"Bleurgh!"
Delia froze for half a second, then caught his meaning. Her cheeks exploded into bright pink. "Y-you~! That's not !"~
"Scoundrel!! All you ever think about is *that*!"
Alex leaned closer to the camera, smirking. "Don't you like it?"
"Wh-who says I like it?!" Delia denied hotly, but the pink spreading down her neck betrayed her. "Every single time it was *you* forcing me! How's a weak woman like me supposed to fight someone as strong as you? I could only… submit…"
"Really?" Alex narrowed his eyes, that cunning fox grin spreading. "Not even once?"
Delia's breath hitched. Knowing he was alone in his room and everyone else in the Pokémon Center was asleep, she got bolder. She bit her lip, then secretly angled the phone lower and sent him a quick private picture — just enough to tease.
"No!" she insisted, cheeks now the color of a ripe peach, eyes sparkling with affection. "*You're* the one who likes it, always thinking about dirty stuff!"
Alex laughed openly. "Of course I do. Guilty as charged."
Delia blinked, surprised he didn't argue. Then her voice softened, sweet and longing. "Once I finish sorting things at the restaurant… I'll come find you."
She missed him already. They'd only been apart one day and she was already aching for his touch, his voice, everything.
"Take your time, my good Delia," Alex said gently. "Don't rush. Just take care of yourself."
"Mhm. I know." She smiled, suddenly playful. "I'll have a surprise for you when I get there. It's a secret — you'll just have to wait and see!"
They talked for a long while, Delia pouring out how much she already missed him, how empty the house felt. Alex coaxed her softly until she finally blew him a kiss and reluctantly hung up, cheeks still glowing.
The next morning.
Knock knock knock!
"Alex! What time do you think it is? Get up already!"
Misty's voice rang through the door, accompanied by surprisingly strong knocking for someone so petite.
"Coming!" Alex called. Pikachu scampered over and opened the door with its tiny paws.
After a quick wash-up, they headed to the cafeteria. Thoughtful Nurse Joy had already set aside two huge breakfasts just for them.
"Nurse Joy, could you add some ketchup for Pikachu?" Alex asked while pouring Misty a glass of milk.
"Of course!" Nurse Joy's smile widened. She liked Alex more and more — most new Trainers never bothered asking what their Pokémon actually enjoyed. He was good to his partners in every way.
Bellies full, they prepared to head out.
Alex stocked up on camping supplies. Misty decided to leave her bicycle at the Pokémon Center; with a travel buddy now, there was no need to ride ahead.
Since the Viridian Gym was still closed with no reopening date in sight, Nurse Joy suggested they head to Pewter City first instead of waiting around.
Even if Viridian *had* been open, Alex wouldn't have challenged it yet. He wasn't nearly ready to face Giovanni.
"Let's go!"
They set off toward Viridian Forest. Alex planned to train Pikachu there and maybe catch a new teammate.
Misty, acting like the experienced one, walked in front to "guide" him. But her pace was painfully slow. She kept glancing left and right, eyes darting at every bush like something was about to jump out.
*She couldn't actually be scared of a Caterpie popping out… could she?*
Misty had a legendary fear of Bug-types — not just seeing or touching them, but even Poké Balls containing them made her keep her distance.
Lost in thought, Alex didn't notice when she suddenly stopped dead. He walked straight into her back.
"Ah!" Misty yelped, pitching forward.
Alex's reflexes kicked in instantly. He caught her around the waist, pulling her back against his chest before she could fall.
But the moment her soft body pressed against him, something else woke up.
*Hiss—*
Misty felt it immediately. Her whole body stiffened like a board. She twisted in his arms, cheeks flaming bright red, and squeaked, "C-Caterpie! There's a Caterpie right there!"
Alex looked down. Three harmless little Caterpie were munching leaves on the ground a few meters ahead, wiggling peacefully.
The second they heard Misty's shriek, all three Caterpie panicked and wriggled away as fast as their tiny bodies could go.
Pikachu tilted its head on Alex's shoulder, ears perked. Why was Misty screaming at *Caterpie*?
"They're gone now," Alex said soothingly, patting her shoulder. But the accidental "Steelix" pressed firmly against her back wasn't going anywhere.
"Are… are they really gone?" Misty whispered, voice shaky. Her cheeks burned like ripe apples. She could feel the hard length of him through his pants, and her body went rigid.
Once she confirmed the Caterpie had fled, she let out a tiny sigh of relief and mumbled, "Um… you can let go now, please?"
Alex reluctantly released her. "Sorry — I just didn't want you to fall."
Misty's gaze flicked downward for a split second, catching the very obvious bulge she'd accidentally awakened. She quickly looked away, face scarlet, silently cursing those Caterpie for existing on *their* path.
The Caterpie, somewhere in the bushes: *We live here!*
"Here, use this." Alex pulled out a bottle of Bug Repellent he'd bought specifically for her.
Misty took it with a small "mm-hmm," still blushing furiously.
After the little incident, Alex let Pikachu out to start training. Having beaten the Spearow flock and the Rocket trio's Pokémon, Pikachu was already at LV 23 — solidly in the normal range. Alex wanted to push it to 26 before leaving the forest.
[Ding! New Mission triggered: Capture the boss of the deeper Viridian Forest!]
[Mission Reward: Beginner Rare Candy ×5 (raises any Pokémon below Lv30 by one level) + Quick Claw (20% chance to move first when held)]
Not bad at all. The forest boss here was obviously a powerful Pidgeot.
Alex scanned the trees, looking for any sign of the big Pidgey flock. Misty's earlier scream might have scared them off — he searched for a while but didn't spot a single one.
When food bait didn't work fast enough, a few Rattata showed up instead. Pikachu sent them packing in seconds.
Misty sat off to the side, clutching the Bug Repellent like a lifeline, cheeks still faintly pink. She watched Alex train with a soft glow in her eyes she couldn't quite hide.
"Bo~!"
A familiar Growl echoed from the branches above.
A lone Pidgey had finally appeared.