Since yesterday's battle against Satoshi, Kagura Hikari had felt unable to settle her emotions.
It wasn't that she couldn't accept losing—rather, there was a maddening itch, an inexplicable impulse surging within her body, as though yearning for something from that boy. Perhaps craving it, even.
Was it the thrill of battle? Or something deeper?
Or maybe just Flabébé pollen allergies acting up...? No, probably not.
In short, it definitely wasn't something like love... probably.
Even though last night, seeing Satoshi and Karen acting close, she'd accidentally crushed her drink cup.
But that definitely wasn't love. Kagura Hikari could be certain of it!
There was approximately a 1.14514% chance it wasn't romantic attraction.
And if there was even a slight possibility it wasn't love, then it simply wasn't love!
So she declared!
As for what exactly it was—well, that wasn't clear yet. Right now, she just wanted to understand these strange feelings better.
Satoshi... Show me exactly what this impulse really is...
Hikari stared intensely at the boy not far away, as Grookey and Quilladin's attacks clashed fiercely on the battlefield.
"Pachi!" Grookey's stick slammed into Quilladin's tough shell with a resounding crash. Knocked back heavily, Quilladin stumbled several steps backward.
Given Grookey's naturally higher Attack stat, this was an entirely normal outcome, and Satoshi wasn't surprised at all. Moreover, Grookey's stick clearly gave it an edge compared to Quilladin's barehanded combat style.
"Use [Acrobatics] to close in!"
"Counter with [Metal Claw]!"
"Pachi!" Grookey flashed brightly, swiftly charging toward Quilladin like a streak of lightning. It twisted through the air skillfully, executing a series of acrobatic strikes in quick succession.
Quilladin's hands quickly hardened into gleaming steel, preparing to counter with [Metal Claw]. However, Grookey moved like dancing rays of light, effortlessly dodging Quilladin's strikes.
The [Acrobatics] attack struck fiercely, sending Quilladin reeling and sliding backward.
"Impressive speed. But now you're within perfect range—[Pin Missile]!"
"Hari—!" Quilladin unleashed dozens of shining silver needles, swiftly converging into sharp projectiles aimed straight at Grookey.
"Use [Acrobatics] again to deflect them!"
Grookey expertly spun its stick, knocking aside most of the needles, although a few managed to strike due to close proximity.
"Another volley—[Pin Missile] again!"
"In that case, we'll close the distance—[Grassy Glide]!"
A storm of glowing silver needles flew toward Grookey once more, but this time Grookey swiftly slid forward along the grassy terrain, quickly appearing directly in front of Quilladin.
"Use [Poison Jab]!"
"Jump, Grookey—then strike with [U-turn]!"
"Hari!" "Pachi!"
Quilladin's fist became shrouded in swirling violet poison, lunging forward to strike. Meanwhile, Grookey leaped gracefully into the air, its body surrounded by spiraling green energy, turning itself into a rapidly spinning drill and slamming powerfully into Quilladin.
With a blinding flash, the [U-turn] struck home.
"Hari—!" Quilladin was hurled backward by immense force, arcing heavily through the air before crashing to the ground unconscious.
Seeing this scene unfold, Kagura Hikari's expression remained unchanged as she calmly recalled Quilladin into its Pokéball.
The battle ended far too quickly, and she'd barely gotten to savor it at all. Honestly, right now, Hikari just wanted to yell something like:
You useless Pokémon!
But she restrained herself. Quilladin was indeed the weakest Pokémon on her current team, severely lacking battle experience, so there wasn't much to do about it.
However, with the fight ending so abruptly, that inexplicable itch still wasn't resolved.
"Could it really be love, like Karen said...?"
Kagura Hikari couldn't quite comprehend.
Even if it was love, she'd hardly felt anything significant last night—other than accidentally crushing her drink, anyway.
That much barely qualified as romantic feelings at all, right?
Surely, this was just the feeling of having found a rival.
Watching the three people and one Pokémon in front of her, Hikari puffed up her cheeks, feeling a sudden, inexplicable irritation.
But soon enough, Satoshi approached her.
"Thanks for today, Hikari. If you ever want another Pokémon battle, just reach out anytime—I'll always be waiting."
Saying that, Satoshi smiled warmly and extended his hand. Hikari stared at his outstretched palm, cheeks faintly reddening as she lightly grasped it. Nodding shyly, this usually cool and quiet girl now showed a surprisingly gentle expression.
"Mm…"
All lives would inevitably encounter others, creating something new.
This must definitely be what a true rival feels like!
Hikari decisively reaffirmed her conclusion in her heart.
"The battle's over. Let's go, Satoshi-kun. We'll be late for practice~" Anon naturally stepped forward and took Satoshi's hand in hers.
"Ah…"
Seeing this, Kagura Hikari suddenly felt a strange urge to battle Anon directly, a faint, bubbling jealousy rising inside her chest.
You're holding hands with her?
Then what about me?
...
The three of them walked together toward MYGO's usual training area. Because different departments at Rainbow Wing had slightly varied dismissal times—though rarely significantly—sometimes they'd get delayed by teachers who enjoyed running over class time.
So, they seldom left school simultaneously.
Not to mention, Rainbow Wing was rather large; the distance between the Breeding Department and Battle Department was considerable.
Soyo and Taki belonged to the Breeding Department, while Raana attended the junior-high Battle Department.
Upon entering the training room, Tomori's cheeks turned scarlet, emitting a subtle, fragrant aura. Her eyelashes fluttered softly, occasionally glancing timidly at Satoshi.
Clearly, there was something she wanted to say.
In fact, she'd wanted to say it since yesterday but had saved it until today.
[This girl's staring at Satobaby like she definitely wants to beat you down, drag you home, and star in a rage-filled drama~!]
What nonsense are you even talking about...?
Satoshi broke into a cold sweat, but nevertheless approached Tomori gently, trying to reassure her.
"It's okay. If there's something you need to say, just go ahead. Anon and I are here for you, Tomori. You don't have to worry about anything."
"That's right~ Tomori-chan, there's absolutely nothing to worry about!"
Anon had no idea what was happening but naturally chimed in alongside her (self-proclaimed) boyfriend.
"Mm."
Hearing their reassuring words, Tomori slowly lifted her head, eyes shining with determined resolve. Without hesitation, she took a luxurious black-and-gold Luxury Ball from her pocket, holding it tightly yet gently in her hand.
"Satoshi-kun, I want to show you 'Spring Shadow'."
"Please, have a Pokémon battle with me!"
---
T/N: s[romg sjadpw is haruhikage and it's MYGO's song! but here its a pokemon heuheuhe
bonus chaps tomorrow
Hey everyone, thanks for reading. If you're enjoying the translation, dropping some Powerstones would really help out your hardworking translator (100 stones = 1 bonus chapter, 200 = 2 chapters, and so on—easy math, right?).
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say thank you to hayasaka guyss