Night had fallen.
Misty was helped into the tent by Delia to sleep.
Roy sat by the campfire, looking at the stars filling the sky.
The starry sky over the grassland was exceptionally clear, with the Milky Way hanging overhead like a glowing ribbon.
Delia came out of the tent and sat down beside Roy.
"Is Misty asleep?" Roy asked.
"Mm, she's sleeping very soundly." Delia leaned her head on Roy's shoulder. "She wore herself out playing today."
"What about you? Aren't you tired?"
"I'm alright." Delia looked up at Roy. "With you by my side, I don't feel tired."
Roy looked down at Delia.
The firelight reflected on her face; her features were soft, and her gaze was gentle.
Delia was wearing a loose white T-shirt with a slightly wide neckline that revealed her delicate collarbones.
Below it were a pair of light-colored shorts, her slender legs shimmering faintly under the firelight.
Roy reached out and wrapped his arm around Delia's waist.
Delia's body stiffened slightly for a moment before relaxing, leaning into Roy's embrace.
"Roy..." Delia's voice was a bit soft.
"Hmm?"
"Tonight... should we..."
Delia didn't finish, her face already flushed red.
Roy lowered his head and kissed Delia's forehead.
Delia closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Roy's neck.
The campfire was still burning, making subtle crackling sounds.
The distant grassland was pitch black, with only the sound of the wind and Bug Buzz.
Roy carried Delia into a patch of deep grass.
The grass was very tall, reaching up to a person's waist.
The two lay in the grass with the starry sky above them.
The surroundings were filled with the fragrance of green grass and the scent of earth.
Delia's body was soft and warm.
The moonlight spilled over her, making her skin appear glowingly white.
Roy kissed Delia's lips, his hands wandering over her body.
Delia made soft sounds, her body trembling slightly.
On this vast grassland, the two of them were infinitely close to nature.
The starry sky was their blanket, and the meadow was their bed.
The wind blew through the grass, making a rustling sound.
It was as if it were providing an accompaniment for them.
...
The next morning.
Misty crawled out of the tent and let out a yawn.
"Morning." She rubbed her eyes and saw that Roy was already sitting by the campfire.
"Morning." Roy was toasting bread. "Awake? Go wash up and get ready for breakfast."
"Where's Sister Delia?" Misty looked around.
"She went to the river to get water." Roy pointed into the distance.
Misty gave an 'oh' and squatted by the campfire, staring at the bread.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Roy asked.
"Quite well." Misty nodded. "Sleeping on the grassland is so quiet."
"That's good."
Delia returned at that moment carrying a water kettle.
She was wearing a light pink dress today, her hair draped over her shoulders, and a faint blush on her face.
When she walked, her steps were a bit light and brisk.
Misty glanced at Delia, then at Roy.
"You two didn't, last night..."
"What is it?" Roy's expression remained unchanged.
"Nothing." Misty curled her lip; she wasn't stupid, she obviously knew what had happened.
However, she didn't say much more.
After the three of them finished breakfast and packed their things, they continued their journey.
...
After crossing the vast grassland, a large forest appeared before them.
The trees were tall and dense, their branches and leaves blotting out the sun.
Sunlight could only leak through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground.
The air in the forest was very moist, carrying the scent of earth and leaves.
As soon as Misty stepped into the forest, her expression changed.
A Caterpie lowered itself from a tree, hanging from a silk thread and swaying back and forth in front of Misty.
"Aaaah!!!"
Misty shrieked and grabbed Roy's arm.
"Bug! A bug!!!"
"It's just a Caterpie," Roy said helplessly. "It doesn't even bite."
"I don't care! Take it away! Take it away quickly!" Misty shouted with her eyes closed.
Roy reached out and brushed the Caterpie aside.
Only then did Misty open her eyes, but her hands still clutched Roy's arm tightly.
"Um... are we still in the Reserve?" Misty asked nervously. "There are so many bugs around; do bugs need to be protected too?"
"Looking at the map, we should be nearing the Wild Area." Roy took out the map and looked at it. "But with big trees everywhere here, it's hard to tell for sure if we've walked out of it."
"Then can we please walk faster?" Misty looked at Roy pitifully. "I don't want to stay in this place any longer."
"Alright, alright, let's go faster." Roy patted Misty's head. "But don't be too afraid; don't you have Pikachu and Eevee protecting you?"
Misty looked down at Pikachu and Eevee following at her feet.
The two little guys were looking up at her, their eyes sparkling.
