The rain was getting heavier and heavier.
The leaves that had barely managed to block the rain a moment ago were now completely useless.
Rainwater crashed down through the gaps in the leaves like a wide-open faucet.
Both of their hair was completely soaked, and their clothes clung tightly to their bodies.
Roy's T-shirt had become translucent, sticking to his skin and clearly revealing the muscular lines of his back.
Jenny's situation was even worse.
Her police shirt was already thin and light to begin with; after being drenched by the rain, it had practically become a second skin.
"There's a cave up ahead!"
Roy, being sharp-eyed, spotted a rock wall not far away with vines hanging down.
Behind the vines, a cave entrance could be vaguely seen; it was very well hidden, and one wouldn't have noticed it without looking closely.
He pulled Jenny along, pushed aside the vines, and quickly ran inside.
Inside the cave.
The cave wasn't very large.
It was only about a dozen square meters, with dry sand and gravel on the ground.
There was some moss on the cave walls, but overall it was quite clean.
Most importantly, there was no rain here.
It was quiet.
The only sounds were the rain hitting the rocks at the entrance and the heavy breathing of the two people.
After running into the cave, Jenny leaned forward with her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.
Rainwater dripped from the tips of her hair onto the ground, making faint tapping sounds.
"Whew... whew... finally... finally found a place to hide from the rain..."
She straightened up and wiped the rainwater from her face with her hand.
Then she looked down at her clothes.
With one look, her face instantly flushed red.
The thin, soaked clothes clung to her body, leaving almost nothing to the imagination.
Jenny quickly crossed her arms over her chest and stole a glance at Roy.
Roy was standing at the entrance with his back to her, seemingly observing the situation outside.
What should I do...
Looking like this is just too embarrassing.
But there are no dry clothes to change into...
Roy turned around, and his gaze naturally lingered on Jenny for a split second.
In that instant, his pupils contracted slightly.
Although he quickly looked away, Jenny still caught that look.
Her heart raced even faster.
He... he was looking at me...
And with that kind of look...
Jenny's face turned even redder, and she whispered a question so softly it was almost inaudible:
"What is it... why are you looking at me like that..."
Roy gave a light cough to ease the awkward atmosphere:
"Well... let's rest here for a bit and figure something out once the rain stops."
"Mm... okay..."
Jenny nodded shyly and walked to a corner of the cave.
She found a relatively flat spot and sat down against the cave wall.
With her legs pressed together, her arms were still shielding her chest.
A moment after sitting down, Jenny's body began to tremble slightly.
First her hands, then her shoulders, until finally her whole body was shivering.
The rainwater was too cold.
The temperature in the mountains was already low, and now that she was soaked to the bone, the wind blowing in stripped away her body heat, making her freezing cold.
Her lips were even turning a bit purple.
Seeing this, Roy hesitated for a moment.
He looked around the cave and noticed a pile of dry branches in a corner.
Lucky; they were likely brought in by a Pokemon earlier.
He walked over, gathered the dry branches together, and lit them with a flint.
The firelight flickered to life, illuminating the entire cave.
The warm light dispelled some of the chill.
Roy sat down by the fire and looked toward Jenny.
She was still shivering, her teeth chattering lightly.
"Are you cold?" Roy asked softly.
Jenny nodded, her voice trembling slightly:
"A bit... I didn't expect... didn't expect the rain in the mountains to be this cold..."
Her lips were shaking, making it hard for her to speak clearly.
Roy frowned.
If this continued, she would definitely catch a cold.
"Dry your wet clothes first, or you'll get sick."
As he spoke, he took off his own jacket and hung it on a branch propped up near the fire.
Then he took off his T-shirt and hung it up as well.
He sat by the fire bare-chested, the droplets of water on his body glistening under the firelight.
Watching Roy's actions, Jenny was completely stunned.
Dry... dry my clothes?
I only have... only have one piece of underwear underneath!
Should I take them off...
Her mind was a mess.
If I take them off, won't... won't Roy see everything?
But if I don't, wearing wet clothes is just too cold.
