November 22nd, Sunday.
Minor Snow.
Atop Mt. Silver, mist rose from the hot springs, curling into the cold morning air.
A Venusaur, its presence restrained yet exuding an undeniable pressure, lay on the ground with its eyes closed, basking in the warmth.
From within the steaming water, Red called out toward the fog, "Thanks, Blue."
"No big deal."
Although Aerodactyl was his usual ride, Red often borrowed Blue's Charizard as well.
Since Blue was free today, he brought Red to Mt. Silver for continued training.
The mountain was home to many powerful wild Pokémon.
Leaping down from Charizard's back, Blue scanned the surroundings cautiously before asking in a calm voice, "It's been a while… is your hand still not healed?"
"Yeah…"
Red gave a helpless smile. "Whenever it gets cold, my wrist still aches."
Back during his match against the Elite Four, Lorelei's Jynx had left him with an enduring injury.
Despite that, Red had still claimed the title of World Champion.
It was only after Red retired that Leon, a rising star, took over as champion.
Lorelei had always felt guilty about Red's injury.
But Red himself remained optimistic—it just meant he had to visit hot springs for treatment every now and then.
Blue's gaze flickered.
"I heard that the hot springs in Cinnabar Town are great for healing too… you should give them a try."
Red looked slightly surprised.
"Cinnabar has an active underground volcano. Mr. Blaine even built one of Kanto's most famous resort spas there."
Blue sighed. "You really have been out of touch with the world for too long!"
"Ahaha, well… The hot springs here in Mt. Silver work so well that I never felt the need to look elsewhere," Red admitted, scratching his head sheepishly.
"Even the best treatments lose effectiveness over time."
Hands in his pockets, Blue continued, "You should check out other healing spots before your old injury flares up again."
Red nodded. "Thanks."
"Hmph." Blue waved a hand and hopped onto Charizard's back. "I'm heading out first."
Watching Blue fly off into the distance, Red fell into thought.
Cinnabar Town, huh…
Since he was leaving Mt. Silver anyway, he might as well bring the gang along for a trip!
---
"A trip to the resort?"
Lu Ye blinked at the message in the group chat.
[Lu Ye: Why the sudden idea?]
[Red: Mainly to see if other hot springs help with healing. I guess it's a bit troublesome, huh?] Red smiled apologetically.
[Lu Ye: No, no trouble at all!]
Yellow's face turned bright red.
[Yellow: I—I want to go!]
As the culprit behind Red's injury, Lorelei's eyes gleamed with excitement.
[Lorelei: That sounds amazing!]
Lovers in a snowy hot spring retreat, embraced in warmth…
The image was too enticing!
[Gold: I don't think anyone actually invited you, Lorelei-senpai…]
A vein popped on Lorelei's forehead.
Changing how you address me doesn't mean I won't write your name in my little blacklist book!
Misty, currently training on Seafoam Islands, was only a half-hour's travel from Cinnabar Island.
She had been about to say something but, after some thought, sighed and stayed quiet.
[Sapphire: Oh! Mt. Chimney in Hoenn has hot springs too! Red-senpai, I can book a spot for you if you ever want to visit!]
[Red: Sounds good, But since we've set our destination, I'll check out Cinnabar first.] Red replied.
[Ruby: Such a shame… Sapphire and I are still traveling the world, or else we'd join you.]
Lu Ye's expression turned strange.
"Traveling the world," huh? More like a honeymoon!
The chat fell into a knowing silence.
In the end, Red and Yellow became the ones heading to the hot spring resort.
[Green: How long are you staying? If you book through me, I can get you a group discount~!] Green asked with a sly grin.
[Red: No need for a group deal… Just two days, one night. We should be back by Tuesday.] Red coughed lightly.
[Gold: Can I come? I've never been to a resort before.]
[Crystal: No!]
[Gold: Huh?]
Crystal's face turned red as she quickly switched to private chat.
[Crystal: I-If you want to go, I can go with you next time… Just don't interrupt Red-senpai and Yellow!]
[Gold: Really? Feels like they'd be more awkward alone…]
Despite his clueless personality, Gold nodded thoughtfully.
Traveling alone with Yellow, Red felt a bit nervous.
[Red: @Blue, wanna come along?]
[Blue: I have to watch the gym.]
[Sabrina: Lu Ye is free, you could ask him] Sabrina suddenly suggested.
Lu Ye's heart skipped a beat.
If he went along… wouldn't Yellow hate him forever?!
But to his surprise, Yellow also sent him a private message.
Blushing, she hesitated.
[Yellow: T-Teacher Lu… Could you come too? Otherwise, I… I don't know how to act…]
Lu Ye silently gazed at the sky.
So this was…
Two love rookies needing a third wheel to bridge the gap?
--
[Romance Battle Strategy Chat Group]
Lu Ye tossed the dilemma into the group of love detectives.
[Lu Ye: What do I do? Any good ideas?]
[Lorelei: Lock them in a room for two days and one night!]
[Lu Ye: That might actually get someone killed!] Lu Ye grimaced.
Lorelei… just what kind of weird shoujo manga have you been reading?!
[Erika: Patience is key, Teacher Lu, perhaps you could casually nudge things along?] Erika pondered.
Her suggestion was essentially choosing a spy to gather gossip.
Something about the way she phrased it made it sound… way less terrifying than it actually was.
[Lance: I think that's a solid plan.]
[Lorelei: Lu Ye, whether or not we get the good gossip depends on you!]
[Lu Ye: B-But I have class on Tuesday…] Lu Ye muttered weakly.
[Erika: No worries, I'll cover for you.] Erika smiled.
Lu Ye's expression turned complicated.
The Gym Leader of Celadon City… was her heart just pure darkness?!
But as the group leader, he was responsible for his friends' love lives.
---
Taking a deep breath, Lu Ye opened the chat.
[Lu Ye: Alright, count me in for the resort trip!]
Both Red and Yellow let out a long sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Sabrina frowned, sensing something was… off.
If Lu Ye went to Cinnabar Town… wouldn't that mean three whole days without Gengar?
Her mood suddenly dipped.
---
With the trip finalized, Lu Ye prepared for his departure.
Meeting Red soon, he felt a small sense of excitement.
Plus, with the heavy responsibility of gathering gossip for the group, he had to stay alert.
'Two days and one night… I still need to make it back for Tuesday's class,' Lu Ye rubbed his chin in thought, 'Ah, whatever. I'll just let Erika sub for me… Can't let this trip go to waste!'
Opening his laptop, he updated his livestream status:
[Out gathering inspiration, BRB in three days! Will discuss new tactics when I return.]
With that, he packed his bags and set off for Cinnabar Island.