"It's already noon, Reij-sa—"
Saya got half a greeting out, then froze. Reiji stood there in nothing but boxers.
"A—ahhh!"
Bang.
The shout snapped him awake. He slammed the wooden door shut with a flick of his wrist. When it swung open again, black shirt, black pants—problem solved.
"Saya, what did you need?" Reiji asked, as if nothing had happened.
"Are you dressed…?"
Hands over her flushed cheeks, she didn't dare look up.
"Dressed. Say it."
He sighed. Flustered girls were not his strong suit. He was in his twenties, hardly a kid—he knew why she'd come; he'd just played dumb.
"I… wanted to treat you to lunch. To thank you for last night's advice. If you're free."
Hearing he was clothed, she lowered her hands a little, face still pink, voice small.
"Let's go."
Reiji checked the corridor—empty. Good. With the Bug-Catching Contest on, most Trainers were out. Less chance for hallway rumors.
"Please, this way."
Her head stayed foggy. In her mind it was still the door, the boxers, the slam. She led them out of the Pokemon Center on autopilot.
Reiji slung a pack; Poliwhirl shouldered another and fell in behind. They trailed her through town. She never stopped, not even at the edge of the houses.
He kept pace and let her think. When she drifted straight toward a tree, he lifted a hand and set his palm between her forehead and the bark.
"Ow—"
She blinked at his hand on the trunk, followed it up to his grin, and flushed harder, eyes dropping as her fingers worried the hem of her dress.
Why didn't he warn her? Let her bump it on purpose? Men—zero gentlemanly points.
"And you—Misdreavus! Misdreavus!"
"Xi-xi-xi."
The ghost popped out of translucence, giggling at its Trainer's dazed routine.
"You're laughing? Come here—"
Saya swatted uselessly while Misdreavus bobbed away, still chuckling. Reiji's stomach growled. Time to eat.
Out of breath, she remembered why she'd come. "Sorry, Reiji. Let's get lunch."
"Lead on."
She all but rushed him toward a local restaurant, eager to bury the embarrassment. The owner—a cheerful auntie—spotted her with a boy and whisked Saya aside.
"Dating now? Does your father know?"
"Auntie—no."
"Please. I've never seen you sit with a boy."
"Two of your best dishes, please. I'm starving."
"Fine, fine. I'll cook something he won't forget," Auntie said, smiling at the "him" while aiming all the teasing at Saya.
Face still warm, Saya returned to the table, sipped water, and steadied herself.
"You didn't join the Contest?" Reiji asked. It was past noon. Shun had gone early; who knew when it would end.
"No. Father says the forest is dangerous. He forbade it."
"I figured you'd go—to catch a few helpers for the castle."
Small talk to ease the sting. After the morning, she might need the gentle slope.
"Actually… that's why I came. Reiji-san, could you help me catch some Pokémon? I don't—don't dare go into the forest alone."
So that was the hook. He'd expected one. He let the food arrive before answering.
"Eat first. Then the forest."
Lunch was solid—real food after days of dry bread. When they finished, he took the back lane behind the restaurant toward the trees.
"Do you have spare Poké Balls? A starter?" he asked as they walked.
"I bought fifty this morning. And… this is my starter."
A Beautifly spun from her Ball in a glimmer of wings.
"Beautifly? I thought it'd be Misdreavus."
"Misdreavus is my real starter. But Grandma won't let me use it in town, so she gave me Beautifly."
Reiji nodded. Ghost rumors were stubborn things; without breaking them, townsfolk would stay spooked no matter what you said.
Forest stood right behind the restaurant. The stretch near town had been picked clean.
Only the weakest remained—Caterpie on the trunks. Even Weedle was rare. Reiji pointed at the nearest green body.
"Any preferences for what to catch?"
Saya looked from the Caterpie to her Beautifly and shook her head. No plan, no list—no idea which species would actually help run a hotel.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. So much for easy. That Gastly had not come cheap.
"Your goal's staff and gardeners," he said after a beat. "So: Grass types first. And anything with actual hands to clean and receive guests. Sounds right?"
"I'll follow your lead."
"Then start with that Caterpie. Throw."
"Eh?"
She froze. Grass types and hands… so why a bug? Still, she dug out a Ball and threw.
Miss. And again. And again. By the time Reiji almost stepped in, the Ball finally clipped the Caterpie.
Pop.
No fight in it. Three blinks—click. The Ball fell; Reiji plucked it from the air, opened the panel—potential thirteen—and released it on the spot.
"Keep up. See one? Throw," he said, tossing the Ball back and heading deeper.
"O—okay."
She scooped the errant Balls and trotted after him.
They worked their way in, catching what passed in front of them: Caterpie, Metapod, Wurmple, Silcoon, Cascoon, Pinsir, Weedle, Kakuna…
They skipped duplicates—no point stacking Wurmple—and passed on Pinsir. Too rowdy for now.
They didn't see any Contest Trainers; Saya said the event area was fenced off elsewhere. Fine by him—no fighting over bugs today.
Half an hour later, he found one worth keeping: a Caterpie with potential fifty-one. After a hundred looks, one gem.
"Hold onto this Caterpie," he said, handing it back. Trained right, it was a future Butterfree with real bite.
Plenty of Caterpie meant odds were kind. But he wasn't going to grind Saya through another hundred throws today.
"Why this Caterpie?" she asked at last. They'd released a sea of them. This one stayed.
"It's built well. Good talent. Raise it and it'll guard the castle," he said. Enough explanation without opening the whole playbook.
"You're… a Breeder too?" She blinked. A Trainer her age—and a breeder's eye?
"Something like that."
He didn't argue it. Another Weedle rustled into view; he tipped his chin.
Thud—click. He checked the readout: forty-eight. Good enough. He tossed it to Saya.
"Keep the Weedle. Let's go a little deeper."
"Mm."
She cradled the Ball and kept pace, thinking: ideas for the hotel, how to use Pokémon for service, the haunted hook, ads and badges, how to turn guests into regulars—and now, a way of reading Pokémon bodies on the fly. For someone her age, he was… a mystery. And that was its own kind of pull.
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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