's relaxed pace, Mai's day at the Day Care had been much busier.

Tending to eggs that were close to hatching, preparing food, monitoring health, logging daily changes, these were all part of Mai's routine at the Day Care.

As busy as she was, there were perks. Trainers who dropped by to visit their Pokémon often brought little gifts to thank her.

Sometimes it was a bag of fruit candies, a loaf of fresh bread, a tin of cookies, a jar of honey, or even some surplus Pokémon food.

Even on days when no one brought anything, Mai would buy snacks with a bit of her earnings, always setting some aside to share with Luther.

This little exchange had become their quiet post-work ritual.

"I heard from the front desk you left something in the hotel fridge?" Mai asked.

"Yeah, a piece of beef," Luther replied. "Gardenia's been eating fried fish cakes for lunch every day. I'm starting to get sick of it, so I figured I'd cook for a change."

Mai's eyes lit up. "Mind if I freeload a little?"

"Just don't overdo it. Tomorrow's portion should be enough. Besides, doesn't the Day Care feed you pretty well at lunch?"

"They do, but I'm curious! You've never mentioned being able to cook."

"It's kind of a must when you're living on your own."

Luther recalled the quiet evenings he'd spent in the kitchen, making dinner by himself. As far as he could remember, his cooking wasn't half-bad.

As Chansey finished her orange juice with a contented sigh, Mai suddenly lunged and hugged her from behind, rubbing her face against Chansey's in playful affection.

Luther stepped into the bathroom. Corsola was splashing joyfully in the tub, bouncing up and down in the water and spraying it everywhere.

Luther scooped her up. "Alright, alright, time's up. Pachirisu's almost finished the snacks I left for you."

After showering, Luther emerged to find Mai already fast asleep on the bed.

Chansey and Eevee were quietly picking up snack wrappers and trash from the floor. Luther pitched in to help, and once the room was clean, he flopped onto the other side of the bed.

He glanced over at Mai, who was curled up in her sleep. Sitting up again, he gently pulled a drowsy Eevee over by the pillow and tugged the blanket over Mai's shoulders.

His phone buzzed. Luther picked it up and checked the message.

It was from Minami, Diantha's assistant, an update on Mismagius's weekly progress, along with a photo.

In the picture, Mismagius was surrounded by Diantha's team, looking cheerful and at ease as she floated among them.

The shy, aloof behavior Luther had expected hadn't happened. Mismagius had adapted quickly, blending into Diantha's Pokémon group without trouble.

Luther smiled to himself, his concerns had been unnecessary. At this rate, Mismagius would probably be ready to come back to him soon.

He adjusted his plan for tomorrow, he'd post two updates, one in the afternoon and another in the evening.

(End of Chapter)