Because Anon was taking a bath, Satoshi could only hang out in Taki's room for now.
And, conveniently, he could spend some time "raising a kitty" to cheer himself up.
As for what kitty—
Obviously, the adorable Raana.
"Satoshi, I want candy~"
"Got it~ Here."
Raana parted her lips slightly, and Satoshi carefully fed her a brightly colored sweet.
The instant the candy touched Raana's lips, a flicker of happiness shone in her eyes. The corners of her mouth lifted—quietly pleased with herself.
Honestly, keeping Raana like a pet was pretty entertaining… except her other "owner," Taki, was starting to look unhappy.
"Stray cat. Eat it yourself next time." Taki frowned faintly, a sharp edge of displeasure creeping in.
Jealousy spread through her chest. If Raana weren't a middle-schooler who posed no threat, Taki would've stopped this ages ago.
Raana was a student in Rainbow Wing Academy's Junior Division—in other words, a middle-schooler.
Since she couldn't participate in the High School Pokémon League, there wasn't much for her to do here.
After all, the ones challenging trials and earning Z-Crystals were basically doing it for the high school league.
"Huh? Taki-mama, you don't want me being fed by Satoshi-papa?" Raana tilted her head, staring at her with wide, innocent eyes.
"Hah? …It's not like I'm saying you can't."
For a moment, Taki looked shy. A faint blush surfaced on her cheeks, and she lowered her head without meaning to.
That strange way of addressing her was confusing… but weirdly, it wasn't unpleasant.
It's like she's saying I like Satoshi—though I do, so…!
Taki's thoughts started to tangle into a mess.
Satoshi didn't pay the "mom" and "dad" thing any mind. Instead, he was being tugged on by Tomori.
"Satoshi… can you go out with me for a bit? I want to go to the battle hall and study a little."
Tomori lowered her eyes shyly, soft lashes trembling, her voice quivering.
The battle hall was a special area inside the Tide Song Hotel built for Trainers. Tomorrow was the day for trials and Grand Trials, so Tomori wanted to build up her confidence beforehand.
"Got it. Then let's go together."
Satoshi didn't hesitate. He reached out, took Tomori's hand, and laced their fingers tightly.
He wanted to go himself—no way he was refusing!
Seeing more Alolan Pokémon? Two words: let's go!
The two of them quickly left the room, leaving behind only a deep-in-thought Taki and Raana happily chewing candy.
"Huh? Where did Satoshi and Tomori go?"
Coming back to herself, Taki blinked—then felt something heavy settle over her.
A doubled heaviness—like being NTR'd by two people at once.
One was her favorite friend, the other was the boy she liked most. How did they vanish the moment she looked away?!
Raana bit down on her candy and explained.
"Satoshi went out with Tomori."
"Then what about me?" Taki pointed at her own face.
...
Once they reached the battle hall, there really were a lot of Alolan Pokémon.
Rowlet, Bewear, Tsareena, Togedemaru…
There were plenty of baby Pokémon too, and it all added to the region's rich ecology.
Satoshi and Tomori wandered around hand in hand.
But for Tomori, this wasn't really about getting stronger—she wanted to treat it like a date. More than that, lately she'd been feeling a sense of crisis.
Soyo and Anon didn't even try to hide their feelings, and during the Cinnabar Tournament Taki's relationship with Satoshi had improved by leaps and bounds.
I need to get closer to Satoshi too… and do something that's just ours.
That was more or less what was circling in Tomori's mind.
Her feelings wavered, and she was also afraid Satoshi would someday throw a Pokémon party and not invite her!
If one day she heard, "You're not allowed to come to the Pokémon party!"
Tomori was certain she…
Would die.
Satoshi having a Pokémon party without her—no, she couldn't take that!
So she'd come for a little "sneak attack." Timid Takamatsu Tomori was unexpectedly bold today: fingers interlaced, hands tightly clasped, their digits winding together like two lines pulling at each other. And Tomori's gaze grew hotter by the second.
Unfortunately, Satoshi was a super blockhead and didn't notice a thing.
At most, he just thought Tomori's small hand felt nice.
As for anything else…
Holy—Toxapex is disgusting. It's stalling with Recover, Toxic, and Baneful Bunker to grind HP down!
People run Comfey in singles too?! But with how obnoxious Comfey can be, I guess it's not bad…
Alola's Pokémon kept snaring Satoshi's attention, and he and Tomori ended up closer and closer—close enough that anyone watching would definitely assume they were a couple.
"Everyone's so amazing…" Tomori murmured.
Her cheeks reddened, shy light glimmering in her eyes.
Watching the battles—so many Trainers, so many Pokémon—Tomori couldn't help but feel a little afraid.
Even her former teammate Wakaba Mutsumi was among them, crushing opponents with overwhelming strength.
A former teammate her age had already become a Gym Leader. It hit Tomori hard.
"Yeah. But in my eyes, Tomori, you're not weaker than any of them—honestly, you're even stronger. So there's no reason to be scared."
Satoshi said it plainly, without holding back, trying to give confidence to a timid girl who lacked it.
Since he trained with Tomori often, Marshadow had been trusting her more and more. In battle it was getting harder to deal with, and Tomori's skill as a Trainer kept climbing—she was close to truly handling Marshadow.
Takamatsu Tomori Penguin Pokémon (Trainer) growth: SSS!
Someday she'll definitely be able to battle with me for the rest of her life!
I really, really want that!
"Thank you…"
Love rippled through Tomori like fine rain, spreading outward as her amber eyes stayed fixed on Satoshi.
He had to admit it—words like that hit way too hard for a girl in her teens. Tomori even rose onto her toes without thinking.
What was she trying to do?
Jump Satoshi—
—No, not that. Just… look at his profile, and feel an impulse to kiss him.
But something like that was far too difficult for fragile Tomori.
What does Satoshi feel about me?
Is there love in it?
Tomori lowered her eyes, too shy to look directly at the boy she liked.
"I'm going to battle them for a bit. Tomori, what are you going to do?"
Watching the matches in the distance, Satoshi couldn't hold back his own racing heart.
I want to battle! I don't want to wait even a second!
So he's leaving?
I want to hold his hand longer…
A flicker of disappointment passed through Tomori's eyes, but it hardened into resolve.
"I'll stay here and watch your battles…"
Being couple-like with Satoshi was fun, but Tomori wanted even more to support him.
"Okay. I'll show you a strong, cool battle—guaranteed."
As he said it, Satoshi's lips lifted into a bright, sunlit smile. That open, cheerful look made Tomori's cheeks flush, her heartbeat quickening on its own.
So cool… I want to be together forever!
Tie Satoshi tightly to my side.
A flood of thoughts swept through Tomori's mind until she couldn't even find words.
In the end, all those feelings condensed into one single thought—
I really, really, really want to be with Satoshi…!
---
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
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