Sorry, exams are starting again tomorrow, so I'll have very little time.
Though I already have a few chapters stored up, so they'll still be posted even if I disappear for a while.
To be fair, my exams never truly ended in the first place.
School exams: 2 times a week
Tuition exams: 3 times a week
At this point, I'm fighting for my life.
Saturo:
"Author, I know you're a lazy hobo, but this isn't the app for pouring out your grievances against the education system."
A/N:
"Shut up, you little—"
Homer grabbing Bart Simpson gif.
Cough cough.
Continue—
This part can be skipped if you want, but it's mainly here to explain the emotional depth of the two characters.
A little explanation before anyone says something.
Vegapunk voice please.
A/N: Cynthia didn't even know what a "crush" was until Nurse Joy explained it to her.
Unlike most girls her age, she never really got along with other kids.
Most girls preferred traditionally feminine games like playing house, which Cynthia found boring.
As for boys— they either:
didn't want to play with her because she was a girl, or stopped wanting to play with her because she somehow kept beating them after only a few tries.
So naturally:
fewer interactions means
fewer conversations means
and almost nobody talking to her about things like crushes
meant she simply never learned about them.
Think about it this way:
If you barely had friends who talked to you, and your mindset was so focused elsewhere that even scrolling on your phone all day wouldn't make you notice certain topics unless someone directly told you—
would you really know much about crushes either?
And unless you meet someone eccentric, most people aren't randomly walking around asking others about their "type."
Well…
with the sole exception of Aoi Todo, of course.
(He bagged Takada. Massive W for Todo fans. Absolutely tragic loss for Megumi.)
Cough cough.
What I'm trying to say is—
humans naturally react more emotionally to feelings when they first experience or understand them.
Especially children.
The first time you witness death—even if it isn't someone particularly close to you—you might cry, panic, or even throw up.
But after years of experiencing or hearing about it repeatedly, most people stop reacting as strongly unless the person who died was truly close to them.
This explanation is simply here to help readers understand why these two children react so emotionally to certain feelings.
Cynthia stared directly into Saturo's eyes, almost as if she wanted to strip his soul bare.
Cynthia:
"Why do you even want to go there?"
(Her thoughts: I heard that valley is filled with Charizards… no, with almost nothing BUT Charizards unless you count the Valley Master's Pokémon.
The Valley Master also raises several Water-types near the water section to prevent large fires. Some of them are even Gyaradoses… though every Valley Master apparently hates keeping them around. Still, they can't go against League regulations.
And with how difficult that place is, barely anyone has gone there for the past few years, so there must be a reason behind that…
Though I also heard the current Valley Master's daughter is around our age and recently either started or completed her journey while her mother prepares to retire…
…But that can't be the reason, rightttt?)
Saturo was completely dumbfounded.
He already knew about love thanks to his idiot older brother constantly bragging about girls—
but hearing Cynthia's thoughts directly was something else entirely.
Especially when the usually selfish and prideful Cynthia was genuinely worried about him risking his life.
For a literal stranger...
Saturo : "(….)"
His face slowly turned red from sheer secondhand embarrassment.
After awkwardly adjusting his composure, he leaned closer to Cynthia and remembered the advice his older brother once proudly gave him about talking to girls.
He gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
Then quietly asked:
"Why don't you just admit you either want me to stay… or want to come with me?"
Nearby—
Oriana and Escanor were watching everything unfold.
Oriana & Escanor:
"Just end it already. This is even worse than the love drama we watched with Granny."
Cynthia's entire face turned red like a tomato.
Then—
she immediately grabbed Saturo and punched him straight in the face.
(Her thoughts: Better knock him unconscious than let this embarrassing charade continue any longer…)
Saturo caught her punch midway.
Then smiled lightly.
Saturo:
"Why don't we both give it our best?"
"I'll participate in either the Kanto or Johto League after finishing my internship. That should take around a year."
(Charizard Valley was infamous for being extremely dangerous. Most people avoided internships there entirely because of the aggressive Charizards and Dragon-types.
Blackthorn Gym accepted that danger out of pride, but the Valley Masters of Charizard Valley were more considerate.
Because of that, successful apprentices were usually rewarded with a Pokémon Egg of their choice after completing their service.
In exchange, they had to spend at least 9 months to a full year helping care for the valley's Pokémon.)