Because of her family situation, Rebecca wasn't able to travel with Kazuki.
After a brief farewell, she began her path toward becoming a Fighting-type Gym Leader.
Meanwhile, Kazuki and the other two continued their journey to obtain their sixth badge.
[Congratulations to the host for winning the P1 Grand Tournament with Primeape and for successfully educating Anthony, setting him back on the right path!]
[Focus Band has been placed in the System Inventory]
Kazuki took a moment to claim the rewards for this Side Quest and began pondering how to use them.
A Focus Band—grants a 10% chance to survive a finishing blow!
It's a probability-based item!
If the blow was supposed to knock you out, surviving it meant a chance for counterattack—maybe even turning the tables.
But if the opponent was still in good condition, then surviving that hit was just... prolonging the inevitable.
Is there any Pokémon that, after surviving a finishing blow, could unleash a devastating critical counterattack?
Huh?
As Kazuki played that scenario out in his mind, the answer became clear.
Wasn't that exactly what Primeape's Rage Fist did during the match with Hitmonlee?
The condition for activating Rage Fist was precisely taking fatal damage, then letting that rage explode into an ultimate move.
In future battles, opponents would only get tougher—Primeape might not always be able to reach that threshold without fainting first.
But with a Focus Band? That changed everything. It offered a guaranteed shot at a revenge kill.
Rage Fist was a dual-type move, born from utter fury—if triggered successfully, it could even take down a much stronger opponent in one punch.
Which meant Primeape holding a Focus Band now had a viable one-for-one trade potential against an opponent's ace.
Deep in thought, Kazuki released Primeape and had the equipment team fit the Focus Band around him.
"Huh? What's that?" Misty, who had been chatting with Suzie, walked over curiously.
Ever since the championship match, Misty wasn't as afraid of Primeape anymore. She dared to come closer.
"The championship belt was too heavy. This is a more practical symbol of victory!"
Kazuki gave a perfectly reasonable explanation for the Focus Band, then returned Primeape to his Poké Ball.
No sooner had Primeape been recalled than Misty slipped in close, wrapping her arms around Kazuki's neck affectionately.
"Kazuki~"
Kazuki pinched her cheek playfully as she pouted up at him.
"What's up, you little imp? You're not even shy in front of Suzie anymore?"
"I'm your girlfriend. What's there to be shy about?" Misty huffed. Then, stealing a glance at Suzie feeding Vulpix and Pikachu, she added softly,
"Besides… I think Suzie might have feelings for you too."
"I believe you'll be holding us both soon. We'll take care of you together!"
"Oho?" Kazuki raised an eyebrow, delighted. "What's gotten into you today? Feeling bold, are we?"
"Hehehe~" Misty giggled sheepishly. "Well, I promised I'd help you that day, but I was drunk and didn't come through…"
"Hm? You didn't come that day?" Kazuki frowned slightly.
"Nope! And you didn't even scold me. After winning the match, you even took me shopping for pretty hair clips. I felt really guilty…"
Misty snuggled her head into his chest.
Wait—so that day… wasn't Misty?
Then it had to be Suzie?
No wonder the technique felt a little off that day—so gentle, so calculated.
So it was the classic "drunken mix-up with the neighbor" plot twist?
Still… was it Rebecca, or Suzie?
Heh. Maybe he'd leave that mystery for another day. Unravel it when the time was right.
"Kazuki, since you spoil me so much, next time I'll… let you go a bit further as compensation, okay?"
Misty had clearly thought of how she wanted to make it up to him—her cheeks were already flushed.
"Oh? A bit further? How much further?"
Kazuki's devilish whisper tickled her ear.
Misty glanced around, lowered her voice, and muttered, "To be precise… two steps!"
Then her softness pressed up against him suggestively.
"Ohh, got it. I'm willi—"
Smack!
Misty slapped a hand over his mouth. "Aah! Stop! If you know, you know! Don't say it out loud!"
"You—you'll embarrass me to death!"
Kazuki chuckled and nodded, indicating he'd zip it.
Only then did Misty shyly remove her hand and curl back into his arms.
Kazuki, looking down at her, began assessing Misty's strength.
Come to think of it—was this progression in their relationship based on something?
Oh?
Maybe it was the recent hotel meals being too good or something, but Misty definitely looked like she had "leveled up."
She had filled out!
Finally, the product of his cultivation was maturing.
Time to reap the harvest!
"Kazuki, there are two paths ahead. Which way are we going next?"
Having finished feeding her Pokémon, Suzie returned to ask about their next destination.
"Waaah, Misty! Still clinging to Kazuki? Your cheeks are all red! Is it… that time of the month?"
With how much time they'd spent together, Suzie no longer completely avoided these topics.
Sometimes she'd even toss in a teasing line or two.
Whenever they talked about these things, Suzie felt a strange tingly warmth inside.
She wasn't sure what it was, but it felt… good. So she no longer avoided Kazuki and Misty's intimate moments.
"We—we weren't talking about anything like that! I—I'm just hot! Yeah, hot!"
Misty had just encountered some "new knowledge," so she was still in a bashful daze, blurting out the first excuse she could.
"Oh, I see!"
Suzie looked at Misty tightly hugging Kazuki while claiming to be hot. The contradiction was clear, but she let it slide.
