At 2 a.m., the lights in the Pokémon Center's second-floor room were off.
Peter and Whitney lay entwined, drenched in sweat, fast asleep in each other's arms.
Before long—
Their breathing became steady and synchronized.
Then—
Nine figures silently emerged from their Poké Balls.
One by one—
They slipped out through the window.
In the darkness—
Eighteen glowing eyes shimmered with excitement.
That night—
The wild Pokémon in the outskirts of Hearthome City suffered a full-scale "raid"...
-----
The Next Morning
Peter woke up—
Gasping for air.
"Mmph—! Haah—!"
He scrambled to push Whitney's "weapon" away before finally taking a deep breath.
Looking at her clinging to him like a koala—
Completely unbothered—
He couldn't help but rub her head.
Sure, bigger was better…
But one day—
He might actually get suffocated by his own girlfirend.
Morning sunlight fell gently across her sweet, makeup-free face.
Feeling her pressed so close—
Peter couldn't help but… react a little.
It was still early.
Might as well get in some "morning exercise."
Without hesitation—
He pulled the blanket over them.
"Mmm…"
Whitney groggily opened her eyes.
"Honey… why aren't you sleeping… I'm still so sleepy…"
"It's fine, you sleep… I'm just testing how sturdy this bed is—seeing if it can handle earthquakes."
"Mmm~…"
And just like that—
The bed began its earthquake drill once again.
-----
Several Hours Later
The "earthquake" finally subsided.
The two emerged from under the covers—
Peter's neck marked with several red imprints.
"Honey~…"
Whitney leaned against him, her eyes soft and alluring.
"Be good, get some more rest. I'll go downstairs and grab breakfast."
He glanced at the time.
"…Actually, let's just go straight to lunch."
"Okay~"
A few minutes later—
Peter got dressed and opened the door.
He froze.
Right outside—
All nine of his Pokémon were leaning against the wall, asleep.
Each of them—
Covered in scratches, dirt, and battle marks.
Clearly—
They had fought all night.
"You heard about it? Last night, the wild Pokémon near Mt. Coronet went berserk! People living nearby didn't get any sleep!"
"Yeah, no idea what happened. Never seen something like that before…"
"I'm telling you—there must be some treasure appearing there. I already bought digging tools. I'm heading over to try my luck!"
"I heard there are Gym-level Pokémon involved… you might be in danger."
"Fortune favors the bold. What do you know? Let's go!"
Two passing Trainers chatted as they walked by.
Their conversation reached Peter clearly.
"…I see."
He understood immediately.
His Pokémon—
Had secretly gone out for extra training again.
Last time, they brought back two Teddiursa.
This time—
They caused a full-blown disturbance.
The real victims…
Were the wild Pokémon.
Peter looked at his sleeping team—
His gaze softening.
Of course he knew.
They were working so hard—
Because of him.
Because of what he did yesterday.
That was just how Pokémon were.
Give them a drop—
And they'd repay you with a flood.
After applying medicine to each of them—
Peter recalled them and brought them to Nurse Joy for recovery.
Then—
He returned to the room with food.
Just as he sat down—
Rotom flew out of his bag.
"Incoming call from Goldenrod Gym! A challenger has scheduled a Gym battle today. Please return as soon as possible, Rotom~!"
"…Hmm?"
Peter blinked.
"Roto, display their info."
"Got it, Rotom~!"
Looking at the data—
Peter nodded slightly.
A Fire-type veteran Trainer from Vermilion City, Kanto.
The challenge—
Scheduled for this evening.
Plenty of time.
Peter kissed Whitney on the forehead, then headed to the arena after retrieving his Pokémon.
-----
Arena Battles
First match—
Teddiursa vs. Roselia
Right from the start—
Teddiursa used Dig to dodge Sleep Powder.
Then—
It circled behind and landed Attract.
Attract: Causes the opponent to fall in love with the opposite gender, with a 50% chance of being unable to attack.
Followed by—
A perfectly executed Belly Drum.
And then—
Two devastating Fire Punches.
Roselia was instantly knocked out.
After the battle—
Teddiursa reached Lv.19.
With a Rare Candy—
It leveled up to Lv.20, learning:
Payback — a Dark-type move that doubles in power if hit first.
A perfect addition to its arsenal.
…
Second Match
Peter sent out Rufflet.
Opponent—
A Lv.35 Floatzel.
Floatzel—
The evolved form of Buizel.
This time—
Peter was at a disadvantage from the start.
Floatzel's speed far surpassed Rufflet's.
Using Aqua Jet—
It shot upward, knocking Rufflet out of the sky.
Then—
Followed up with Whirlpool, trapping it.
The momentum—
Was entirely in Floatzel's hands.
Fortunately—
Peter had opened with Sunny Day.
Water-type moves were weakened.
Rufflet's HP remained relatively stable.
"Floatzel, Aqua Jet into Ice Fang!"
A lethal combo.
Ice Fang—
If it hit—
The battle would essentially be over.
"Rufflet—Substitute, then Roost!"
"Oi~!"
Rufflet cried out—
Using Substitute to break free from the vortex—
And block Ice Fang.
Then—
Feathers swirled around it.
It descended to the ground—
Fully restoring its HP.
Roost: A Flying-type recovery move that restores 50% HP and temporarily removes the Flying type.
Against Ice and Electric threats—
It wasn't just recovery—
It eliminated weaknesses.
Now—
Rufflet had become a pure Normal-type.
The commentator roared:
"Incredible! That Roost was perfectly timed! Not only did it restore HP—it neutralized Ice Fang completely!"
"Exactly! Sunny Day weakened two Water moves, and now Roost shuts down Ice Fang! The opponent only has one viable move left!"
"With Rufflet having recovery and the opponent not, this will turn into a war of attrition!"
"Professor Peter is insane—those who know, know!"
"By the way, where's Miss Whitney today? I kinda miss her shop…"
"+1! A day without cursed items feels incomplete!"
…
The battle—
Was far from over.
But one thing was certain—
Peter was already controlling the pace.
--------------
T/N:
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