The next morning, Auron Vale got up early.
After all, they'd already agreed a few days ago to go out together—but because Auron had been busy with the Sublimation Pokéblock project, it had been pushed back for two days.
At last, the Pokéblocks were finished and worked perfectly.
His Golbat had even evolved successfully into a Crobat.
With those two things off his mind, Auron could finally head out with an easy heart.
Auron Vale: Ready to roll?
Simon Greaves: Ready!
Jace Rowan: Let's go.
Tim Wynn: Let's go.
Serena Elm: Let's go.
Auron Vale: @Tim Wynn, are you coming to pick us up, or do we meet somewhere and you scoop us all at once?
Tim Wynn: I'll pick you up. I'll go by distance, farthest first.
Auron Vale: Works for me.
Tim Wynn: @Simon Greaves, you two come outside. I'm almost at your door.
Jace Rowan: @Tim Wynn, texting while driving? (surprised.jpg)
Tim Wynn: Ever heard of a Rotom Assistant?
Jace Rowan: …
Jace and Tim were among the earliest birthdays in their year, so when they turned eighteen, they went straight to the driving school exams.
Didn't take long—they both got their licenses.
So today's outing was a self-drive trip, with Jace and Tim taking turns at the wheel.
They'd cruise along the Nanshan Mountain Range, following National Highway 211 and stopping to play along the way.
First stop: Guanyin Zen Monastery, which was said to have a ginkgo personally planted by Emperor Taizong of Tang.
It wasn't the best season to see it, but it was worth the visit.
Then they'd hit the forest park, Longtan Waterfall, and the Zhutan Scenic Area.
Finally, they'd loop through the Nanshan Wildlife Park, bring the car back home, and take the rest of the trip by plane.
Soon enough, Tim pulled up. Auron and Jace came out to the roadside, where Tim was already waiting.
To make sure everyone could ride together, Tim had even bought a seven-seater.
As soon as Auron and Jace climbed in, a phone floated up in front of them.
"Hi there, I'm Rotom You can call me Roto"
[Pokédex Scan]
Species: Rotom
Sex: Female
Type: Electric/Ghost
Ability: Levitate (Floats above the ground and is immune to Ground-type moves.)
Potential: Purple
Known Moves: Astonish, Thunder Shock, Confuse Ray, Double Team, Charge, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave, Shock Wave, Hex
Egg Moves: None
Auron and Jace waved in perfect sync and said together,
"Hello, Roto."
Then they both glanced at each other, equally puzzled, and at the same time tossed their chins with matching disdain.
Everyone in the car cracked up at the synchronized routine, and the cabin burst into noisy laughter.
After a good laugh, they sorted out seating again.
As one of the only two licensed drivers, Jace was exiled to the front passenger seat.
Then, with a nudge from Lena Greaves's "strategic arrangements," she and Simon Greaves took the two split seats in the second row,
leaving the connected rear bench for Auron and Serena Elm—purely to create a little opportunity for the two of them.
Auron didn't overthink it and went straight to the back row, settling down beside Serena.
The car rolled out amid chatter and jokes, heading for their first destination.
They kept up the lively talk at first.
But not long after, once Lena nodded off, Serena also leaned back and drifted to sleep.
The car gradually fell quiet. The silence became contagious; even Simon and Auron couldn't resist closing their eyes.
Soon only Tim and Jace were still technically awake—but Jace was fading fast, answering Tim's words with his mouth while his head kept bobbing.
Tim glanced over and gave a helpless little smile, then stopped trying to hold a conversation.
Within minutes, the only ones still fully awake in the car were Tim and Rotom.
"Roto~ keep your voice down, okay?"
Rotom whispered, "Okay, Roto~"
Guanyin Zen Monastery wasn't far—about an hour and a half to two hours by car.
After they left the city, Tim glanced up at the center rearview mirror out of habit.
Suddenly, he noticed Serena and Auron had leaned into each other—foreheads touching, looking very close.
"Roto~ snap a picture of those two."
"Okay, Roto~"
Rotom answered softly, floated to the middle aisle, and framed the angle just right.
Click, click, click—she took a small burst.
"All done, Roto~"
"Nice work!"
"Hee-hee~"
A little while later, right as they were nearing the monastery, everyone who'd been sleeping began to stir.
It's a curious thing: no matter how long the ride, people who nap in the car always seem to wake up right before arrival.
Jace was exactly that sort. His first words on waking were,
"Are we almost there?"
Tim glanced at the navigation.
"Mm. About ten minutes."
Their brief exchange roused Simon and Lena from their haze.
But Auron and Serena were still asleep. Tim took one look, jerked his chin at the back, and whispered to Jace,
"Check behind you."
Puzzled, Jace turned—and saw Auron and Serena leaning into each other, forehead to forehead.
Jace's eyes lit up. He whipped out his phone and aimed.
He pressed the shutter—and his flash fired with a bright pop.
"Crap!"
He'd forgotten to turn off the flash. The burst of light startled Auron and Serena awake—and fully snapped Simon and Lena out of their drowsiness, too.
Tim pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered under his breath,
"Are you a pig?"
Auron rubbed his eyes, sat up straight, and asked blankly,
"What are you two doing?"
Serena woke as well. Neither of them seemed to realize they'd been napping against each other a moment ago.
Jace hemmed and hawed, searching for an excuse—but Tim was faster on the draw.
He tossed off a line about wanting to photograph the scenery they'd just passed, and the moment smoothed over.
After that little incident, they reached the parking lot outside Guanyin Zen Monastery.
Everyone piled out of the car and stretched.
"Tsk tsk—mountain air really does hit different," Auron said, taking a long breath.
Off in the distance, a startled Oddish scuttled away, and Jace sighed from the heart,
"Come on—tickets first."
They joked their way toward the gate. Jace went alone to buy tickets while the others waited.
Soon, the tickets were in hand, and they headed inside together.
After getting permission from the staff, each of them let out their Pokémon.
Most of the Pokémon had never seen such classical, old-world architecture; they stared, wide-eyed and dazzled.
The more lively ones were already off to explore the unknown.
The pair of Charmander scampered ahead, with their nanny-level guardian Arcanine padding behind.
The four Ghost-types immediately began testing whether phasing through these antique wooden walls felt any different from slipping through modern concrete.
Dragonair and Milotic floated with elegant poise, quietly taking in the surroundings. Side by side in the same frame, the two cast an unexpected "CP" vibe.
Snorlax and Torkoal trailed at the group's pace—unhurried, imperturbable.
Snorlax was using both hands: one palm supporting a Galarian Darumaka, the other a Skrelp.
Cloyster had plopped itself on Torkoal's back, to Torkoal's mild disgust.
Swablu followed in Crobat's wake, the two of them circling over the crowd's heads.
"Yo, Auron—your Golbat evolved too? When did that happen?" Tim asked, looking up at the Crobat with surprise—and even more delight at the sight of usually shy Swablu willingly trailing right after it.
PS: Thanks to "Double-Skin Milk True Love Fan" for the tip—much appreciated (￥A￥). Wishing you prosperity!
Emmmm, my bad, I reflect on my mistake—had a bit too much to drink last night and forgot to set the scheduled upload. Only noticed something was off just now.
(End of this chapter)