[Satodear, say some thanks to Anon! Anon drove away that troublesome enemy) for you, you know]
…Why would you drive away the enemy? Shouldn't you be facing them head-on?
Feeling the fighting spirit radiating from all around, Satoshi's blood instantly boiled over — he wanted a Pokémon battle!
With his name growing bigger and bigger now, even if he didn't go looking, countless people wanted to challenge him.
It's just a pity that so often he runs into opponents who bring out things like Caterpie or Zubat.
Baby Pokémon, come on, don't. And Caterpie's so easy to evolve, why not just evolve it into Butterfree first?
Back in the day when Satoshi was playing Sword and Shield, he loved using that disgustingly sneaky Butterfree strapped with [Focus Sash], putting everyone to sleep!
With [Compound Eyes] as its Ability, you could say every sleep hit the mark.
[Compound Eyes]: Raises the accuracy of the user's moves ×1.3.
I sleep, I sleep, I sleep — if I were battling everyone here, it wouldn't just be Anon who gets put to sleep, I'd be putting all of them to sleep!
Honestly, Satoshi really did want to catch a Butterfree for his own flying unit — but no, Bug-types, forget it.
[Forget your so-called flying unit! Anyway, first go buy Anon something to eat! Hmph~ That nasty woman who's trying to steal you away from me just helped you out big time.]
Furiko's voice rang in his head, snapping Satoshi straight out of his wandering thoughts.
…Fine.
Under Lady Furiko's pressure, Satoshi obediently bought a crepe for Anon.
"Eat."
"For me?... Thank you."
Anon accepted the crepe, a flash of surprise lighting her face. She took a happy bite — the sweet fragrance spread through her mouth, melting into her whole being.
Only, a drop of cream clung to her cheek, leaving a very obvious mark.
"You could eat a little slower, you know."
Seeing that, Satoshi pulled out a tissue and gently wiped the cream off her face.
"U-ah~"
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing… it's really delicious."
The sweetness lingered in her mouth, but Anon's face was gradually flushing red, her eyes flickering with shy brilliance.
That move just now — dangerously dangerous.
She almost died right then, crushed by too much happiness.
[Satodear~, you're smooth.]
…Huh? What are you talking about?
Satoshi blinked, baffled.
But he didn't think much of it, because his gaze had already been captured by a Pokémon battle not far away.
Most of all — the Pokémon standing before a brown-haired, twin-tailed, boundlessly energetic girl.
It's Rockman!
No, wait… it's Armarouge.
Armarouge from Paldea — in Kanto, you could call it downright rare.
Satoshi had a very deep impression of this Pokémon.
Legend has it, Armarouge starred in countless movies.
Armarouge: The Final Dance, The Final Season, Part 2, Act One, Act Two, Act Three, The Conclusion: Front Chapter, The Conclusion: Back Chapter.
Even in the base Scarlet & Violet games, its pre-evo Charcadet had one in the story called Tanjirou.
Wouldn't surprise him if it jumped right into a Demon Slayer shoot.
As the two trainers battled, Satoshi couldn't help but drift closer, wanting to see this fight up close.
What do I do… Satoshi treated me so well just now… shouldn't I give something back?
But Anon was still lost in the sweetness of love, not even noticing he'd slipped away.
She lowered her head, mind in knots, starting to meditate, but had no idea what kind of return gift would be best.
"Satoshi, if you don't mind, you can have some too… huh? Where'd he go?!"
At last, blushing furiously, Anon held out the crepe in her hands, not daring to look at him directly. She lifted her gaze, those shy eyes opening—
Only to realize he was gone.
Her whole body went stiff. She'd already braced herself for an indirect kiss, and then… he escaped.
"Uuuh… idiot."
"Ninf~"
Sylveon twined its ribbon-like feelers around Anon's arm, releasing those soothing, enemy-dispelling waves that calmed the heart.
It was Sylveon's trademark — though in battles, it wasn't so easily put to good use.
...
"Little Guren, [Armor Cannon]!"
On the other side, the girl commanded her Armarouge, pointing at the opposing Mankey.
"Gu-ren——!"
Armarouge thrust forward those power-filled arms. At her cry, its armor shifted into cannon barrels — the armor on its left and right arms ignited, flames surging inside, energy pooling.
The blazing fire shaped itself into a muzzle, launching a great flaming shot.
"Mankey, quick, use [Protect] to block it!"
"Man…"
The fireball rushed toward Mankey. The moment [Protect] flared green in front of it, the shot slammed into the barrier. But the sheer force shattered the shield, smashing straight into Mankey's body.
"Mankeee——!"
With a scream, Mankey was hurled back by the blast, tracing an arc through the air before crashing heavily into a tree.
"…Mm. That kind of power — feels like only my Raichu could take it. I really want to battle it."
Satoshi's calm analysis. But the level gap was just too huge. That poor Pokémon on the other side didn't stand a chance.
Even [Protect] couldn't hold it off. Satoshi really wasn't sure how strong Armarouge actually was.
Probably just a teensy tiny bit stronger than Mankey. Just a teeny bit.
"I heard that girl's from the Performance Department… I think her name was Aijo Karen."
"…Performance Department? What's that supposed to be?"
The murmurs of passersby left Satoshi confused.
Performance Department: split into Coordinators and Performers, they and their Pokémon display their bonds through shows and moves, usually as a kind of co-performance.
But Satoshi was a battle-brain. Things like that never crossed his radar, so he had no clue it even existed.
Still, that Aijo Karen not far away… he couldn't shake the feeling he'd seen her somewhere before.
"Uh-oh… don't tell me that's from before I lost my memories."
At that thought, his head started aching.
If he could remember, maybe he could figure out what exactly tied him and Togawa Sakiko together.
That first meeting — her attitude was clearly unfriendly. If it had been his fault, then he could at least apologize.
Right now, the thing Satoshi feared most… was childhood friends.
He hoped not. Please, let there be none…
Satoshi prayed inwardly, glanced at Raichu, and prepared to challenge the girl called Aijo Karen.
"Raichu, I choose you!"
"Rai-Raichu! (Leave it to me~)" Raichu patted its small chest, answering full of spirit.
Compared to some boring childhood-friend love drama, I'd much rather battle, kora!
Satoshi's fighting spirit was burning bright, ready to go.
"Come back, Little Guren."
But perhaps his bad premonition had just been fulfilled — Aijo Karen recalled her Armarouge, turned around.
Their gazes locked. Aijo Karen's light pink eyes widened in shock — then she rushed forward, threw her arms around Satoshi, and wrapped that slender waist tight, holding him firmly in her embrace.
"Long time no see, Satoshi~!"
"Huh?"
[Satodear… what the heck did you do?]
"Rai… rai—Rai?! (Oh crap, forget it, I'm not battling anymore~!)"
All that was left on the field was a dazed crowd — and Karen happily rubbing her cheek against Satoshi's chest.
...
"Mm, he shouldn't have gone too far. Sylveon, do you know where?"
On the road, Anon's eyes flickered with both longing and impatience.
"Ninf~ (I just saw him head toward the food stalls.)" Sylveon shook its head.
Satoshi: "Raichu, I choose you!"
Suddenly, Anon heard Satoshi's voice. A confident smile broke onto her face.
"That's Satoshi's voice. Heh~ got you now."
But when she turned her head toward the source of the sound, her whole body froze.
"—Huh?!"
Up ahead, she saw two figures locked in a tight embrace. She saw a girl she didn't know clutching Satoshi tightly in her arms.
Anon's wide eyes trembled, refusing to believe the scene before her.