Read up to 30 advanced chapters exclusively on my Patreon at - patreon.com/LoverrBoy
---------------------------------
Liam stood alone atop a small sand dune, lost in thought about Delia's recent request to travel together.
To be honest, he really wanted to agree. Traveling side by side, visiting different places together—just imagining it made his heart race. They'd be blinding all the single people with their dazzling relationship.
But deep down, he was also afraid. Afraid that Delia would encounter danger. During this trip alone, he had already faced two life-threatening situations. One of them had even made him truly feel the shadow of death.
That sense of helplessness… He didn't want Delia to ever experience it.
He knew that Delia was just as worried about his safety, which was why she suggested traveling together in the first place. That thought warmed his heart, making him feel the gentleness of being cared for by someone he loved. But precisely because of that, he couldn't let her be exposed to even the slightest harm.
They had made a promise—once he became the Champion, he would return and marry her. This wasn't just empty talk or an excuse to avoid the situation.
Liam knew that, no matter what, he was still a nobody in the eyes of society. Aside from Professor Oak's family, he had no close relations in this world. If he wanted to give Delia a happy life, he had to carve out a place for himself first.
There was a time when he had considered traveling together with Delia. Back then, he only had Garchomp when it was still a little Gible, Arbok when it was just an Ekans, and Nidoking when it was still a Nidorino.
His team wasn't that strong—barely enough to protect himself. And Delia didn't even have a Pokémon of her own at the time. So, for the sake of her safety, he suppressed his desire and set a goal for himself: once he became a Champion, it would prove that he was strong enough.
By then, even if Delia didn't bring it up, he would be the one to propose traveling together—to finally have their own private world.
But now that Delia had taken the initiative to ask, he had to give it serious consideration.
Liam stood on the dune for a long time before clenching his fists and making up his mind. He turned and ran toward the house.
When he reached the backyard, he had expected Delia to be upset and gone. But when he arrived, he saw her battling his Pokémon, surrounded by the rest of his team watching in a circle.
He was stunned. What was she up to?
Before she could notice him, he quickly hid behind Onix.
"Ggrrrr..?"
"Shhh!!"
Noticing him, Onix turned its head in confusion, only to see Liam gesturing for silence.
"…"
Onix didn't understand what he was doing but didn't pay much attention and turned back to watch the battle.
Liam cautiously peeked out to observe the battle.
Delia was holding a thick book, flipping through its densely packed pages. From where he stood, Liam couldn't see what was written inside.
In the center of the battlefield, the battle was between Squirtle and Scyther.
"Scyther!"
"Squirtle!"
Neither Pokémon had made a move yet. They stared at each other, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Delia kept flipping through the book, beads of sweat forming on her nose. Finally, she found the page she was looking for, and a bright smile spread across her face.
"Ha! Found it! Just as I thought, Professor Oak's Pokémon Move Catalog has Squirtle's moves listed! Alright, Squirtle, let's start with… uh… Tackle!"
"Squirtle!"
Squirtle turned to look at Scyther's sharp scythe-like arms, gulped hard, then steeled itself and charged forward, lowering its head for impact.
"Scyther…"
Scyther gave Squirtle a disdainful look but still swung its arm—not even using a real move, just striking with the flat side of its blade.
A crisp thud echoed as Scyther's blade smacked against Squirtle's shell. Without suspense, Squirtle was sent flying, its tiny body soaring high. Panicking, it quickly tucked all its limbs inside its shell before crashing to the ground, leaving a small crater.
"Ahh! Squirtle! You can't go down yet! Fight! Fight! We can't let that jerk look down on us! Use… Bubble Beam!"
Seeing Squirtle curled up in its shell, Delia called out anxiously.
"Squirtle… Squirtle!"
Squirtle mumbled something inside its shell before quickly popping back out, looking as if it was marching to its doom. It opened its mouth, firing a stream of sparkling bubbles toward Scyther.
"Scyther…"
Scyther yawned, using one arm to lazily swat away the bubbles while covering its mouth with the other. It was clearly bored.
"Ugh! How infuriating! It's just as arrogant as its trainer! Squirtle, we can't let them look down on us! Next, use Water Gun!"
Liam: "…"
Clearly, Scyther's attitude reminded Delia of someone, and she puffed her cheeks in frustration before giving another command.
"Squirtle!!"
Realizing its bubbles weren't working, Squirtle quickly stopped and switched moves, puffing up its cheeks before firing a powerful Water Gun at Scyther.
"Scyther!"
Scyther had already grown tired of the game. Its expression sharpened as its wings flapped lightly, making its body blur like an illusion as it dodged the attack. Then, in a flash, it was suddenly right in front of Squirtle.
A single arc of light slashed through the air.
Squirtle froze, its Water Gun stopping mid-fire. Its eyes rolled back, and it fell backward, unconscious.
"Scyther!!"
Even after winning, Scyther didn't look pleased. It shook its head and flapped its wings, flying away disinterestedly.
"Squirtle! Are you okay?! Squirtle?! Oh no… It's all my fault! I was too dumb…!"
Delia ran over in panic, quickly picking up Squirtle and holding it in her arms, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Squirtle… Squirtle Squirtle!"
Squirtle wasn't actually hurt—just knocked out by Scyther's sudden attack. Now that it had woken up, it frantically waved its arms, wiping away Delia's tears in a fluster. It had no idea what it had done wrong but felt like it had somehow messed up.
Liam watched for a few seconds before sighing. He stepped out from behind Onix, walked up to Delia, and gently pulled both her and Squirtle into his embrace. Inhaling the soft fragrance of her hair, he spoke with gentle yet firm determination.
"Delia… I've thought about it. I really do want to travel with you. But not yet. I need to prove myself first—to become strong enough to protect you, to make sure you don't end up getting hurt. So… please wait for me a little longer, okay?"
Delia remained silent in his arms for a long time. Then, finally, a soft voice reached his ears.
"…Mm."
Hearing that, Liam felt his heart bloom with happiness—only for Delia to add something right after.
"And when that time comes, I'm going to beat you!"
Liam: "…"
Why did it suddenly feel like the mood had shifted?