[Ding! Mission Triggered: Assist in maintaining the safety of this year's Maiden's Peak Festival! Prevent any tourist disappearances!]
[Mission Rewards: Linking Cord — a special Pokémon evolution item!
+1 Justice Reputation
+50 Gastly Species Affection]
Scanning over the mission rewards, Kazuki fell into thought.
I'm planning to challenge the Saffron Gym next anyway. Perfect timing!
After all, that psychic girl is no joke. To counter her Psychic-type Pokémon, Ghost-types are still the way to go. This Linking Cord was exactly what I needed—it's the evolution item for Haunter to evolve into Gengar. Extremely useful for strengthening my future Ghost-type lineup.
Besides, if I remembered the original storyline right, the bizarre events behind Maiden's Peak were the work of a thousand-year-old Gastly!
And this ancient Gastly was no ordinary spook—its Hypnosis was near godlike, and it could even shapeshift into humans and mimic voices to perfection.
A bona fide demon in training!
I wasn't even sure if it still fell under the standard rules of Pokémon capturing.
If, just if, I could capture it... Well, honestly, that wouldn't necessarily be a good thing.
A thousand-year-old Pokémon that could talk and kept pulling tricks?
It might very well refuse orders or question commands with a, "Why don't you do it yourself?" snark.
Capturing wasn't just about potential—otherwise, you could end up reenacting the classic Charizard-falls-asleep-on-the-battlefield scene.
Still, if it were handed over for free... I guess that'd be acceptable!
But it was still a bit early to think about that. Maiden's Peak was still a two- or three-day journey from here.
Right now, my focus should be on Misty, not Maiden's Peak.
Closing the system window, Kazuki wrapped his arm more tightly around Misty's slender waist.
Now that Misty was seventeen and officially confirmed as his girlfriend, a certain womanly air had started to surface around her.
The moment Kazuki wrapped his arms around her, Misty lifted her long, pale, beautiful legs and straddled him, nestling comfortably against his chest.
A warm, girlish scent drifted from her to Kazuki, brushing softly against his neck.
Misty wriggled slightly atop him, though her protective gear dulled some of her natural softness.
Still, her sweet, sleepy voice made up for that small flaw:
"Kazuki, the boat's rocking so much... I just want to nap a little like this."
Kazuki gently patted her back to soothe her. "Why don't you go lie down in the cabin and get some proper sleep?" he offered.
But Misty shook her head slightly, murmuring in a soft, stubborn voice: "No... I just wanna stay like this, being held by you."
Saying that, she snuggled in even closer, pressing tightly against Kazuki's Gyarados-shaped hoodie.
Back when Kazuki booked the ship tickets, he had reserved two cabins. Misty figured going to the cabin meant being alone, away from him, which she didn't want at all. She wanted to stay like this, sticking close to him.
Misty seemed to catch on to Kazuki's subtle change in mood.
She leaned up and gently bit the side of his neck, chiding in a playful tone:
"Bad boy~"
But even as she teased, she still stayed cuddled close without moving away.
Kazuki chuckled quietly and continued to pat Misty's back, coaxing her to sleep.
During the two-day voyage, Misty had originally said she wanted to admire the ocean views and catch her sixth Water-type Pokémon.
But in truth, the sunny spark of her teenager heart that she had buried back at Bill's Lighthouse had flared back to life—after all, Kazuki was now her boyfriend.
Her attention subtly shifted toward Kazuki's Gyarados—ahem.
Still, being Misty, she didn't say anything aloud.
Instead, after a few hugs where she "accidentally" felt certain things, she snuck off to their cabin to compare shapes using different drink bottles to reconstruct her wild imagination.
And just like that, in the midst of this sweet, sticky atmosphere, they arrived at Maiden's Peak.
They were a little early—festivities were set to officially begin tomorrow.
But even now, the place was packed to the brim already.
"Wow! A summer festival! It looks so much fun! Let's go check it out!"
Misty chirped excitedly the moment she stepped off the ship, dashing into the bustling festival streets.
Kazuki followed behind her, only to spot three familiar figures lurking at the edge of the crowd—the Team Rocket trio.
Man, these guys really have tricks up their sleeves. Despite being involved in so many criminal activities, they still managed to walk free. Probably because they were such incompetent criminals that even when caught, there wasn't enough evidence. Plus, a little nudge from Giovanni's connections, and they'd be back out.
Currently, the Trio were crouched on the ground, peering through magnifying glasses, scanning for something.
Just then, a tourist nearby fumbled and dropped a coin.
James spotted it instantly and crawled over at lightning speed.
"Aha! I found it! A coin!"
Watching a born-rich heir like James groveling on the floor to pick up loose change felt oddly comical to Kazuki.
No—truthfully, the entire Team Rocket trio was pretty hilarious in their own way.
You couldn't exactly call them good guys—they were always trying to steal Pokémon to sell.
But you also couldn't exactly call them true villains. When they ran out of money, they didn't turn to robbery. They just worked part-time jobs... or, like now, scavenged coins from the ground.
"Mr. James, shouldn't you turn it in if you found it?"
Kazuki leaned down teasingly toward James, still half-sprawled on the street.
