The next morning, early.
The bathroom was filled with mist.
Delia stood before the sink, hands propped on the counter, leaning forward until her face was almost touching the mirror.
She turned her head side to side, carefully examining her reflection.
Her skin was fair and translucent, her cheeks flushed with a natural glow, and her eyes showed no fatigue; instead, they sparkled with a moist luster.
"Does it really have a beauty effect?"
Delia murmured to herself, her fingertips lightly touching her cheek.
"It seems... my complexion really is a bit more rosy."
She had to admit, when she woke up this morning, her whole body felt refreshed, and even her skin seemed smoother.
"Could it really be..."
Delia muttered softly, a faint smile unconsciously tugging at the corners of her mouth.
She shook her head, tossing aside those embarrassing thoughts, and picked up her toothbrush to squeeze out some toothpaste.
The taste of mint spread in her mouth.
As she brushed, she hummed an unknown tune, clearly in a good mood.
Just then, the bathroom door was pushed open.
Roy, wearing loose pajama pants and bare-chested, walked in naturally.
"Morning."
He greeted her casually, acting just like an old married couple, and walked to Delia's side to pick up his own toothbrush.
"Mmph~"
Delia, with the toothbrush still in her mouth, teased him indistinctly.
"You just pushed the door and walked in so naturally! Weren't you afraid I'd be naked?"
As she spoke, she intentionally puffed out her chest.
The neckline of her pajamas was already loose, and with this movement, the full curves became even more apparent.
Roy glanced over and smiled.
"Isn't it better if you're naked?"
He responded vaguely while brushing his teeth.
Then he naturally walked behind Delia, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin lightly on her shoulder.
"What are you doing~"
Delia chided flirtatiously, but her body honestly leaned back, pressing into Roy's embrace.
"I'm brushing my teeth, don't mess around."
"I'm not messing around."
Roy tightened his grip on her waist, and one hand naughtily slid down to her lower abdomen, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"I just think you look especially beautiful today."
"Smooth talker."
Delia said it with her mouth, but her eyes were full of smiles.
"You~ you bad guy."
She wiggled her body but didn't break free.
"We're in the Pokémon Center, pay attention."
"Now you know we're in the Pokémon Center?"
Roy leaned into her ear and lowered his voice, speaking with a smile.
"Who was it that snuck into my room last night and took the initiative to..."
"Aiyah~!"
Delia's face instantly turned red to the tips of her ears. She turned around abruptly, stood on her tiptoes, and used her lips to block Roy's mouth.
The minty toothpaste foam ended up smeared all over Roy's mouth.
"Mmph..."
Roy was stunned for a moment.
Then he smilingly accepted this toothpaste-flavored kiss.
A few seconds later, Delia pulled away with a red face, her eyes wandering, not daring to look at him.
"That'll teach you to talk nonsense..."
"Yuck~"
Roy licked his lips and intentionally made a disgusted expression.
"You kissed me with a mouth full of foam, don't you find it gross?"
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Delia immediately turned and glared at him, her cheeks puffing out slightly.
"What? What are you saying?"
She reached out and poked Roy's chest.
"Last night I didn't even mind what was on my face, and now you're disgusted by me?"
As she spoke, she playfully slapped Roy's hand that was wrapped around her waist, as if acting spoiled.
"How can that be the same? Last night was..."
"You're still talking!"
Delia was both embarrassed and annoyed. She turned around, about to kiss him again to shut him up.
This time Roy was prepared.
He laughed and tilted his head to dodge, then took the opportunity to press his face against Delia's, rubbing the foam from his mouth back onto her face.
"Aiyah~ Roy! The foam!!"
Delia cried out, but her voice was full of laughter.
Not to be outdone, she also smeared the foam from her hands onto Roy's face.
The two of them started fooling around in the bathroom like that.
One smear here, one rub there.
Laughter and playful chiding mixed together.
Delia's pajamas got a bit wet, clinging to her body and outlining her seductive curves.
Roy's pajama pants were also splashed with water.
But neither of them cared.
Like an ordinary couple, they enjoyed their morning playfulness.
Until a knock sounded at the door.
Then came Nurse Joy's gentle yet puzzled voice.
"Mr. Roy? Miss Delia? Are you in the same room?"
The two in the bathroom instantly froze.
Delia stiffened in Roy's arms, her eyes wide and her expression panicked.
Roy also stopped his movements and made a "shh" gesture to her.
"I thought I heard some noise..."
Nurse Joy said softly outside the door.
"Did something happen?"
Delia was so anxious she kept blinking, silently mouthing: "What do we do?"
Roy, however, remained calm.
He cleared his throat and responded to the door.
"It's nothing, Nurse Joy. I'm just washing up."
