"Rii!" (Hold tight—I'm taking off!)
Outside the airport, Articuno—long since resigned to being treated like a "mount"—beat its wings, ready to lift off at any moment.
This was Caitlin's first time riding on the back of a Legendary Pokémon. She looked around, but didn't see any handle or strap she could hold onto to steady herself.
"Articuno flies really smoothly, don't be scared. I've ridden it a bunch of times—I'm basically a veteran at this."
Grey noticed the aura fluctuations coming off Caitlin. With a light chuckle, he patted Articuno's wing.
"Rii!"
Articuno let out a long cry, and with a few powerful wingbeats, it launched into the air.
The people of Saffron City all noticed Articuno soaring above the city, but unlike at the beginning, they weren't shocked anymore.
If anything, it felt like they'd…
Gotten used to it.
And the moment they remembered it was Grey, it all suddenly seemed pretty reasonable.
"The residents here… are they always this calm?" Caitlin closed her eyes. Without realizing it, the psychic power inside her spread outward as she sensed everyone's emotions.
Even with Grey's guidance, Caitlin's psychic power didn't leak as easily as before.
But a lot of the time, she still couldn't help losing control without meaning to.
That only made Caitlin feel more urgent.
That was why she'd rushed all the way to the Kanto region—she wanted to hear how these two seniors had learned to control their abilities.
If she could do the same, Caitlin felt her future path as a Trainer would become much easier.
Her family elders had placed their hopes on her. How far she could go depended on herself.
The thought alone made the pressure weigh down even harder.
"Relax. You're in Saffron City now—don't overthink it. Have fun, really relax. Treat this place like a little paradise. Don't think about anything related to your family."
Grey's voice was unusually gentle.
He'd talked with Caitlin at length.
He knew exactly what she was struggling with.
The expectations her family placed on her were too heavy—so heavy that she felt the pressure closing in every second of every day.
And that pressure was the real culprit behind her losing control of her psychic power.
If Caitlin wanted to truly gain control, Grey and Sabrina helping her wasn't the important part. At most, they were support.
What mattered was Caitlin stepping out of it herself.
Not relying on anything external—relying on her own strength.
From the moment he first saw Caitlin, Grey had already figured her out for the most part.
Several plans flashed through his mind.
What he needed to do now was choose the one that best matched Caitlin's current situation.
"...Grey, thank you for being my guarantor."
Caitlin's pale fingers gently twisted Articuno's feathers. The night wind swept through her bright golden hair, and her voice blended with the wind, strangely captivating.
"No problem. I promised you before—this is nothing to me. Anyway, these next few days, just go all out and have fun. Have so much fun you won't even want to go back."
Grey waved his hand, about to continue—
When his phone suddenly rang.
Ding-ling-ling~
[Incoming call: "Archaeologist Cabbage"]
[Answer][Decline]
It was Cynthia calling.
Grey tapped "Answer" and put the phone to his ear.
"Hello? Can you hear me?"
A mature, confident voice came from the other end.
Grey had seen Cynthia's videos before—he recognized her instantly.
"I can hear you. What's up?"
Grey lowered his voice, doing his best not to let Caitlin hear that he was talking to Cynthia.
Who knew what Caitlin might start thinking if she overheard.
To keep her from feeling tense, Grey was trying everything to create that "paradise" atmosphere.
"Did you pick up Caitlin? If it's convenient, can you take a photo and send it to me? I can't really get through to her—her phone won't connect."
Cynthia had called after estimating the timing, but she'd gotten: "The phone you are calling is powered off. Please try again later."
The moment she heard that, Cynthia nearly booked a flight and rushed over.
But since Grey was there, she forced down her worry, kept her tone calm, and called to confirm what was happening.
She trusted Grey.
Still, Caitlin turning her phone off right after landing—there was no way Cynthia wouldn't worry.
"No problem. I'll take a few when we get to the dojo. And for the next few days, try not to contact her too much—I'm worried she'll misunderstand."
Grey said it quietly, then ended the call.
"???"
Sinnoh region, Pokémon League headquarters.
Sitting in her office, Cynthia stared at the ended-call screen, her eye twitching.
Why did it feel like Grey was actually about to run off with Caitlin?!
Especially that last line—what kind of normal Trainer says something like that?
Her best friend gets "kidnapped" to the Kanto region region, and he tells her not to contact her?!
This… this…
Cynthia didn't even know what to say.
She realized that every time she talked to Grey, her emotions went up and down like a roller coaster.
It felt exactly like being an overworked mom who worried too much.
"If Lance hadn't said you were a good person, I'd honestly want to go to Kanto and demand an explanation right now…"
Cynthia massaged her temples.
The League had been busy enough these past few days, and now Caitlin's situation was making her anxious too.
It was getting to the point where Cynthia wanted to use a "Shadow Clone" or something, just to see if she could split her attention.
Otherwise, if something really happened to Caitlin, Cynthia wouldn't be able to rush over immediately.
Knock knock knock~
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Creak—
Lucian walked in holding two cups of coffee.
He looked downright refreshed.
Because Cynthia hadn't dumped extra work on him for three straight days.
Honestly, it almost felt weird.
"Cynthia, have some coffee."
Lucian wore a faint smile as he moved to hand it to her. "Working this late at night, that really is—"
Before he could finish, Cynthia's eyes lit up.
Then came a sharp slap of sound—啪.
Cynthia stood up immediately, stacked the files on her desk into a neat pile, and walked straight for the door without even turning her head.
"Lucian, perfect timing. These files are yours. I'm going to check flights to Kanto."
"?"
Lucian watched her rush out, then looked down at the mountain of files on the desk, the corners of his mouth twitching.
"Yeah, of course. So this is what you were waiting for."
He set the coffee down on the table and sat in Cynthia's chair like it was the most natural thing in the world.
To be honest, if Cynthia's office chair had feelings, it would probably think Lucian was the real owner of this office.
He came here more often than Cynthia did.
No joke.
"Well… it is what it is. Time to work overtime."
Lucian sighed, having fully accepted this as his fate.
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