I understood their intentions clearly…
They were making things up…
Still… what could I do? Push too hard and I risked shattering the fragile trust we had built with Kirlia over these days.
My hands finally fell away from my face.
I lifted my head and met all of their stares one by one.
The moment our eyes locked, they realized I had caught on to their little performance.
Lopunny immediately let out her soft, coaxing "Lopuuun~".
Her gaze slid deliberately downward, avoiding mine with exaggerated innocence, ears twitching just once as if she knew exactly how obvious she was being.
With deliberate slowness, one cream-furred paw rose into the air.
Lopunny formed a perfect little circle with her thumb and forefinger.
Then, languidly, the middle finger of her other paw slid through the ring, smooth, unhurried, unmistakable.
In. Out. In again…
"Lopuuun~" she purred, keeping the lazy rhythm going.
Her brown eyes finally lifted to meet mine, big, glistening, the picture of perfect innocence even as her paw continued that filthy little motion.
"Lopunnyyy… Lopun~" she continued, tilting her head, ears flopping adorably to one side.
The words hit me like bricks…
No bad things… just this…
You said no relationship like that…
We're not crossing any line, see~?
We're just… teaching.
Just sharing knowledge.
Very important knowledge.
Nothing more, nothing leeeess~
From the other side came a smug "Nyaaa~" as Meowscarada nodded in full agreement.
I took a deep breath.
My mind raced in frantic circles.
I knew, deep down, that I could not truly control them.
They had already decided this boundary was flexible, and unless I carved a line in stone, one strong enough to hold without wounding them, they would keep nudging, keep testing.
I sighed, the sound heavy and defeated, then turned to Kirlia.
She had not moved.
She sat perfectly still between my legs, tiny hands folded neatly in her lap, those wide eyes locked on me with quiet, unwavering trust.
No demand burned in her gaze, no impatience, just patient waiting, soft and expectant.
Her small, delicate fingers twitched once, almost unconsciously…
Her body leaned ever so slightly forward, tiny fingers twitching once in her lap like she was holding back from reaching.
A dangerous thought slipped through the cracks:
Maybe I should stop resisting...
Maybe I should let the sparks flare unchecked, let the heat pulse and run free instead of chaining it down every single time…
Just surrender…
Noo.
I shook my head sharply.
My fist clenched hard enough that my nails bit into my palm.
I must not let my desire control me.
Meanwhile, his Pokémon watched him in silence.
They exchanged a quick, wordless glance, both wondering the same thing: what is Ryan thinking right now?