In the bathroom, the steam was thick.
The bathtub was already filled with hot water, and a few bath salt flakes floated on the surface, emitting a faint fragrance.
Roy took off his clothes and lay in the tub.
The hot water enveloped his body, and his fatigue gradually dissolved.
Comfortable.
He closed his eyes, enjoying this moment of tranquility.
After an unknown amount of time, the bathroom door was suddenly pulled open.
A pair of fair, beautiful legs stepped inside.
Roy opened his eyes and looked toward the door.
Misty was wrapped in a white bath towel; it wasn't very long, just barely covering her chest and buttocks. Large patches of skin were exposed to the air, and her long, slender legs stood together, her toes curling slightly, looking a bit nervous yet expectant.
She stood at the door, blinked, and gave a "hehehe" laugh.
"Roy~ do you want me to scrub your back?"
Her voice was intentionally drawn out, carrying a hint of Charm.
Roy leaned against the edge of the tub, looking at her like this, a playful smile curling the corner of his mouth.
"Oh, Young Lady, so virtuous today? You've learned how to serve people?"
Misty's face turned red, and she stomped her foot. "Fine! If you don't want to, then forget it!"
She made to turn around as she spoke.
But her turning motion was ridiculously slow; she was clearly waiting for someone to stop her.
Roy saw through Misty and spoke with a smile, "Come in, close the door, don't let the steam out."
Misty's back was to him, and the corners of her mouth were already upturned.
She tried hard to suppress her smile, pretending to be reluctant. "Well... alright then, since you're begging me so much."
After saying that, she tiptoed carefully into the bathroom and closed the door.
The bathroom was steamy, and the mirror was covered in a layer of Mist.
Misty walked to the edge of the tub, looking down at Roy lying in the water, her eyes wandering, not daring to look directly at him.
"You... sit up for a moment, I'll scrub your back."
Roy looked at her; her face was rosy, though he didn't know if it was from the heat or something else.
Misty's eyes shifted; she wanted to look at him but didn't dare, occasionally stealing a glance before quickly looking away.
Roy smiled, reached out, and felt directly for the hem of her towel.
"Ah!"
Misty let out a startled cry, her body tensing as Roy's hand reached inside the towel.
Misty's face instantly flushed red, her whole body trembling as she chided coquettishly, "What are you doing! You big baddie!"
Roy raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a half-smile.
"You're only wrapped in a towel, so why the act? You little pervert."
"Who... who's a pervert!" Misty was still being stubborn, but her voice was incredibly soft. "I just came to scrub your back, it's you who's touching randomly..."
Roy laughed. "Scrub? Do you want to scrub my back, or scrub something else?"
Misty's face turned even redder, and she stammered, unable to speak.
There were always a few days every month when she especially wanted to be intimate with Roy, especially wanted to...
But she was thin-skinned and too embarrassed to say it directly.
She could only engage in some ambiguous little actions, hoping Roy would make a move.
But when Roy actually did move, she could only blush, stare, and put on an expression that said, "I'm just here to scrub your back, don't do anything reckless."
Unfortunately, that expression, paired with her watery eyes and weak legs, had no persuasiveness at all.
Roy didn't expose her either, just said with a chuckle, "Get in."
Misty was stunned for a moment. "Huh?"
Roy didn't give her time to react, pulling hard with his hand.
Misty cried out as she fell into the bathtub.
Water splashed everywhere.
More than half of the hot water in the tub overflowed, leaving the bathroom floor a mess.
Misty lay on top of Roy, her towel already loosened and floating on the water's surface.
The two faced each other with total sincerity; Misty's face was beet red as she lay on Roy's chest, not daring to lift her head.
Roy cupped her chin and lifted her face.
"Weren't you quite the actress just now? Why don't you dare look now?"
Misty's eyes wandered as she stubbornly said, "Who... who doesn't dare look!"
After looking for a while, Misty spoke in a voice like a mosquito.
"Do... do we have to... in the tub?"
Roy didn't answer and kissed her directly.
"Mm..."
...
In the living room.
Delia was drying Pikachu and Eevee's fur.
Just as she finished, she vaguely heard sounds coming from the bathroom.
Delia then pursed her lips and smiled.
She looked down at Pikachu and Eevee and said gently:
"Alright, Pikachu, Eevee, go to sleep."
Pikachu tilted its head. "Pika?"
Delia stroked its head. "Pikachu, tonight you and Eevee squeeze into one little nest; don't go to your master's room."
"Pika?" Pikachu looked puzzled, not understanding why it couldn't go to its master's room.
It still wanted to find its master to play.
Just as it was about to ask something, the Eevee beside it suddenly lunged with a headbutt.
"Bui!"
