Due to the chaotic mess last night, both Lorze and Joy Jing slept in until past nine the next morning.
By the time they freshened up, headed out, and arrived at the Lilycove Department Store, it was already noon.
Discussing their plan, the two decided to grab a meal of pan-seared Slowpoke Tails first, before finally hitting the home goods section to pick out furniture.
Because the Joy clan’s reputation was so massively prominent, there was obviously no way Joy Jing could wear her uniform.
She even deliberately styled herself into a mature, sophisticated older-sister look.
However, while the sun hat and oversized sunglasses could slightly conceal her face, they did absolutely nothing to hide her dangerously voluptuous figure and overwhelming aura.
She still drew an insane amount of attention along the way, but no one connected the dots to her identity as a Nurse Joy.
Coupled with Lorze’s equally strikingly handsome face and unique vibe, the two of them shopping together genuinely looked like a perfect fucking match, giving off the aura of an A-list celebrity power couple.
Honedge had smashed quite a lot of shit.
The table, rug, stools, and numerous teacups and plates all needed to be replaced.
Lorze observed that when picking out items, Joy Jing heavily favored pink color schemes, and the designs exclusively featured Fairy-type Pokémon.
She picked out cups with Clefairy patterns, plates with Jigglypuff designs, and a massive round table featuring a group portrait of over a dozen Fairy-types like Marill, Ralts, and Mawile.
While swiping his card to pay, Lorze cursed Honedge internally, thinking he needed to lock it in solitary confinement for a few more days, like breaking a wild falcon.
But on second thought, realizing that it was precisely because of Honedge that he got so intimately close to Sugar Mommy Number One, even securing a free upgrade from a tiny apartment to a luxury mega-villa, he suddenly felt it was a pretty damn good ghost.
Finally, the two had bought the vast majority of the replacement furniture, lacking only a single rug.
In reality, the Lilycove Department Store boasted the largest, most diverse rug department in the entire Hoenn region.
However, Joy Jing had already bought items featuring almost every common Fairy-type Pokémon imaginable.
Faced with rugs bearing similar patterns, she found it hard to make a choice.
Lorze had a strong feeling that if Joy Jing stubbornly clung to the Fairy-type theme today, it would be fucking impossible to finish their shopping trip:
“Nurse Joy, you don’t strictly have to limit yourself to Fairy-types, right?
Things like Teddiursa or Torchic are incredibly cute too.”
“You just don’t get it.
My sub-profession is a Fairy-type Specialist Breeder.
How could I possibly use a non-Fairy-type Pokémon design on such a crucial piece of decor like a rug?!
That’s practically~~
Wait a second, is that a Pikachu?!
Yes, it’s that specific Pikachu!
I can’t believe Lilycove City actually has its official licensing!”
Joy Jing spotted something and sprinted over to a display stand.
Hanging there was a rug featuring a Pikachu.
But unlike a standard Pikachu, this one had distinct features and wore a custom outfit, clearly depicting a character from the silver screen.
“That’s right!
This Pikachu is from Virbank City in Unova.
It’s the absolute biggest superstar at Pokéstar Studios right now!”
“Pokéstar Studios!”
“Mhm~ That’s the cinematic epicenter of the Unova region, and basically the cinematic capital of the world. Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
And the Pikachu in this design is named Redbiao; he’s the hottest Pokémon movie star on the planet right now.
Furthermore, this rug is fully officially licensed merchandise!
It’s decided, I’m buying this one.”
“Alright, alright, alright~ A woman’s heart really is a fucking needle in the ocean.
Just a second ago you were saying you’d die before accepting a non-Fairy design, and now you’re dead-set on buying this celebrity Pikachu.
Also, what the hell kind of name is ‘Redbiao’?
It reeks of some rustic, country-bumpkin yellow rat!
Let me guess, does it also have a partner named Boss Meow?”
Lorze relentlessly roasted it in his mind, though his physical actions were swift and decisive.
