Aaron found his seat on the plane and settled in by the window.
This time, he had bitten the bullet and paid for business class. Surely that meant he would not end up dealing with another entitled old guy trying to pull rank just because he was older.
At least, that was the hope.
Not long after Aaron sat down, a young man about his age took the seat beside him. He looked around eighteen and wore the kind of bright, easygoing smile that made him seem approachable at first glance.
When he noticed Aaron looking over, the guy smiled, gave him a quick nod, and sat down.
"Hey, man. Let me guess—you're a freshman heading to Crown City for registration too?"
His smile seemed genuine enough. Aaron found him fairly likable.
It probably helped that he was not as handsome as Aaron.
"That obvious?" Aaron asked with a faint smile. "Yeah. You too?"
The young man grinned. "Yep. Crown University. What about you?"
Aaron blinked.
"No kidding. Same."
"Holy shit, seriously?" The guy's grin immediately widened. "Now that's a coincidence. We're practically destined to be friends."
He held out a hand.
"I'm Ricky. What's your name?"
"Aaron."
"Nice to meet you, Aaron."
Ricky frowned slightly at the name. It sounded familiar, but after a few seconds of trying to place it, nothing came to mind, so he quickly gave up.
"Man, this really worked out perfectly. Once we get to campus, stick with me. I've got your back."
Aaron gave him a dubious look.
Ricky proudly thumped his chest. "Hey, don't underestimate me. I'm strong."
"Good to know," Aaron said, suppressing a smile. "I'll be counting on you, then."
"That's what I'm talking about! We're classmates now. No need to be so formal." Ricky leaned closer with a conspiratorial grin. "Stay with me and I guarantee you'll have a girlfriend before freshman year even gets going."
"But I don't want a girlfriend."
Ricky stared at him as though Aaron had just confessed to a serious medical condition.
"What? You don't want to date?"
"No."
"Dude, are you sure everything works properly?"
Aaron stared at him.
Ricky continued with complete seriousness. "Think about all the beautiful women on campus. Are we supposed to just stand by and let them spend their college years lonely?"
He placed a hand over his chest.
"We have a responsibility, Aaron. Every beautiful woman deserves someone who can show her the warmth of a loving home."
Aaron fell silent.
So much for avoiding troublesome people in business class.
This time he had skipped the entitled old man and landed beside a shameless player instead.
Ricky turned out to be an unstoppable chatterbox. For most of the flight, he regaled Aaron with the alleged highlights of his romantic career, including the claim that he had once dated ten women simultaneously and somehow managed to see all ten of them in a single day.
Aaron had no idea how much of it was true.
Ricky might never become a Pokémon Master, but when it came to time management, the guy was a damn prodigy.
That was the highest praise Aaron was willing to give him.
...
The rest of the flight passed without incident. No attacks, emergencies, forced landings, or other disasters interrupted the trip this time, and the plane arrived safely at Crown City Airport.
Since Aaron and Ricky were headed to the same place, they split a ride to Crown University.
"You two heading there for freshman registration?" their middle-aged driver asked after they got in. "Crown University isn't easy to get into. You must be pretty talented."
Aaron merely smiled.
Ricky, on the other hand, immediately sat a little straighter.
"Wow. Sharp eyes, sir. I thought I was hiding it pretty well, but you saw through me instantly."
He sighed dramatically.
"Guess some things just can't be concealed."
The driver glanced at the Pokémon League University acceptance letter hanging openly around Ricky's neck.
His eyelid twitched.
You've practically taped the damn thing to your forehead.
Out loud, he only laughed awkwardly.
"You're a funny kid."
He wisely stopped trying to make conversation after that and drove them straight to the university.
The instant Aaron and Ricky climbed out, the driver pulled away without the slightest hesitation.
Aaron looked up at the enormous arched entrance before them.
So this was Crown University, officially Pokémon League University—one of Hualis's three premier Pokémon universities.
The main gate alone was absurdly imposing, towering so high above them that it looked close to fifty meters tall.
"Damn..." Ricky muttered beside him. "That's huge."
Aaron nodded. "Yeah."
Then he noticed where Ricky was actually looking.
Near the entrance, several female student volunteers were helping arriving freshmen. They wore matching school-uniform-style outfits, and more than a few of them were rather generously built.
Ricky was staring at them with the expression of a starving man who had just discovered an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Aaron went quiet.
Right.
He had not been talking about the gate.
"Hey, you two! Freshmen?"
A tall, attractive student volunteer approached them. She wore a pleated-skirt uniform like the others, along with a pair of cat ears perched on her head.
She smiled sweetly.
"Need some help with your luggage? I can show you where check-in is."
Ricky immediately came back to life.
He flashed her his brightest smile.
"Hi. Ricky. Eighteen years old, eighteen centimeters, never been in love, and I play basketball."
Aaron slowly turned his head toward him.
Apparently the ten girlfriends from the plane had ceased to exist.
Ricky continued without a hint of shame.
"And, very important question—do you have a boyfriend?"
The cat-eared volunteer looked him up and down.
Then her eyes briefly dropped below his waist.
"Eighteen?" she said with a smile. "Doesn't look like it. Maybe half that."
Ricky's smile froze.
His face went red as he stared at her in horror.
Holy shit... how did she know?
...