"Hey, Kazuki! There's a signpost here. You decide where we go next!"
Suzie shifted the topic back to travel.
Kazuki looked at the sign.
"Let's go this way—toward Gringey City."
"Gringey City?"
Misty, now recovering, looked up at the map.
"I thought our next badge was supposed to be at the Fuchsia Gym?"
"Didn't we read that it was up in the mountains?"
"So why head into a city?"
Kazuki showed her the info. "Fuchsia Gym is Poison-type. I want to catch some Poison-type Pokémon and do some research ahead of time."
"Also, we need to restock supplies. Once we head into the mountains, there's no telling how long it'll take to get out."
"If we run out of food, we'll be stuck eating wild herbs and berries again!"
"What's wrong with that!"
Misty bounced over to Suzie and hooked arms with her.
"We've got a five-star chef—Suzie!"
"Even wild berries and herbs, I believe Suzie can make them delicious!"
Suzie smiled and patted Misty's hand. "Don't get too optimistic! I haven't cooked with wild plants before."
"Let's listen to Kazuki. He's thinking about the bigger picture."
"Alright then! We'll follow Captain Kazuki's orders!"
Misty shook off her earlier bashfulness and brightened up again, dragging Suzie forward excitedly.
As they left Shopping Town behind, more wild Pokémon began to appear.
Their grind to level up resumed.
The road to Gringey City was filled with Rock-type and Grass-type Pokémon.
Kazuki's hopes of finding Poison-types to study hadn't panned out yet.
Technically, Bulbasaur is Poison-types too, but their Poison-typing was secondary—not the focus he wanted.
The more iconic Poison-types in Kanto were Pokémon like Nidoran, Nidorina, or the ones used by the Team Rocket Duo—Ekans and Koffing.
And of course, in Gringey City, there was Muk. That one was solid too.
But Muk… reeked. Even in a Poké Ball, the stench leaked out.
Carrying a Muk around would repel women, no matter how high his Charm stat.
So unless he found another suitable Poison-type before arriving, Kazuki was considering trying to catch the Muk boss in Gringey City.
If its potential was high, maybe he'd let it join the B-Team. If not, he'd treat it as a Pokédex entry.
As they neared Gringey City, while their team's level grew, no Poison-types had yet appeared.
"Return, Bulbasaur."
Kazuki called back his Bulbasaur after clearing out a group of Rattata, then checked his party stats.
[Pokémon: Pikachu, Lv34→Lv36]
[Pokémon: Pidgeot, Lv37→Lv38]
[Pokémon: Primeape, Lv30→Lv32]
[Pokémon: Wartortle, Lv32→Lv33]
[Pokémon: Bulbasaur, Lv38→Lv39]
[Pokémon: Gastly, Lv22→Lv24]
[Pokémon: Charmeleon, Lv32→Lv33]
Higher levels meant more XP was required, but the wild Pokémon on the road were now tougher too.
Gone were the days of grinding ten waves of Spearow for a single level.
Bulbasaur and Pidgeot were nearing Quasi Gym-tier.
He still had eight Intermediate Rare Candies. By the time they reached Blaine's Cinnabar Gym, it was totally feasible to have one Gym-level powerhouse.
If he got lucky with some level-up quests, two or even three was within reach.
After checking the team stats, Kazuki finally opened up his personal panel.
Since setting out from Pallet Town, he'd barely looked at it. But now, halfway through the badge quest, it was filled with dense data.
What pleased him the most was the Romance tab: Delia, Melanie, Officer Jenny from Maiden's Peak, and Sabrina.
With Misty and Suzie both on the verge of "breakthrough," his Romance Missions were entering their next phase.
Kazuki gazed at Officer Jenny's profile and started thinking about the other major family—Joy.
He'd already "tasted" a Jenny in uniform. When would the White Silk Joy be ready to graduate from elementary teasing?
Unfortunately, most of the missions so far had built Justice Reputation.
Heartfelt Reputation triggers had been rare.
Right now, his progress with Joy was minimal—friendly greetings at best.
But he wasn't in a hurry.
After all, every city had a Joy. It was only a matter of time.
After reviewing his stats, Kazuki closed the system and stretched lazily.
When he looked up, the sky had turned gray.
"Hmm? Looks like it's going to rain?" Misty noticed it too.
"It doesn't feel like rain," Kazuki frowned. "It feels like the whole sky around here is just… like this."
"There!" Suzie pointed to a city ahead, cloaked in black clouds.
Misty blinked in surprise.
"It looks like a city where ghosts live… Creepy! Are we really going to resupply there?"
Misty snuggled closer, clutching Kazuki's arm tightly.
Suzie glanced at her and felt a twinge of envy.
She was also a little spooked by the eerie city ahead, but unlike Misty, she couldn't just cling to Kazuki like that.
"Gringey City used to be an industrial city. But now…"
Kazuki's words trailed into static.
"Come on, there's nothing to be afraid of."
"If there are ghosts, I've got Gastly to handle them."
"Waaah~ Kazuki, you're amazing! I feel so safe with you!"
Misty cooed, her boobs pressing reassuringly against him.
Suzie looked at the cozy scene and couldn't help but imagine herself there too.
"Suzie, come on! Kazuki said he'd protect us!"
"Oh! C-Coming!"
Suzie snapped back to reality and quickly caught up to the two.
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