The video featured a young man crying, explaining that his family was poor, yet he had been accepted into a prestigious university.
He wouldn't have been able to attend without funding, which Lysandre generously provided, allowing him to pursue his studies.
However, Lysandre suddenly withdrew his funding one day for an unknown reason, leaving the young man in a difficult position. He was close to graduating, but couldn't afford the high tuition fees to continue.
Despite this, he didn't blame Lysandre in the video; his words were filled with gratitude for the help he had received over the years.
His desperate tears, however, stirred public sympathy and outrage against Lysandre. People accused Lysandre of being hypocritical, demanding to know why he would withdraw funding halfway through,
suggesting he only cared about his reputation without wanting to spend the money. Some even called him stingy despite his wealth.
The video quickly went viral, spreading beyond the Kalos region, leading to widespread online criticism and threats to boycott Lysandre's company's products. Eddie frowned after watching the video and reading the comments.
He suspected foul play, believing someone was orchestrating the public backlash, as an ordinary person wouldn't have the courage to publicly target Lysandre. He also noted Lysandre's unusual silence and the absence of his company's public relations department.
Concerned, Eddie called Lysandre.
"Hello, it's Eddie!" Lysandre's voice, though tired, soon answered.
"Are you okay?" Eddie asked, worried.
After a few seconds of silence, Lysandre replied, "You know too..."
"Yeah, I just saw it and I'm a little worried about your situation," Eddie said.
"Heh..." Lysandre sighed, then asked, "Is this what human nature is like?"
Stumped, Eddie chose his words carefully: "Human nature is a very complicated thing. Everyone's human nature contains both good and evil.
When a person's good side outweighs his evil side, then that person can be said to be a good person; when his evil side outweighs his good side, then he is an evil person, and it is the same for you and me.
None of us can guarantee that we will never have evil thoughts, nor can we assert that evil people have never done any good things. So it doesn't make much sense for us to discuss human nature here, it's too complicated to explain in a few words."
Lysandre fell silent, pondering Eddie's response. Eddie's heart pounded, fearing he had said the wrong thing and pushed Lysandre further into a dark mindset.
He desperately didn't want Lysandre to go down a path of no return.
When no response came, Eddie spoke excitedly, "Lysandre, why don't you come to my place for a few days? You've been busy with your career and have never visited. Why not take this opportunity to come and see me?"
"Okay... okay!" Lysandre seemed surprised by the sudden invitation but eventually agreed.
Two days later, Lysandre arrived in Lumiose City on his private aircraft, where Eddie and Gardevoir met him at the airport.
As they walked through the streets of Lumiose City, Lysandre remarked emotionally, "No matter how many times I come to Lumiose City, the climate here is always so comfortable."
Eddie smiled, "If you like, you can come often."
Lysandre smiled bitterly and shook his head.
As they chatted, Lysandre revealed the truth behind the online incident. He had withdrawn funding because he discovered the young man wasn't using the money for his studies but was instead frequenting disreputable places.
Furthermore, he was lending money at high interest rates under Lysandre's name, exploiting the situation for personal gain. The online scandal wasn't solely his doing; a rival company of Lysandre's had bribed him to discredit Lysandre and his business after the funding was revoked.
Lysandre admitted he hadn't clarified the situation because he was simply tired. This wasn't the first time such an incident had occurred. He recalled a time he invested in a factory in a poverty-stricken region and tried to distribute supplies to local families.
However, the people rushed him, snatched all the supplies, and injured his employees. Another time, during an infectious disease outbreak, Lysandre personally delivered medicine.
Yet, those who received the medicine detained him and his employees, threatening to kill them if he didn't send more supplies.
There were many similar incidents. Over the years, Lysandre had dedicated himself to charity, striving to make the world a better place, but he constantly faced the darker side of human nature.
The more good he did, the more evil he witnessed. This recent incident finally pushed Lysandre to his breaking point.
He felt exhausted, questioning the purpose of his good deeds when the world seemed to remain full of sin.
Eddie had never doubted Lysandre's integrity, but Lysandre clearly needed someone to talk to, so he confided everything to Eddie.
Eddie, unsure how to comfort him on such a complex issue as human nature, decided to take Lysandre to the local market. A good meal, he thought, might help Lysandre forget his worries.
Eddie was well-known at the East District vegetable market from his past visits with Dean Meili.
"Oh, little Eddie, I haven't seen you for a long time," greeted the seafood vendor.
"Haha, I haven't been here in a while. My family doesn't need me to cook, so of course I come less often!" Eddie replied casually.
Knowing Eddie's circumstances, the uncle smiled, "Yes, today's seafood is very fresh, do you want some?"
