"Yeah, Yuuto… I think he's a pretty good Trainer."
As Sakura spoke, she dipped her fingertip into the cooling hair removal cream.
"Come on, lift your leg up~"
Her tone was gentle, but her movements were practiced and confident.
Misty's face flushed crimson. She awkwardly rested one leg on the edge of the bath, warm droplets of water sliding down her fair skin.
Sakura leaned over and began applying the cream evenly, her touch soft and meticulous.
"Sis… Sis… what are you saying?"
Misty's voice trembled, whether from nervousness or the cool sensation, it was hard to tell.
"Yuuto and I… we're just ordinary traveling companions, just… just~"
*Sss~*
Before she could finish her sentence, Sakura had already begun gently scraping with the spatula.
The hair removal cream worked quickly. The hair was easily wiped away.
That slightly cool yet tingling sensation made Misty let out a soft, comfortable hum.
The sound was sweet and unintentionally seductive.
Startled by herself, she quickly covered her mouth.
Sakura smiled and continued her work in a slow, unhurried manner.
"Yes, I know you're traveling companions right now."
"But aren't traveling companions in the best position to develop a relationship?"
She looked up at Misty with a meaningful gaze.
"Look at that Sister Delia you're with; she's doing quite well~"
"Huh? Sister Delia!"
Misty gave a start of surprise.
Sakura quickly corrected Misty's posture.
"Don't fidget."
She chided softly, but her eyes were full of laughter.
Misty's face was so red it looked like it might bleed. She shrank into the water until only half her face was visible, eyes moist like a startled little animal.
"Does Sister Delia like Yuuto too?"
After a long while, she finally asked in a small voice.
There was a nervousness in her tone that she hadn't even noticed herself.
Sakura continued dealing with the last few fine hairs.
"That… I'm not sure."
"Anyway, she and Yuuto have a very good relationship."
She paused, recalling some details.
Like the way Delia looked at Yuuto.
Like the occasional knowing glances between the two.
Like that day at the mall when Delia was picking out underwear and made that meaningful comment: "Yuuto will like this."
"So, if you really feel like it, you can ask Delia for advice."
Sakura put away the spatula and rinsed Misty with warm water.
"I have a hunch that Yuuto will be a very strong pillar of support."
Sakura dried her hands, her tone becoming serious.
"We Four Sisters… maybe we can rely on him."
"Huh? Him? We… Four Sisters!"
Misty pouted and turned her head away defiantly.
"Why should Yuuto be the pillar~"
"I can be a pillar too~"
She puffed out her chest as she spoke.
Sakura was amused.
She reached out and poked Misty's forehead.
"You? How are you going to be a pillar?"
"You can barely stumble through a Gym battle, and you want to be a pillar of support?"
Her tone was doting yet teasing.
Misty immediately deflated.
Alright, she really didn't have that kind of strength yet.
"Okay, all cleaned up."
Sakura stood up and put the tools back in the box.
"Rinse yourself off again~"
She walked toward the shower area, leaving Misty alone to soak in the bath.
Misty looked down at herself.
Her face turned red again.
Yuuto's face involuntarily popped into her mind.
And also Sakura's comment about "what men like."
"A big pervert. I don't want that at all~"
Misty muttered under her breath, shrinking back into the water.
The hot water enveloped her body, making her sigh in comfort.
The suggestive topic in the bathroom finally came to an end.
But certain thoughts had already been quietly planted…
---
Half an hour later, the two sisters returned to the bedroom in their pajamas.
Sakura's room was right next to Misty's.
But tonight, she specifically stayed to sleep with Misty.
The two lay side-by-side on the soft, large bed.
Sakura turned on her side to look at her sister.
"Misty, if you… want to continue your journey later, I support you."
She said softly.
"Really?"
Misty's eyes instantly lit up.
"Of course."
Sakura gently smoothed Misty's hair.
"You've already proven yourself today. And…"
She paused and smiled.
"With Yuuto around, I can rest easy."
There was more to those words than met the eye.
