"Don't get worked up. I call her 'sister' because she's older than me, not because we share any blood," Li Yuan quickly reassured her, seeing how obsessed she was with the idea.
In truth, his relationship with Erika was exceptionally close. Even if they weren't siblings by blood, they were more intimate than many real brothers and sisters. However, to avoid triggering Sapphire further, he figured it was best to keep the deeper details to himself for now.
"Are you two... very close?" Sapphire asked. Once she heard they weren't related, her heart settled back into her chest.
If they had been siblings, she absolutely wouldn't have accepted being with him—at least not until she reclaimed her Gym. You could say she was obsessed, but that obsession was the only thing that had kept her going all these years. If she abandoned that drive now, she'd lose her direction entirely.
She didn't actually hold a personal grudge against Erika; the woman was just following the League's orders. But Erika occupied her father's Gym, and to win it back, Sapphire had to direct her resentment somewhere.
"Of course we're close. Erika is one of my best customers. Every time she visits, she drops tens of thousands on my services. How could we not be close?" Li Yuan's eyes practically gleamed with greed as he mentioned the money.
"I think you're just close with her wallet," Sapphire muttered, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. So, she was just the "freeloader" who couldn't pay up.
She had felt a pang of jealousy hearing how close he was with Erika, but seeing his money-grubbing expression, her annoyance vanished. This guy probably only had eyes for cash. Was he a beggar in his past life? Why is he so obsessed with money in this one?
"Don't worry about the details. I just didn't expect you to challenge her. She's not an easy opponent. Losing to her isn't something to be ashamed of," Li Yuan comforted her.
"Is that how you comfort people? Are you saying I'm just not as good as her?" Sapphire pouted, looking aggrieved.
"Did you forget what I just said? She spends tens of thousands here regularly. With that kind of investment, do you think her Pokémon are weak? Or are you questioning your man's ability to make Pokémon stronger?" Li Yuan fired back a string of questions that left Sapphire a bit dazed.
When she thought about it, it made sense. She had only been here once, and Zhizhi had already awakened a special version of Blaze, boosting her power by at least 50%. And that was just the start—Li Yuan had specifically developed a much more violent version of the ability for her.
If Erika was a regular who came here all the time, how strong must she be by now? I didn't lose to Erika... I lost to my own husband's handiwork?
Wait! Husband?! Who said he was her husband? They had barely started, and he already wanted that title? No way!
But despite her internal protest, Sapphire's face turned red, and she intentionally avoided correcting him, pretending she hadn't heard the word.
"If that's the case, how am I supposed to win?" Sapphire frowned. Why did her "husband" have to make her rival so powerful? It was like he was intentionally making her life difficult.
"It's not that bad. Erika mostly spends her money on her main team. The Pokémon she uses for standard Gym challenges haven't been reinforced much. If you can perfectly master this new Blaze, your chances are very high," Li Yuan explained.
"That's better..." Sapphire breathed a sigh of relief.
But something still felt off. Generally, a Gym Leader's main team was at the 'Leader' level or higher, which they didn't use against rookie challengers. Challenges like hers usually faced 'Elite' level Pokémon at most.
According to the World League rankings, Pokémon strength was categorized as: Common, Excellent, Outstanding, Mainstay, Elite, Veteran, Leader, Elite Four, and Champion.
Suddenly, she realized why it felt wrong. Her ultimate goal wasn't just to win a badge; it was to defeat Erika completely and take back the Gym. When that day came, wouldn't she have to face Erika's main team?
Damn it! I'm still being screwed over by my own man!
Luckily, she had plenty of time before she had to challenge Erika for the title. During that time, she could keep using Li Yuan to get stronger. Surely her own man wouldn't hold back on helping her, right?
"Let's change the subject. You mentioned your mom, Caroline, is looking for work?" Li Yuan suddenly asked.
"Yes. Do you have any suggestions?" Sapphire asked curiously.
"Well, as your man, I can certainly arrange a decent job for my future mother-in-law. Why don't you ask her if she'd like to work here? The job is simple—just helping look after the customers' Pokémon. We open at 10 AM, I close up around 5 PM, and there's an hour for lunch. That's only a five-hour workday. Weekends off, room and board included. Depending on her Breeder certification, I can pay anywhere from 6,000 to 15,000 a month. What do you think?" Li Yuan spoke as if he were purely looking out for her family.
In reality, he was already plotting to get the mother under his roof. If Sapphire's father was Norman, her mother was undoubtedly Caroline. In the world of Pokémon, Caroline was a top-tier beauty, easily rivaling his "Auntie" Delia. How could he let a mature woman like that live all alone elsewhere?
For the "safety" of his mother-in-law, of course, he had to bring her close. Once she moved in, his Aura's natural charm would eventually turn them into a very "close-knit" family.
"Is... is that really okay?" Sapphire didn't suspect a thing. She only saw this as her boyfriend taking care of her and was overjoyed.
If she could get her mother a relaxed, respectable job where they could be together, why wouldn't she? Besides, a job with weekends off and only six hours of work a day was a dream come true. If it weren't for the fact that it was her man offering, she'd think it was some kind of organ-harvesting scam.
"Honestly, I hope she comes. My Auntie gets quite tired handling everything herself. I've been meaning to hire more help for a while," Li Yuan lied smoothly.
"But my mom is only a low-level Breeder. Won't she be a burden?" Sapphire wanted the job for her mom but didn't want to hold Li Yuan back.
"So what? My Auntie is a low-level Breeder too. For your sake, I can start her at 7,000 or 8,000 a month," Li Yuan raised the stakes.
"Then... thank you so much, on behalf of my mother." Sapphire was ecstatic. She felt, from the bottom of her heart, that she had found a truly good man.
7,000 a month? In an era where low-level Breeders were everywhere, most were lucky to make 5,000. Who would have thought the boy she used to ignore in high school would not only become her boyfriend but also pave such a smooth path for her future?
Sapphire leaned into his chest happily. Her feelings had shifted from wanting to stay away from him to wanting to hold him tight in just a few short moments.
"There's no need for thanks between lovers. If you really want to show your gratitude, why don't you give me some... practical action?" Li Yuan saw that the girl was completely smitten. A smirk of successful plotting played on his lips.
He hooked his finger under Sapphire's delicate chin, slowly tilting her face up as he leaned in.
Realizing what was about to happen, Sapphire's eyes widened, and her face began to burn. Shyness flooded her, and she tried to turn away, but he dominantly held her in place.
As his face drew closer, Sapphire's face turned a deep, bruised crimson. Finally, she squeezed her eyes shut in a mix of shame and anticipation.
As his lips pressed against hers with a suffocating softness, Sapphire's breath hitched. The sensation was so intense she felt like she might faint...