Misty looked at the two little ones and said seriously: "Pikachu, Eevee, you have to protect me well!"
"If a bug comes, just blast it away! Don't hesitate!"
Pikachu raised a small paw and let out a sound, indicating no problem.
Eevee also rubbed against Misty's leg and let out a cute Growl.
Misty said happily: "When we get to a city, I'll buy you ketchup and fruit-flavored cookies!"
Hearing about food, Pikachu and Eevee began to hop around cheerfully at Misty's feet.
Their tails wagged back and forth, incredibly happy.
"Alright, let's go." Roy walked in front to lead the way.
Misty followed closely behind Roy, one hand pulling on the corner of his clothes.
Delia walked at the very back, occasionally looking at the surrounding environment.
The forest was very quiet, with only the rustling sound of feet stepping on fallen leaves.
Occasionally, a few Pidgey would fly overhead, the sound of their wings flapping echoing through the woods.
After walking for about half an hour, Misty suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Roy turned around.
"Over there... is there something there?" Misty pointed to a nearby bush.
Roy looked over; the bush was swaying slightly.
"It's probably a wild Pokemon," Roy said. "We can't fight them anyway, so just ignore it and keep walking."
...
After walking a bit further, Delia suddenly stopped.
"Eh? What's this?" Delia looked behind a large tree curiously. "It's so cute; it would be great if I could catch it."
Roy and Misty both looked over.
A pink head poked out from behind the tree, round and fuzzy.
It even had a pair of small ears.
It was indeed very cute.
Misty also became interested: "What Pokemon is it? I've never seen it before."
Delia took two steps forward, wanting to see more clearly.
That pink head moved, and then it slowly stood up.
Delia froze.
That wasn't some Pokemon.
It was a woman wearing a pink Pokémon hat.
The woman was wearing a uniform and holding a gun, the muzzle pointed at the three of them.
"Don't move! Poachers!"
The voice was crisp but carried absolute authority.
Roy stopped in his tracks.
Misty was so scared she shrank behind Roy.
Delia also subconsciously took a step back.
The woman walked out from behind the tree.
A pink Pokémon hat, a blue uniform, and black silk stockings wrapping her slender legs.
A holster was at her waist, and she held a tranquilizer gun in her hands, the muzzle steadily aimed at the three.
It was Officer Jenny.
[Ding! Triggered Quest: Assist Officer Jenny of the Reserve in driving away poachers, and help find the child who is living among the Kangaskhan.]
[Quest Reward: Basic Rare Candy*3, Intermediate Pokemon Candy*3
Jenny Family General Favorability +10
Joy Family General Favorability +10]
Officer Jenny's appearance caused the system notification to instantly ring in Roy's ear.
Roy quickly scanned the quest.
Six Rare Candies in one go.
Roy had been worried about falling behind in progress since he couldn't just fight wild Pokemon to level up in the Reserve, and now this quest had come knocking.
Moreover, there was favorability for the Jenny and Joy families.
He had already accumulated 60 points with the Jenny family.
General favorability quests for the Joy Family were already hard to come by; this one related to the Reserve was a reasonable reward.
Accumulating favorability would make things easier in the future, not to mention...
Roy's gaze swept over Officer Jenny.
The curves of her figure outlined by the uniform, her long legs wrapped in black silk, and that face which was wary yet still exquisite.
If he completed this quest and reached 70 points, the probability of triggering special interactions would increase~
"We aren't poachers." After quickly reading the quest, Roy raised his hands in a harmless gesture: "We are passing Trainers."
Misty poked her head out from behind Roy and nodded vigorously: "Right, right, right! We're good people!"
Delia also hurriedly said: "We're just passing through this forest to get to the next city."
Officer Jenny did not lower her gun.
Her eyes scanned back and forth between the three of them.
Dealing with poachers year-round, she had seen too many tricks.
Some pretended to be Trainers, some pretended to be lost tourists, and some even pretended to be researchers.
Every single one said they were innocent.
But the moment Roy spoke, a strange feeling inexplicably surged in Jenny's heart.
This person... seemed like he could be trusted.
She couldn't say why.
It was just an intuition.
As if she had known this person a long time ago.
Jenny suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, her tone softening slightly: "Please show your identification."
Her voice still carried professional seriousness, but it wasn't as cold anymore.
Roy pulled out his Trainer card from his pocket and handed it over.
When Jenny took the card, her fingers accidentally brushed against Roy's hand.
Her fingertips twitched slightly.
