Chapter 78: An Unexpected Encounter

Once they decided on the store, Andrew led everyone to their destination.

Soon, they arrived at a clothing store named "Sombrero Boutique."

"Welcome!"

As they entered, a friendly sales associate greeted them with a professional smile.

However, as soon as they walked in, they were met with a spectacle: three elegant Pokémon, dressed in flamboyant outfits, began to dance.

*Snap, snap, snap-snap-snap...*

The three Pokémon moved gracefully, their steps light and their spins and jumps perfectly synchronized, as if they were molded from the same pattern.

What an abstract dance! It must be the work of the dancing Pokémon—Ludicolo!

Andrew remembered that Ludicolo was the iconic Pokémon of Sombrero Boutique. It was said that the store was named after Ludicolo because the founder's first Pokémon was one.

After the three Ludicolo finished their dance, they bowed elegantly to Andrew and the others. The sales associate then said:

"Visit Sombrero Boutique twice a year and every time feels fresh! Welcome to Sombrero Boutique."

Andrew: "..."

"Is there anything specific you need?" the sales associate asked.

"I'd like to see some formal attire for an evening event," Andrew replied.

"Certainly. Please follow me," the sales associate gestured to a certain area, leading Andrew and the others.

Andrew nodded and motioned for his Pokémon to follow.

It was Munchlax and Drizzile's first time in such a place, and they looked around with curiosity, their heads swiveling in every direction.

"Munch…"

Look at that outfit, it's so odd, haha...

As they looked around, Munchlax whispered to Drizzile.

"Driz~ driz~" I know, I know, and that one, it's so... hehe...

The two Pokémon whispered to each other until Andrew said, "You two, keep up."

"Munch!"

"Driz~"

The two quickly joined Andrew's side.

Diancie was also intrigued by the variety of clothes in the store, but as a self-proclaimed royal lady, it wouldn't be as unfocused as Munchlax and Drizzile. That would be too unrefined.

Soon, Andrew and the others were taken to the formalwear section, where mannequins were dressed in exquisitely tailored, clearly expensive outfits.

Racks and shelves were filled with a dazzling array of clothing, leaving Diancie, Munchlax, and Drizzile mesmerized.

Only Komala was comfortably asleep in Munchlax's arms.

"Andrew, how about this one?" Diancie asked, pulling out a royal blue suit from the rack.

The sales associate, hearing Diancie speak, was surprised and covered her mouth, then looked at Diancie with curiosity.

Diancie noticed her gaze and smiled politely, which made the sales associate feel as if Cupid had struck her heart.

So adorable!

Andrew took the suit and held it up against himself. Diancie's choice was spot-on; the fit was perfect. But...

"Diancie, don't you think the color is a bit too flashy?" Andrew said with a hint of concern.

"Really?" Diancie tilted its head. It thought the royal blue would look great with Andrew's striking blonde hair!

"Alright, let's try something else."

Since Andrew didn't like the royal blue suit, Diancie decided to put it back and chose a black one. However, after comparing it on Andrew, it was still unsatisfied.

"If we had more time, we could have had one custom-made," Diancie said regretfully.

The sales associate smiled and said, "We do offer custom tailoring as well. You can try that next time."

Andrew smiled and said, "Definitely, next time."

After comparing the black suit on Andrew for a while and deciding it didn't work, Diancie put it back.

"No, this one's too old-fashioned."

Diancie then picked out a light gray suit, but after holding it up against Andrew, it shook its head. "Still not right, too understated."

Andrew: "Being understated isn't a bad thing! We're not the center of attention, after all."

"That won't do either." Diancie scanned the suits quickly and finally settled on a white one. Its eyes lit up as it grabbed the suit and asked, "How about this one?"

Andrew frowned slightly and whispered, "Isn't it a bit too bold?"

Diancie frowned. "Bold? I think it's perfect for you!" It then turned to Munchlax and Drizzile, asking, "What do you two think?"

"Munch... munch..." Looks great, master, it's wonderful!

