"Uh... would that really be appropriate?"
Grey scratched his head and glanced at Shauntal again.
Honestly, the situation was rather awkward.
Caitlin stared at him in disbelief.
"Hey! Grey, if you want someone to scrub your back, I'll do it!"
Caitlin immediately pushed Grey through the door.
She was genuinely afraid that Grey might accept Shauntal's proposal. At this point, she wished she had never allowed the two of them to meet.
Shauntal was far too repressed!
Grey belonged to her and Sabrina!
Shauntal was neither particularly close to him nor even a psychic, so she needed to stop trying to get her hands on Grey.
Before dragging Grey upstairs, Caitlin deliberately turned around and pouted at Shauntal, making her displeasure clear.
Shauntal was terrible!
Shauntal merely scratched her head and smiled innocently.
If Caitlin was unwilling, she did not particularly mind.
She had recently wanted to write something new, but the videos she had studied had not provided enough firsthand detail. That was why she had wanted to ask whether Grey would be willing to serve as reference material.
Since Caitlin objected, Shauntal obviously could not ask him while staying in Caitlin's home.
Perhaps...
She could find an opportunity to ask Grey privately later.
Just thinking about it felt strangely exciting.
Shauntal swallowed before lowering her head and discovering that she could not see the tips of her feet.
A figure like hers should be quite popular with men, right?
She wondered whether Grey liked women with her kind of figure.
Shauntal did not dwell on it for long. She returned to her room and continued working on her latest artistic creation.
Inside the master bedroom, Caitlin had already pulled Grey down onto the bed.
The bedding was pink and carried Caitlin's unique fragrance.
Caitlin had still been angry when she entered, but once her anger faded, nervousness quickly replaced it.
This was rather awkward.
A man and woman were alone together in a bedroom. The moment Caitlin imagined them actually taking things any further, her face immediately turned bright red.
Her original plan had simply been to leave her bedroom door unlocked.
Had Grey secretly slipped into her room in the middle of the night, she would have been willing to give him that opportunity.
However, Shauntal had ruined everything!
Her proposal had completely disrupted Caitlin's plan.
Caitlin was also worried that Shauntal might leave her own door unlocked tonight.
It was not that Caitlin was completely opposed to sharing.
Still...
Certain first experiences were better when only two people were present.
"Shauntal really is unbelievable. She writes novels, so how can she not understand something like that?"
Caitlin pouted.
Perhaps she should have waited until Shauntal left before allowing her to stay at the villa again.
Cynthia certainly would never have said something like that to Grey.
"Well... should I go back to my room and take a shower first?"
Grey checked the time. He planned to shower, rest for a while, and then go to sleep.
"N-No!"
Caitlin immediately stopped Grey as he prepared to leave.
"What's wrong?"
Grey scratched his head, confused by Caitlin's reaction.
"Nothing... I just want you to stay with me for a while."
Caitlin's voice was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz. Fortunately, Grey's Aura allowed him to hear her clearly.
"Do you want to play something together?"
Grey noticed the television, several game consoles, and a collection of cartridges in the room. They could pass the time with a cooperative game.
"Yes! That sounds good! But I'm terrible at games, so don't flame me if I mess up."
Caitlin wanted to make certain Grey was not the sort of player who became angry at his partner. The last thing she needed was for him to start criticizing her halfway through and ruin the mood for tonight.
"Sure. What do you want to play?"
Grey looked through the cartridges, but there did not seem to be many games with multiplayer support.
"Let's skip the cartridges and play Pokémon Ranked Battles!"
Caitlin selected a game that allowed players to command Pokémon in real time.
It included Double Battles, making it especially suitable for couples who wanted to climb the ranked ladder together.
"Sounds good."
Grey nodded.
He turned on the television and connected the Nintendo Switch.
At that moment, Caitlin sat down on Grey's lap and whispered, "I heard playing like this can help improve a couple's chemistry."
"Well..."
Even Grey's face began turning red.
How was he supposed to concentrate on the game like this?
They were even playing Double Battles.
Caitlin really knew how to tempt someone.
Grey pinched Caitlin's cheek, then reached both arms beneath hers and picked up the controller to select his Pokémon.
Caitlin's team was extremely straightforward.
She simply entered her actual team into the game, Alakazam, Musharna, Reuniclus, Gothitelle, Gallade, and Metagross.
