Once everyone returned, the full MYGO squad went out for dinner at Konikoni City's Aina's Kitchen, the restaurant run by Trial Captain Mallow herself.
Compared to the anime, the place was huge—unsurprising given the thriving tourism of reality. It was practically steaming with business.
First on the agenda, as expected, was discussing everyone's trials and Grand Trials. Satoshi was already fired up and ready to go.
Except…
"Taki-mama, I want a matcha parfait~."
"Buy it yourself."
"Then I'll go ask Satoshi-papa~."
"…Fine, I'll get it."
Shiina Taki, reluctantly playing the role of caretaker, was stuck managing the stray cat known as Kaname Raana. She'd love nothing more than to ditch her, but that simply wasn't possible.
Raana wasn't a high-schooler, meaning she had zero trial obligations, leaving her annoyingly carefree. The only way Taki could keep Raana from wandering off was by bribing her with snacks.
"Anon-chan~ Could you scooch away just a bit? Our seats are pretty tight. You're troubling Satoshi-kun, you know~?"
"Soyo, maybe you're the one who needs some distance? And honestly, did you even participate in the Island Challenge today? You spent the entire day lying around—maybe you need some exercise?"
As usual, Anon and Soyo bickered incessantly, leaving everyone unsure whether they were close friends or bitter enemies.
Anon's hard-won good mood was instantly ruined by Soyo's ridiculous clinginess.
Meanwhile, Satoshi was completely unfazed, long accustomed to being trapped between these two girls. Rather than focusing on that, he chose instead to chat—specifically, with Togawa Sakiko.
It seemed Sakiko had also been on Poni Island today, though sadly, they hadn't crossed paths.
If only we'd met up~.
Satoshi decided to message her about his day since Sakiko had seemed genuinely curious.
[Satoshi]:I spent today with Uika. It was really fun!
...
Watch your back!!!
Uika, you traitor!
Just how determined are you to pull something like this off?
You're still a student—can you even bear the weight of Satoshi's life?!
Across the island, Sakiko's expression instantly darkened, heart twisting painfully.
She'd still harbored some trust for Uika, but never expected such blatant betrayal.
It hurts… Why did things end up like this?
For the first time, she'd fallen for someone special, found dear friends…
Memories flooded her mind, yet recalling Uika's gentle facade now brought her no warmth—only bitterness.
Why lie? Was it to get close to the boy she liked?
If Sakiko ever confirmed Uika intended to challenge her for Satoshi, she wouldn't hesitate to crush her completely!
Total annihilation!
Splash!
"Here, the world~ Tsunagou kodou~"
Uika's voice drifted from the nearby bathroom, her cheerful singing pushing Sakiko's mood to an all-time low.
Sakiko quietly reached over, rummaging through Uika's bag, revealing the Z-Ring along with Electrium Z and Dragonium Z crystals.
With Z-Moves at her disposal, Uika had widened the gap between them dramatically.
For now, Sakiko couldn't win against her—meaning she had no choice but to get stronger.
"Uika… you really know how to fake sincerity."
She didn't resent Uika herself, just despised this betrayal deeply.
Originally, joining Sakiko's team as part of the School Elite Four was something worth gratitude. Without this backstabbing, Sakiko would've respected her even more.
Even now, Uika still mattered deeply—they were childhood friends, after all.
Love was complicated; if Uika genuinely fell for Satoshi, Sakiko would compete fairly.
But before then…
She needed strength—she needed Z-Moves!
The second toughest island after Poni… was Ula'ula.
She'd take Acerola's Ghost-type trial, defeat Kahuna Nanu, and finally earn the right to challenge Uika directly.
"If this is how it is, then I'll end it myself!"
Standing up, Sakiko clenched her fists, eyes blazing with resolve.
She'd repay this betrayal in full—and settle things for good!
...
Unaware of Sakiko's turmoil, Satoshi was still sandwiched between two girls, now joined by Takamatsu Tomori.
