Green was wearing a light red dress, her slender, well-shaped legs wrapped in pure white knee-high stockings. About five centimeters above the knees, the stockings were trimmed with a circle of ruffled lace—slightly translucent—matching the hem of her dress and outlining a softness that naturally drew the eye.
Logan walked beside her, his gaze following the gentle swing of those evenly proportioned legs. After a moment of thought, he finally spoke:
"…Green, what are you planning to do next? Honestly, you don't really need to be involved in the Elite Four incident at all. I think you could take advantage of the chaos they've caused and head to the Sevii Islands to see your parents."
Green wasn't a trainer who specialized in combat. While her strength far exceeded that of ordinary trainers, at best she was around Gym Leader level. Logan felt that directly stepping into this battle was simply too dangerous for her.
The same went for Yellow. If not for the little girl's stubborn insistence, Logan would never have allowed her to enter such a perilous world. Real combat wasn't an Alliance tournament—one wrong step could mean death.
"Heehee~~ the Elite Four already took the initiative to attack me, you know. If I didn't think about getting revenge, that wouldn't be my style at all."
Green brushed aside her hair, revealing a crystal-clear ear adorned with a gemstone earring that reflected the light.
Her outfit wasn't expensive—just like many girls her age, she'd picked it out from a small boutique, the kind of place where youthful charm was pieced together with simple elegance.
"Besides," she continued, her tone growing slightly heavier, lips pressed together and brows knitting,
"I'm very interested in what the Elite Four are planning. If I can find information I need from them, even better."
"Do whatever you want," Logan replied.
"But sharpening your blade right before battle is still better than nothing. Even if time is tight, you should do some final special training—anything to increase your chances."
"Blehh~~"
Green stuck out her tongue playfully.
"…I value my life a lot, you know. I don't plan on dying young. Even if you hadn't said it, I'd still do that."
As they walked down the corridor, the garden of the research institute came into view through the glass windows. Logan's eyes swept over it absent-mindedly—then he suddenly stopped.
In the courtyard below, Cynthia was standing with her grandmother, talking about something quietly.
"What is it?" Green asked, noticing Logan slow down.
She turned her head, saw what he was looking at, and immediately opened the corridor window.
With the glass no longer in the way, Cynthia and her grandmother's conversation became perfectly clear. Standing openly in the second-floor corridor, Green began shamelessly eavesdropping.
"Grandma, you called me here—what is it you wanted to say?"
Cynthia stood straight, dressed in her long black coat, her pant legs crisp and elegant. Only at her high heels could one see the veins on the top of her foot, and her soft waistline accentuated the fullness wrapped in black lace beneath. She asked respectfully.
"I said before that you've made progress—but don't get complacent. The matters in the Kanto region weren't something you needed to resolve, nor were they originally your responsibility."
Her grandmother spoke slowly, then her expression hardened, voice turning stern:
"…But since you've already stepped into this, you must face it properly. This is good training for you. If you hadn't encountered what's happening in Kanto, who knows when you would have finally realized your own mistakes."
Cynthia's grandmother paused, then continued coldly:
"…Still, it's far from enough. Compared to how urgent the situation is, your rate of growth is too slow. I didn't want to force growth prematurely—but since you recognized your flaws and corrected them yourself, I think it's time I personally train you."
"Grandma?!"
Cynthia froze, blurting out in disbelief.
Her grandmother… personally training her?
It felt unreal.
"Don't look so shocked. Do you think your grandmother was always just a researcher?"
The old woman snorted.
"When I was young, I was a very capable trainer—and a Dragon-type specialist at that."
As she spoke, she suddenly raised her head toward the second-floor corridor, meeting Logan and Green's eyes directly.
Green showed no embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping. Instead, she smiled sweetly and waved.
"…Hello, Grandma."
Age softened tempers. Cynthia's grandmother waved back—had this been her younger years, she might have snapped back immediately.
Cynthia nodded to Logan, unconcerned that her conversation had been overheard, but spoke in disbelief:
"…Grandma, you were actually a trainer? I never knew."
"There's a lot you don't know," the old woman said casually.
"If the Sinnoh League had started earlier, I would've taken the Champion title easily. Otherwise, how do you think I could've given you a Gible as your starter Pokémon?"
She took a sip from a glass bottle of milk in her hand and sighed in satisfaction.
"…Oak's place has its flaws, but this milk is excellent. I'll be taking plenty with me when I leave."
"You still haven't found the Elite Four's base, have you?" she continued.
"Instead of wasting time here, you should come back to Sinnoh with me. I'll take you to the place near Veilstone City where I trained back then and teach you everything I know. After that, you can return to Kanto and help your little boyfriend."
"Logan isn't my boyfriend!" Cynthia hurriedly denied.
"He's my best friend's friend. I just happened to come to Kanto. You know Caitlin too, don't you? So please stop saying things like that."
Her voice wavered slightly. She stole a glance toward Logan, her heartbeat inexplicably quickening.
"Boyfriend or not doesn't matter. As long as you're not married, there's still a chance."
The old woman glared at her.
"I lost once back then. If you lose too, don't call me Grandma anymore!"
Cynthia could only laugh helplessly.
Suddenly, the old woman snapped her head toward Green.
"…You there, little girl. Want to come train with me too?"
"Eh? Me?"
Green pointed at her own nose, stunned.
"Yes, you. You've got talent—it'd be a waste to leave it undeveloped. I've seen your fighting style before. Do you have a teacher? It feels familiar."
"I don't have one," Green said blankly, shaking her head.
She did have one, once—but she had no intention of acknowledging the masked man who had once kidnapped her.
"No teacher, huh… maybe I'm just imagining things in my old age."
The grandmother shrugged.
At that moment, Logan suddenly picked Yellow up, holding her in front of him like someone presenting a small puppy.
"Grandma, do you still have room for one more?" he asked cheerfully.
"How about taking this little one too? She's very talented, great at taking care of people, and she can cook for you!"
"Eh—eh?! Big brother—!"
Yellow panicked, flailing helplessly.
"I'll be heading to the Alliance headquarters to investigate some records," Logan explained.
"After that, I may be traveling very far. I won't be able to look after you for a while. You should train with Grandma and Cynthia—get stronger so you can help me later."
Hearing this, Yellow stopped struggling.
"My Cynthia cooks very well too," the old woman said smugly.
"One or two more kids won't make a difference. The little girl can come along."
Cynthia didn't know what to say anymore.
She had the strange feeling her grandmother was desperately trying to sell her off.
Seeing that everyone had somewhere to go, Logan finally felt at ease.
The days ahead would likely have him running all over the place, with little time even for his own training. For him, that was fine—he'd already trained enough. But for the others, wasting this time would be a loss.
Tomorrow, after seeing them off, he would depart for the Kanto Alliance headquarters himself.
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