He stepped up and asked the salesgirl:
“Hello, how much is this rug with the Redbiao logo?”
“You mean this one?
I’m so sorry, sir.
This rug is a highly limited officially licensed edition, and our Lilycove Department Store’s stock is completely sold out.
And this absolute last display copy is not for sale.
It’s reserved as the grand prize for a store event.”
“An event prize?”
“Yes.
Since Valentine’s Day is approaching, our department store is hosting a tournament.
Participation is strictly limited to young couples who have purchased items from our Home Goods department today.
The event itself is a Pokémon Tag Battle tournament.
Seeing as the two of you look like such a perfect, beautiful couple, if you’re both Trainers, you could definitely give it a shot.
The tournament is actually taking place today.”
Hearing this, Joy Jing’s pretty face flushed a faint shade of red.
She cast a sidelong glance at Lorze and said:
“I really, really love this rug.
Could you help me win it?”
“Of course, no problem.
I promised I’d be responsible for replacing all the damaged furniture.”
Just like that, Lorze and Joy Jing registered for the tournament under the aliases ‘Mr.
Lorze’ and ‘Ms.
Joy’. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Because Lorze didn’t want to expose Zorua’s uniqueness so early on, it was highly inconvenient to use it in such a highly public battle.
Therefore, his only viable option was Froslass.
Coincidentally, he also planned to use this amateur tournament to build some initial combat synergy with Froslass.
Speaking of which, Froslass had just officially joined the team last night.
After the ensuing absolute chaos caused by that feudal relic—Honedge—he hadn’t even had the time to check what moves she knew.
Thus, he formed a telepathic link with Froslass on the spot via the Contract, asking about her Ability and move pool.
Very quickly, Froslass telepathically relayed the information.
Her Ability was “Snow Cloak,” and her mastered moves included:
Bite, Leer, Powder Snow, Ice Shard, Draining Kiss, Astonish, Ice Fang, Icy Wind, Frost Breath, Water Pulse, Shadow Ball, Destiny Bond, Hex, Echoed Voice, and Ice Beam.
“Not bad, not bad at all~ She’s at the absolute peak of the ‘Elite-tier’ and could break through to the ‘Pro-tier’ at any moment.
Her move pool is incredibly solid too.
It’s just a shame she hasn’t learned ‘Snowscape’ yet, so she can’t trigger her Ability’s evasion buff on her own.
But this tournament is strictly limited to young couples who bought Home Goods merchandise at the Lilycove Department Store today.
Therefore, the opponents we get matched against shouldn’t be very strong at all.
Snatching the championship should be a walk in the fucking park, right~~
But since it’s a Tag Battle, I still need to see Joy Jing’s Pokémon.
As long as her strength isn’t total dogshit, I should be able to hard-carry her~~ Holy fuck, wait, you’re the one who’s going to hard-carry me!”
Seeing the Pokémon Joy Jing summoned, Lorze’s eye twitched violently.
Standing before him was an entirely snow-white, nine-tailed fox radiating an intense, freezing aura!
“Ninetales!
An Alolan Ninetales!”
That’s right!
The Pokémon Joy Jing brought out was an Alolan Ninetales, an Ice/Fairy-type.
This was a creature significantly rarer than even Froslass.
Furthermore, the strength of this Ninetales had impressively reached the “Pro-tier.” It was an absolute, literal golden thigh waiting to be hugged.
“Alright then.
I thought I was going to be the main carry, but whether it was with May on Mt.
Pyre, or with Joy Jing in this tournament, I’ve ended up getting hard-carried.
Don’t tell me I truly have the ultra-rare, innate physique of the ultimate sugar baby!”
“Stop daydreaming!
Your Froslass’s Ability should be ‘Snow Cloak,’ right?
Perfect.
My Ninetales’s Ability is ‘Snow Warning.’ It’s a pretty flawless combo, isn’t it?
There’s no way that Redbiao rug is escaping us now.”