"Then Miss Delia is also..."
Nurse Joy had clearly heard the sounds of two people.
"Ah! It's... it's Roy sleeping in!"
Delia spoke up hurriedly, her voice a bit shrill from nervousness.
"We have to leave early today, and he... he wasn't up yet, so I came to wake him."
As she spoke, she frantically straightened her messy pajamas and tried to wipe the foam off her face.
Roy looked at her panicked state and couldn't help but want to laugh.
"I see."
Nurse Joy outside the door was silent for two seconds.
Then, her voice carried a hint of knowing laughter.
"Alright then. But please be careful."
"Although the accommodation is free, the Pokémon Center has rules. Some things... are not allowed."
She paused and then added.
"Of course, Mr. Roy acted bravely last night, so we will relax the management appropriately. However... please be mindful of the impact."
This was said very euphemistically.
But the meaning was clear—I know what you're doing, don't go too far.
"O-Okay! We'll be ready soon!"
Delia replied with a red face.
Listening to Nurse Joy's footsteps gradually fading away, Delia finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Her whole body went limp in Roy's arms, her forehead resting against his chest.
"That scared me to death..."
"Look at how scared you are."
Roy smiled and ruffled her hair.
"Nurse Joy won't eat you."
"But it's still embarrassing!"
Delia looked up and glared at him reproachfully.
"Look at you, we were almost caught! If we get blacklisted by the Pokémon Center and can't stay here anymore, then you'll behave!"
"Hurry up and wash! Get ready and get out of here!"
"Yes, yes, yes."
Roy agreed with a smile.
The two of them quickly finished washing up.
Delia carefully checked herself in the mirror, making sure there were no traces of foam on her face and that her pajamas were tidy before finally feeling at ease.
"I'll go out first to help with the cleaning."
She whispered to Roy.
"Nurse Joy must have been suspicious just now. I have to go perform well to cover it up..."
"Go ahead. I'll be out in a moment."
"Mm."
With a red face, Delia opened the door quietly and peeked into the hallway.
After making sure no one was there, she slipped out.
Roy looked at her back and smiled.
Then he picked up a towel to dry his face and walked out of the bathroom.
The curtains in the room were already drawn.
The morning sunlight streamed in, feeling warm.
Roy picked up the Trainer treatment computer on the nightstand; the Trainer Forum showed 99+ message notifications.
"Oh? Something's happening."
He raised an eyebrow and clicked on the forum.
He went straight to the Bounty Section.
The post he had made last night had been pushed to the number one trending spot.
The title was simple.
[Mysterious Flying-type Legendary Pokémon spotted in the outskirts of Viridian City! High-definition photo for identification!]
Attached below was the photo showing only a corner of golden feathers and rainbow light.
And the number of replies and bidding records below the post had exploded.
"Holy crap! This luster! This texture! It's definitely not photoshopped!"
"Viridian City? I'm nearby! Requesting specific coordinates!"
"OP, name a price! I want this photo!"
"I'll offer 50,000! Sell it to me!"
"You want to buy traces of a Legendary Pokémon for 50,000? I'll offer 80,000!"
"100,000! OP, DM me!"
Roy quickly scrolled through the bidding records.
Most bids hovered around several tens of thousands.
But three records were significantly higher than the others.
ID [Lighthouse Watcher] bid: 120,000 alliance coins.
ID [Beauty of the Seaside] bid: 135,000 alliance coins.
ID [White-coated Researcher of Pallet Town] bid: 150,000 alliance coins.
Moreover, the bids from these three were rising consecutively; they were clearly in a bidding war.
"Lighthouse Watcher... isn't that Dexter?"
"Beauty of the Seaside... who is this?"
"White-coated Researcher of Pallet Town..."
Roy looked at this ID and smiled, guessing who was behind it in an instant.
"Old man Oak, you really are rich."
150,000 alliance coins.
For an ordinary Trainer, this was already a huge sum of money.
It was enough to live comfortably for several months during a journey and also buy quite a few Poké Balls and Potions.
Roy didn't hesitate and directly clicked to confirm the transaction with [White-coated Researcher of Pallet Town].
Almost the second after confirming.
Ding-dong.
A crisp notification sound rang from his phone.
[Your Trainer account has received: 150,000 alliance coins. Current balance: 150,850 alliance coins.]
With this money plus the Good Citizen Award promised by Officer Jenny, he could live quite comfortably for a while.
Of course, if he wanted to get some Pokémon and items, this 150,000 was still not enough.
Those things could easily cost tens of thousands each.
Top-tier items could even be hyped up to hundreds of thousands or millions.
But with the system, items and such could be obtained by doing tasks.
It was just a matter of scanning the map more.
