Elf: Start your slow-paced life after becoming a farmer.

Upon hearing Carl's reply, the staff member immediately seemed to breathe a sigh of relief: "Yes, I am Witt, an employee of the Alliance Sales Department. Please come with me, Mr. Carl."

"Okay, Witt, but please don't use honorifics with me, just call me Karl." Karl casually put Corviknight into his Poké Ball, then followed Witt's steps toward the terminal.

Upon hearing this, Witt paused, then smiled and agreed, "Okay, Karl."

“But I’m curious, why are you waiting for me here so early? If I remember correctly, Dr. Yamanashi and his team’s flight shouldn’t arrive in Padia for about two hours.” Karl asked with some curiosity.

“This is an order personally given to me by President Ye Ci. She said that you should arrive at Niangguang City Airport ahead of schedule, Karl.” Witt paused for a moment. “Since I don’t know how early you will arrive, Karl, I’m waiting here for you.”

"I see." Karl nodded to indicate that he understood.

Witt led Carl into the terminal building, then led him through a passageway that did not require security checks to the interior of the terminal.

Not long after, Karl met Ye Ci, who was dressed in her finest attire, and Aoki, who stood beside her with a look of exhaustion on his face.

"President Yeci, Brother Aoki, good morning." Karl raised his hand in greeting.

Upon hearing Karl's voice, Yeci and Aoki turned around almost simultaneously, their gazes falling on Karl.

Because Carl was in a bit of a rush when he left home, his outfit was very casual, consisting of a T-shirt with a red and white ball logo, quick-drying athletic shorts, and a pair of cool Crocs.

Noticing Ye Ci's somewhat helpless look, Karl looked down at himself and asked with some confusion, "What's wrong? I just came to pick someone up from the airport. Is there anything wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Aoki, who seemed to sense Yeji's predicament, stepped forward and spoke on Yeji's behalf: "There's nothing wrong with it, but the media might be coming later, so..."

“Let them come then, I’m not in the picture.” Karl shrugged, saying nonchalantly, “I’ll leave with my people after they’re done filming. As for the rest of the entourage, I’ll leave it to you.”

Seeing this, Aoki turned to look at Yaji, and seeing that she seemed to have nothing to say, he retreated back to Yaji's side and entered "energy-saving" mode.

“But is it really necessary to make such a big show of it?” Karl looked around, unsure of what to say.

After all, although Dr. Yamanashi came to the Padia region through official channels this time, as the person in charge, Carl knew very well that Dr. Yamanashi was probably going to stay on the farm in the Padia region and would hardly have any contact with the outside world.

Even though Karl had anticipated that Ye Ci would come to pick him up, he didn't expect her to make such a big show of it.

“Of course it’s necessary. Professor Yamanashi is a leading figure in the Pokémon academic world, and out of respect, our Padia League naturally has to show the appropriate attitude.” Ye Ci replied with a serious expression, “Moreover, Professor Yamanashi is accompanied by the current champion of the Sinnoh League this time, so this is no longer just an academic issue.”

"Alright," Carl sighed helplessly.

Although Carr detested formalism, he could not deny that formalism did have its necessity at certain times.

Realizing that the airport pickup might be a waste of more time than he had imagined, Carl found a chair nearby, sat down, and started scrolling through his phone.

As time passed, Dr. Yamanashi's flight was about to arrive at Niangguang City Airport. Carl stood up from his seat, stretched, and looked at the busy staff next to him. He sighed and said, "It's finally here."

Through the glass window of the terminal, Karl saw a plane slowly approaching. As the plane came to a stop, the busy staff around him began to officially start working under Aoki's command.

Carl stood at the back of the crowd with his arms crossed. Not long after, he saw a figure in a khaki trench coat stride out.

Then, across the crowd, Karl's eyes met the other person's.

The moment their eyes met, Dr. Yamanashi's face, which had been stiff from the long flight, instantly softened, revealing a faint smile.

Carl returned the smile, raised his hand and waved at Dr. Yamanashi, then, on a whim, he tried to use the power of bonds to establish a mental connection with Dr. Yamanashi.

As the mental connection was established, Carl's voice resonated in Dr. Yamanashi's mind: 'Doctor, please continue with your work. We'll talk later.'

'Hmm? This is...'

Dr. Yamanashi's smile froze for a moment, then he quickly seemed to realize something, nodded to Karl across the crowd, and finally walked towards the reception room that had been prepared in advance, guided by the staff.

