As expected, Ryuuske's hand reached out exactly as Shirunai had anticipated.
A flash of joy had just appeared on Shirunai's face, but before she could cheer, her expression twisted into dismay the next second. Her mind was in chaos—was she really this unlucky, or was Ryuuske just an outright freak?
When a normal guy excitedly went for a girl's chest, shouldn't he grab straight forward? Why did this man have to go upward from below?!
At that moment, the girl realized her last trump card had been exposed. At that moment, she was truly afraid.
Ryuuske's face showed an I knew it expression. His hand didn't feel the soft, delicate touch of a girl's chest—instead, it was met with something hard. And based on the shape and size, he was certain those were just two Poké Balls!
"Impressive, impressive. I really can't let my guard down around you for even a second. If I'd actually fallen for it and grabbed you out of lust, I'd probably be ambushed by your Pokémon right now, huh?"
"...Let me guess what you've got hidden in those balls. Hmm, I remember you used a Jigglypuff back at the lab. So at least one of these has to be a Jigglypuff, no doubt."
With a smug grin at Shirunai's pale face, Ryuuske pinched her soft cheek and said, "...Next time, try positioning the Poké Balls differently. Don't leave the buttons facing forward. If they were facing downward, I might've actually fallen for it."
The pinch stung, but Shirunai ignored the pain and forced a bitter smile. "...That's good advice. I'll keep it in mind. But even if I turned the buttons downward, I doubt I could've ambushed you. You were already prepared."
By now, Shirunai had realized—it wasn't that Ryuuske was a freak. He had known her "chest" was fake, that it was just two Poké Balls all along!
"How did you figure it out?"
Shirunai lowered her head, hiding her anxious expression from Ryuuske. Her lively, expressive eyes darted around as she desperately searched for an escape plan.
She didn't think Ryuuske had discovered it while she was unconscious—if he had groped her then, he would've triggered the Poké Balls' release. She had already given her Pokémon orders to attack the moment they were let out. Which meant… this man had been suspicious of her from the start.
"Too fake. Your figure is so slim, but your chest is way out of proportion. Even if you were 'gifted,' that size would still be ridiculous."
Ryuuske spoke with absolute seriousness, as if discussing some profound scientific truth.
"...I see. I thought all men were obsessed with big breasts. Next time, I'll adjust the size to something more believable."
Shirunai nodded thoughtfully, already brainstorming ways to refine her tactics. She really was a quick learner.
Ryuuske sighed regretfully. So this alluring, seductive girl's real size was probably about the same as Misty's—maybe slightly bigger, but compared to Sabrina? No contest.
Sabrina really is the best.
"Given up?"
Seeing Shirunai's usual mischievousness completely gone, Ryuuske knew she had exhausted all her tricks. She was truly at his mercy now.
"Never!"
But Shirunai stubbornly raised her chin, refusing to yield.
Normally, she would've pretended to surrender first, then looked for an opening when Ryuuske let his guard down. But now that she knew her usual tricks wouldn't work, her defiance burned fiercer than ever.
"If you won't give up, then show me what else you've got. Let's see what other little tricks you have."
Ryuuske sat down directly in front of Shirunai, who was still bound in a kneeling position. Their eyes were now level.
As he watched the girl kneeling before him, her legs glowing with a porcelain sheen, Ryuuske's expression turned strange. His hand still rested on her thigh, idly stroking it.
Shirunai shuddered slightly but pretended not to notice the strange sensation. "...If brute force doesn't work, how about I trade you something else in exchange for letting me go?"
"Go on. Let's hear what you've got, and I'll decide if it's worth it."
Ryuuske replied indifferently.
"Do you know why Team Rocket carried out that terrorist attack in Vermilion City?"
"I couldn't care less about their motives. You're not seriously trying to trade useless intel for your freedom, are you?"
"Of course not! What I want to trade is this—Team Rocket attacked Vermilion City while its Gym Leader was away to lure the Cerulean City Gym Leader out for reinforcements, leaving Cerulean vulnerable. Because they've discovered traces of the legendary Pokémon, Mew!"
Shirunai stared intently at Ryuuske's face, searching for any reaction.
"Oh? The legendary Mew, huh? And then?"
Ryuuske's expression remained indifferent, leaving Shirunai disappointed.
"Team Rocket has sent a large force to Cerulean City. They have a disk that records Mew's psychic wavelengths, allowing them to pinpoint its location within the city. And I stole that disk from their secret base!"
"...Interested in teaming up to catch Mew? I saw you took money from my wallet earlier—you must be short on cash too. If we catch Mew and sell it, we'll make a fortune!"
Shirunai closed one eye and lifted her chin proudly.
"Catch Mew? And sell it? Are you trying to kill me with laughter so you can inherit my Pokémon as my widow? Hahahahaha!"
Ryuuske burst into laughter after a brief pause.
"What's so funny?!"
Shirunai snapped, annoyed. She had gone through great lengths to steal that disk—she didn't see anything wrong with her plan.
"I'm laughing because you're an idiot. Do you even know how powerful Mew is?"
Ryuuske looked at her skeptically.
"...No. But it's just one Pokémon, right? If we work together and track it down, catching it shouldn't be too hard."
Shirunai's confidence wavered under Ryuuske's serious tone.
'So this girl has no idea how strong legendary Pokémon really are. I guess most people in this world don't—after all, the last recorded battles involving them were just text descriptions from seventy years ago.'
It was like how those who'd never experienced war couldn't fathom its horrors. Without witnessing the apocalyptic might of legendary Pokémon firsthand, most people probably just saw them as rare, slightly stronger creatures.
Only true scholars and elite trainers understood what real "legendary beasts" were.
But—
"Your proposal isn't completely worthless. I'm not interested in catching Mew, but beating it up? Now that sounds fun."
A thought crossed Ryuuske's mind. Considering Mewtwo's burning desire to fight Mew, this might just be the perfect opportunity.
To be continued…