After about an hour, all the MYGO members had finally gathered. Staying overnight required their parents' permission—except for Satoshi, who lived alone, and Soyo, whose parents were both away for work.
Now, all six of them were together in the spacious living room. They'd decided to sleep here tonight, spreading futons across the floor like a mini training camp to deepen their team bond.
And as for Satoshi, the lone boy among them…
He was, of course, famously dense as a log.
To make someone like Satoshi notice romantic feelings, the girls knew they'd basically have to spell it out—or physically pin him down.
Other than Shiina Taki, the four girls all had strong feelings for him, so none of them minded the setup. In fact, some were secretly plotting a night attack.
With the futons laid out, Satoshi ended up sandwiched between Anon and Soyo. Directly above him—head to head—was Takamatsu Tomori.
"Poka Poka~" "Miju~" "Meow~"
The room was full of Pokémon from their earlier trip to the EcoDome. Satoshi had to admit—they were all ridiculously cute.
Anon's Alcremie, Soyo's Tinkatink, Tomori's Oshawott, Raana's Skitty—
Even the usually composed Taki sat quietly with a faint blush, hugging her Pancham tightly.
[Everyone's got such girly taste in Pokémon, unlike a certain someone~]
I don't need cute Pokémon—I'm aiming to be a Pokémon Master. What would I even do with "cute"?
Still, Satoshi could see potential. Alcremie's Decorate was great for boosting teammates—raising both Attack and Special Attack drastically.
And Tinkaton—Steel/Fairy typing, Fake Out, Swords Dance, Gigaton Hammer—adorable, but deadly when it swung that hammer down.
He hadn't used one himself yet, though.
His own lineup—Tiger, Ape, Bear, Leopard, Strike—was stacked with powerhouses. Except for Flutter Mane's Protosynthesis, all his Pokémon had top-tier abilities, making every battle thrilling.
Those top six alone could sweep most teams.
[And this is exactly why straight guys are boring~ Sato-baby, just grab Soyo already! If you made one move, she'd probably marry you tomorrow! Act now!]
But… aren't they already targeting me enough as it is?
Sandwiched between Soyo and Anon, Satoshi felt cornered. The tension between them was almost visible.
"Anon-chan, maybe you should sleep somewhere else~? I'd hate for your bad sleeping habits to make poor, injured Satoshi's wounds worse."
"Soyo-san, you don't have to worry—Satoshi's not injured, and my sleeping habits aren't bad."
The two glared at each other, sparks flying.
Their current formation:
Soyo — Satoshi — Anon
Soyo held Satoshi's left arm, Anon clung to his right.
Since the dense boy wasn't going to notice subtle gestures, both were being increasingly blatant.
Satoshi, of course, had no idea what was going on.
This is scary… Did something happen between them?
As he wondered that, something soft pressed against his back—softer than Anon, but firmer than Soyo.
"Satoshi, are you really sure you're not hurt? I'm worried about you."
Without hesitation, another challenger appeared—Takamatsu Tomori, the dark horse.
Tomori wrapped her arms around Satoshi from behind, pressing her chest gently against his back. Her heartbeat quickened as she shyly brushed her fingers along his shirt, checking for injuries.
Her curiosity turned to warmth, then to a fluttery excitement that made her fingertips slip under his shirt, grazing his skin.
"It's okay—I'm really fine. Sorry for making you worry," Satoshi said sincerely, turning slightly to reassure her.
Chasing a flying Garchomp, neutralizing Rough Skin, and taking on a dozen Team Rocket members barehanded—those were small things to him.
A Super Rookie wouldn't go down that easily.
Wait, Tomori… is she serious?! ×2
Both Soyo and Anon noticed the shift instantly.
This—this isn't normal!
No regular girl would touch a boy like that!
If it weren't for Satoshi's incredible density, his heart would've been pounding out of control.
There was no mistaking it—Tomori's actions screamed romantic.
Another rival had entered the battlefield.
Anon and Soyo locked eyes—hostility gone, alliance formed.
Objective: Eliminate Tomori.
After that: Backstab each other. ×2
Same strategy as with Karen—take down the threat first, then settle things privately.
Naturally, the "backstab" part would have to wait until later.
"Um, Tomori-chan~ Could you maybe stop hugging Satoshi? He's had a long day and needs to rest~" Soyo said sweetly, voice dripping with fake kindness.
"Right, right. Tomori-chan, you shouldn't do that—Satoshi might still have hidden injuries," Anon added, smiling a little too brightly.
Tomori blinked, confused. "But didn't you both say Satoshi wasn't hurt? Even he said he's fine."
"…Ah."
Anon froze. She could already feel Soyo's ominous aura beside her.
"Anon-chan?"
Anon, you idiot—did you just ruin the plan yourself?!
Soyo's gentle smile hardened, and the air seemed to grow heavy around them.
Gravity activated.
[Gravity]:For five turns, Flying-types and Levitate users lose their immunity to Ground moves. Airborne moves can't be used.
[Uwaahh… Sato-baby, fix this field before things get ugly!]
The atmosphere did feel heavier. Satoshi blinked in confusion.
Is someone's Pokémon using Gravity right now?
[No! Not that kind of Gravity! Go kiss them or—wait, Sato-baby?!]
Ignoring Furiko's frantic yelling, Satoshi simply reached out and pulled both Anon and Soyo into his arms at once.
"Wha—?!"
"Satoshi?!"
Before either could react, they were enveloped in his firm, steady embrace.
"Since it's rare for everyone to be together like this, how about a photo?" Satoshi said cheerfully, flashing a bright, sunny smile.
"Ah… okay."
At that smile, both girls' faces flushed, their earlier tension dissolving into red-faced silence.
[Whoa… power move.]
Taki and Raana, distracted from Pancham and Skitty, turned toward the scene in stunned silence.
"Tomori?!"
When Taki spotted Tomori still clinging to Satoshi from behind, her mind short-circuited.
How on earth had Tomori ended up hugging a guy?
It wasn't like Taki's feelings were romantic—but seeing that still made her want to grab Satoshi by the collar and yell, "Did you throw that match on purpose?!"
"Raana, come on, Rikki, join in," he said, turning to her with an open smile.
"Ah… yeah, okay."
Seeing that bright, genuine grin, Taki couldn't even stay annoyed.
He was just too sincere—and after seeing his heroics against Team Rocket, even she felt her heart flutter a little.
He's… kind of amazing.
He reminds me a bit of Mitake-senpai from Afterglow…
Taki's chest tightened, her heart racing.
She'd always seen him as a teammate—but now, a faint, unfamiliar warmth flickered inside her.
It's just admiration… right?
"Fine, I get it. Hey, stray cat, get over here." Taki sighed, dragging Raana along.
Raana, the group's resident cat, stuck close to her Skitty and only really listened to Taki—especially if she promised parfait.
"Satoshi~ what pose do you want? How about interlocking fingers~ Haa, haa~♡"