[Hey, Satodear, isn't someone following us?]
Furiko's voice sounded in his head, but Satoshi's attention was still mostly on his battles, and he wasn't particularly concerned about it.
"Probably. But compared to stuff like that, I'd rather battle more."
It seemed the other party was using some kind of move to conceal their presence and stalk him secretly, but since Satoshi didn't sense any hostility, he genuinely didn't care.
Compared to this sort of thing, Pokémon battles were naturally far more interesting.
The rate at which his three Pokémon were growing inside the EcoDome was clearly much faster than training rooms.
Probably because none of them wanted to waste such a rare opportunity, all desperately absorbing experience at rapid speed.
Grookey, in particular, was growing extremely fast—Satoshi could already feel it approaching a certain boundary line.
The evolution boundary line.
Celebrate—the strongest pure-Grass Pokémon, Rillaboom, is about to be born!
Once it evolved into Rillaboom, maybe they'd have a chance of beating Marshadow even if it was 3-vs-1.
But a 3-vs-1 wasn't what Satoshi wanted. It had to be a 1-v-1.
"Oh crap, it's already lunchtime."
Having just wrapped up a battle, Satoshi glanced at his phone, realizing that noon had come.
He'd gotten so immersed in battling he'd completely lost track of time.
What can he say... Trainers and Pokémon really go way too hard!
Apparently, all MYGO members except him and Soyo had gathered at a restaurant to eat.
"Hmm? Where did Soyo go?"
[Ohoho~ maybe the one secretly tailing you is actually Soyo. With her whole loser-dog attitude, doing something like this wouldn't be surprising at all~]
[Especially picturing Soyo breathing heavily in excitement while secretly watching Sato-dear... Ahh~ just imagining that is making me excited too!]
Right now, Furiko had already guessed the truth, but Satoshi shook his head in disbelief.
"Stop saying nonsense. Soyo is very gentle, just like Mom—there's no way she'd do something perverted like that."
Firmly rejecting the possibility in his heart, Satoshi checked his bento box in the bag, smiled in satisfaction, and turned to leave.
...
"Haa~ Haa~ What kind of bento did Satoshi prepare today… Did he really make rice balls with his own hands?"
"I want to taste it so badly~"
Right now, Soyo's heavy possessiveness surged uncontrollably, and she couldn't help licking her lips greedily.
"Fufu~ (Tone down your lovesick aura, please...)"
Even Whimsicott felt disgusted by the breathy sounds Soyo was making—but there was nothing it could do about it.
But what could it even do? It was just a tiny, black-hearted cotton ball whose sole job was using a dozen dirty tricks to support this degenerate.
On normal days, simply walking around caused Whimsicott to encounter several Pokémon who'd previously fallen victim to its dirty moves—those Pokémon would very much like to punch it twice or thrice.
Without following this type of trainer, Whimsicott felt the world would become very difficult to survive in.
This was the inevitable fate of dirty-trick Pokémon.
Satoshi had long anticipated he'd become engrossed in the EcoDome's appeal, so he'd prepared a lunch box ahead of time. The EcoDome also had berries inside, of course.
But he couldn't just eat berries; some berries had confusing or tiring side-effects. Although he'd basically figured out his Pokémon's preferences already, it wasn't a concern.
Still, to become a Pokémon Master, he had to strengthen himself in every way.
Balanced nutrition was one part.
And then, there was another matter—Camel... Customer-Service Sakiko.
He needed to properly repay her for inviting him to the EcoDome last time.
Conveniently, he'd figured out where the EcoDome's cafeteria was located. Based on the chat records on his phone, Sakiko should have a lunch break around noon.
Noticing this, Satoshi immediately activated Quick Attack, swiftly dashing away.
At Super Rookie speed, Soyo and Whimsicott struggled a bit to keep up.
"So fast~ As expected of my Satoshi-kun..." Soyo's eyes clouded over with desire, breathing heavily, while Whimsicott waved its tiny hands desperately, trying to get its trainer to give up.
"Fufu! (Let's just give up already!)"
"Whimsicott, use Tailwind on me!"
Unfortunately, Soyo gave it no chance to protest. Riding the Tailwind, she sped up, rapidly disappearing from view.
...
"Finally...it's over."
By lunchtime, Sakiko stood up wearily. Working customer service was genuinely exhausting; it was getting tough for her to endure.
Her work state was starting to resemble Paldea's Larry—numb, exhausted, and lifeless.
Every time she used Endeavor, its power seemed to double.
"Speaking of... Satoshi-kun is visiting the EcoDome today. Should I take the chance to meet him?" Realizing this, Sakiko's expression softened a bit, regaining some color.
But going to see him with such an exhausted look would definitely worry him.
Togawa Sakiko was a strong-willed girl. She hated making others worry about her, so she gradually abandoned the idea.
It's fine to endure hardships alone. She was basically used to it by now anyway.
She'd even done things like drinking her useless dad's liquor and enduring Milotic's Hydro Pump when she hit rock-bottom. There was nothing left to fear!
But just then...
"Why are you here?!"
Just stepping into the cafeteria, Sakiko's amber eyes widened, staring incredulously at Satoshi.
A surge of inexplicable emotions overflowed in her heart, and her lips unconsciously curved upward.
"Good afternoon. As for why... Mm~ I wanted to see you, Sakiko. Also, I wanted you to taste this bento I recently practiced making, as thanks for inviting me here last time."
Satoshi took out the bento, reciting the lines he'd carefully memorized last night—specifically designed to soothe the heart of a corporate slave like Sakiko.
His three Pokémon accompanied his words, happily waving their little hands, warmly welcoming her arrival.
"Rai-Rai~ (Welcome~)"
"Koga-koga~ (Support incoming!)"
"Pachi-chi~ (I shipped SatoSaki from the start~)"
[Oh my god, Satodear, you're too smooth!]
"There's really...no need to thank me at all..."
As she said this, Sakiko's cheeks flushed gently, and she bashfully lowered her gaze, her slender eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings.
She sat in front of Satoshi, looking at the bento, feeling deeply touched.
She could clearly see he'd put a great deal of effort into this lunch.
"That won't do—I don't like owing favors. But if Sakiko-san wants to thank me, then please finish eating this bento. I spent a long time making it. I'd be really hurt if you refused."
Satoshi earnestly recited the script he'd prepared the previous night.
Sakiko's usual, life-drained eyes were genuinely difficult for him to watch anymore; that's why he'd done something like this.
Considering her warped personality, he knew she wouldn't accept charity outright—he'd spent a long time thinking of the best approach.
You really are too cruel, you know... Is it okay for you to steal my heart like this?
With her right hand—the one still wearing the ring—Sakiko picked up the chopsticks. A hidden tear quietly slipped from the corner of her eye, glittering faintly in the light. The corners of her lips lifted, blooming into a smile as warm as sunlight.
"Mm~? I'll definitely eat every last bite."
---
T/N: was gonna update earlier but got lazy, so im just doing 4 chapters for today's update, should be an update tomorrow too maybe 4 maybe not
Hello. I'm Enkidu.
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