Munchlax clapped enthusiastically.

"Driz~ driz~" Handsome, very handsome!

Drizzile gave a thumbs up.

"Really?" Andrew asked.

The sales associate said, "You should try it on first."

"Yes, go ahead and try it on," Diancie said, nudging Andrew toward the fitting room.

Resigned, Andrew entered the fitting room, quickly changed, and emerged in the white suit. He looked tall and elegant, like a prince straight out of a storybook.

"So handsome!" The sales associate's eyes widened in awe.

"Well?" Andrew asked, feeling a bit self-conscious as he adjusted the buttons on his chest. He had never worn anything so formal in either of his lives.

"It looks fantastic!" Diancie said, pleased. Its choice was indeed perfect.

"Munch... munch..." Looks great, master looks amazing!

Munchlax continued to clap, causing Komala in its arms to frown.

"Driz~ driz~" Very stylish, truly stylish!

Drizzile praised without reservation.

The sales associate stepped forward and said, "The white suit suits you perfectly. It looks like it was tailor-made for you."

"Really?" Andrew asked, unsure.

"Absolutely! My fashion sense is impeccable," the sales associate said confidently.

"Then... should we go with this one?" Andrew asked, looking at Diancie, Munchlax, and Drizzile.

"Munch~"

"Driz~"

Diancie, Munchlax, and Drizzile all nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's go with this set." With that, Andrew returned to the fitting room, changed out of the suit, and handed it to the sales associate. "Please wrap it up."

"Of course, sir." The sales associate handed the clothes to another associate nearby, then asked Andrew, "Would you like to choose a tie as well?"

Oh, right, there's the tie too.

So, Andrew and the others followed the sales associate and picked out a wine-red tie. The contrast between the white suit and the red tie was striking, and Diancie and the others all said it looked great.

After buying the tie, Andrew asked, "Do you have any clothing for Pokémon here?"

"Certainly," the sales associate replied. "At Sombrero Boutique, we have designers who specialize in creating outfits for Pokémon. We can meet all of your needs!"

That's impressive! Andrew thought, typical of a salesperson.

Andrew said, "Please take us to have a look."

The sales associate said, "Of course, sir, please follow me."

While Andrew and the others went to pick out clothes for their Pokémon, a family of three also walked into Sombrero Boutique.

The couple appeared to be in their thirties, both wearing white lab coats, and the child looked about eight or nine years old, carrying a backpack, with a Maschiff walking at their side.

"This is ridiculous. Suddenly announcing some banquet out of nowhere. I hadn't heard anything about it, and I'm really busy," the wife complained.

"Don't be like that. When in a different place, basic social activities should still be attended." The husband gently advised his wife.

"Ugh!" The wife ran her hands through her light brown hair. "Let's hurry up and finish this so we can get back!" With that, she strode into the store.

The husband quickly called to the child, "Arven, hurry and catch up."

The child, called Arven, quickly followed his parents with the Maschiff.

Just like Andrew and his group when they arrived, the family of three watched the dance of the Ludicolo.

Meanwhile, Andrew was helping four Pokémon pick out clothes. Diancie, Munchlax, Komala, and Drizzile all emerged from the fitting room together.

Diancie was dressed in a white, sheer top with a light pink skirt adorned with gems, making her look like a royal princess.

Munchlax wore a white suit, without pants, which was very similar to Andrew's outfit.

Drizzile was dressed in a light blue suit with a bowtie at the collar and matching shorts, looking surprisingly good.

Komala, held in Munchlax's arms, was dressed in a black suit with a white bowtie at the collar, looking equally stylish.

Andrew looked Munchlax up and down, "Munchlax, why didn't you button up your suit?"

Munchlax tugged at the outfit and said pitifully, "I... I can't button it up!"

As it spoke, it puffed out its belly, which jiggled like a water-filled balloon.

Andrew patted Munchlax's belly with a helpless smile, "You've really outgrown that outfit."