But Misty didn't think too deeply about it. She happily threw herself into Sakura's arms.
"Thank you, Sis!"
The hug was very tight.
Sakura smiled and patted her on the back.
The two sisters talked for a long time.
About the Gym, about the journey, about the future.
Until Misty's eyelids began to grow heavy.
"Go to sleep."
Sakura said softly, tucking the blanket around her.
Once Misty's breathing became steady, Sakura quietly got up.
She planned to help her sister pack her luggage.
They were leaving tomorrow, and that girl Misty would surely forget something.
Sure enough.
Opening Misty's backpack, the inside was a mess.
Clothes were stuffed in haphazardly, and snacks were mixed with Poké Balls.
Sakura smiled helplessly and began to organize everything carefully.
She folded the clothes one by one and sorted them neatly.
Snacks were put into separate bags.
The Poké Balls were wiped clean and placed in the side pocket.
When she reached the very bottom, Sakura's hand stopped.
She felt something soft made of very little fabric.
She pulled it out to take a look.
It was a pair of white lace panties.
A very sexy design, almost translucent, with delicate embroidery along the edges.
Sakura was stunned for a moment, then smiled with delight.
"Misty really has grown up."
She murmured to herself, her eyes gentle.
"That's more like it~"
"This way… she'll have some allure~"
She held the underwear in her hand and examined it.
The quality was good, and the style was bold.
It seemed her sister had secretly done quite a bit of homework.
But soon, Sakura noticed a problem.
"Eh? Why is there only one?"
She rummaged through the bag again, but there really was only this one.
The rest were all ordinary, cute styles.
"Is it because she didn't have enough money?"
Sakura thought about it and felt it was very likely.
Misty had run away from home, so most of her allowance probably went toward snacks and Pokémon items.
She couldn't bear to spend too much on expensive lingerie like this.
"It's okay, I'll help you."
Sakura said softly, carefully placing the white lace panties back into the innermost layer of the backpack.
Then she tiptoed out of the room.
The hallway was very quiet.
Sakura went back to her own bedroom and opened the bottom drawer of her wardrobe.
Inside were various styles of underwear, neatly folded.
Lace, silk, strappy, cut-out.
The colors ranged from pure black to bright red — everything one could imagine.
She carefully selected a few pairs.
A translucent black lace pair.
A red strappy pair.
A light purple cut-out pair…
All were brand new with the tags still on.
Sakura carefully wrapped them and returned to Misty's room.
She quietly tucked them into a compartment in the backpack.
Right next to the white lace one.
"Good luck, Misty."
Sakura leaned down and gave Misty a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"We sisters… are all waiting for your good news."
With that, she turned off the lamp and left the room.
The night was deep.
In her sleep, the corners of Misty's mouth turned up slightly.
She seemed to be dreaming of something happy…
---
The next morning.
Sunlight spilled into the room through the window.
When Misty woke up, Sakura had already prepared a hearty breakfast.
Sandwiches, fried eggs, and hot milk.
There was also Pokémon food specifically prepared for Pikachu.
Delia and Yuuto were also ready to go.
The four of them sat around the dining table.
"Misty, be careful on the road."
Sakura handed her a bento box.
"I know, Sis~"
Misty took it happily.
After breakfast, the three of them prepared to depart.
At the Gym entrance.
Sakura pulled Misty aside and whispered a few words in her ear.
Her voice was very soft, audible only to the two of them.
"Remember, if you get the chance, you have to be more proactive…"
"The things I taught you, try to 'eat' Yuuto as soon as possible…"
The last few words were said very softly and quickly.
Misty's face turned beet red in an instant.
"Sis!"
She stomped her foot in embarrassment.
Sakura laughed and ruffled her hair.
"Alright, off you go."
Misty ran back to Yuuto's side, her face still flushed.
Delia watched from the side with a gentle smile in her eyes.
She seemed to have guessed something, but she didn't say anything.
"Let's go!"
Yuuto waved.
The three officially set off.
