Aiden paid no attention to the mysterious spectator’s disappearance.
At the moment, he was far too pleased with how cool he thought he looked and fully intended to keep his winning streak going.
Nimbasa City was a major metropolis, so the Battle Club had no shortage of Trainers looking for matches.
It wasn’t long before Aiden began receiving one challenge after another.
“I choose you, Snivy!”
“Go, Golurk!”
“Sprigatito, you’re up!”
Aiden selected his Pokémon according to each opponent’s strength and requested battle conditions, and match after match ended in victory.
He only called it a day when Sprigatito and Snivy both began showing signs of fatigue, deciding it was time to return to the Pokémon Center and let everyone get some proper rest.
He had barely stepped through the Battle Club’s front doors when someone called out behind him.
“Excuse me!
Are you Aiden Cross?
Please wait!”
Hearing his name, Aiden turned and saw a girl in a pink knitted coat jogging toward him.
She had a short pink bob, and after reaching him, she took a couple of breaths before giving him a cheerful smile.
“I saw some of your battles inside the Battle Club earlier.
I really liked what you said about everyone’s Pokémon being cute…”
The girl herself was cute, so naturally Aiden’s attitude was excellent.
“Thanks.
And you are?”
“Oh, sorry!
I’m Lacey, a first-year student at Blueberry Academy!”
“Lacey?!”
Aiden stared at her in surprise.
Aside from Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, this was the first person he had met who was actually a recognizable character from the story he knew.
Lacey appeared in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
In the games, she was a second-year student at Blueberry Academy and one of the BB League Elite Four, specializing in Fairy-type Pokémon.
“Cute” was practically her favorite word; she adored cute things, had a serious personality, and was naturally good at looking after others.
More importantly, she was the daughter of Clay, the Gym Leader of Driftveil City, which made her one of the wealthiest second-generation Trainers in Unova.
Seeing the surprise on Aiden’s face, Lacey tilted her head adorably.
“Do you know me?”
“Sort of.
Super cute, super rich.”
Aiden gave her a thumbs-up and bluntly summarized his entire impression of her.
Faced with such straightforward praise, Lacey looked a little embarrassed, but she still politely thanked him.
“Thank you!”
“No problem.
Nimbasa’s resident handsome guy always says exactly what he thinks.”
“…”
Lacey felt the image she had built of him cracking almost immediately.
Back inside the Battle Club, she had originally been drawn over by the repeated cries of “cute” coming from Aiden and Lee’s childish argument.
She ended up watching their match and had also heard the way Aiden encouraged Lee afterward.
At the time, she had felt as though Aiden had spoken her own thoughts for her.
She had actually wanted to approach him right then, but the announcement system called her name for a battle, forcing her to leave.
She hadn’t expected to run into him again outside the club.
So Lacey had gathered her courage and initiated a conversation with someone for the first time in her life.
Unfortunately, when it came to ruining a good first impression, Aiden Cross never disappointed.
Fortunately, Lacey hadn’t approached him because she was trying to challenge Nimbasa City’s Youth Protection Ordinance.
She had another reason entirely.
Although discovering that Aiden wasn’t quite the gentle, dependable older-brother type she had imagined was a little disappointing, it also made her realize he was an interesting person.
That helped her relax considerably.
With both hands held behind her back, Lacey looked curiously at him.
“Are you heading to the Pokémon Center?”
“Want to go together?”
“Sure!”
The two began walking toward the Pokémon Center, but as they went, Aiden noticed that Lacey kept sneaking glances at him.
Eventually, he turned his head.
“You like me?”
“Huh?!”
Lacey froze.
The moment she realized what he meant, her face turned bright red and she frantically waved both hands.
“No!
I don’t!
I was just—”
“It’s okay.
I am Unova’s resident heartthrob, after all.
These things happen.”
Lacey stared speechlessly at Aiden, who was actually wearing a serious expression as though he were genuinely trying to comfort her.
Then she noticed Sprigatito sitting on Aiden’s shoulder and quietly snickering.
That was when Lacey realized it.
‘He did that on purpose!’
Her cheeks puffed out, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“I don’t think teasing people like that is very nice.”
“Then just say whatever’s on your mind.
Keeping everything bottled up isn’t good either.”
Lacey paused.
Only then did she realize that Aiden had already noticed her hesitation long ago.
“Sorry…
I just wasn’t sure how to bring it up.”
After thinking for a moment, Lacey took a deep breath and looked toward Sprigatito on Aiden’s shoulder.
“You caught this Sprigatito here in Unova, didn’t you?”
It was phrased as a question, but the certainty in Lacey’s voice made it obvious that she already knew the answer.
Sprigatito blinked when she heard herself being mentioned.
“Spriga?”
She hadn’t expected this conversation to involve her.
Aiden, meanwhile, immediately understood something important.
There were no wild Sprigatito native to Unova.
If Lacey could tell that his Sprigatito had been caught here rather than brought in from another region, then there was only one logical explanation.
The truth was obvious.
“You know Sprigatito’s previous Trainer?!”
Sprigatito’s eyes flew wide open.
Her paws tightened involuntarily against Aiden’s shoulder.
“Ngh…”
Her claws stung, but Aiden showed no sign of discomfort.
Instead, he gently rubbed his cheek against hers.
“It’s okay.
Relax…”
Hearing his voice, Sprigatito gradually loosened her grip before burying her head tightly against Aiden’s chest, refusing to look up.
Lacey stiffened at the sight.
“I’m sorry.
I…”