Pikachu was knocked off balance. "Pika?!"
Eevee held its little head high, putting on the air of a boss. "You sleep here with me! Tonight I'm the boss! Call me boss!"
Pikachu steadied itself and looked at it helplessly. "Pika, pika pi..."
(I'm just staying for one night, don't get ahead of yourself.)
(When my master went to your master's tent to fight before, and you came to my place, you didn't call me boss!)
Bui, bui!
Pika~ pika~
The two little guys played and chased each other, running off.
Delia smiled and shook her head, standing up to look toward the bathroom.
The door was closed, and the sound of water was faint.
She pursed her lips and sensibly returned to her own bedroom.
...
The next morning, early.
Sunlight spilled into the living room through the gaps in the curtains, casting a few long, thin spots of light on the floor.
Delia's biological clock woke her up on time; she opened her eyes and stretched.
She wore simple pajamas, the collar slightly open, revealing her fair collarbones. Her long hair was somewhat messily scattered on the pillow, possessing a hint of Charm in her laziness.
After getting up, Delia first went to check on Pikachu and Eevee.
The two little guys were squeezed into one nest; Pikachu was holding Eevee's tail, and Eevee was sleeping soundly with its four paws in the air, its little belly rising and falling.
Delia smiled gently and didn't wake them, turning to go wash up.
Just as she reached the door of the washroom, she heard the sound of "gurgle gurgle" rinsing from inside.
Delia was somewhat surprised.
At this hour, someone actually woke up earlier than her?
She pushed the door open and saw Misty bending over, rinsing her mouth at the sink.
"Oh~" Delia said with a chuckle in a low voice. "That's rare; did the sun rise from the west today? Our Misty actually got up so early?"
Delia walked a few steps closer, and then her eyes suddenly widened a bit.
Her pupils constricted slightly.
Misty was only wearing a loose short-sleeved shirt; looking at the style, it seemed to be Roy's.
The white shirt had a large collar and hung loosely on her body, covering down to the tops of her thighs.
But it only covered to the tops of her thighs.
There was nothing underneath...
Delia was stunned for a second, then a meaningful smile curled her lips.
She calmly stepped forward and raised her hand.
Smack!
She gave Misty's bottom a light slap.
"Ah!!!"
Misty was so startled she shivered, swallowing the mouthwash directly.
"Cough cough cough!!!"
She began to cough violently, holding onto the sink, her face instantly flushing red.
Delia said with a smile, "It's cool in the morning, don't catch a cold. What if you get sick from being bare?"
Misty coughed until tears came out; finally catching her breath, she turned to look at Delia, her eyes shifting as she stammered, "Sis... Sister Delia... I, I..."
Her brain was spinning rapidly, trying to find an excuse.
But what could she say?
Say I forgot to put on underwear?
Or say I don't know where my underwear was thrown?
Misty's face was so red it could drip blood.
She indeed got up early to rinse her mouth.
As for why she got up so early to rinse... naturally, it had something to do with that baddie Roy.
After fooling around in the bathroom last night, Roy had carried her directly back to the bedroom.
Misty's mind had been full of thoughts of Roy last night.
As for her outfit, where had she thrown it after taking it off? She didn't remember at all.
So when she got up in the morning, she could only throw on one of Roy's shirts and run out with a bare bottom.
She thought she'd rinse her mouth and quickly run back to her room to get dressed.
But because she was usually the last one to get up, she thought this time was early enough.
Who knew...
Delia's daily routine actually involved waking up this early!
Misty was now so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
Seeing her distressed look, Delia's smile became even gentler.
"Alright, alright, don't be nervous." Delia waved her hand, her tone nonchalant. "Go put on some clothes, don't catch a cold."
"I, I'm done washing! Sister Delia, you go ahead~"
After Misty finished speaking, she bolted out of the washroom like a flying arrow.
Delia looked at her back and shook her head with a smile.
Then she turned on the faucet, rinsed away the things inside, opened the toothpaste, and began her own morning routine...
...
Misty rushed into her room and slammed the door shut.
With her back against the door and her hand over her chest, she panted heavily.
Her heart was thumping rapidly.
"Oh no, oh no..." Misty covered her burning face. "Sister Delia saw... how embarrassing..."
She spun around a few times, then threw herself onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow.
"It's all that big baddie Roy's fault!!!"
Misty shouted muffledly, her legs kicking wildly in the air.
After a good while, she finally scrambled up and began rummaging through the room for today's outfit...
...
The flirtatious morning passed awkwardly like that.
At eight-thirty, the three of them gathered in the living room, ready to set off for Celadon Gym.
Misty's eyes shifted; she didn't dare look at Delia.