As familiar faces emerged from the passageway, the number of staff around Carl gradually dwindled.

Finally, a blonde girl wearing a baseball cap and a mask walked out of the passage. After seeing Karl, she whispered a few words to the staff member who greeted her, and then walked towards Karl's direction.

This blonde girl, who was "covered up" very well, is none other than Cynthia, the new champion of Sinnoh.

Looking at Zhu Lan, who walked through the crowd to stand in front of him, Karl raised an eyebrow and said with a hint of helplessness, "Miss, I think you have more important things to do than apologize."

Seeing Karl's appearance, Cynthia pressed down on her baseball cap and let out a muffled laugh through her mask: "Of course not. Although I am the Sinnoh Champion, my main purpose in coming to Padia this time is to attend Leia's Elite Four ceremony, so I have already communicated with Padia in advance."

“That’s something I’m also very curious about.” Karl looked around, then led Zhu Lan to a corner before asking, “Didn’t you tell Cattleya you were arriving today?”

“I knew you would be picking up Dr. Yamanashi from the airport, so I didn’t tell her.” Zhu Lan took off her mask, revealing her beautiful face. “Given your personality, Carl, I suppose you wouldn’t want to see Leah again, would you?”

"So, in your eyes, Cynthia, I'm such a petty person?" Karl said with a smile. "I just met Cattleya in Bakum Town yesterday, and she even watched my gym challenge."

"Really?" Zhu Lan asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

In fact, the reason why Zhulan did not tell Cattleya about arriving in Padia today was because she was afraid that Cattleya would lose control of her emotions after seeing Karl again.

Zhu Lan never expected that the two of them would run into each other yesterday, and that Jia Deliya would not cause any trouble during their second meeting.

At this moment, Zhu Lan's impression of her best friend finally began to change slightly.

“However, I don’t think she had any good intentions watching my gym challenge.” Carl shrugged. “But let her watch, I’m not losing anything.”

Despite what Carl said, Zhu Lan didn't intend to call Cattleya over right now. Instead, she changed the subject and asked, "Carl, how long do you expect Dr. Yamanashi to stay in the Padia region this time?"

“I’m not quite sure either.” Karl shook his head. “As you probably know, Professor Yamanashi came to the Padia region mainly to study the Pokémon that have undergone Synergistic Evolution on my farm. Who can say for sure what will happen with research? Maybe the professor will make a breakthrough on his first day at my farm, or maybe he won’t make any progress after a month of research.”

More importantly, besides the four Pokémon that evolved in tandem, there are many other Pokémon on Carl's farm that Professor Yamanashi could study. Just collecting data would take a long time, let alone conducting research.

Of course, Carl wouldn't tell Cynthia this, since Professor Yamanashi is a Pokémon professor from the Sinnoh region. If he spends a long time conducting research in other regions, there will be many problems waiting for Cynthia to solve.

Cynthia knew that research matters couldn't be resolved in a day or two, so she changed the subject again: "You just said that you met Leah when you went to challenge the gym?"

“That’s right.” Carl crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Besides getting the gym badge, I mainly wanted to prepare for the Orange Academy final exam.”

Upon hearing Karl's words, Zhu Lan was taken aback for a moment, but then quickly remembered that Karl was not only a farmer but also a combat instructor at Orange Academy.

Just as Zhu Lan was about to ask something more, footsteps came from not far away.

Karl turned his head and exclaimed, "Hey? President Yeci, what are you doing here? Did it end so quickly over there?"

“No, the media hasn’t entered yet, so there’s still some free time.” Ye Ci answered Karl’s question first, then turned to look at Zhu Lan, who was wearing a baseball cap.

The moment Ye Ci and Zhu Lan's eyes met, Karl, who was leaning against the wall, straightened up and looked the two of them over.

Carl wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he seemed to see sparks fly when their eyes met.

Ye Ci and Zhu Lan stared at each other for a moment, then Ye Ci gave a very standard smile: "Hello, Miss Zhu Lan, I am Ye Ci, the current president and champion of the Padia Alliance."

"Hello, Miss Yeci, I've heard so much about you." Zhu Lan also gave a polite smile, and then extended her right hand to Yeci. "I'll leave Lia in your care."

