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When Delia walked over to Misty, Misty was looking down, kicking small pebbles on the roadside.
A pebble was kicked away, bouncing twice on the dirt road before rolling into the tall grass.
"Misty."
Delia's voice was soft, as if she were afraid of startling her.
Misty's shoulders stiffened slightly; she didn't look up and kicked another pebble.
Delia wasn't in a hurry, simply walking side by side with her. The morning breeze blew past, causing both of their hair to flutter. Delia reached out to tuck a stray lock behind her ear and turned her head to look at Misty's profile.
Misty's ears were still red.
As Delia watched, her own face began to heat up again. She bit her lower lip and reached out to gently touch the back of Misty's hand.
"Still shy?"
The moment the back of Misty's hand was touched, it was as if she'd been shocked; she jerked it back. But halfway through the motion, she stopped, her fingers curling slightly, and finally let it hang by her side without hiding it again.
"...Who's shy?"
Misty's voice was muffled, her words stubborn, but there wasn't a hint of confidence in her tone.
Delia pursed her lips and smiled.
She leaned in half a step and gently bumped her shoulder against Misty's.
"Your face is so red, yet you still say you're not shy."
Being bumped like that, Misty's stride faltered, and she nearly tripped over her own feet.
She finally looked up and glared at Delia, her expression full of fluster and embarrassment.
"Delia, your cheeks are red too, and you're still talking about me~" Misty said, eventually breaking into a bashful smile.
Delia was stunned for a moment, then she laughed as well.
The two girls stood by the roadside like that, their laughter drifting along the forest path, startling several Pidgey on the treetops into fluttering away.
Once the laughter subsided, the awkwardness seemed to have dissipated quite a bit as well.
Delia reached out to link arms with Misty, and the two walked forward side by side. Their steps slowly fell into sync, left and right, in a steady rhythm.
"Actually..." Delia's voice was gentle, "I thought about what happened last night, and it's not really a big deal."
Misty didn't speak, but her ears clearly perked up.
Delia continued: "Our relationship with Roy is already... well, like that. It was bound to happen sooner or later."
Her voice grew softer and softer, and by the last few words, her face had turned another shade of red. But she finished saying it anyway.
Misty was silent for a few seconds.
Then she suddenly stopped, turned around to face Delia directly, her expression a mix of shame, anger, and a 'giving it her all' attitude.
"Fine, then let's just lay it all out."
Delia was taken aback by her sudden seriousness and instinctively stood up straighter.
"You saw what happened last night, and I saw it too." Misty took a deep breath, "Let's just call it even, okay!"
Delia blinked, then nodded with a smile.
"Okay, deal."
Misty held out her hand, her pinky finger extended.
"We have to pinky swear. Whoever makes fun of the other about last night again is a Growlithe."
Suppressing a smile, Delia also extended her pinky and hooked it with Misty's.
Their two pinkies hooked together and shook three times.
After the pinky swear, both felt a great weight lift from their shoulders.
Misty let out a breath, her entire being visibly relaxing. She loosened her shoulders and suddenly glanced back at Roy, who was walking behind them.
Roy was looking down at his pokédex, his finger swiping across the screen, completely oblivious to what the two girls were talking about.
Misty looked away and whispered to Delia: "But seriously, that guy Roy..."
"Hmm?"
"Last night, wasn't he a bit too much?"
When Misty said this, her tone didn't sound like she was complaining; it was more like the shy yet playful teasing shared between girls during a private chat.
Hearing this, Delia's cheeks burned again. She lightly patted Misty's arm.
"You think so too?"
"Duh!" Misty's voice was very low, but full of emotion, "He's just a big meanie!"
Delia couldn't help but burst into a giggle.
"You're still laughing!" Misty's eyes widened.
"I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing because..." Delia paused, her eyes crinkling slightly, "I was thinking, his brain is usually so sharp when it comes to battles, how can it be so sharp in this kind of thing too..."
She couldn't find the right word and trailed off.
"So wicked," Misty finished for her.
"Right, so wicked." Delia nodded, her smile growing even sweeter.
The two looked at each other and sighed simultaneously.
That sigh contained helplessness, indulgence, and a deeply hidden affection that they didn't even want to admit to themselves.
Misty suddenly spoke up excitedly: "Next time, let's form a united front."