Her heart skipped a beat.
What was going on?
Jenny looked down to check the card, masking the slight awkwardness on her face.
The card was real.
The photo also matched.
She looked at Misty and Delia again, and both of them also took out their own identification.
"Sorry." Jenny returned the card to Roy, finally lowering her gun. "Poacher activity has been too frequent lately; I'm a bit oversensitive."
As she spoke, she stepped completely out of the bushes where she had been lying in wait.
Only then did Roy see Jenny's full appearance.
The blue uniform top was stretched tight across her chest.
The buttons were strained a bit tight.
Below was a blue short skirt, not the common pencil skirt, but a slightly looser style.
But it couldn't hide Jenny's good figure.
The skirt was pushed out by the curve of her hips, forming a nice curve at the top of her thighs.
Black silk stockings wrapped her long, straight legs, shimmering faintly under the mottled forest light.
On her feet was a pair of black ankle boots.
The whole person was neat and capable, yet carried the charm of a mature woman.
Roy's gaze lingered on Jenny's chest for less than a second before naturally moving away.
"It's currently the breeding season for many Pokemon." Jenny sighed. "Poachers love to strike at this time, and my jurisdiction is so large that I really can't keep up with everything."
As she spoke, her chest rose and fell with her breathing.
The gap between the uniform buttons opened slightly, revealing a tiny bit of the edge of black fabric inside.
Roy nodded, his expression very serious: "I understand. Security work in the Reserve is indeed hard."
"It is." Jenny gave a bitter smile. "Sometimes I lie in wait all day without meeting a single suspicious person, but I can't let my guard down."
"Officer Jenny is responsible for such a large area all by herself?" Delia was somewhat surprised.
"Yes." Jenny nodded. "This Reserve isn't small, but I'm the only resident Jenny. It's usually fine, but it gets a bit overwhelming during the breeding season."
Roy looked at her.
There was indeed a hint of fatigue on Jenny's face.
There were faint dark circles under her eyes.
She probably hadn't been getting much sleep lately while lying in wait.
"You've worked hard, Officer Jenny." Roy said seriously. "Patrolling and lying in wait in such a large forest alone, while also facing dangerous poachers. This level of dedication is truly admirable."
Jenny was stunned for a moment.
Then, a faint blush rose to her face.
"This... this is what I should do." Jenny's voice was much softer than before. "Protecting Pokemon and maintaining order in the Reserve is the duty of our Jenny family."
Roy smiled: "Duty is duty, but being able to be so serious and responsible is still very rare."
Jenny was a bit embarrassed by the praise.
She lowered her head to adjust her hat, taking the opportunity to hide the smile on her face.
This person... why does he speak so nicely?
And his eyes were very sincere.
Unlike some people who say flattering words while their eyes are dishonest.
Jenny looked up at Roy, hesitating for a moment: "Um... I have an impolite request."
"Go ahead."
"Since you are Trainers, you should all have Pokemon, right?" Jenny said seriously. "If it's convenient, could you help me keep an eye out for any traces of poachers while you cross this forest?"
She quickly added: "You don't need to confront them directly; if you find anything suspicious, just come and notify me."
After hearing this, Roy smiled.
This quest was exactly what he was going to do anyway.
"Of course." Roy said. "We happen to be crossing this area, so it's no trouble."
Jenny's eyes lit up: "Really?"
"Really." Roy nodded. "Our Pokemon need exercise anyway. Poachers aren't within the protected scope of the Reserve, right?"
As he spoke, there was a hint of playful amusement in his tone.
Jenny was amused.
She looked very good when she smiled.
Her eyes curved into crescents, and the corners of her mouth turned up, revealing a row of neat white teeth.
Her entire aura changed from a serious professional woman to a somewhat cute older sister next door.
"Right, poachers are not within the protected scope," Jenny said with a smile. "And they are primary targets for crackdown."
"Then it'll be easy." Roy loosened his wrists. "Just in time to let my Pokemon stretch their limbs."
Looking at Roy, an indescribable favorability surged in Jenny's heart.
This person... was truly very charming.
Not the kind of charm that was deliberately put on.
But something that came from his very core.
The way he spoke, his attitude toward things, and that perfectly measured sense of humor.
It all made people feel comfortable.
Jenny silently sighed in her heart.
What a charming Trainer.
"Then follow me." Jenny turned around. "Let's go to my camp first; I'll arrange accommodation and food for you."
After saying that, Jenny began to lead the way...