Roy turned off the computer, in a very good mood.
He changed his clothes and walked out of the room.
In the hallway, Delia was helping Nurse Joy wipe the handrails.
She worked very seriously, with fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.
Nurse Joy was nearby watering potted plants, occasionally chatting with Delia; the atmosphere was harmonious.
It seemed Delia's "performance" was very successful.
Nurse Joy hadn't mentioned the bathroom incident from earlier at all.
"Roy, you're up."
Delia's eyes lit up when she saw him.
But then she remembered something, her face reddened again, and she lowered her head to continue wiping the handrails.
"Yeah. Thanks for your hard work."
Roy walked over and naturally took the rag from her hand.
"Let me do it. You go rest for a bit."
"No need, I'm almost done."
Delia wanted to take the rag back, but Roy didn't let go.
Their fingers touched.
Delia pulled her hand back as if she'd received an electric shock, her ears turning red.
Nurse Joy, watching this scene from the side, pursed her lips and smiled, then tactfully walked away with the watering can.
"Look at you, you're sweating."
Roy reached out and gently wiped the sweat from Delia's forehead with his thumb.
The movement was gentle.
Delia was stunned.
She looked up at Roy, seeing his focused gaze, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"I-I can do it myself..."
She said softly, took the rag from Roy's hand, and turned back to continue wiping.
But the smile on her face couldn't be hidden... Half an hour later, Roy returned to the room to pack his luggage.
The three of them gathered in the lobby of the Pokémon Center.
Misty came over sneakily, wanting to scare Roy, but when she saw the balance on Roy's screen, the thought vanished instantly.
"150,000? Roy, did you strike it rich? How do you suddenly have so much money?"
She grabbed Roy's arm and leaned in closer.
A faint fragrance from the girl wafted over.
Roy could feel the temperature of her body.
"Sold a photo."
He answered casually and continued packing.
"A photo? What kind of photo sells for 150,000?"
Misty looked skeptical.
Then she suddenly thought of something and gasped: "You mean that Shinny Fearow?"
"Yeah." Roy nodded.
Misty stood there with her mouth agape for a long time.
Her family owned a Gym, so they were fairly well-off. While 150,000 wasn't a small amount, it wouldn't normally make her lose her composure.
But 150,000 for a photo of a Shinny Fearow!
This shocked her to no end.
"No way, are rich people nowadays that stupid? 150,000 for a Fearow photo?"
Misty exclaimed exaggeratedly, then her eyes suddenly lit up.
She abruptly turned to look at Roy, her eyes flashing with a cunning light.
"Then... if I take a few photos of my Staryu, could I also..."
She had already started calculating.
Since she had run away from home in a fit of pique, she really hadn't brought much money.
Although Delia kept saying not to worry about it, she still felt bad about freeloading.
If she could earn some money herself...
"You're overthinking it."
Roy ruthlessly interrupted her fantasy and then explained that it was a photo of the legendary beast Ho-Oh; only then did Misty feel relieved.
Misty instantly wilted, her shoulders sagging.
"Alright..."
But the next second, she perked up again and threw her arm around Roy's neck.
"Hehehe, Roy, now that you're rich, can you treat me to something delicious?"
She was practically hanging off Roy, the softness of her chest pressing unreservedly against his arm.
Roy could clearly feel the full elasticity.
"What do you want to eat?"
"Hmm... let me think..."
Misty tilted her head, thinking very seriously.
A few seconds later, her eyes lit up.
"I want a burger! A Double Beef Cheeseburger! And I want ice cream! Chocolate flavored!"
Roy was stunned for a moment. He had thought that this lady from the Cerulean Gym would ask for a meal at some high-end restaurant.
Instead, she was asking for very little, just some snacks that cost as much as an ordinary meal.
"Just that?"
Misty nodded vigorously, her eyes full of expectation.
"At home, they say these are junk foods and don't let me eat them often. But I love them!"
As she spoke, she shook the arm she had around Roy's neck, as if acting spoiled.
"Please~ Roy~ just treat me~"
The lethality of a tomboy acting spoiled was not small at all.
Roy looked at her sparkling eyes and her unconsciously pouting lips, and smiled.
"Fine. I'll treat you."
"Yay! Roy, you're the best!"
Misty cheered, and in her excitement, she hugged him even tighter.
She was almost plastered against Roy.
Roy could even smell the faint scent of shampoo in the girl's hair.
Benefits galore.
And Misty herself seemed completely unaware of how ambiguous this posture was.
She was still immersed in the Joy of "having a burger to eat," smiling brightly.
Just then, Delia, who had finished cleaning, happened to walk to the door. Seeing this scene, her large eyes blinked in surprise again and again...
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