Misty kept her head down the whole way, not daring to look at Yuuto.
Sakura's words echoed repeatedly in her mind.
*What the heck!*
*Sis is really too much!*
*How can she just say things like that!*
She was ranting wildly in her head, but her face only grew redder.
After walking for a good distance, she finally began to calm down…
Not long after leaving Cerulean City, the mission for the next Gym arrived one after another.
The system notification sounded in Yuuto's mind.
[Ding! Gym Challenge — Vermilion Gym: Defeat Vermilion Gym Leader Lt. Surge using only Pikachu, and counter his mocking words.]
[Mission Reward: Aura · Power of Thunder — When using Pokemon in battle, speed is increased by 20%.]
[Intermediate Rare Candy * 3 — Can be used by Pokemon below lv50 to directly increase their level by one.]
After browsing the mission rewards, the corners of Yuuto's mouth curled up slightly.
The jump in Gym challenge rewards was quite significant.
The previous reward was a photo album, and now it was a combat aura plus intermediate candies.
Though that photo album was indeed top-tier.
Yuuto recalled the images he saw when he flipped through the album last night.
The Three Sisters were mature and sexy, in various poses and from various angles.
He had been so worked up last night that he couldn't sleep.
However, there was a reason for the jump in rewards.
After all, the Vermilion Gym was an intermediate Gym, and the difficulty would be much higher.
And that guy Lt. Surge was no pushover.
In the original plot, his Raichu was quite strong, and his fighting style was brutal.
But... Yuuto looked at the Pikachu on his shoulder.
The little guy was currently munching happily on a berry.
Tiny electric sparks occasionally flickered from the electric sacs on its cheeks.
It should be easy to now.
His Pikachu had undergone power training and had the boost from the Light Ball.
Its strength already far exceeded what it was during this period in the original script.
Taking down a Raichu shouldn't be a problem.
The key was that Lt. Surge was one of the executives of Team Rockets.
This would likely involve some minor trouble.
The people of Team Rockets didn't play by the rules.
He should probably keep his wits about him and prepare something before the challenge.
For example... investigate the interior of the Gym in advance?
Or prepare some items to deal with unexpected situations?
Yuuto pondered to himself.
After accepting the mission, he once again began his journey of leveling up his Pokemon.
However, since they had just set out, there weren't many powerful Pokemon around the city.
He simply defeated a few Rattata.
He didn't even bother catching Pidgey or Caterpie.
Too little experience.
Most of the time was spent traveling.
Pikachu, on the other hand, was full of energy, hopping and skipping along the way and playing with Eevee.
Occasionally, it would shock a few wild Pokemon that accidentally scurried out.
Misty also gradually recovered from her morning embarrassment.
She began to chatter away about interesting stories from her past travels.
Delia listened gently, occasionally chiming in with a few words.
The atmosphere was light and pleasant.
Toward evening.
The three found a clear river and set up their tents nearby for the night.
The terrain here was flat and close to a water source, making it suitable for camping.
Misty took the initiative to gather firewood.
Delia prepared the ingredients for dinner.
Yuuto was responsible for starting the fire and setting up the tents.
The division of labor was clear.
"Yuuto, is the fire ready?"
Delia walked over carrying the ingredients.
"Almost there."
He skillfully manipulated the wood and flint.
Soon, the campfire blazed to life.
The warm flames dispelled the evening chill.
Delia began to cook.
A thick soup was simmering in the pot, its aroma filling the air.
Pikachu and Eevee squatted by the fire, watching expectantly.
Their tails wagged back and forth.
Misty also returned with an armful of firewood.
There was a bit of soot on her face, but her smile was bright.
"I gathered lots of dry wood!'
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something.
"Alright, I'm going to rest in the tent for a bit."
Misty put down the firewood and crawled into her tent.
Yuuto continued to add wood to the fire.
Delia stirred the soup in the pot.
Pikachu's stomach let out a 'gurgle'.
Everything was peaceful and warm.
Until... "Ah!!"
A piercing scream suddenly came from Misty's tent.