Chương 21: Her Differences

Two hours later, at Zhuqing College, in the vice president's office.

The heavy mahogany door was quietly pushed open a crack, but there was no knocking as expected.

Cynthia first poked half her head in, her signature blonde hair sliding down the door frame.

When she saw Dr. Jie Zilan buried in piles of ancient books behind her desk, her usually calm and collected eyes instantly curved into two crescent moons.

"Grandma, are you still busy?"

She chuckled, and like a cat returning to its nest, she nimbly slipped inside, closing the door behind her.

At this moment, where was the slightest trace of the aloof demeanor she displayed in front of outsiders?

Stripped of the heavy halo of Sinnoh Future, she is now simply an adorable granddaughter in her school uniform who can act spoiled in front of her grandmother.

She put her hands behind her back, hopped over to the desk in a few steps, blinked, and asked:

"Have you figured out how to handle this?"

"Are you here to plead for her?"

Dr. Mustard took off his reading glasses, closed the heavy ancient book in his hand, and his eyes, which had seen through the vicissitudes of life, were now filled with smiles, as if he had long seen through his granddaughter's little thoughts.

"Grandma~!"

Cynthia blushed slightly when her secret was exposed.

She walked around the large desk, gently shaking the old man's arm, her voice soft and gentle, yet revealing a stubborn seriousness:

"I know she was wrong, but Dr. Rosen was the one who first made discriminatory remarks about Pokémon. She only acted impulsively to protect her partner. Grandma, she's not a bad person at heart, could you..."

"The person may not be a bad one, but that child..."

Jie Zilan chuckled softly, then gently touched her granddaughter's forehead with her finger.

"She's much smarter than you think!"

"Huh?"

Cynthia covered her forehead, stunned for a moment.

Cynthia understood the old man's unspoken message: this matter was over.

But it was Cattleya who solved it in her own way; she didn't help at all.

"Just now, the Alliance sent an announcement to our academy. Gadriya is now a reserve investigator for the Alliance."

Jie Zilan said cheerfully, her tone tinged with appreciation:

"The approver was that old geezer, Lao Ye. I heard that after learning what had happened, he immediately approved it."

"You mean Grandpa Ye? That hot-tempered King Ye?"

Cynthia's eyes widened in disbelief.

Elite Four member Wheatleaf is the current Fire-type Elite Four member of Sinnoh, and is known for his short temper and stubbornness.

It is precisely because of this tough nut to crack that her grandfather, Mustard Bamboo, despite being the strongest Elite Four member in Sinnoh, has yet to achieve the championship.

How could such a fiery old man appreciate Cattleya?

"It's precisely because Lao Ye has a fiery temper that he appreciates the 'fight if you disagree' style."

Mustard seed orchid stood up, walked to the window, looked at the vibrant campus outside, and spoke in a long, drawn-out tone:

"Let's leave it at that. That child is smart; she knows where to step to vent her anger without paying a heavy price. And faced with that talent and decisiveness, no one is willing to really go against a powerful person who might lose control."

"Perhaps losing control is her protective shield, or perhaps she really will lose control, but at least before she makes a big mistake, no one is willing to take the gamble."

These words silenced Cynthia.

She slightly furrowed her beautiful brows, and a contradictory light flickered in her golden eyes.

"But Grandma, this is breaking the rules after all."

The girl spoke softly, as if asking the old man, or perhaps asking herself:

"If power alone allows one to disregard procedures, then what about the order we've always upheld?"

In her worldview, rules are rules.

If you do something wrong, you should be punished; if you feel wronged, you can appeal through proper channels.

But Cattleya, in an almost domineering manner, not only broke all of this, but also gained the tacit approval and even appreciation of all parties.

This left Cynthia, who had always been a model student, feeling unprecedentedly lost.

"Silly child, rules are made by people, and they are meant to serve people."

Jie Zilan turned around, looked at her granddaughter's conflicted expression, sighed, and said earnestly:

"Do you really think we Sinnoh people want to abide by the rules set by the Kanto League?"

"Why must doctoral certification be obtained in Kanto? Why does Kanto take half of the 100 available spots each year, while other regions have to compete for the remaining 50?"

The old man's voice carried a hint of sharpness:

"Sometimes, breaking unreasonable rules is better than blindly following them. Of course..."

She changed the subject abruptly, gently patting Cynthia's still somewhat immature shoulder:

"You don't need to force yourself to become her. Everyone has their own path. If you can't figure it out right now, then don't think about it for now. Just remember, whatever you want to do, your grandfather and I will always be your strongest support."

"Grandma! Thank you!"