Grey's team looked somewhat unusual.
It consisted of Incineroar, Rillaboom, Urshifu, Gholdengo, Amoonguss, and Whimsicott.
Unfortunately, no Trainer had discovered Chien-Pao yet. Otherwise, Grey genuinely wanted to use an Incineroar, Rillaboom, Urshifu, and Chien-Pao core and introduce the wholesome Pokémon world to the horrors of oppressive competitive power.
"Wow, Grey, what kind of team is that?"
Caitlin still could not understand what Grey's team was supposed to accomplish.
"You'll find out soon."
Grey licked his lips, clearly impatient to begin battling.
At first, with someone sitting on his lap, Grey genuinely struggled to focus on the matches.
Only after cooperating with Caitlin through several battles did he finally manage to concentrate completely on the game.
They continued until ten that night.
After Grey and Caitlin successfully climbed into Master Ball Tier, their gaming session finally came to an end.
"Grey, you're awful..."
Caitlin straightened her collar before climbing off Grey and looking down at him.
She had never expected Grey to do something like that merely so he could keep his attention focused on the battles.
"Women love a bad boy."
Grey did not seem concerned. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Caitlin.
"I'm going to take a shower. What about you?"
"I... I'll pass."
Caitlin was too embarrassed to bathe with Grey, so she watched him leave.
Of course, Caitlin had no intention of simply giving up.
After Grey entered the bathroom and the sound of running water began echoing through the room, Caitlin used Teleport.
By the time Grey regained his senses, it was already the following morning.
"An unfamiliar ceiling..."
Grey stared upward and realized that it was different from the ceiling he had seen the previous day.
"Grey... hehehe... we have to stay together forever..."
Caitlin's muffled voice came from beside him.
She was clearly talking in her sleep.
"Yes. We'll always be together."
Grey gazed at the blonde beauty beside him, leaned down, and gently kissed her forehead.
"Mmm!"
Caitlin suddenly woke up.
The moment she saw Grey, memories of everything that had happened returned to her.
She immediately hid beneath the blanket, then slowly peeked back out and pinched Grey's waist.
"You're awful!"
Seeing Caitlin acting like his bashful girlfriend made Grey grin widely.
Around noon, Grey leisurely finished getting dressed and looked toward Caitlin, who was still lying in bed.
"It's already noon. Aren't you getting up?"
"Beg me to get up!"
Caitlin spoke in a spoiled, playful voice.
"Sure."
It was two in the afternoon before Caitlin finally managed to get out of bed.
Grey, in contrast, looked positively radiant.
He had never expected the things Little Riolu gave him to be so effective.
As expected of branches and leaves taken from the Tree of Beginning.
He wondered whether he could ask Little Riolu for more.
"No, absolutely not! Everything from the Tree of Beginning is incredibly precious! No amount of money could buy it! I only gave those things to you before because the battle between Rayquaza and Deoxys left your body so badly weakened. Otherwise, I never would have taken them out!"
Little Riolu's voice came from outside the door.
"From now on, whether you receive anything else from the Tree of Beginning will depend entirely on my mood. Understand?"
"All right."
Grey scratched his head helplessly.
He then picked Caitlin up and carried her to the dining room for something to eat.
"Well, look who finally decided to come downstairs."
Shauntal was sitting in the dining room enjoying afternoon tea. When she saw Grey and Caitlin finally appear, she could not resist teasing them.
"Miss Shauntal, is there anything to eat?"
Grey smiled and asked whether she had saved them any food.
"Everything has already gone cold. I'll prepare something fresh."
Shauntal put on an apron and began cooking for Grey and Caitlin.
Before long, she placed two Unovan-style steaks on the table.
"This is the only thing I know how to make."
As long as someone understood timing and temperature, it was difficult to make a steak taste truly awful.
Shauntal had earned plenty of money from writing novels, and she normally ate steak whenever she cooked at home.
Naturally, most of the ingredients she purchased were also steaks.
Grey and Caitlin were not picky. After thanking Shauntal, they began eating and replenishing their energy.
The first bite of steak warmed Grey's stomach.
He rubbed his abdomen and immediately felt much more comfortable.
"Your cooking is quite good, Miss Shauntal. This is delicious."
"Hehe. If you like it, I can cook for you as often as you want."
Shauntal placed her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in both hands like a blooming flower, smiling sweetly at Grey.
