"Red-Hat Demon King, please join our team! I'm begging you—I'll do anything!"
"Hehehe~ Satoshi-kun, our team is all girls! Are you sure you won't join us?"
"For the last time, I'm really not joining other teams!"
As soon as Satoshi arrived at his classroom that morning, he was immediately swarmed by a group of classmates. After achieving the dazzling top-three result in the recent Cup tournament, combined with his unbeatable 50-win streak, his ranking in the school soared. He'd now firmly secured a spot among the academy's top thirty trainers.
If he went all-out, he might even break into the top twenty—but at the moment, Satoshi simply wasn't interested.
Compared to Pokémon battles, dealing with overly enthusiastic classmates was far more troublesome. Some begged to join his team, others openly attempted to poach him from MYGO. Meanwhile, his own teammates—Chihaya Anon and Takamatsu Tomori—reacted very differently.
Tomori was slumped completely across her desk, radiating a powerful gravitational field of rejection.
"Impossible…too many people…"
As for Anon, she was already proudly holding her head high, drowning blissfully in vanity.
"Ehehe~ Sorry I'm already on the same team as Satoshi-kun~"
So wonderful~ Satoshi Love?~
She was probably the only one fully indulging in the attention—despite clearly being the weakest trainer on the team.
Satoshi shook his head, rejecting one classmate after another until the crowd finally dispersed. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Yet, just when he thought he could relax, another girl suddenly appeared, stopping right in front of him.
"Come on, can't you reconsider~? I'm friends with your girlfriend, Togawa-san, you know"
"Since when was Sakiko my girlfriend…?"
"Huh? Isn't she? Class B next door's going wild about it. They said you gave Togawa-san a ring. Even when they asked her directly, she just blushed and nodded."
"Huh?!"
Suddenly, Anon felt something unbearably heavy pressing down on her head. Her entire body stiffened involuntarily. Slowly turning her head, as if waking from a pleasant dream of vanity, she stared at Satoshi with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Gradually, however, she calmed down, her mood stabilizing as she found reassurance in her thoughts.
It's Satoshi, after all!
His emotional IQ for Pokémon might be sky-high, but towards girls, he's a total blockhead!
Him, giving a girl a ring? Impossible.
If anything, giving a ring to a Pokémon would make more sense.
No way. Definitely impossible.
Anon firmly convinced herself deep down.
"Well, that did happen."
Satoshi didn't deny it at all; he simply nodded matter-of-factly.
But this casual admission sent Anon's brain crashing on the spot.
"H-huh?!"
"Sylvee~" Sylveon, sensing her trainer's panic, gently touched Anon with its ribbon-like feelers, sending soothing waves to calm her down.
"Thank you, Sylveon…" Anon gradually recovered, gently stroking Sylveon's head in gratitude.
At that moment, Satoshi began to explain the situation.
"But we're not dating. I just gave her a gift as thanks."
So that's it…
Hearing his explanation, Anon took several deep breaths, completely trusting Satoshi's words without hesitation.
Trust needs no reason!
If it had been anyone else, she definitely wouldn't believe it, but since her boyfriend said it, there was definitely no problem.
When did they become boyfriend and girlfriend? Well, a future boyfriend is still technically a boyfriend!
Still, Anon felt wary toward this "Togawa-san" now. Someone capable of tricking the ultimate dense blockhead into buying her a ring—clearly, she was a despicable woman!
...
Meanwhile, in another classroom…
"No. Asama-san and I aren't in that kind of relationship," Togawa Sakiko replied coldly to each curious classmate approaching her, emanating an icy aura that quickly chased them away.
How did she produce this icy aura? Courtesy of her Froslass.
"I bet they're secretly dating! Did you see the ring Togawa-san's wearing? She's still got it on!"
I forgot to take it off…
Sakiko's heart stirred uneasily, a faint headache threading through her thoughts. She lowered her head shyly, feeling embarrassed. After a long struggle, she finally gathered her courage, gently slipping the ring off her finger and carefully tucking it close to her heart.
"See? She's blushing~!"
The teasing voice from beside her made Sakiko's embarrassment spike even higher.
My weak former self already died… Don't get embarrassed over such trivial matters.
Sakiko closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, desperately trying to suppress the emotions churning inside her.
Yet, no matter how long she waited, calmness refused to return—so she gave up.
Strangely enough, she didn't particularly mind these rumors. If she couldn't make them vanish, she'd just have to adapt instead.
Worst-case scenario, once she became an Elite Four, she could play out the classic storyline:
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don't underestimate a poor girl's revenge!
Togawa family, I'm coming back to settle scores!
Asama family, I'm here to steal the groom!
"Ahhh…so embarrassing…" Sakiko buried her flushed face onto her desk, abandoning all dignity as a refined young lady to indulge in a moment of shy, shameful solitude.
...
[Satobaby, how about just starting a harem already~? You're surrounded by so many girls—why not just take them all?]
Hmm? What are you talking about now?
I'm not going that far. Maybe if they ever actually liked me back, I'd consider it.
Satoshi casually replied to Furiko, flipping open his phone.
[Ugh…you idiot! I was clearly urging you to make the first move! Once they pin you to the bed, it'll already be too late! Aren't most of them borderline yandere?!]
Ignoring Furiko's ridiculous commentary, Satoshi focused on his phone again.
According to Rainbow Wing Academy's system, students with enough notable victories earned a spot on the official ranking.
Though Satoshi wasn't entirely clear on specifics, it seemed straightforward enough—more wins meant a higher ranking.
—27th: Red-Hat Demon King – Asama Satoshi.
—Evaluation: A rookie rapidly rising in strength, characterized by high-speed battles and unwavering trust with his Pokémon.
—Pokémon: Raichu, Frogadier, Grookey…
It seemed accurate enough. He certainly preferred fast Pokémon over slow ones.
Even his slowest Pokémon, Grookey, had priority moves like [Grassy Glide] and speedy attacks like [Acrobatics] and [U-turn].
Yesterday's memorable opponents were also ranked fairly high:
For instance, #67 Gotou Hitori, #42 Aijo Karen, and #28 Kagura Hikari.
Actually, it was precisely after his battle against Kagura Hikari that Satoshi had rocketed up the rankings.
Thanks a lot, Superwoman Hikari!
After briefly checking everyone's evaluations, Satoshi intended to close his phone screen, but just as he was about to, a message from his younger sister popped up.
"Huh?"
[Sister]:Dear big brother~ You have a new fiancée~!
[F-F-Fiancée…?! Noooo! Satobaby's fiancée—isn't it obviously me?! How can this be?!]
[Uwaaaa… Absolutely not! Satobaby getting married to someone else—I won't accept it unless he spends at least ten thousand lifetimes with me first!]
Calm down. I have a high-EQ reply ready. A mere fiancée is nothing to worry about.
Satoshi's expression remained completely calm; such trivial news couldn't affect him in the slightest. Besides, he had a secret plan—it wasn't a problem at all.
Thus, he confidently began typing on his phone, full of pride at his flawless response:
[Satoshi]:I'm going to become a Pokémon Master—women just get in the way!