"Hey, Teacher Aiden!!!"
After spotting Aiden from afar, Nemona, who had been chatting with a pink-themed girl whose back was turned to her, immediately lit up with excitement. She smiled and waved enthusiastically in his direction.
As Nemona called out, the girl beside her quickly turned around.
Aiden's gaze froze for a moment as he looked over.
Lacey? Why is she in Kitakami?
Wait, according to the current timeline, shouldn't she be like Nemona, not yet officially enrolled in Blueberry Academy?
If I call her "senpai" now, it would feel pretty strange.
"Nemona, so you're here on vacation in Kitakami too?"
"Yeah! Since my parents aren't coming home for the New Year, I decided to come to Kitakami with a friend!"
Nemona quickly ran over to Aiden and Cynthia. After exchanging pleasantries with Aiden, she soon turned her gaze to Cynthia, her eyes instantly turning into those of an excited fangirl.
"Hehe, Sister Cynthia, we meet again~"
"What a coincidence, Nemona."
Cynthia smiled gently. She quite liked this energetic and cheerful apprentice from Aiden's gym.
Moreover, Nemona seemed to be aiming to become a champion like herself, training under Aiden's guidance with plans to challenge the Paldea Champion.
For someone with goals and willing to put in the effort, there was no one in the world who wouldn't admire them, right?
Aiden also watched Nemona thoughtfully.
Come to think of it, Nemona's parents and older sister never appeared in the game's storyline—they only existed through her own words.
As the owner of the Rotom Phone company, her parents must be very busy, right?
Perhaps that's why Nemona, raised with little supervision, developed the personality that Penny criticized as having the ability Own Tempo...
While he was lost in thought, Lacey, who had been chatting with Nemona by the roadside, quickly walked over.
"Hello, Teacher Azure and Miss Cynthia."
After flashing a cute smile, Lacey took the initiative to greet them.
It was only then that Nemona belatedly remembered that Lacey, her traveling companion, was still behind her.
"Teacher Aiden, this is my good friend Lacey, from the distant Unova region!"
"Nice to meet you, Miss Lacey."
After Nemona's introduction, Aiden nodded and greeted her.
Though he already knew her—yesterday he had encountered her in the game—the formalities still needed to be observed.
"Just call me Lacey."
Lacey playfully winked, then tilted her head to look at Aiden.
"Actually, I'm also a fan of Teacher Azure. Yesterday, I even had the honor of matching against you."
"..."
Aiden suddenly felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
How could he not know? Lacey was the first opponent of his flinch-inducing tactic yesterday!
And now, he bumped into this victim offline the next day—and learned that she was actually his fan, meaning she knew that her opponent yesterday was him...
Could it be that Lacey-senpai is actually my fan?
Oh no, now I'm going to get real-life roasted!
"Although being your opponent was unpleasant, Teacher Azure really is amazing for coming up with such... creative tactics."
Seeing Aiden's somewhat serious expression, Lacey quickly spoke again.
"By the way, Teacher Aiden might not know this, but Lacey's dad is also a gym leader!"
Nemona suddenly remembered something, clapped her hands, and immediately spoke up.
"Lacey's dad is really strong, he's the gym leader of Driftveil City in Unova… Mmmph!"
Before she could finish, Nemona was abruptly covered by Lacey, whose cheeks were now bright red, muffling her words.
"No, don't just reveal my personal information like that, I think it's not okay!"
After releasing Nemona, Lacey's face was still a bit flushed. Shyly crossing her arms in front of her, she pouted and quietly complained to Nemona.
So cute.
Witnessing their interaction, Aiden couldn't help but smile.
Just as Aiden was about to say something to liven up the atmosphere, his gaze passed through Nemona and Lacey and noticed another familiar figure in the distance.
"Big Brother Aiden, and Nemona, so you guys are here in Kitakami too?"
Arven soon appeared in everyone's line of sight, smiling warmly and greeting them.
"I saw that Big Brother Aiden wasn't in Paldea anymore, and I heard that Kitakami has some famous mochi dishes, so I came to learn for a few days."
"Never expected to run into you all here—it must be fate!"
"Mm-hmm, I agree!"
Nemona nodded repeatedly, her cheerful smile lighting up her face.
"To be honest, I think so too."
Even Aiden felt the same way.
Should we call it the bond of the protagonists or the inertia of fate...
He couldn't help but internally complain: this trip to Kitakami seems to have turned into a group tour.
Too bad the protagonist and Penny aren't here; otherwise, the main cast would be complete, plus Lacey-senpai, the only cutie from the DLC.
"Since it's such a coincidence, then..."
As Aiden reflected aloud, he suddenly noticed Nemona extending her hand toward him, her burning gaze fixed on him.
"How about a battle?"
"Teacher Aiden, my Pawmo has evolved into Pawmotnow, and its strength is super powerful!"
"So before my Victory Road, please accept my challenge once more!"
After blurting out all her thoughts in one breath, Nemona's eyes filled with intense anticipation, staring straight at Aiden.
"..."
How could I forget? At her core, Nemona is a battle maniac who can't go three sentences without mentioning battles.
With the Sunshine Gym closed recently, she couldn't take on challengers as an apprentice either. She must have been itching for a fight.
But well, it's not a bad idea. Eevee just evolved into Sylveon, and it needs a real battle to test its newfound power.
After letting out a sigh, Aiden reluctantly nodded.
"Of course, but let's hold off on the battle for now."
"It's lunchtime already. Let me treat you all to a meal."
As a mature and reliable gym leader and big brother figure, he wasn't like Nemona, the self-centered battle maniac.
Eating was the most important thing!
As if sensing Aiden's thoughts, a Poké Ball in his pocket jiggled slightly.
Miraidon approves!
…
As the tourism hub carefully crafted by Paldea, Mossui Town, though small in area, lacked none of the essential facilities.
Even Seafood Fresco, which they had tried with Cynthia in Mesagoza had opened a branch here, and it seemed to be doing decent.
However, before entering the restaurant, Aiden spotted a certain blonde loli through the window once again.
"..."
Others saying it was a coincidence he might believe, but this one? Not a chance!
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