Caitlin stared at her.
Hands off! That's my man!
"There's no need for you to worry about that, Shauntal. I'll prepare Grey's meals myself from now on."
Caitlin openly staked her claim.
Shauntal blinked in surprise.
"I didn't know you could cook, Caitlin."
Caitlin fell silent.
My dear best friend, could you please stop exposing me?
Caitlin was extremely dissatisfied with Shauntal for undermining her.
Lies might sting, but the truth went straight for the throat.
Caitlin sighed.
She really needed to learn how to cook.
Otherwise, what would she do if some wicked woman used delicious food to lure Grey away someday?
"All right, I'll stop teasing you."
Shauntal covered her mouth and giggled.
"So, Grey, Caitlin, what are the two of you planning to do next?"
"Our plans haven't changed. We'll leave soon, travel through Reversal Mountain, and head to Lentimas Town to catch our flight back to Kanto."
"I see..."
Shauntal felt somewhat disappointed.
She had considered asking Grey whether she could join them, but this journey was practically a small honeymoon for Grey and Caitlin.
After thinking about it, she decided not to interfere.
She could always ask Grey privately when another opportunity appeared.
She already had his personal contact information, so she could reach him whenever she wanted.
Once they had eaten their fill, it was finally time to head toward Reversal Mountain.
Reversal Mountain lay west of Undella Town.
According to local legend, a Pokémon called Heatran lived there.
Heatran was classified as a sub-Legendary Pokémon and usually inhabited volcanic areas.
If they encountered it, Grey could try catching it.
"Sweetheart, about how long will Skyla remain in Lentimas Town?"
Grey was curious how long Skyla was willing to wait.
If she could not stay for long, they would need to increase their pace.
"She'll remain there until we arrive."
Caitlin understood what Grey was worried about. To reassure him, she added, "I already made an agreement with Miss Skyla. Her payment will be calculated according to how long she has to wait for us. If she waits an entire month, I'll pay her three times the standard market rate for that month."
"Three times the market rate?!"
Grey was deeply impressed by Caitlin's immense wealth.
She was publicly known as a rich young heiress, and she certainly spent money generously.
Noticing Grey's emotional reaction and understanding his personality, Caitlin deliberately said, "From now on, if you want money from me, you'll have to impress me with your strength."
Grey wanted to earn money through his own abilities.
Caitlin had said this deliberately so that whenever Grey wanted to accept her financial support in the future, he would have an excuse that protected his pride.
Grey waved his hand dismissively.
He appreciated her intentions, but there was no need.
"By the way, does your family have any requirements for someone who wants to marry you?"
Just before they entered Reversal Mountain, Grey suddenly asked the question.
He had already decided to marry Caitlin.
Naturally, he needed to know whether her family had any expectations for a future husband.
"They mainly care about strength. I'm an only child, so under normal circumstances, anyone who marries me needs to possess Elite Four-level strength or prove that he can catch a sub-Legendary Pokémon."
Caitlin answered honestly.
"It sounds like I've already met both requirements. Still, since we're already here, I might as well demonstrate my strength again."
Grey spoke quietly before turning toward Little Riolu.
"Help me bring that guy over."
If Grey was going to show off, he intended to do it properly.
Merely catching a Heatran would not be impressive enough.
He needed to display overwhelming power.
Grey therefore asked Little Riolu to return home and bring back Groudon's Poké Ball.
He had already caught Groudon, and now he would use Groudon to catch Heatran.
Caitlin could record the entire event and send the video to her future parents-in-law. Would that not settle their marriage immediately?
Yes, that sounded excellent.
It was time to give his future in-laws a proper demonstration of Legendary Pokémon power.
Why settle for a sub-Legendary?
If he was going to do this, he might as well do it on the largest possible scale.
Grey would use a major Legendary Pokémon to bully a sub-Legendary.
At the same time, deep within Reversal Mountain, the Heatran living there suddenly shuddered for no apparent reason.
It could not shake the feeling that someone with extremely questionable intentions was watching it.
Meanwhile, on Cinnabar Island in Kanto, Little Riolu stood inside the island's volcano and shouted into the magma below.
"Groudon! Grey needs your help with something! You aren't sleeping, are you? Hurry up and get moving!"
"What? Isn't Grey in Unova? Haven't all the Legendary Pokémon over there already been claimed? What could he possibly need me for?"
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.