Luncheon

"Pheww...," I said, staring at Ethan. "That was exhausting."

Ethan smirked. "This is nothing. Wait until you see the gathering. The hypocrisy of all the nobles will blow your mind."

"I'd rather start the last part of the auction and then attend the gathering," I said, frustrated.

"Don't sulk too much," Ethan advised, adjusting his clothes. "Keep your expression neutral while following me because I'm confident there will be a lot of pests in the hall. So buckle up."

"Alright," I said, returning both my Pokémon to their Pokéballs. Just then, we heard a knock.

"Come in," Ethan called out.

As the door opened, Duke Daemon walked in with a smile. Unexpectedly, he was accompanied by a guest.

"Ethan, Arthur, how are you guys doing?" Duke Daemon said warmly. "I didn't expect you to bid for a Black Sludge. Good job winning it. I can't wait to see the look on Duke Edward's face," he said again with a smirk.

I gave Duke Daemon a simple nod while secretly taking a look at the visitor who followed him.

He was a young man who looked barely older than us. He was incredibly charming and wore a slim black cloak over his lavishly embellished gold tunic. He had black shoulder guards with the crest of a long sword facing down with a leaf surrounding it. There wasn't a single scratch on his smooth pale skin, and he looked like the protagonist of a medieval drama.

Noticing my sneaky gaze, the man smiled at me curiously.

"Oh! Where are my manners? Ethan and Arthur, this is the second prince of the kingdom, His Royal Highness Henry Wolks," said Duke Daemon, patting us on the back.

Ethan immediately bent one knee and said, "Greetings, Your Highness. I am Ethan Frost, and it is my honor to make your acquaintance."

Startled by the sudden appearance of the prince, I took a second to do what Ethan did and hurriedly got down on my knees. "It's a great honor to meet Your Grace. I am Arthur Jones, a civilian and a student of Striaton City," I said awkwardly.

It was my first time greeting someone of higher social standing in person.

"Pleasure is all mine," said the Second Prince Henry in a graceful yet friendly manner. "You don't need to be so formal as I was the one who appeared without notice. It's nice to see the future psychic of the kingdom growing in the academy. I am an alumnus who graduated three months ago, so treat me as a senior instead of calling me Your Highness."

He then looked at me curiously and signaled me to stand up. "Arthur, right? I have heard from your brother that you are quite the handful. Good to see that you are making friends with Ethan. I hope you can become a great trainer like your father and brother," he said with a big smile.

"Thank you, Your Grace. I will not let the prestige of the academy down," I said calmly.

'He knows my brother?' I thought, in confusion, thanking him with a half-bowing posture.

"Okay, kids. Let's chat while going to luncheon," said Duke Daemon, urging us to follow him.

'Forget about asking about my brother, if I follow these guys to the luncheon, I might get into big trouble. A commoner following a duke and a prince will be an extremely rare sight.' I followed the group up the stairs to the third floor, feeling troubled.

Royal Commander Daemon was chatting with the prince about some matters regarding the next tide of the Pinwheel Forest as me and Ethan kept listening in while walking.

As we ascended the stairs, I noticed numerous guards adorned with the royal crest of the Wolks family, respectfully welcoming us. I searched for my brother amongst them, but my efforts were in vain. As we approached the Luncheon room, Prince Henry turned around, wearing a smile, and spoke to me.

"Earlier, I forgot to mention. Your brother Leon is currently training to become one of my guards. He couldn't make it here because he has a lot on his plate, but he's doing well and will meet you during the Academy tournament."

Although not entirely surprised, I expressed my gratitude to the prince nonetheless.

The guards immediately opened the door to the dining area, and I was immediately blinded by the brightness emanating from within.

The Luncheon was held in a grand hall occupying the entire floor, decorated with ornate furnishings, chandeliers, and exquisite floral arrangements. The tables were short to medium-sized and adorned with elaborate centerpieces, candelabras, and crystal glassware. Each guest's place setting was laid out with a variety of utensils, including multiple forks, knives, and spoons, as well as a glass or goblet for wine or other beverages.

While I was admiring the grandeur of the hall, everyone's eyes in the room were fixated on us. The room fell silent, and I could hear small whispers amongst the nobles, murmuring about 'The Prince', 'Frost', 'psychic'.

A guard stepped forward and announced loudly, "His highness the Second Prince and the Royal Commander of the Kingdom have arrived. I hereby announce the start of the Luncheon."

I kept my head down, blindly following Ethan and ignoring the murmurs.

Duke Daemon suddenly noticed someone in the crowd and said to us, "You guys enjoy the Luncheon while I go have some important conversations."

"Have a great afternoon, Sir," I replied, bowing again.

An awkward silence ensued for ten seconds until a voice behind me interrupted the quietness. "Prince Henry, I did not expect you to grace us with your presence. Come, let's have a drink."