Ye Ci extended his hand and gently shook hands with Zhu Lan's right hand before letting go: "Since Gadria has passed the Heavenly King test of the Padia Alliance, she is now a member of our Padia Alliance. As the president of the alliance, I will naturally take good care of her."

“I’m relieved then.” Zhu Lan nodded slightly. “After all, Leah rarely interacted with outsiders before, so her personality might be a bit, well, impatient.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Ci's smile widened: "I could tell that from the 'minor friction' between her and Karl a few days ago, but overall she is still a very easy person to get along with."

Watching the two seemingly communicating "harmoniously," Carl was surprised to find that the two champions would be talking about Cattleya during their first official meeting.

In Carl's view, shouldn't the two, who are both champions in their respective regions, talk about something more "constructive"?

Suddenly, Ye Ci changed the subject: "If I remember correctly, Miss Zhu Lan's last visit to the Padia region was related to Karl, wasn't it?"

The moment Ye Ci finished speaking, Karl felt a vague sense of unease.

“That makes sense.” Cynthia nodded. “After all, before me, Carl was the only trainer in recent years to complete the Sinnoh Champion Road. When I heard that, I also wanted to know if I, as the Sinnoh Champion, was up to the task compared to Carl. So after finishing up my business, I came to the Padia region for a vacation and thought I’d have a match with him.”

“That’s true, but for various reasons, that battle was postponed until the end of the year.” Carl explained, “After all, as a Sinnoh person, I still have to go back to Sinnoh for the New Year.”

Upon hearing Karl's words, Ye Ci's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered. She glanced at her watch and then said goodbye, "The press conference over there is about to start, so I'll head out first."

“Alright, President Yeci, you can go ahead and get busy. I’ll take Zhulan for a walk around the neighborhood.” Karl waved to Yeci, then turned to look at Zhulan and said in a strange tone, “Although your conversation is normal, I still feel something is off.”

"Really?" Zhu Lan raised her hand and tucked her golden hair behind her ear. Then Karl smiled and said, "It's probably just your imagination."

“Really?” Carl raised his hand and scratched his head. “Anyway, the press conference over there probably won’t be over anytime soon. Let’s go to a nearby coffee shop and sit down. Dr. Yamanashi will contact me by phone after the press conference ends.”

"Okay, let's go."

Following his memory, Carl led Zhu Lan out of the "isolation zone" and headed towards the Four Seasons Deer Café he remembered.

Just as Carl and Zhu Lan arrived near the coffee shop, a familiar voice rang out from behind them:

"Bamboo Orchid!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Lan turned around, then her expression changed: "Lia, what are you doing here?"

Chapter 241 Cattleya: Wow, there's a cow!

Inside the Four Seasons Deer Cafe in Terminal 5 of Niangguang City Airport, Carl was watching with great interest as Zhu Lan and Jia Deliya sat facing each other at the next table.

Just minutes ago, Zhulan said that she had not told Cattleya the exact time she would arrive in Padiya, but just now, the two "coincidentally" bumped into Cattleya, who was dressed up, in front of the Four Seasons Deer Cafe.

The scene was quite awkward at the time, but the "understanding" Carl took the initiative to suggest, "Since things have come to this, let's order a drink first!" This suggestion was tacitly accepted by both parties involved.

Although Karl didn't know how Cattleya obtained the exact time that Orchid had arrived in Padia, given Cattleya's family background, it wouldn't have been difficult for her to find out.

After all, as the new champion of the Sinnoh League, Cynthia's every move is closely watched. Even though her trip to Padia was theoretically a "private" trip, she still had travel records within the League because she accepted the mission of protecting Professor Yamanashi's team.

After the initial awkwardness, Zhu Lan had composed herself. Looking at Cattleya sitting opposite her, who had a "I'm angry, come and comfort me" expression, she chose to take the initiative and asked, "Lia, how did you know I would arrive in Padia today?"

Karl, sitting at the next table, smiled when he heard Zhu Lan's words, and then he saw Cattleya's previously angry expression freeze for a moment.

Cynthia's question is excellent. As the Sinnoh League Champion, theoretically all information about her should be considered top secret of the League.

Of course, for the higher-ups of the Sinnoh League, Cynthia's escort of Professor Yamanashi to the Padilla region was no secret, but Cattleya found it difficult to explain the source of her information.

Whether or not Cattleya could answer the question, she had already been drawn into Orchid's rhythm.

