They reached their destination soon enough.
Unlike on the flight over, though, Tang Yunqin—who had been bringing up the rear—stormed down the airstairs ahead of everyone, cheeks puffed in a huff. Trailing after her, looking completely at a loss, was Auron Vale.
As the other woman in their group—and Tang Yunqin's best friend—Yin Hanling stepped up to ask, "Auron, what did you do to Tang Yunqin? Why is she so mad?"
"Nothing," Auron said, genuinely aggrieved. "She fell asleep on my shoulder, so I woke her. She was leaning on me so hard I couldn't move half my body."
He looked around at the others, wounded. "Was that wrong?"
Jace Rowan sidestepped past him, clapped him on the shoulder, and said solemnly, "Mm. Excellent. As expected of you."
Under Auron's confused stare, Tim Wynn imitated Jace, brushing by with a pat and chiming in, "Yep, excellent. Absolutely the right call. Keep it up."
You Yuyou also went by, gave Auron's shoulder a friendly tap, and, catching Auron's dangerous look, only let out a low chuckle without adding anything.
Finally, Auron turned to the last in line. "If you've got something to say, Hanling," he said tonelessly, "just say it."
"Don't… block the way."
Head tilted in tsundere hauteur, Yin Hanling lifted her chin, stepped right on Auron's foot as she went past, and hurried up to Tang Yunqin's side to murmur comforting words.
Auron hissed and shook out his foot, staring after Hanling and the others as they strode ahead. "What is even happening?"
Thanks to Yin Hanling's soothing whisper, Tang Yunqin gradually calmed, though she still clung to Hanling's arm, airing her grievances in a small voice.
Seeing her like that made Hanling's heart ache—but that didn't stop the laugh tickling at her throat. She reined it in for Tang Yunqin's sake and said, "You. Who told you to fall for such a reinforced-concrete straight man?"
"Hmph~"
The little haughty snort did her in; Hanling couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
"Haha. You should take a page from me—attack first. Get the initiative and keep it. Look at me: I've got You Yuyou wrapped around my little finger."
Tang Yunqin flushed scarlet. Shy as she was, she still whispered, "Then what do I do?"
Hanling tucked her arm tighter through Tang Yunqin's, heads drawn close as they walked. "Here's the thing—girls who act cute have the best luck. Just try a little act with him, and then…"
The more Tang Yunqin listened, the brighter her eyes grew, sparkling with mischief. Every so often she couldn't help cutting a sideways glance back at Auron.
He trudged along at the rear, utterly mystified. Was his approach off somehow?
He couldn't exactly shove her head back onto his shoulder. They'd known each other for years—there had to be a line.
Under the odd little cloud hanging over them, they reached their hotel.
Everyone changed into swimwear in high spirits, then bolted for the beach.
"Wuhuuuu~!"
With a wolfish holler, Jace leapt—and belly-flopped straight into the surf.
"Pffft—ptoo, ptoo!"
"Dammit—!"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
The three watching onshore burst out laughing in unison.
It was Jace's first time seeing the ocean. The moment he'd caught sight of it, he'd charged headlong. Having overestimated how deep it was by the shore, he came up sputtering, a mouth full of sand for his troubles.
They splashed around for a while, then came ashore, tidied up the rental loungers and parasols Jace had dropped wherever in his excitement, and collapsed into the chairs. Stretching out in the sun with cold colas in hand, they watched distant Pokémon at play—and, yes, the bikini girls as well.
Still eyeing the beachgoers, Jace asked, "Say, why aren't the two of them down yet? It's been forever."
"Ah—women," Tim answered at first in all seriousness. "They're naturally slow. Not like us—hey! Hey! Hey! Jace, look—blue bikini, over there. She's gorgeous."
Whatever sober commentary Tim had intended melted away as his gaze wandered. The parade of bikinis on the sand worked some kind of spell; his expression and tone drifted more and more in Jace's direction.
Watching him, Jace chuckled. "Listen to you. Aren't you one of Longguo's top rich kids? Why do you look like you've never seen the world—never seen a pretty face?"
Auron sat up, ready to say something, when he noticed the sun ahead dim by a shade.
A closer look revealed the reason: Tang Yunqin and Yin Hanling were walking toward them arm in arm.
You Yuyou and Auron both went still, eyes fixed; Jace and Tim, still wrapped in a heated debate about whether publicly outing oneself as a rich kid meant being surrounded by beauties, didn't notice a thing.
"What," Tang Yunqin said, stopping in front of Auron with a playful scold, "cat got your tongue?"
Her voice snapped Jace and Tim out of it. They glanced over—took in Tang Yunqin and Yin Hanling in one sweep—and, though their eyes flashed with genuine appreciation, both clicked their tongues at the same time.
"C'mon. Let's go back to the grown-up ladies. I like them a little more mature."
"Exactly."
Tim and Jace clapped palms and, arm-in-arm once more, resumed their running commentary on every "pretty lady" that crossed their field of view.
Tang Yunqin didn't spare the two any mind. She only cared about what Auron thought.
She leaned a fraction closer. "Do I look good?"
Auron nodded dumbly. "You're beautiful."
Delighted by the praise, Tang Yunqin sat shyly beside him, head ducked.
Out in the water, Snorlax's bulk broke wave after wave, its massive body shouldering the surf aside to create a calm patch of wet sand where two Charmander could safely focus on their sandcastles.
When Auron and Tim released their Pokémon earlier, Milotic and Dragonair had drawn stares from half the beach in an instant. Even after quite a while, the two remained the center of countless enraptured looks.
Suddenly, a girl in the crowd—eyes sparkling with heart-shaped adoration—threw an arm around the Primarina at her side and called out to Milotic, "Milotic! Will you have a battle with us?"
The beach fell quiet at once.
And then the cheers hit like a wave.
Riding the swell of noise, a microphone-amplified male voice boomed out, lungs full and bright as a trumpet: "A challenger has stepped forward! In that case, I hereby declare today's Beach Showdown officially underway!"
As the announcement echoed across the shoreline, bystanders began to shuffle back, opening a wide space in the middle. Standing on one side were the girl and her Primarina; on the other, the haughty Milotic and the ever-elegant—but currently a little baffled—Dragonair.
Auron and the others had heard the shout as well and couldn't help looking over. The moment Tang Yunqin realized Milotic was the one being challenged, she hurried across the sand at a jog.
Naturally, Auron and the rest followed; they weren't about to miss the fun.
Tang Yunqin slid up next to Milotic. "Do you want to take the challenge?"
Milotic dipped its head, eyes keen as it met Primarina's gaze across the sand.
Seeing Milotic's fighting spirit, Tang Yunqin nodded to the girl opposite and raised her voice. "All right! We accept. What are the rules?"
The loudspeakers crackled to life again.
"Ooh—our lovely Milotic's Trainer is an adorable young lady herself!"
"But since you've accepted, allow me to explain today's rules to everyone."
"One-on-one battle. The match ends when one side can no longer battle or concedes. No switching Pokémon mid-match. Do not attack the opposing Trainer. Do not attack a Pokémon that has already lost the ability to battle."
"Got it?"
Tang Yunqin and the challenger answered together, "Got it!"
"Excellent! Trainers, take your positions! Battle—begin!"
(End of Chapter)