Eddie looked around cheerfully, "Let's have some crab claws!" He was referring to the claws of the large-clawed crab and the giant-clawed crab.
These crabs were specially cultivated on a farm, regularly shedding their incredibly delicious claws, making them highly sought after in the seafood market. The giant crab claws, naturally, were significantly more expensive.
The uncle sourced his Pokémon seafood from others, as he wasn't qualified to breed them himself.
"Okay!" the uncle said happily, "Just look at which one you want and I'll weigh it for you."
Eddie picked out four high-quality giant crab claws. "These are the ones I'll take."
The uncle beamed, giving Eddie a thumbs-up. "You have good taste, and you only pick good stuff!" He weighed and neatly packed the claws, handing them to Eddie. "A total of 28,000."
Eddie rarely splurged on such expensive ingredients, but with Lysandre visiting, he decided to treat him. "Would you like to order something else? Today's Slowpoke's tail is pretty good, and there are also Tentacruel and Octillery tentacles, both of which have just arrived."
Eddie thought for a moment and said, "Then let's have some of both."
"Okay!" The uncle grinned. In the end, Eddie spent 50,000 on seafood alone.
Next, Eddie bought seasonings. Encouraged by the store owner, he purchased chili powder made from Heatmor's teeth, salt from Nacil, and oil pressed from Smolive fruit.
These were all high-end, expensive products, but Eddie gritted his teeth and bought them. Money was meant to be spent, and he supposed he was considered rich now.
Lysandre, with a blank expression and a formal suit, seemed out of place in the bustling market, drawing curious glances. However, people were merely curious and didn't bother Eddie or Lysandre.
Lysandre quietly followed Eddie, finding it novel and interesting to listen to Eddie chat and bargain with the vendors. These were experiences he had never had before, and a faint smile unknowingly appeared on his face.
Raised in a wealthy family, Lysandre had everything he needed and received an elite education. As an adult, his exceptional abilities and sharp vision had expanded his family's business, making it influential across Kalos and even globally.
Lysandre had always considered himself successful in every aspect of his life. But today, he felt a sudden realization that he didn't seem to understand life at all.
Eddie spent a long time with Lysandre at the market, even encouraging him to buy vegetables from the vendors and bargain. Lysandre initially resisted, but Eddie gave him no choice, pushing him forward.
Lysandre's commanding presence clashed with the mundane task of grocery shopping, and despite his calm demeanor, he was inwardly flustered. The vendors, too, were flustered, having never seen someone as imposing as Lysandre buy groceries.
They even stammered when usually their sales pitches flowed effortlessly.
After a few awkward attempts, Lysandre found himself in an embarrassing situation, while Eddie laughed at him mercilessly.
In the end, Lysandre unexpectedly joined Eddie in laughter, momentarily forgetting all his worries. Eddie and Lysandre returned home laden with bags, with Gardevoir refusing to use her superpowers to help them.
At noon, with Minori's help, Eddie cooked a table full of dishes, even video-calling Siebold for cooking advice. While cooking, he asked Chikorita and little Larvitar to take Lysandre for a walk. The two Pokémon, however, were more interested in playing and fighting amongst themselves, eventually forgetting about Lysandre.
Nevertheless, Lysandre enjoyed the scenery of Prosper Peak. With its thriving fruit trees and diligent Pokémon, it felt like a paradise. Lysandre suddenly realized that while he was wealthier than Eddie, his life didn't seem as enjoyable.
At lunch, Eddie enthusiastically introduced Lysandre to the delicacies of his "hometown." Lysandre, having never tried this new style of cuisine, found it incredibly novel.
He had tasted many exquisite dishes before, but none of them, he realized, had offered the same sense of "reality" as the food before him.
"How does it taste? Is it to your liking?" Eddie asked.
"It's delicious!" Lysandre replied. He saw the nervous expression on Eddie's face and suddenly understood that everything Eddie had done today was to comfort him.
A wave of emotion washed over him. This was the first time someone had cared for him so deeply since his parents' passing.
Despite being a successful entrepreneur, Lysandre had almost no close relatives left, only some distant ones with whom his relationships were purely transactional.
After the online incident, these relatives had even called to lecture him in an elder's tone, criticizing his lack of foresight. As for close friends, he had none before, but now he had Eddie and Caitlin.
However, Caitlin was a woman, and there were some things he found difficult to discuss with her. Perhaps he had suppressed his emotions for too long, which was why he had agreed to Eddie's invitation that day.
"If it's delicious, eat more. I made it myself!" Eddie happily served more food into Lysandre's bowl.
While people in the Kalos region were more accustomed to using knives and forks, Eddie used chopsticks, which Lysandre found awkward. His clumsy attempts, so out of character for his usual domineering demeanor, made Eddie laugh out loud several times.