Before I could turn back to see the speaker, I was subconsciously pulled back by an unseen force. I blinked, and my vision changed completely; I found myself standing five meters away from Ethan and the prince. People swarmed in like flies around them, leaving me bewildered and thinking, 'What the actual fuck? these guys were so far away from us just a second ago.'

Ethan saw that I was getting pushed backwards and he attempted to call me back, but a group of seemingly important individuals interrupted him. Being the most socially awkward person, he struggled to maintain his composure and responded to everyone with a forced smile, even the Prince looked a bit troubled. I couldn't really complain, though, because it was rare for the Prince to attend casual meetings like this. This was a once-in-a-year chance for everyone to make valuable connections.

"Well, it's better to be ignored than to be pestered like that," I muttered to myself.

"Right? I never thought you'd actually come, let alone with the Prince," a familiar voice said.

I turned around to see Logan Claude holding a plate with cake in his hand, looked like he was having a good time.

"Master Logan, thank you for the information about this auction," I said after greeting him courteously.

"Okay, stop with the 'Master' thing. We're on the same team during missions, just call me Logan," he said coolly.

"Y-yes, Logan," I affirmed, feeling a bit awkward.

"Come with me, I'll introduce you to some Viscount family heirs from Nuvema town," he said, taking me away from the crowd.

I didn't really have a choice but to follow him. He led me across three tables and introduced me to a chubby guy who looked as round as a football.

"This is the only son of Viscount Julian and my best friend, Benjamin Julian. He's also fifteen and studies at Nuvema Academy," Logan said, pointing at the Munchlax-like human.

"Benjamin, this is Arthur. He's a civilian, but his brother is a Royal Guard. He's also my teammate during outdoor missions," Logan said, taking a bite of cake.

"Oh, you're the Arthur that Logan keeps talking about. Mhmmm, I heard you have great potential...mmm.... munch..... munch...as a trainer. I'm looking forward to the academy tournament," Benjamin said, eating a whole slice of cake in two bites.

"Ahh, yes...Hello, Master Benjamin. I too look forward to our battle," I said awkwardly, taking a seat.

What did I get myself into, I thought, looking at them happily eating without a care. Logan seemed completely different from how he portrayed himself on the first day.

"Arthur, don't be shy. You can have some cake too. It's really tasty. Also, why did you buy the black sludge?" Logan asked, trying to get some information.

"Oh, I have no clue. Ethan wanted it. I didn't ask too many questions. Maybe he's buying it for someone else," I said, feigning ignorance.

"That's too bad. I thought I could buy it for my Bulbasaur," Logan said, disappointed.

We chatted casually for a while, and luckily, no one bothered us as all the focus was on Prince Henry and Ethan, who had never attended a gathering before.

Two hours later, I returned to our assigned room, feeling dizzy. These social gatherings were unnecessarily glamorous and noisy.

"Tired already?" Ethan said as he walked in with Duke Daemon.

I immediately adjusted my posture and greeted the Duke.

"Arthur, I heard that you wanted a new Pokémon. I also heard about your situation with the Gastly from Ethan," said the Duke, causing me to flinch. I thought it was a secret, but I never expected Ethan to betray my trust.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Trainers at my level can sense the presence of a Ghost Pokémon. I presume your Gastly was out in this room for a while," he said with a smirk.

"Don't believe him. He only knew because of his Slowbro, which sensed the presence of Gastly," said Ethan, causing the Duke to turn his head in embarrassment.

"Cough... Cough... Anyway..."

"My suggestion would be to not get a new Pokémon. Instead, train your new Gastly and form a bond with it before getting another one. Your second Pokémon is just as important as your starter because they define the power of your entire team by the end of your training career. Don't bite off more than you can chew," he advised, causing me to contemplate my decision.

"A better suggestion would be to try and evolve your Gastly before the tournament. A normal Haunter looks almost identical to a shiny Haunter, and the tournament is during the daytime. Black sludge and sunlight can easily cover up the color of Haunter. I think you'll be fine. Plan for a third Pokémon after the tournament and make sure your first two Pokémon have formed a trustworthy bond with you," he reasoned with me in a gentle manner

I was touched by his advice. "Thank you, Duke Daemon. I appreciate your wisdom," I said, bowing my head with respect.

As a King Class trainer, I trust his advice. I also trust Ethan as a friend, so I knew I could rely on the Duke's guidance.

The Duke burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha, you're truly different from the Arthur from 7 years ago. This is the first time since I arrived that I've seen your genuine gratitude," he said, patting my back energetically.

Feeling a bit unsure of how to respond, I awkwardly nodded as the Duke called over a guard.

"I'll be leaving for now, but I'll meet you guys for dinner later. This is my guard. You can tell him what you want to buy, and he'll handle the bidding from a different room so that the other families don't hike the price up unnecessarily," he said before hurrying off.

------------Chapter End------------

Hey guys, it has been a year since I wrote anything on stories, so I am a bit rusty. Give me three or four chapters of time to get into my flow.

You can correct me if I made any mistakes. Also, updates will definitely be slower like one or two chapters a week. I will try my best.