However, our Miss Cattleya is clearly not an "ordinary person." Seeing that she couldn't answer the question, she simply stopped answering.

Cattleya pouted and said in a pitiful tone, "Then, Miss Zhulan, why didn't you tell me that you arrived in the Padiya region today?"

After saying that, Gadriya turned her head and glared at Karl, who was watching the show at the next table: "And, Zhulan, why are you hanging out with this guy!"

Seeing this, Zhu Lan picked up the iced latte on the table, took a sip, and then glanced at Karl as if by accident before calmly saying, "It's just a coincidence. Karl is here to pick up Dr. Yamanashi."

After receiving a look from Zhu Lan, Karl nodded in agreement, "That's right, exactly."

Cattleya glanced suspiciously at the composed Karl, then at the "sincere" Zhu Lan: "Is that really true?"

Although Karl and Zhulan showed no unusual expressions, Cattleya's sixth sense told her that there was definitely something fishy going on between the two of them.

With Cynthia present, Gadriya would never use her superpowers to sense Cynthia and Karl's emotions, since Cynthia is Gadriya's only close friend.

Thinking of this, Gadriya was furious. She was Zhulan's best friend, so why did she feel that Zhulan was hiding something from her?

It has to be said that the sixth sense of superpowered individuals is always very accurate. Even though Karl and Cynthia's teamwork was seamless, Cattleya still sensed something fishy.

"For certain reasons, I could say I was raised by Dr. Yamanashi, and the doctor only came to the Padia region this time because of my invitation." Karl spread his hands, his tone helpless, "Given my relationship with the doctor, isn't it normal for me to come and pick him up at the airport?"

Karl's words softened the expression on Cattleya's face considerably. Having investigated Karl, she knew very well that what he said was indeed the truth.

However, Gadriya did not want to end the topic there, so she turned to look at Zhu Lan, who was sitting across the table with her hands supporting her chin, her expression saying, "Give me an explanation."

Seeing Cattleya's expression, Cynthia sighed helplessly, "Lia, you'll be taking over as Elite Four member in a few days. You should know that Pokémon scholars like Professor Yamanashi are invaluable talents for any league, right?"

“Of course I know, so what?” Gadriya looked at Zhulan with a puzzled expression, seemingly not understanding what Zhulan meant.

"So, for his safety, I didn't tell you my exact arrival time." Zhu Lan put down her cup. "Do you understand now?"

"?"

Karl was taken aback by what Zhu Lan said; there seemed to be nothing wrong with it.

As for why Zhu Lan told Carl about her arrival yesterday, it can be explained by the fact that, based on Carl's information and that of Dr. Yamanashi, he is a trustworthy person.

So here's the question: who exactly isn't trusted? It's hard to guess.

Thinking of this, Karl turned to look at Gadriya, only to see her delicate little face turn red and then white, then white and then red again.

However, the now "mature" Cattleya seems to have been able to control her emotions, or perhaps she simply doesn't want to throw a tantrum at Zhulan in front of Karl.

Zhu Lan also noticed the change in Gadriya's expression, and then she casually added, "And I also wanted to give you a surprise, Leah, but I didn't expect to run into you here, Leah."

The moment Zhu Lan finished speaking, Gadriya's expression instantly brightened. Even though she tried her best to control her expression, everyone could tell that the young lady was in a very good mood.

Having witnessed the entire scene, Karl blinked and thought to himself, 'Sigh, Zhulan's captive.'

It must be said that if Karl had a friend as "unpredictable" as Cattleya, he would be exhausted. Therefore, Karl greatly admires Cynthia for being able to "endure" Cattleya for so many years.

Perhaps this is why Cattleya is so concerned about Bamboo Orchid?

Thinking of this, Carl picked up his iced latte and took a sip: 'Hmm, not as good as Master Xiong's.'

Not long after, Gadriya finally snapped out of Zhulan's sweet talk and smiled sweetly at her, saying, "Since you've said so, Zhulan, I'll reluctantly have lunch with you today."

"Ahem." Karl coughed sharply after hearing this. He suppressed the smile on his lips, lowered his head, and pretended to be "daydreaming, don't notice me."

"Excuse me, Leah, I'm having lunch with Dr. Yamanashi and Karl today. I arranged it with Dr. Yamanashi before I came to Padia." Zhu Lan said apologetically, "How about I join you for dinner tonight?"

"what?"

Chapter 242 Good News from Afar