Delia, on the other hand, was just like usual, wearing a simple dress and smiling gently, as if nothing had happened.
But on the way to the Gym, the atmosphere was clearly off.
Usually, Delia and Misty would walk together arm-in-arm, talking and laughing.
Today, the two walked on either side of Roy, separated by his body, neither touching the other.
Roy looked left and right, sensing something was wrong.
He leaned down to Misty's ear and whispered, "What's wrong? Had a disagreement with Delia?"
Misty's body stiffened, and then she clenched her small fist, quickly drumming it against Roy's arm.
Thump thump thump thump thump!
The fists hit his arm; the force wasn't great, but the frequency was extremely fast.
"It's all your fault, all your fault, all your fault!!!" Misty lowered her voice, gritting her teeth.
Roy was completely bewildered. "What's my fault?"
"This morning, I asked you to help me get a pair of underwear~ you wouldn't go!!!! When I got up to rinse my mouth..." Halfway through, Misty's face turned red, and her voice got even quieter. "Sister Delia saw me."
Roy was stunned for a second, then the corners of his mouth curled up, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"What are you laughing at!" Misty punched him again.
Roy soothed her with a smile. "I thought it was something serious. Oh, stop being shy."
He paused, leaned in close to Misty's ear, and whispered, "Anyway, you two will see each other sooner or later."
Misty tilted her head, giving him a puzzled look.
What does that mean?
What do you mean 'see each other sooner or later'?
Her mind did a lap, and she suddenly understood something; her face instantly flushed red.
"Oh my god!!!"
Misty took a step back, her small fists launching a frantic attack again, hitting Roy's arm like raindrops.
"You big pervert!!! What are you saying!"
Delia watched from the side, smiling gently without saying a word.
The three of them continued their banter all the way.
Roy had Misty's fists on his left and Delia's gentle smile on his right; with the awkward atmosphere in between, it was actually quite lively.
...
Reaching an intersection, someone ahead waved.
"Brother Roy! Sister Delia! Sister Misty!"
Joe stood at the intersection, waving enthusiastically in greeting.
Today he had changed into a neat outdoor outfit and was carrying a hiking pack, looking well-prepared.
Misty immediately stopped her hands, returning to her dignified lady-like manner, though her face still carried a hint of a blush.
"Morning, Joe," Roy greeted.
Joe ran over and first gave a bow. "Brother Roy, thank you so much for last night!"
Roy waved his hand. "Don't mention it, it was just a small favor."
Joe said excitedly, "My parents talked to me for a long time again this morning. My dad said he thought about it all night and felt he used to be too stubborn. He fully supports me now."
Roy smiled. "It's good that your father could see reason."
Joe nodded vigorously. "Yeah! My dad went out early this morning to buy some Guava Berries for Fearow, and even said he's going to study ocean current distribution maps. My mom supports me too; she prepared lots of dry food and Potions for me."
He patted the hiking pack behind him. "I'm planning to set off after watching Brother Roy challenge the Gym today! I'll head to Viridian Forest first to gain some experience!"
Roy nodded. "Good, take it step by step. You can message me if you run into problems."
Joe nodded hard. "Thank you, Brother Roy!"
The group walked toward Celadon Gym together.
...
At the entrance of Celadon Gym, people were coming and going.
Quite a few Trainers were entering and leaving; some looked high-spirited, while others were dejected.
As Roy's group walked in, the young lady at the front desk recognized him.
"Mr. Roy! You're here!" The young lady greeted enthusiastically. "Gym Leader Erika is already waiting for you, please follow me."
The group followed the young lady through the corridor to the battlefield.
It was a standard grass-type battlefield.
The field was covered in thick turf, with a few rocks in the middle and bushes planted in the corners, making for a complex environment.
The spectator area wasn't large, seating a few dozen people.
Joe, Delia, and Misty found a place to sit.
Joe rubbed his hands excitedly. "I finally get to see Brother Roy's battle!"
...
Before the battle began, Roy checked his tasks and lineup.
Considering that the grass-type happened to counter the Electric-type, and his Electric-type Pikachu was his strongest combatant, he prepared to grind for the Type-Advantage Master achievement.
To ensure the task was foolproof,
Roy pulled out four more intermediate rare candies from his system inventory and fed them to Pikachu.
[Pokémon: Pikachu, Level: lv46 → lv50]
[Basic Rare Candy *1, intermediate rare candy *4, high-grade rare candy *3.]
Level 50, Gym-level.
Erika was an intermediate Gym; with Gym-level combat power, he could greatly mitigate the influence of type disadvantages.
Roy closed the panel and stood up.
Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, waving a small paw. "Pika!"
It was full of momentum, indicating that for today's battle, the master should just watch and see!!