Eventually, Fujin left behind only a meaningful glance, sighed, and turned away.
Back in his day, he too had been so oblivious to romance. His old friends were now surrounded by children and grandchildren, while he had grown old alone.
'Sato, oh Sato… hurting the girl may feel good for a moment, but chasing after her… heh~'
Fujin let out a carefree laugh, as if witnessing the birth of another ultimate bachelor.
Sato, still stunned by Fujin's remark, remained rooted in place, spacing out; no one knew what was running through his mind…
---◓---
Intensive training continued, and just as Fujin had promised, he poured out all his knowledge.
His Serperior had an exceptional mastery of the move Growth, even being able to manipulate its own size, shrinking or enlarging to better adapt to different battles.
Among Sato and Cynthia's Pokémon, both Cacturne and Roserade could naturally learn Growth, so they were directly pulled aside by Serperior for special coaching.
Weavile, too, had refined the assassin archetype to its peak. Every move aimed for a one-hit KO!
Without question, Sato's Weavile formally took Serperior as its "master" and began its assassin path diligently under the expert's guidance.
As for the "mage" Froslass, it also gained two students: Sato's Hydreigon and Cynthia's Glaceon.
Forcing a pseudo-legendary like Hydreigon to learn from an Ice-type it despised was something outsiders would find unthinkable…
But when Froslass effortlessly unleashed a basic Blizzard with overwhelming control, Lefty, Righty, and Middy "bowed" their heads without hesitation!
Sure, Froslass had lost to the "allied Pokémon" earlier; but no one ever asked how many targeted assaults it had endured. In the end, it still took one down with it.
As for the other Pokémon, Fujin provided individual evaluations and suggestions, and both Sato and Cynthia nodded continuously as they listened.
Thus, their "expense-paid vacation" slowly approached its final day amidst this fiery training…
---◓---
That morning, as usual, Sato woke up early. After a quick wash, he headed straight toward the training grounds.
But just as he stepped out of the cabin, he saw Cynthia's Lucario leaning silently against the wall with its eyes closed.
"Luca~"
"Uh… What's up? Is Cynthia looking for me?"
Seeing Lucario blocking his path, Sato blinked and asked hesitantly.
Lucario quickly nodded, then turned and began walking outside the cabin.
"Rio!" 'Follow me!'
Though confused, Sato's legs moved on their own, trailing after it.
◓---
On the second floor of the cabin, Gardevoir stood at the window, quietly watching Sato follow Lucario away in haste.
Her gaze was deep and thoughtful…
---◓
Lucario neither rushed nor dragged its pace, moving just fast enough for Sato to keep up. It was clearly anxious, yet remained very composed.
Ten minutes later, Lucario suddenly stopped and turned its head, signaling forward.
Sato looked in that direction, hearing the faint sound of running water.
He nodded to Lucario, then pushed through the bushes ahead, and soon saw Cynthia sitting by the riverbank.
Her long golden hair draped down her back, covering most of her body.
The golden strands concealed Cynthia's usual heroic aura, making Sato feel, for the first time, that she also had a tender, delicate side.
On either side of her, Glaceon and the sneaky Umbreon that had snuck out last night were lying quietly, sweetly keeping her company.
Sato watched the peaceful scene and didn't feel like intruding at all. Unfortunately, the sound of him pushing through the bushes wasn't quiet… he had already alerted his own Umbreon.
"U-Umbr!"
Umbreon panicked at the sight of Sato, then quickly pretended nothing had happened and cheerfully ran over, rubbing affectionately against his leg.
"…You don't have to sneak out anymore. If you want to go, just go," Sato said, gently rubbing Umbreon's small head with a hint of indulgence.
"Umbr( * 'ω')!"
At that moment, Cynthia had already turned to look at Sato. She wore a faint smile but didn't get up to greet him.
Sato walked over. The morning sunlight slanted across Cynthia's face, her indescribable beauty making his heart skip another beat…
"You're here?"
"Mhm."
"Sit with me for a bit. We've been here so many days, and I haven't even taken the time to enjoy the scenery."
Hearing this, Sato nodded and quietly sat down to her left, carefully avoiding her loose hair.
Umbreon also lay down beside Sato, resting its head on his thigh, while Glaceon on the other side lay on Cynthia's lap, exchanging glances with Umbreon.
"You two-…~"
Cynthia couldn't help but laugh as she rubbed her bashful Glaceon, thinking, 'How did you get won over by Umbreon so fast!?'
Glaceon shyly buried its face in Cynthia's arms, too embarrassed to keep staring openly at Umbreon.
Sato could only offer an awkward smile. After all, Umbreon was his own partner. Finding someone as fitting as Glaceon… he couldn't agree more.
"Whoa! Look at them. They like each other, so they go for it. Honest and straightforward. Isn't that nice~?"
"…"
Cynthia's sudden comment startled Sato so much he forgot to breathe for a second!
He hadn't even thought of how to respond when he suddenly felt something lightly touch his right cheek…
'…?'
Just now… it seemed like… he might have been… ( -_- )ε(｀* )~
A man single for forty years across lifetimes had just been… been… b-been REVERSE-ATTACKED!
'!!!!!!'
The next moment, Cynthia stood up swiftly, her voice barely maintaining composure!
"I heard that there are some things you can't h-hesitate on, can't delay! I've already made my choice. The rest… it's up to you."
With that, Cynthia turned and walked away. Halfway through, perhaps feeling her pace too slow, she sent out Garchomp…
"H-Hurry… hurry!"
"…Gar?" 'Where to?'
"To… training. WE'RE GOING TO TRAIN!"
"Gar!" 'Hold on tight!'
Cynthia left, while Sato remained seated, blankly touching the spot on his right cheek where he had been "touched".
Umbreon stared wide-eyed at its master being "reverse-attacked".
'Whoa…! That was wild… SO EXCITING~!'
The next second, a big hand clamped down on the back of its neck…
"…If you want to live, forget what you just saw."
"Ummbreee~ Umbre!"
Umbreon surrendered instantly, eyes shut tight and shaking its head furiously as if nothing had ever happened.
On the other side, the Glaceon left behind by its trainer was preparing to sneak away… but Sato spotted it right away.
"You too."
"Glaaa {{{ (>_<) }}}"
"…"
Three seconds later, Sato snapped out of his daze and jumped to his feet, quickly striding back toward the training field.
'She kissed me and ran… does she think I have no pride…? I'm. Getting. That. Pride. BACK!'
…After Sato left, Froslass slowly drifted out from the riverside.
"Frosososo…~"