Delia turned to look at her.
There was a competitive glint in Misty's eyes.
"We have to team up; we can't let him have his way like that anymore."
Delia tilted her head and thought about it seriously.
"You mean, we suppress him together..."
"Exactly." Misty clenched her fist, her face turning even redder, but her gaze was resolute. "I don't believe the two of us can't beat him alone."
Looking at her high-spirited state, Delia couldn't help but laugh again.
"Alright, next time we team up."
Having gained an ally, Misty felt much more energized. She puffed out her chest and glanced back at Roy, a new light in her eyes.
"Roy, you just wait!"
Roy looked up from the pokédex, looking completely bewildered as Misty suddenly shouted that at him.
"...Wait for what?"
"Nothing!"
Misty turned her head away and strode forward.
Delia followed behind her, smiling gently.
Roy also smiled; with Delia in the back garden, he was very much at ease. After leaving the Wild Area, he began the long-stagnant journey of level grinding.
The grinding path was smooth and unobstructed, like a trail of sparks and lightning, and the team's levels saw a massive increase.
[Pokémon: Pikachu, Level: lv52→lv53]
[Pokémon: Bulbasaur, Level: lv50→lv51]
[Pokémon: Pidgeot, Level: lv40→lv42]
[Pokémon: Wartortle, Level: lv29→lv34]
[Pokémon: Charmeleon→Charizard, Level: lv34→lv40]
[Pokémon: Primeape, Level: lv36→lv38] (Perfect Rage Fist usage: 13)
[Pokémon: Gastly→Haunter, Level: lv23→lv26]
[Pokémon: Dratini, Level: lv9→lv11]
[Pokémon: Zapdos, Level: lv65]
After Pikachu and Bulbasaur crossed the level 50 Gym-level threshold, their experience bars grew significantly, and leveling up became slower.
The others leveled up normally. Charmeleon had accumulated experience from special training and while in the Reserve and Wild Area.
So, as soon as it started battling, it evolved into Charizard.
Its level also rose the fastest, successfully reaching quasi-Gym-level.
Finally, Dratini's level progression was a bit slow.
Because the Dratini species is a typical late-bloomer; its experience bar has been longer than most Pokémon since the novice stage.
Otherwise, Dragonair wouldn't have taken 30 years or even longer just to reach its current level 40+.
Of course, a long experience bar also forged a solid foundation, so Dratini has few rivals at the same level.
Moreover, a long experience bar wasn't an issue; Roy had the conceptual item, rare candy. No matter how long a segment was, eating a rare candy meant gaining a level.
However, Roy didn't directly boost Dratini to level 30 because Dratini had been living in the lake with its mother and hadn't battled much.
Roy intended to let it hone itself first and learn how to battle perfectly before piling on the candies.
After all, it was a Dragon-type Champion level potential; he couldn't waste its talent.
After the leveling session ended, Roy led the team back to the campsite chosen by Delia and Misty.
...
About ten minutes later, the campsite appeared before them.
Delia was sitting by the campfire, skewering something onto a rack.
Dragonair was coiled beside her, its long body forming a semicircle. Its head rested on its tail, eyes half-closed, and its mouth was constantly chewing.
Hearing footsteps, Dragonair's ears twitched first.
Then it snapped its head up. Before the food in its mouth was even swallowed, its eyes had already Locked-On to the Dratini emerging from the woods.
"Aaah~~!"
Dragonair let out a cheerful low cry, its body sliding away from the campfire as it flew over.
It circled Dratini once, its tail swishing behind it, and brought its head close to Dratini, sniffing from the top of its head to the tip of its tail.
"Aaah, aaah~~" Dragonair's voice was soft and clingy, its eyes full of concern. "Baby, you're back! How was it, how was it? How did it feel to go out and battle with your companions for the first time today?"
Being inspected so closely by its mother, Dratini tucked its neck in, feeling a bit embarrassed.
But it didn't pull away; instead, it gently rubbed against Dragonair's chin, the tip of its tail curling.
"Mee~~"
Its voice was soft, carrying a bit of fatigue, but even more excitement.
Pikachu, following behind, hopped over and stood next to Dratini. Its ears flickered as it nodded to Dragonair.
