Sunlight danced across the plaza. A breeze carried the scent of flowers and grass.
Dolores's lips curved into a sly smile. Her eyes glittered as she looked at Gothitelle, teasing in her tone. "You really going to come up with two hundred thousand Poké Coins?"
"Dolores, you can't do this!" Miss Lilligant cried, panic in her voice. The pink flower on her head bobbed as she hurried over to stop her friend.
She reached for Raylen's arm, earnest and worried. "A Pokémon is your best adventure partner.
He trusts you—how could you sell him?" She bent closer, compassion in her gaze. "Look how pitiful he is. If you sell him, I'll never speak to you again!"
Raylen nodded along to Miss Lilligant's pleas. As for trust—he didn't feel particularly trusted. He was quietly scheming, thinking about how to get the most out of having such a convenient "owner."
"Mind your own business," Gothitelle warned coldly, frowning. Her black dress swayed as she straightened up with pride. "Two hundred thousand Poké Coins? Child's play."
She was lying to bluff. Two hundred thousand was a lot, even for her. But the prospect of owning a legendary Pokémon would boost her status and bring big benefits to her family's research. So she gritted her teeth and kept up the act.
"All right—then bring the two hundred thousand, per our bet!" Dolores spread her hands, smug and fearless as she faced Gothitelle. "Everyone heard—that's within your ability."
She raised her voice a little so everyone could hear. "According to the bet, the winner may command the loser to do anything within their power. So I want two hundred thousand Poké Coins!"
The other Pokémon fell silent at the sudden reversal. A ripple of chatter spread through the crowd.
"That does seem to follow the bet's rules…"
"But two hundred thousand? That's almost giving it away!"
"Will Gothitelle really pay? This bet just became priceless!"
Pressure landed on Gothitelle like a weight. Her face darkened; her hands gripped her skirt until her knuckles went white. She'd talked big and now couldn't back down.
"You're the heiress—surely you won't cheat?" Dolores pressed on, not letting her off the hook.
Her pink-and-white sundress shimmered softly in the sunlight, making her skin appear even fairer., every inch confident. Behind her, Raylen couldn't help but admire how calculating his owner could be.
A warm, odd pride bubbled up—clearly she didn't want to sell him. What was money compared to that?
He even felt a slight urge to give her a hug.
"Don't be scared. Dolores never actually thought of selling you."
As it turned out, the Lilligant was the one who first opened her arms, giving Raylen a gentle, loving hug.
Her body was soft, carrying a faint floral scent.
Even though she was a Pokémon, being held like this was exceptionally comfortable.
This Pokémon clearly saw him as a child, her maternal instincts overflowing intensely.
Raylen wondered, briefly, how the age and growth systems worked in this bizarre world. Many of the Pokémon looked very young.
Miss Lilligant might even be smaller than the water-play girls from before. But that wasn't the time for such thoughts.
His restless hands couldn't help but twitch, wanting to take this chance to... inspect her.
He was genuinely curious about certain things.
That wave of inquisitive desire was practically impossible to hold back.
"What are you doing?" Miss Lilligant asked without any embarrassment, just wide-eyed curiosity.
The truth was, Raylen didn't know.
He had arrived in an utterly absurd world with no concept of gender.
The Pokémon here were all hatched from energy eggs.
Any adult Pokémon could spend time condensing an energy egg; there was no such thing as so-called male-female behavior.
As for Poké-Humans, they were born from the gathering of natural energy.
They were born as children who could already walk, with no infancy period to speak of.
So, for the Lilligant, Raylen's actions only elicited surprise and confusion, with not a hint of any other thoughts.
"I, I..."
She wasn't blushing, but Raylen's own cheeks flushed red first, heat spreading to the roots of his ears.
Yet, seeing the Lilligant didn't dodge or avoid him...
He still quietly glanced down, stealing a peek at where his hand was.
If he didn't double-check, he'd start doubting he was even in the right place.
"I just like you..."
[Achievement Unlocked: Cute Appeal]
Raylen immediately blinked his large, watery eyes, his gaze turning adorably pitiful.
He even added a touch of slight grievance, looking well-behaved and pitiful.
"Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scold you!"
The Lilligant couldn't stand this kind of adorable, pleading look. She instantly panicked.
Apologizing profusely, she felt as if she had committed some grave sin.
Internally, she reasoned that his previous behavior must have been a special way of expressing fondness, unique to his species.
She grabbed Raylen's hand, wanting to make it up to him.
Her tone gentle, she even actively helped adjust his position. "It's alright, sweetie. I'm fine. You can keep going."
This tender, doting tone made Raylen realize something else.
And her active assistance left him utterly shocked.
"Is this how you express affection?"
The Lilligant tilted her head, her pink flower ornament swaying gently.
Although she found this method a bit strange, Pokémon came in endless varieties with all sorts of different habits, so she didn't dwell on it too much.
Huh?
Wait, what?
Raylen was stunned for a moment, then sighed internally: Forget it. This is fine too.
"Yes. This is a... gesture of recognition from our species towards someone we accept?"
"Can you help me out too?"
Raylen taught her, making a standard gesture, she perform it on him.
"Like this?"
The Lilligant followed his example, her movements somewhat clumsy but performed with great seriousness.
"Right."
Raylen silently endured, continuing with increasingly bold... tests.
He just wanted to figure out the Lilligant's limits.
Finally, he reached a conclusion.
Perfect.
If the environment allowed, he'd probably be celebrating right now.
His gaze involuntarily drifted towards his cheap owner, who was currently haggling with the Gothorita not far away.
He thought, if she were this... "accommodating" too...
Accompanying her on adventures might not be so bad after all.
He couldn't help but feel a little anticipation for the coming night.