Jessie, James, and Meowth weren't particularly bright, true—but that made them perfect: convenient little mini-bosses who helped Kazuki easily rack up Justice Reputation and cash rewards.
If they were taken down for good, next time Giovanni sent agents, they'd probably be wicked, efficient—and completely ruthless.
James lifted his head, instantly striking a defensive pose.
"What do you want, brat?! I found this first!"
Seeing things escalate, Meowth hurriedly yanked at James's pant leg:
"Calm down! James, you can't beat him!"
"He's right. Even if it's a little money, doing the right thing is important!"
At that moment, a firm voice interrupted.
Officer Jenny stepped out from the crowd with a soft smile.
"Do you need any help? I'm one of the officers ensuring the safety of Maiden's Peak. I've been a little overwhelmed lately, but I'm happy to assist!"
"Ah! Officer Jenny—no, no thanks! We'll just be going now!"
At the sight of her, Jessie immediately dashed up, dragging both James and Meowth away from the festival district at speed.
"Huh? Those three are weird," Misty muttered upon seeing them flee.
This area was small and didn't have much interest for Team Rocket, after all.
Thus, the local Officer Jenny wasn't too focused on them anyway.
Turning back around, Jenny's bright blue eyes fell on Kazuki.
Thanks to his high Justice Reputation, just a few words from him had already left a favorable impression.
"You, sir..." she said warmly, locking eyes with him.
In just that brief moment, she felt the exhaustion of the last few days melt away.
"You seem like someone with a real sense of justice!"
"Kazuki! Kazuki!"
Just then, Misty—who had bounded ahead—ran back hurriedly, seeing Kazuki talking to a police officer.
Thinking he might have gotten into trouble somehow, she immediately bowed and apologized:
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Kazuki's not a bad guy! There must be some kind of misunderstanding!"
Hearing that, Officer Jenny smiled.
"So your name's Kazuki? It's such a nice name!"
"Hm?" Misty blinked, lifting her head.
"This Officer Jenny again?"
"You know me?" Jenny tilted her head curiously.
"We've helped Officer Jennies in Viridian City, Porta Vista, and lots of other places," Kazuki quickly explained.
Then, turning to Misty, he explained why yet another Jenny had appeared.
"Ohhh~ I thought you were getting bold and setting your sights on an Officer Jenny now!"
Misty teased with a sly grin.
(After their relationship was made official, Misty had become surprisingly supportive of Kazuki.
Since, in her mind, all the girls who came later would be 'younger sisters' anyway.
For once, she relished the chance to play 'older sister.')
"Setting my sights?" Officer Jenny echoed, bewildered.
"Ah, no, what she means is... we're just traveling Pokémon Trainers, passing through and checking out the festival," Kazuki quickly covered for Misty with a laugh.
"Ooh, Trainers~" Jenny said, letting out an adorable yawn mid-sentence.
"Officer Jenny, you seem really tired," Misty said, moving closer in case she needed support.
Jenny nodded wearily and explained:
"Since Maiden's Peak is usually quiet and sparsely populated, we don't get much budget or manpower.
It's fine most times, but when big events like the summer festival happen, we have to wear multiple hats."
"We've been trying to recruit volunteer safety officers... but everyone's so busy having fun at the festival that no one has signed up yet!"
Suddenly, Jenny's eyes lit up:
"Kazuki! Didn't you say you've helped my sisters before?"
"Would you maybe... consider helping me too, just for the next few days as a volunteer? We can offer free lodging and meals!"
Jenny had been exhausted from non-stop patrolling.
Meeting Kazuki was like a breath of fresh air—she was truly hoping he'd say yes.
Misty tilted her head, sneaking a glance at the visibly eager Jenny.
"Why do all the Officer Jennies everywhere seem to like Kazuki?"
But it was fine.
She was the official girlfriend—any others were just little sisters following behind!
Plus, free food and lodging? Not bad at all!
"Are the beds soft?" Misty asked, blinking mischievously.
"Super soft!" Officer Jenny answered without hesitation.
"We're partnered with the Pokémon Center: soft beds, gourmet meals, and professional Pokémon care!"
"Awesome! Kazuki, you have to join! If you come back tired, I'll give you a massage!" Misty chimed, hopping behind him and kneading his shoulders playfully.
Kazuki had been wondering when he'd get to test out the effect of his Justice Reputation on Officer Jennies—
now, here it was: the perfect opportunity to patrol together.
Even better, it lined up perfectly with the system mission!
And most crucially—Misty, who used to get jealous at the slightest thing, was now totally cool with it!
"Deal. Patrolling's basically just a way to enjoy the festival while getting free food and a place to stay. Sounds great!" Kazuki agreed decisively.
"Yay!" Misty cheered, leaping up.
"Officer Jenny, where's the Pokémon Center?"
"I'll show you! Just head straight and when you see a huge tree, take the stairs to the right!" Jenny said, smiling brightly.
"Mm-hmm! Got it! Kazuki, I'm going ahead to pick our beds!"
Misty gave Kazuki a knowing wink and scampered off.
"Have fun... Riding your 'patrolling partner'..." she teasingly called over her shoulder.
Kazuki just chuckled.
Riding her, huh?
Glancing at Officer Jenny's luscious, curve-hugging skirt—Yeah, "Riding" sounded pretty damn good.