"Ohhhh~!!"
When the school trip destination—the Alola Region—was announced, the students immediately erupted in excitement.
"The Alola Region... Z-Moves."
Even Satoshi couldn't help feeling a little thrilled. After all, what did Alola have?
Z-Moves, of course!
In recent years, many Rainbow Wing Academy students had used Z-Moves during the High School League competitions.
Currently, Z-Moves were the only external mechanic allowed outside of their home region. It was perfectly normal for students to travel to Alola and obtain Z-Crystals and Z-Rings for better competition results.
Alola was famously friendly, and with recent cooperation between Alola and Kanto, Rainbow Wing Academy naturally allowed students to undertake Island Challenges to acquire this unique battle mechanic.
It was a sensible tourism promotion tactic, especially since Alola was rumored to be establishing its own Pokémon League, which would undoubtedly boost tourism.
In fact, Terastallization was technically exportable too, but its cost was astronomical, unaffordable to regular trainers.
[Terastallization]:Pokémon require a Tera Orb to Terastallize, a special tool granted only to certain recognized trainers in Paldea. After use, the Tera Orb's energy is completely drained, becoming unusable.
You'd have to return to Paldea each time to recharge the Tera Orb—meaning most trainers simply couldn't sustain it.
But for Satoshi…
Actually, I probably could afford that...
It suddenly dawned on Satoshi—his family might indeed have just a few billion lying around.
But currently, he wasn't interested in Terastallization or going to Paldea.
If he could catch a Flutter Mane in Area Zero, he'd reconsider.
Better yet: Flutter Mane, the only true goddess of Scarlet/Violet, please come home with me!
Unfortunately, Area Zero required at least Elite Four-level strength, and entry was still restricted to research personnel. Students were strictly forbidden from entering Paldea's Great Crater during off-campus activities.
He'd probably need to beat Champion Geeta first before being granted access.
Satoshi: Could I actually beat Geeta right now...? Wait... for real?
After a moment, the students gradually calmed down. Once they thought it through, it was obvious: How could Rainbow Wing Academy—infamous for ruthless competition—possibly give them real vacation time? Well, except for one particular person…
"Yes! A whole ten days off! No classes, this is amazing~!" Anon's lips curled upward, completely immersed in her fantasy of relaxing travels, prompting Soyo—sitting directly to Satoshi's left—to mock her mercilessly.
"Are you stupid, Anon-chan? Obviously, the school wants us to get Z-Moves. We only have ten days—there won't be time to fool around."
"You're so naïve. Everyone else is already figuring out how to do the Island Challenge. According to the school's information, each person will only have time for one Grand Trial, and I've heard that if you mess up a Z-Move, the Z-Crystal shatters and disappears."
Taki held up her phone, reading about Z-Moves online while casually jabbing at the naïve Anon.
"Ehh~ Really? But aren't Soyo-san and Rikki-chan being way too mean~?"
Instantly, Anon's enthusiasm deflated.
A rare trip like this—and it's still just a competitive grind?!
Maybe MYGO's weakest legend—Anon herself—should just skip the Grand Trial altogether!
But... seeing Satoshi's obvious excitement, Anon reconsidered. Initially, she didn't care about the competition—but now, seeing his eager eyes, she felt compelled to compete after all. Plus, she definitely didn't want Taki grabbing her collar and scolding her, "Anon, wasn't that battle totally your fault again?"
Alright, step one: Defeat Soyo-san!
Whether in love or Pokémon battles—Anon was now determined. There was no way she'd lose to someone shameless enough to steal kisses in the middle of the night.
And speaking of kissing… maybe it was time to get her own first kiss with Satoshi?
Anon blushed softly at the thought, becoming increasingly shy.
...
After the chairwoman's incredibly long speech, Satoshi had set clear goals in his mind.
From what he knew, everyone in the High School League used Z-Moves by around the quarterfinals. So, until then, he'd battle without Z-Moves, relying instead on Mega Evolution.
If everyone got one special mechanic each, wasn't it fair that others used Z-Moves while he chose Mega Evolution?
As for obtaining Mega Stones, Satoshi already had an idea.
[Eh...? Satobabe, you've figured out where to find Mega Stones already?]
"Yeah. Mega Stones are hidden throughout Kalos and Hoenn, so if I visit those two regions, I'll be set. Specifically, I'll aim for that location in Kalos." Satoshi replied while mapping out future plans.
After the school trip, they'd have roughly half a month before the High School League. He'd have to obtain a Blazikenite within that short time.
You've gotta try everything at least once—how else can you promote Mega Evolution?
Of course, if he found other stones, he'd gladly give them away—like giving Gardevoirite to Sakiko, or Lopunnite to Soyo.
The stronger you guys become, the more excited I'll be to battle you until we're completely exhausted!
Lost in thought, Satoshi followed Ayase Eli to a secluded area perfect for a private conversation.
"Eli, what was it you wanted to talk about?"
Satoshi tilted his head slightly, genuinely confused.
"You already know, don't you? About… that matter..."
Eli appeared visibly shy, clearly having trouble articulating something sensitive.
For a girl who'd never experienced romance before, saying it out loud was terribly difficult.
Not to mention, she'd noticed earlier that several girls had been tailing Satoshi.
He's really popular with girls!
Doesn't that make me feel incredibly awkward?
Unsure what Eli meant, Satoshi began guessing wildly.
Maybe she needs to go to the bathroom...?
[Satobabe, cute girls don't use the bathroom~]
Then what do you think it is, Furiko?
[Um, probably… maybe… she likes you? Yeah, her eyes definitely have love in them! As a fellow girl, I can tell she totally has a thing for you!]
Romance-brained, give it a rest!
Girls' feelings really are complicated.
Satoshi, whose head was filled only with battling, instantly discarded that theory and gave up guessing.
"I have absolutely no idea. What exactly is it?"
"Huh?!" Hearing this, Eli's shyness evaporated instantly, replaced by a stunned silence.
She'd prepared herself mentally, finally accepting this embarrassing truth—only for the boy in front of her to have absolutely no clue.
This shock hit her even harder than encountering a Ghost-type Pokémon—and Eli was deeply afraid of both ghosts and the dark, so this shock felt genuinely massive.
With no other choice, Eli leaned even closer, practically whispering directly into Satoshi's ear to prevent the eavesdropping girls nearby from overhearing. Her voice grew sweet, softly teasing and faintly flirtatious.
"I mean the fact that... I'm your fiancée." She finished shyly, lowering her head, a faint blush rising across her cheeks.
"Oh." (emotionless)
---
T/N: Oh.
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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