Eating too much, too often, combined with its Thick Fat ability, meant that no outfit could possibly fit.

Andrew turned to the sales associate and asked, "Do you have a larger size?"

The sales associate looked troubled, "We have other outfits, but this is the largest size for this style."

Munchlax looked dejected upon hearing this.

It wanted to match outfits with its master!

"Munchlax, should we pick something else?" Andrew asked.

Munchlax, still hugging Komala tightly, nodded reluctantly.

Everyone else had found outfits they liked, but Munchlax hadn't...

There weren't many suitable outfits for Munchlax, so Andrew eventually chose a blue and white outfit that matched Munchlax's dark blue fur perfectly.

When the sales associate brought over the wrapped clothes, Munchlax still looked downcast.

Seeing this, Andrew felt a pang of sympathy and suddenly pretended to be frustrated, saying, "Oh no, the more I think about it, the more I feel that white is too plain. How about we go pick out another one?"

Andrew gave the sales associate a meaningful look, and the associate, who had been observing them closely, immediately understood. "Then, sir, please follow me."

"Alright," Andrew said, feigning indecision as he returned to the men's suit section.

After some deliberation, Andrew pulled out a blue and white suit and said, "This one. I think this one suits me."

He tried it on in the fitting room, and the fit was perfect, just as handsome as the white suit.

When Andrew emerged from the fitting room wearing the suit, Munchlax's eyes lit up because it matched its own outfit perfectly, like a coordinated set.

"Munchlax, how about it? Does it look good?" Andrew asked as he walked up to Munchlax.

"Yes, yes, Master looks the best!" Munchlax's mood visibly improved.

"Really? I think so too."

With that, Andrew returned to the fitting room, changed back, and handed the suit to the sales associate. "Wrap this one up too."

The sales associate smiled brightly. "Of course."

Although Andrew chose a new suit, he didn't return the white one. He paid for both, which doubled the sales. No wonder the associate was so happy.

After getting their clothes, Andrew and the others were ready to leave Sombrero Boutique.

Drizzile and Munchlax, who was holding Komala, walked ahead. Now that Munchlax was satisfied with wearing a matching outfit with Andrew, its mood had visibly improved. It chatted with Drizzile as it hopped along.

Diancie, walking behind them, couldn't help but comment, "You're spoiling him too much. I still think the white one looked better."

Although Andrew had bought the white suit too, he probably wouldn't wear it to the banquet.

Andrew glanced at the cheerful Munchlax and smiled warmly, "Does it matter? Look how cute Munchlax is."

"Hmmn~~."

Diancie turned her head away in mock annoyance.

As Andrew and the others reached the door, they bumped into the family of three.

Neither side paid much attention to the other until the wife noticed Diancie standing next to Andrew. She gasped, "Is that... the legendary Diancie?"

The husband was equally shocked.

"Excuse me, sir!" The wife quickly called out to Andrew.

Andrew turned around, surprised, "Are you talking to me?"

"Yes." The wife quickly walked over to Andrew, with her husband following closely. The child sighed deeply and trailed behind.

"Is there something you need?" Andrew asked, looking at the couple, feeling that they looked somewhat familiar.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Sada," the wife said, then gestured to her husband and child. "This is my husband, Turo, and our son, Arven."

Andrew suddenly realized who they were—Professor Sada and Professor Turo! No wonder they looked familiar!

But wasn't he supposed to be in the anime world? How were game characters showing up here?

On second thought, it wasn't so strange after all.

There was no rule that said characters from the games couldn't appear in the anime, right? Gym Leaders and Elite Four members appeared in both, after all!

But still... why were Professor Sada and Professor Turo in Azoth Kingdom?

Andrew then looked at Arven and thought, So this is what Arven looks like in the anime!

Andrew maintained his composure and said, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Sada, Mr. Turo, and young Arven. My name is Andrew."

The couple exchanged a glance and suddenly realized something.

Sada asked, "Are you... Prince Andrew of the Azoth Royal Family?"

(End of this chapter)