The Next Morning
[Deep Interaction with Female Trainer: Olivia +1]
[Ding—New traits detected. Claim?]
Wade stirred from the soft, snow-white embrace that had cradled him all night. The long-awaited system prompt chimed sweetly in his mind.
Claim.
Golden light surged through his consciousness.
[Olivia's Blessing (Gold)] x3
[Olivia's Blessing (Red)] x8
[Olivia's Blessing (Purple)] x12
[Olivia's Blessing (Purple/Red/Gold)] : Increases the holder's water storage capacity. During active cycles, receives a frequency boost starting at 1000%, gradually decaying to 300%. When equipped to a Pokémon, increases HP limit by 40%/60%/80% and increases power of all Water-type moves by 80%/120%/150%.
The sheer volume of traits spoke volumes about last night's intensity.
Unlike previous rewards, these weren't purely offensive. HP limit increases meant extended combat sustainability. In the real world, every move consumed stamina—especially powerful ones like Draco Meteor or Solar Beam. Higher HP meant longer battles, more recovery from moves like Recover and Moonlight.
And paired with Water-type power boosts?
Perfect for Feebas's eventual evolution into Milotic.
Wade equipped the traits silently, then pressed a gentle kiss to the sleeping Secretary Miss's forehead.
Time for breakfast.
He pushed open the bedroom door.
And froze.
...What.
The living room was destroyed. The leather sofa hung in tatters. The kitchen door had been reduced to splinters. The dining table—once a proud six-seater—now barely accommodated three.
He retreated into the room. Closed the door. Counted to three.
Opened it again.
Still destroyed.
That was an actual battle?!
The other bedroom door opened.
Cynthia emerged, and Wade's brain temporarily ceased functioning.
Two off-white ribbons barely wrapped her crimson-tipped peaks, leaving her plush, full breasts gloriously exposed. Her smooth lower abdomen caught the morning light. Below, high-waisted black shorts clung precariously, the hem grazing her sensitive inner thighs while her fair, slender legs stretched endlessly downward.
Those legs. That waist. Those—
Cute Pikachu slippers completed the ensemble.
Her golden hair was adorably messy. She yawned, long and unguarded—clearly, sleep had been elusive.
Then her bleary eyes focused on Wade.
Her cool face ignited.
BAM.
The bedroom door slammed shut.
Wade stood in the destroyed living room, processing.
Wasn't that Olivia's private secretary outfit?
The contrast was... devastating.
On Olivia, those clothes screamed seduction—an all-day invitation to "cultivate." On Cynthia? That cool, beautiful face combined with those thin, suggestive fabrics created something else entirely.
Pure desire wrapped in innocence.
Dangerous.
Minutes later, the door reopened.
Cynthia had restored order—yesterday's heroic black trench coat, perfectly composed features, hair tamed into submission.
"Ahem." She cleared her throat with practiced dignity. "What you just saw—"
"I saw everything." Wade's chuckle was warm, appreciative. "It surprisingly fits you well, Senior Sister."
...Direct attack. No mercy.
She shot him an exasperated look, then turned her flushed cheek away. A golden strand was tucked behind her ear with deliberate casualness.
"I'm hungry." Her pout was playfully demanding. "Hurry up and prepare a lavish breakfast for your dear Senior Sister."
Last night's adventures explained her state: ambushing Darkrai, then enduring hours of vigorous cultivation sounds from next door. Sleep had been impossible. Only hunger had dragged her from bed.
Wade's smile widened.
"Understood. Wait here."
The living room was wrecked, but the kitchen had survived. He pulled ingredients from the cabinet—fresh noodles, vegetables, eggs.
Noodles it is.
Water poured. Fire lit. Meat sliced and arranged on a plate—
Just as the noodles slipped into the boiling pot, a cool female voice drifted over.
"Last night. Garchomp and I met that Darkrai."
"No wonder."
Wade's spatula paused mid-stir, but no surprise registered on his face. He'd already suspected. The destroyed living room bore all the hallmarks of the Nightmare Goddess's handiwork—caught red-handed by the Sinnoh Champion.
"Did you defeat her, Senior Sister?"
Cynthia shook her head slowly, cherry lips parting.
"Not exactly. Neither of us wanted to demolish your cabin, so we suppressed our power. A draw~"
She paused, expression shifting to something more serious.
"When he couldn't gain an advantage, he slipped away."
He. Wade noted the pronoun but let it pass.
"The Canalave City library's records were accurate." Cynthia's amber eyes held Wade's gaze. "This Darkrai's strength is formidable. Even Garchomp couldn't gain the upper hand. And..." She hesitated. "He possesses divine authority."
Seeing his attentive expression, she elaborated.
"Unlike ordinary Pokémon, mythical and legendary species aren't always singular individuals. Most form populations."
Like the dozens of Darkrai that exist alongside this special one.
"Within those populations, certain individuals are naturally endowed with divine authority by the world itself. They control different aspects of reality."
Wade nodded, following.
"The bird legends of Johto—Ho-Oh and Lugia. One controls the sky's air currents. The other commands ocean currents and monsoons. They've balanced each other for millennia."
Ho-Oh's resurrection power. Lugia's storms. Divine authority in action.
"Similarly, this Darkrai stands apart from its species. It possesses the authority to create nightmares—not merely induce sleep, but craft terror itself." Her voice dropped. "Thousands of years ago, it used that ability to turn most of Sinnoh upside down."
She met his eyes squarely.
"That being is dangerous, Junior Brother. If I didn't possess Aura Power, even I would have been affected last night."
"Aura Power?"
Wade's mind latched onto the unfamiliar term, filtering out the mythology he already knew.
Like Aura. Like Psychic. A special ability.
Cynthia explained: telepathic communication with Pokémon. A protective aura that shielded against all abnormal status conditions.
Wait.
If I could sleep beside Senior Sister...
Darkrai couldn't touch me.
The noodle-cooking farm owner's eyes lit up with sudden, strategic interest.
The white-haired yandere's danger level was simply too high. In Pokémon Girl form, he could control her—but if she wised up and stayed in her original form? He'd be helpless. Gardevoir could guard him awake, but asleep? He'd be fish on a chopping board, forced to accept the Nightmare Goddess's training.
Cynthia's Aura Power protection was objectively the optimal solution.
Completely logical. Purely strategic.
"I sense you're thinking something inappropriate, Junior Brother~"
A flush crept across Cynthia's cool features. She cleared her throat delicately and refocused.
"From my observation, that Darkrai has definitely set his sights on you."
His. Another pronoun. Wade filed it away.
"I repelled him last night, but I can't stay with you forever. You need countermeasures."
She reached up, gathering her loose golden hair, and tied it back.
Her aura shifted.
"So—"
The calm Champion transformed before his eyes. Decisive. Focused. Dangerous.
"Let's have a battle outside. I'll give you some special training, Junior Brother."