But it was dinnertime, a precious moment of relaxation.
All Satoshi wanted now was to become a Snorlax—
Time to eat!
"Satoshi… How'd your trial go today?" Tomori asked sweetly, lifting a spoonful of pudding gently toward his lips.
"I cleared Poni Island's trial, though I haven't faced the kahuna yet," Satoshi replied casually, opening his mouth to accept the pudding.
The moment the spoon touched his lips, Tomori's heart skipped, acutely aware she'd indirectly kissed him. A faint blush spread across her cheeks, eyelashes trembling softly.
I just indirectly kissed Satoshi…
A cunning girl, scheming her way deeper into love!
Unfortunately for her, the eagle-eyed Soyo immediately caught this little scene, clenching her fists tightly as jealousy surged uncontrollably.
Is there seriously no one around me I can trust?!
Maybe I should just toss Tomori off into some snowy mountain…
"Tomori-chan~ It's not good to do things like that, you know~? We should all respect a healthy distance."
Smiling sweetly, Soyo's fingers gently toyed with her hair, her other hand subtly entwining with Satoshi's, maintaining a perfectly composed façade.
She deliberately avoided mentioning anything about keeping men and women apart—that would only inconvenience her own advances.
Soyo: Yes!
Tomori: Absolutely not!
"But…" Tomori's gaze flickered skeptically toward Soyo's hand, noticing she was boldly holding onto Satoshi herself.
Soyo: I'm allowed to have objections!
No one else gets to touch my boyfriend!
But unwilling to openly quarrel with Tomori just yet, Soyo quickly retreated, forcing a soft laugh:
"Ahaha… Just kidding~ Forget what I said~"
Yet deep down, Soyo couldn't shake the growing suspicion that she was becoming the ultimate loser here.
First Anon stepped all over her, now Tomori was trampling her too.
Honestly, if Taki wasn't already busy with Raana, even she might've jumped in to humiliate her.
[Satocchi~ A shuraba is just beautiful, isn't it~]
Huh? I was lost in thought—what happened?
[Hehe… Nothing~]
Completely oblivious, Satoshi's mind wandered back to Poni Island's troubles.
Kahuna Hapu might not even be officially appointed yet…
So who am I supposed to battle tomorrow?
If I can't even start the Grand Trial… I—
Shaking off his worries, he turned his attention to MYGO's Island Challenge progress instead.
Taki had finished the Grass-type trial; Tomori breezed through Melemele's trials and Grand Trial. With Marshadow by her side, she'd essentially activated easy mode.
He couldn't wait to see Kahuna Hala's stunned reaction:
I expected a regular Grand Trial, not an Elite Four-level opponent!
Although Hala himself would eventually become the Fighting-type Elite Four in Alola's future league, the Alolan league might seem weaker overall, but Z-Moves and select powerhouses balanced things nicely.
Currently, Anon was stuck on the Water-type trial, while Soyo hadn't even started hers.
Raana was still in middle school and completely exempt, effectively turning this whole trip into a genuine vacation.
At this rate, the high-school tournament might devolve into a full-on Z-Move battle royale.
We definitely need to hit Kalos soon…
Adding Mega Evolution into the Z-Move chaos would certainly turn heads.
But who should I bring to Kalos? It's practically another vacation…
I'll worry about that after the Grand Trial~
Lost in these thoughts, Satoshi hardly noticed the girls competing for his attention.
"Ah~ Satoshi~?" Soyo softly called, lifting a spoonful of almond tofu and pretending to cool it off dramatically before offering it to him.
Who blows on cold almond tofu?!
Watching from the sidelines, Tomori, Anon, and Taki collectively resisted the urge to elbow Soyo and knock some sense into her.
Unfortunately for them, this was merely the beginning—after all, when a love-crazed, bottomless pit like Soyo got going, stopping her was no easy feat.
---
T/N: heres ur updates :3 meeting the 4 chaps a week quota :3
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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