Yet Satoshi remained utterly fixated on Pokémon.
Only three Pokémon possessed the Drizzle ability: Politoed, Pelipper, and Kyogre.
A rare and valuable ability—Satoshi genuinely wanted one.
Rain teams were incredibly practical, after all.
When Kyogre was banned from competitive play, who else set the rain?
It had to be my Pelip—actually, Tornadus!
Hmm… on second thought, Pelipper isn't actually that powerful. It's decent as support, and pretty strong in singles—but ultimately, Tornadus with Prankster is both better and cooler.
Maybe stuffing a Whimsicott into Pelipper's mouth would help it—
Before Satoshi could finish his thought, Anon tugged at his sleeve, jealousy dripping from her voice as she called out to him in a charming, yet sulky tone:
"Satoshi~ What about me~?!"
She was clearly upset. They'd finally sneaked out together—was their relationship seriously not going to move forward at all?!
Only now did Satoshi realize how Anon felt.
"Oh, sorry… But honestly, I don't really care about swimsuits."
What's the point in seeing her swimsuit? Is Anon planning to battle me in a bikini, too?
Satoshi initially found the topic rather boring, but seeing how important it seemed to Anon, he decided to indulge her.
"If you really want me to see, you can show me later at the hotel. Not here, though. Right—we can even go buy swimsuits together."
Emotion flooded Anon's heart. She instinctively leaned closer, her entire demeanor radiating shyness, a yearning to deepen their intimacy. Unafraid, she let her innermost feelings pour out.
Huh? Why would you buy a swimsuit too—and why do you need me there?
Girls… they're so complicated…
Though puzzled at first, Satoshi quickly brushed the confusion aside, offering Anon a reassuring smile instead.
"Alright, I get it. If you want to wear a swimsuit that badly, let's visit the shops together, and then you can wear it at the hotel. Honestly, I'd like to see you in one too."
He knew Anon was a little vain, but he didn't mind indulging her if it made her happy.
Even if he didn't fully grasp her intentions, as her friend, he'd gladly support her.
Humans or Pokémon—it didn't matter. Both were precious parts of this beautiful world.
And I'll be the one to protect this beauty!
Yet, his encouraging words carried a totally different meaning in Anon's ears.
Wait… does this mean Satoshi actually wants to see me in a swimsuit?!
Anon's face flamed scarlet, her eyes melting softly.
Had she just leaped a full ten thousand steps ahead of Nagasaki Soyo?!
Struggling to steady her breathing, Anon closed her eyes, desperately trying to calm down.
Stay cool… stay calm… this is Satoshi, Mr. Battle-Brain himself. Don't expect romantic awareness!
I absolutely won't lose myself to this clueless straight dude!
Repeating these words like a mantra, Anon steeled herself—and opened her eyes.
"Mmn…?"
Just as Anon was mentally bracing herself, Satoshi suddenly took her hand. Removing his hat, he leaned forward, gently pressing his forehead against hers. Turning slightly, their bodies drew intimately close.
What… is going on?!
"Um… Satoshi…?"
Anon's long lashes trembled slightly, overwhelmed with bashfulness.
Wait, am I seriously ten thousand steps ahead of Soyo now?
This is amazing~ Satoshi~ LOVE~♡
Seeing the boy she liked so close, Anon instinctively closed her eyes, puckering her lips in eager anticipation of a kiss.
Except—
"Your face is really red. Are you running a fever…? Huh, feels normal."
Satoshi was simply checking her temperature—the forehead-to-forehead kind.
Originally, he hadn't planned on doing something like this.
It was entirely the fault of a certain voice in his head babbling nonsense:
[Satocchi, I heard checking temperatures forehead-to-forehead works much better~]
"Huh? Fever?" Hearing this, Anon blinked open her eyes, stunned.
Did I seriously just expect something romantic from this clueless boy?
Her feelings immediately cooled into sage mode.
"It's nothing… I'm fine." At this point, Anon had lost all trust in Satoshi's romantic awareness.
A perfect chance for a kiss—and absolutely nothing had happened.
Yet now, staring at Satoshi's lips, Anon felt an intense urge rising within her.
I really want to kiss him…
Her cheeks flushed again, deeply craving his touch.
"Well, good thing you're alright!"
But once Satoshi confirmed she was okay, his attention promptly drifted back toward the ocean.
Magikarp, Dewpider, Brionne…
Magikarp are everywhere, no matter the region.
He didn't mind Magikarp, though—evolved into Gyarados, they had decent power.
But that glaring Electric-type weakness was troublesome. He'd suggest going to Paldea to Terastallize it into Electric-type first.
Right now, he really needed to find a fifth teammate. Something with flight or at least no overlapping types—Steel or Fairy would be ideal, since they were probably the strongest types overall.
Steel-types, huh…
Zacian? Impossible. Aggron? Meh. Metagross…? Now, that could work—but where would he catch one?
Thinking this through, Satoshi sighed softly, feeling a headache coming on. With only about a month left until the High School Pokémon League, he couldn't exactly pull a Kotetsu and fight six-on-five.
Amidst these thoughts, his gaze skimmed across the Water-type Pokémon and stopped abruptly on a certain Brionne.
That… Brionne's dance seems off.
Something felt wrong—was it injured?
Brionne learned dances by imitating companions or even humans, so it danced constantly. However, Satoshi noticed an odd hitch in its movements.
"What's wrong?"
By now, Anon had finally snapped out of her near-kiss stupor. Although the lingering desire still simmered quietly beneath, she'd calmed considerably.
At worst, she could always copy Soyo and steal a kiss later.
"That Pokémon seems hurt. Let's go take a look."
Firmly gripping Anon's soft hand, Satoshi dashed ahead.
"Ah—Satoshi~ you don't need to pull so hard~!"
He's so cool…
Anon's face flushed once more, casting shy glances at Satoshi's determined, passionate expression. Her heart fluttered lightly.
She gently bit her lower lip, palms growing sweaty, yet she didn't loosen her grip on his hand.
Sure, the boy she liked might be utterly clueless—but this gentle kindness easily made up for that one flaw. Actually, sometimes his cluelessness was even charming.
Together, they soon reached the injured Brionne.
"Brii…" The Brionne flinched, retreating slightly, clearly frightened but still hopeful at seeing the two trainers approach.
"It really is injured." Satoshi's eyes swept over its battered form, spotting multiple wounds—clearly signs of repeated attacks by other Pokémon.
"These injuries look serious…"
Anon's brow furrowed deeply in concern.