And... and...
Jenny looked around the somewhat cramped cave.
The cave was only this big; there was absolutely nowhere to hide for privacy.
I had secretly wondered before what Roy would think of me in sexy lingerie~
Is it really... really going to happen?
And in a place like this?
Jenny hesitated for a moment, and her teeth chattered again.
It was really too cold.
So, so cold...
I can't worry about that anymore!
She gritted her teeth, stood up, turned her back to Roy, and began to undress.
She took off her jacket first and hung it by the fire.
Then her tight inner shirt.
Since the clothes were wet and clinging to her body, taking them off was a bit of a struggle.
Jenny grabbed the hem and pulled upward; the fabric felt like it was glued to her skin, requiring force to peel away.
Then her pants.
She took a deep breath, unbuttoned them, and slid the soaked pants down.
The pants were also clinging to her legs, making a wet peeling sound as they came off.
She hung her pants by the fire as well, then sat down hugging her knees.
She curled into a ball, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.
After taking off his own clothes, Roy turned back to look.
Huh? This Jenny, why did she take off her pants too?
But, it's actually that sexy lace set from the other day. Not bad at all!
I didn't expect to see her wearing it with my own eyes today.
It looks a hundred times better than when it was just hanging out to dry.
Jenny revealed her slender figure and stole a glance at Roy.
Him! Why is he staring so much?
Oh my~ Roy, don't be so direct~
But! This also proves that my body is still attractive to Roy.
Jenny actually felt a little smug inside.
She had always been confident in her body, especially her waist and legs.
One couldn't tell while wearing a uniform, but once the clothes were off, everything was where it should be, and the slim parts were slim.
Looking at Roy's gaze now, he was clearly captivated by her.
It'll be easier to pour my heart out in a moment!
Wait... pour my heart out?
About what?
Jenny's head buzzed as she remembered the things she had been thinking about earlier.
Her face turned a few shades redder.
This is just too...
Roy looked at Jenny's smooth face, which was already flushed red, with the pink hue even spreading to her neck and collarbone.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he teased her jokingly:
"Are you cold? Do you want a hug? We can huddle together for warmth!"
He said it casually, as if he were joking.
But his eyes held a hint of seriousness.
Hearing this, Jenny froze.
A... a hug?
Her brain let out a loud hum and instantly short-circuited.
Her face immediately turned as red as a ripe apple, from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, even her neck was completely flushed.
She lowered her head, not daring to look Roy in the eye, and muttered softly:
"You... stop joking around."
Her voice was as tiny as the buzz of a mosquito.
But Roy heard it.
He just smiled and didn't say anything more.
The cave fell silent.
There was only the crackling of the fire and the pitter-patter of the rain outside.
Jenny hugged her knees, staring blankly at the fire.
But her mind was in a total turmoil.
He... he was joking just now, right?
He must have been joking.
But... but what if he was serious?
If I rejected him, does that mean I've lost my chance?
Jenny was incredibly conflicted.
She stole a glance at Roy.
Roy was facing away from her, sitting bare-chested by the fire, poking at the wood with a branch.
Jenny stared for a few seconds before quickly looking away again.
Her heart was pounding fiercely.
She felt that now was the perfect time to get closer.
A man and a woman alone together in a room... well, alone together in a cave.
And both of them were dressed so lightly.
An opportunity like this might never come again.
If she did nothing now, once the rain stopped and they went back, everything would return to how it was.
If she let Roy remain just a Trainer she happened to meet, she felt a bit unwilling.
She would go back to being a policewoman at the Reserve, and Roy would go back to being a Trainer.
The relationship between them would still be an ordinary one.
But... she didn't want it to be just an ordinary relationship.
She wanted to go a step further.
From the first time she met Roy, she had developed a good impression of this man.
Later, dealing with the Tommy incident together, investigating poachers together, jumping off a cliff together...
These experiences made her more and more certain of her feelings.
Her feelings for Roy were definitely not just a simple liking!
Jenny took a deep breath, summoned her courage, and prepared to take a deeper step with Roy...