"Phew... why did it suddenly get so cold~"
Walking out of the Farfetch'd Restaurant after a full meal and strolling on the streets of Snowpoint City, Hilda crossed her arms over her chest, fingertips unconsciously rubbing her elbows, her exquisite nose tip already red from the cold.
Seeing this, Hakuya couldn't help but shake his head amusedly.
This chestnut-haired, high-ponytail girl's attire wasn't the revealing kind.
Her upper body wore a fitted white shirt as an inner layer, and a sleeveless black vest wrapped her delicate, jade-like body.
Looking down, her voluptuous, slender legs were clad in navy blue denim shorts, revealing her snowy-white leg flesh slightly.
The style was normal, but obviously meant for summer.
Encountering the sunset hour and being in Snowpoint City at the northernmost tip of the Sinnoh region, feeling cold was a very normal thing.
"I thought you dressed like this specifically to undergo special training with your Pokémon for challenging the Snowpoint Gym."
"No way, I just didn't expect the temperature in Snowpoint City to be so low, so I didn't bring such thick clothes."
Puffing out her cheeks slightly reddened by the cold wind, Hilda sniffled and muttered.
In the Pokémon world, to challenge Gyms of different types, some Trainers often did corresponding environmental special training with their Pokémon.
For example, going to hot volcanic areas for Fire-type Gyms, engaging in close-quarters combat with Pokémon for Fighting-type Gyms... Of course, for Hilda, she obviously wouldn't deliberately choose such a special training method.
"If it's just this kind of weather, I can still endure it... Eh?"
Just as the high-ponytail girl started to be stubborn, she felt her forehead tapped by a finger. Then her exposed arms felt much heavier, as if covered by something.
Turning her head slightly, a thick coat came into view.
"Here, wear my coat for now."
For this energetic and lively, but occasionally stubborn and tsundere girl, Hakuya also amusedly tapped her forehead, then took off his coat and draped it over her.
"Phew—"
Smelling the scent from Hakuya on the clothes, Hilda breathed a sigh of relief, subconsciously wrapping it tighter with her hands. Two blushes suddenly flew onto her cheeks, looking extremely cute and moving.
"B-By the way." Recovering from her shy state, she looked at the black-haired youth beside her, her face full of expectation. "It seems still early, Ah-Ye. Shall we stroll around Snowpoint City first?"
"No problem~"
Hearing this, Hakuya nodded.
After all, with the female-ripe maid Cogita watching the wooden cabin and the Houndoom pack patrolling the farm, the safety factor was much higher than before.
As for returning to the farm to "teach" little Sneasel, there was no need to rush—it wouldn't be too late to take out the big black rod and reward the blue-haired lolita who liked being spanked by the farm owner later.
"Yay!!!"
Her mind already filled with scenes of a date, Hilda grabbed the hem of Hakuya's clothes and began strolling on the streets of Snowpoint City.
At this moment, although it was approaching dusk, Snowpoint City was much livelier than in the afternoon.
"My Metapod is the strongest!"
"Whatever, my Kakuna is clearly stronger!"
"Roserade, prepare well for the upcoming Contest; show your Petal Dance in the air!" "Rose~"
"Eh? Pelipper, you delivered the package wrong again! Not Mr. Eben in Hearthome City, but Veilstone City's... W-Wait a minute, it seems all messed up..."
"Doomed, salary deducted again. Your Pokéblocks for next month are gone..."
"Peli? Peli!"
On the street, children returning from the Pokémon School gathered together, arguing whether Metapod or Kakuna was stronger.
Coordinators traveling here commanded Roserade to practice moves, preparing for the Contest in a few days.
And the courier wearing a beret, cycling through the streets and alleys, stared at his partner Pelipper, already prepared to eat dirt next month.
"..."
Hakuya and Hilda crossed the green belt park and arrived at a more bustling street.
Many stalls were lined up on both sides, looking a bit like the night markets in his previous life.
"These things are so cute~"
Suddenly, the high-ponytail girl was attracted by a small stall on the roadside.
"These are all ornaments made based on the images of Pokémon inhabiting the Sinnoh region."
An old lady wearing miko clothing sat at the stall, introducing kindly and amiably.
Several Chimecho floating in the air, like their Trainer, curved their eyes and emitted crisp welcoming chimes.
Hakuya glanced slightly. They were all cute and petite types of ornaments, obviously designed for those pure and cute girls.
Sure enough, Hilda was already dazzled squatting in front of the stall.
"Gible, Shinx, Bidoof, Starly... Ah-Ye, do you know this Pokémon?"
"This one?"
Hakuya looked at the ornament the girl held up to him and examined it.
With an elf-like appearance, two gray tails trailing behind, and a crystal-clear red gem embedded in its forehead.
"It's Uxie."
Recalling from his mind, he said the name.
"This young gentleman is truly knowledgeable~"
The stall's old lady couldn't help but exclaim. Seeing the still somewhat confused expression of the high-ponytail girl, she smiled and explained.
"In the ancient legends of Sinnoh, Uxie is the Pokémon representing knowledge. Legend has it that its birth brought wisdom that enriched people's lives... Unfortunately, many people don't know its name now."
"So that's it..."
Hearing this, Hilda nodded in realization.