Cynthia raised her head, quietly concealing the unresolved confusion in her eyes, and once again displayed a carefree and radiant smile.

In front of her family who love her unconditionally, those heavy topics were too much of a mood killer.

She still prefers to portray the image of a happy little granddaughter.

However, when she thought of that figure again, who also had long golden hair but whose eyes were as cold and arrogant as ice, a complex emotion arose in her heart.

It was a mixture of disapproval and an irrepressible sympathy.

She could understand the differences between herself and Cattleya.

With a solid support system, I don't need to worry about many things; I can just focus on pursuing my dreams.

But Cattleya is different; she must forge her own path through a thorny road.

"What motivates you, allowing you to persevere so resolutely, Cattleya..."

Zhuqing College, Central Library.

The setting sun streamed in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, but seemed unable to reach certain corners.

"Click! (Want to take a break? The Alliance replied to my email. Congratulations, you're a newly minted reserve investigator! You don't have to worry about being arrested anymore.)" Lu Sha laboriously waved his short arms, holding up a personal terminal with a lit screen in front of Gadria, trying to attract her attention.

However, his efforts seem to have had little effect.

Before him, Cattleya was almost buried in a fortress made of books.

Outside the fortress were stacks of thick, well-read books.

In just 7 hours.

A total of 50 books related to trainers.

Even though these books are filled with illustrations, each book still contains at least 20 words.

This means that in the past 7 hours, our young lady has crammed a massive stream of information—ten million words—into her brain at a terrifying rate of 7-8 books per hour.

At this intensity, it's not like reading a book; it's like overclocking your brain's processor to run a benchmark.

Looking at her slightly trembling eyelashes, Lu Sha was genuinely worried that she might see smoke rising from her head the next second.

"Not enough, let's wait a little longer."

Gadria didn't look up, but mechanically put down the book she had just finished reading, "An Introduction to the Habits of Ground-Type Pokémon".

Her voice was somewhat hoarse, yet carried a startling excitement:

"I never knew there was so much to know about trainers. I was so ignorant before."

As she spoke, she picked up the glass that had long since gone cold and took a small sip.

The cup contained highly concentrated Three Bees raw honey water. The intense, almost cloying sweetness instantly surged through her taste buds like an electric current, fiercely stimulating her overloaded brain and forcibly squeezing out a sliver of clarity.

In fact, she doesn't like sweets, especially the cloying taste.

Especially since her family forced her to drink it every day, she developed a physiological aversion to sweet honey water.

But it is precisely because of this dislike that the physiological rejection reaction becomes the best stimulant, allowing her to persevere for a while longer.

"Click! (Young lady, there's no end to the knowledge a trainer can acquire, and your body isn't made of iron!)" Lu Sha pursed his lips; he was genuinely afraid that Cattleya would suddenly die.

The way he was forcing himself to stay awake clearly showed that he had reached his limit.

"Just one last look."

Cattleya's fingers twitched slightly uncontrollably, but her eyes remained stubborn.

A Gible requires an enormous amount of resources to reach its full potential, which she cannot afford right now, and she doesn't know where to find them.

But she couldn't hold him back!

She must collect 13 grains of top-quality soft sand for the land sand during the Gible stage.

Ideally, we should find a job for Lu Sha every month so as not to hinder her growth.

Seeing that slender finger about to reach for the "Official Examination Materials for Alliance Investigators" again, Lu Sha knew that the conventional approach of discouraging people from leaving was out of the question.

There was no other way but to unleash the ultimate technique.

"Gurgle~!"

Lu Sha deliberately puffed out her belly, making an extremely exaggerated sound, then rolled her eyes and slumped onto the table:

"Click! (I can't take it anymore! I'm starving!)" This tactic is far more effective than any kind words of advice.

Almost instantly, Gadriya's hand, which was reaching for the book, stopped abruptly in mid-air. Then, without hesitation, she turned and began to pack her things.

"Sorry, I got so engrossed in reading that I lost track of time."

Cattleya stood up, her tone devoid of any of her previous stubbornness, filled only with apology and gentleness:

"In the book I just read, there was a recipe for food that giblets like. I'm now contacting the school through my device to have them deliver the ingredients to the common room."

"Click! (Let's go!)" Lu Sha chuckled, sprang up from the table with a somersault, and skillfully jumped into that warm embrace.

Although he wasn't actually that hungry.

But if we don't do it this way, this stubborn young lady might stay until she faints.

The man and the shark walked towards the door, just as they had arrived.

Behind them, dozens of heavy books scattered on the table seemed to be drawn together by invisible threads.

Accompanied by a faint blue light, the books floated up one by one, like weary birds returning to their nests, precisely flying back to their original bookshelves.