Bulbasaur also walked over from the other side, the petals on its back slightly opening and closing.
Dratini leaned its head against Dragonair's scales and said in a soft, sweet voice: "It was fun, very exciting... although I'm a bit clumsy and weak, and I couldn't beat many opponents..."
"But Master was always by my side commanding me and encouraging me."
"Pikachu and Bulbasaur also helped me a lot. They always moved first to set things up for me before I went in to finish the move."
As Dragonair listened, its eyes crinkled. With a twist and a coil, it wrapped Dratini entirely within its long body.
"Mhm mhm, my baby is the best! Mommy always knew. But still." Dragonair lowered its head and nudged Dratini's forehead with its nose.
"Even with Master's commands and your companions' help, you still have to be careful. Mommy was so worried here, so worried that I didn't even have an appetite."
Dratini poked its head out from its mother's embrace, blinking its eyes as it looked at Dragonair's face, which was written all over with 'I'm so worried, so worried'.
Then its gaze shifted downward slightly.
Around the corners of Dragonair's mouth, food residues were hanging conspicuously. There was the red of jam, bread crumbs, and a small scrap of some unknown biscuit.
Dratini looked at that ring of residue and was silent for two seconds.
Then it shifted its gaze back to Dragonair's face.
"Mom." Its voice was very calm.
"Hmm?"
"Did you really lose your appetite?" The tip of Dratini's tail poked out from Dragonair's coil and gently tapped the corner of Dragonair's mouth. "When I just got back, I clearly saw you eating in big mouthfuls."
Dragonair's movements stiffened.
Its eyes blinked, then blinked again.
Then it uncoiled its body from around Dratini, cleared its throat, and began to explain with a straight face.
"Ah, ah, that... Mommy was helping Master Delia taste-test new products."
"It's not eating; it's taste-testing. Taste-testing. There's a fundamental difference between the two."
"Master Delia's new dishes need someone to taste them. This responsibility is very heavy; Mommy couldn't refuse."
As Dragonair spoke, it turned and glided back to the campfire, coiling a piece of pastry from the plate next to Delia. Its movements were as smooth as flowing water, as if it had practiced them countless times.
"Come, come, baby, try this! This is really delicious. Master Delia just made it. It's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I ate three pieces and still couldn't get enough..."
It placed the pastry in front of Dratini, with powdered sugar from the previous piece still stuck to its nose.
Dratini looked down at the pastry.
It looked up again at its mother's face, which had completely forgotten what she had just said.
It smiled softly.
"Mom, I'm in no hurry to eat. I'm very hot right now. When I came back, I saw a small pond over by the campsite. The water was so clear. I want to go for a swim first to cool off, and then I'll come back to eat."
The pastry Dragonair was holding in its mouth paused.
Then it was retracted at a visible speed.
"Oh, okay, okay." Dragonair's tail wagged happily. The speed and magnitude of that reaction far exceeded the scope of normal maternal concern.
"Then you go first. After your swim, come back and eat~"
As it spoke, it stuffed the pastry into its mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed. The smile on its face was as bright as if it had won the lottery.
"Alright, you're back safely, so Mommy is relieved. My appetite has suddenly improved, so I'm going to go eat my fill now."
Before the words had even finished, Dragonair had already turned and glided back to the campfire, the entire process incredibly smooth.
It coiled back beside Delia, resting its head on Delia's arm, staring expectantly at the meat skewers Delia was flipping. Its mouth was slightly open, entering that standard 'waiting to be fed' state.
Dratini stood in place, watching its mother's back.
A campfire, a Trainer who made delicious food, and endless pastries and grilled meat.
For its mother, this was probably heaven.
Dratini shook its head, turned with a smile, and glided toward the edge of the camp.
As it passed by Roy, Dratini stopped for a moment, tilted its head up, and gently touched Roy's calf with its tail.
"Mee~ Master, I'm going for a swim in the pond over there. I'll be back in a bit."
Roy was sitting by the campfire drinking water and looked down at it.
He reached out and patted Dratini's head, his palm still carrying the residual warmth from the battle.
"Go on then. Don't swim for too long; come back early for dinner."
"Mee!"
Dratini gave a cheerful response, the tip of its tail drawing a small circle in the air. Then, with a twist of its body, it glided toward the pond not far from the camp.