Even many Sinnoh people hadn't heard of such ancient legends, let alone her who grew up in the Unova region.
However, before the high-ponytail girl could raise the Uxie ornament in her hand to examine it again, the old lady's following words completely sank her.
"If she likes it, the young gentleman can also buy one for your girlfriend."
"Eh?! G... Girlfriend?!"
Hilda's jade face blushed, freezing on the spot like a steam engine.
Even for a lively and straightforward girl, being directly poked about her thoughts made her inevitably too shy to speak.
"Okay."
Hakuya smiled and rubbed the high-ponytail girl's hair, taking out money very readily to buy two.
The old lady beside them watched the interaction between the two, her face full of smiles.
"By the way, if you aren't in a hurry, you can go check out the westernmost side."
Probably seeing that Hakuya and Hilda were in Snowpoint City for the first time, the old lady began to introduce enthusiastically.
"A large Ferris wheel was recently built there. Sitting on it, you can overlook Lake Acuity not far away. The scenery is very beautiful... And in legends, the Pokémon hailed as the God of Knowledge lives there~"
"Mmm, thank you very much for your suggestion."
Hakuya nodded, then looked at the girl beside him whose eyes were about to shine, unable to help but laugh.
"Let's go; we'll go there—"
"Wow~ So spectacular!"
Following the direction the old lady pointed, Hakuya and Hilda soon arrived at the giant Ferris wheel she mentioned.
After paying the ticket price of 500 League Coins, the high-ponytail girl, who couldn't wait any longer, pulled Hakuya's hand toward the exquisite brand-new passenger cabin before them.
As the height gradually climbed, the ridge line of Mount Coronet splitting the clouds came into view.
To the east was the entire magnificent Snowpoint City. Fine snow fell纷飞 at this moment, coating it with a layer of holy white halo.
Looking west, lake water like an irregular piece of glazed glass lay close beneath the continuous snowy mountains.
That was the rumored habitat of Uxie, the "God of Knowledge"—Lake Acuity.
Watching the water surface shattered into thousands of sparkling gold foils by the evening breeze, Hakuya became thoughtful.
Having memories of the anime and games from his previous life, he was naturally quite familiar with Uxie and Lake Acuity mentioned by the stall's old lady.
Running through the main plot of the Sinnoh region, like the Time and Space Duo and Giratina, the Legendary Pokémon Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf inhabiting the three lakes of Sinnoh also had significant roles.
Uxie governed "Knowledge," Mesprit governed "Emotion," and Azelf governed "Willpower."
Together as a trinity, they possessed the power to connect time and space.
Team Galactic, who excavated Arceus Plates at Mount Coronet a while ago, if they wanted to complete their plan of creating a new world, would inevitably covet the power of the Lake Guardians in the future, trying every means to use them.
Of course, the current plot development was obviously still early. Besides informing Cynthia in advance to have the League keep a close eye on Cyrus, the Team Galactic boss with considerable energy in the Sinnoh region, and his gang, Hakuya couldn't intervene too much yet. He could only wait until later to forcefully stop the actions of these evil organizations.
While Hakuya gazed at Lake Acuity not far below, pondering, Hilda fell into a tangled state.
Although they hadn't known each other long, she was indeed attracted to the black-haired youth beside her.
Whether it was retrieving her important Gym Badge when they met, his refreshing conversation and meticulous care, or his fascinating powerful strength... all made Hilda's heart tremble, developing feelings for him.
And now, this seemed like a very good opportunity.
A city date with just the two of them, sitting together on a romantic Ferris wheel...
The chestnut-haired, high-ponytail girl blushed, subconsciously feeling her breathing quicken a few degrees.
Such a plot was something she had only seen in romance novels bought in the Unova region before—
Although the author, Ghost-type Elite Four Shauntal, had never been in love, the words she wrote surprisingly fit her current situation and mood.
"Phew~"
Suddenly, the flushed girl recalled the scene of challenging the Snowpoint Gym earlier, her spirit lifting.
Just like Miss Candice said, whether it was Pokémon battles or love, one must have an indomitable spirit!
Just as the sightseeing cabin gradually rose to the highest point, Hilda, finally gathering her courage, went for it.
"Mmm..."
???
Feeling the soft, wet sensation, Hakuya, who was originally thinking, immediately came back to his senses.
At this moment, Hilda's petal-like cherry lips had gently pressed against his.
"T... That..."
In the next second, the girl who forced a kiss on him lowered her head. Her fair, delicate jade fingers tapped and tangled together shyly.
Although she had prepared herself mentally just now, after actually initiating the kiss, Hilda still felt her mind go blank.
The words clearly organized were stuck in her throat, too shy to speak.
"Usually at this time, scenes in romance novels don't just have the heroine's kiss~"
Having guessed Hilda's thoughts at this moment, Hakuya smiled lightly.
His warm large hand smoothly wrapped around the high-ponytail girl, and the lips that had just separated were pressed together again, making bursts of lingering, tempting water sounds.
"Sa~"
Released from the Poké Ball by the Trainer conveniently, Miss Gardevoir puffed out her cheeks slightly.
She raised her slender hand lightly, and a Dream-like psychic light orb completely wrapped the sightseeing cabin they were in.