After changing into a short-sleeve and shorts set printed with Pokémon faces together with Lott, Erina's pretty face was slightly flushed as she said:
"N-Next, should we go to a flower shop to buy flowers, then watch a movie together, have a candlelit dinner, and finally you drive me home?"
Lott was instantly speechless.
'This girl has been deeply poisoned by romance manga.'
If not because he didn't have the heart to shatter the young girl fantasy, Lott would have liked to say to Erina:
"Normally, we'd have to eat two more meals before going to a hotel, but I really don't have time. Can I just give you the money for two meals and the room, and we start now?"
But seeing the Squirtle design stretched taut over Erina's chest-
Lott really almost couldn't resist saying that to Erina Nakiri.
"Chu mi~"
At that moment, the pink cat flew over.
Its two short hands, one tugged at Lott's collar, the other pointed to the next door Castelia Coneys chain store.
'Oh, Castelia Cones are also Cynthia's favorite.'
'Who knows if that's why she always runs off to Unova whenever she's on vacation.'
'Speaking of which, why hasn't she left yet?'
Lott thought inwardly.
Like before, Lott directly made a hole in the closed door.
He pulled the trigger on the ice cream machine and filled two cones.
One he handed to the pink cat, the other to Erina.
Mew excitedly buried its whole face in the ice cream, contentedly meowing nonstop.
Just as Lott was about to get one for himself-
Erina suddenly grabbed Lott's sleeve, her face shy but inwardly expecting as she said:
"Th-That, l-let's share one?"
'Alright, probably saw it in some cliché romance manga again.'
Seeing Lott and Erina put their heads together to lick the same ice cream cone.
Cynthia actually felt the Castelia Cone in her hand, once her favorite, wasn't fragrant and sweet at all anymore.
The scene was so sickeningly sweet!
Thinking this, Cynthia lost even more appetite for the ice cream's deliciousness, shoving large mouthfuls into her mouth.
'What a bastard couple)!'
For some reason, Cynthia cursed them inwardly.
After stuffing the last bit of the cone into her mouth, Cynthia glanced at the two again while thinking, 'Since they're sharing one, they should be finished by now, right?'
Upon looking at them...
'Gasp!'
'They're still at it!'
In fact, the two are directly kissing!
Especially Lott!
His hands are all over that Squirtle on Erina!
'Damn it!'
'Even though there's no one around right now, you two shouldn't go too far!'
'I'm still here!'
"Chu mi?"
Mew tilted its head, a big question mark appearing over its small head, wondering what these two humans were doing.
"Mee?"
Just as Mew was studying them, it suddenly sensed an unusual aura.
It looked up towards the sky.
"Ooo-"
A melodious sound, resembling a wolf's howl but more holy than a wolf's howl, echoed over Castelia City.
Cynthia, who couldn't bear to watch the couple, and the couple she secretly cursed as 'bastard couple', Lott and Erina-
All three looked up.
What then met their eyes, rapidly enlarging in their vision, was a pair of pure white, flawless wings.
The face, a combination of a white wolf and a dragon, displayed a feminine beauty.
Cloud-like white long fur swayed in the wind, adding to its magnificence.
"W-White Dragon, Reshiram!?"
Cynthia exclaimed the name of this descending divine dragon.
"So, so beautiful..."
Erina, whose lipstick had been mostly gnawed off by Lott, looked on with shining eyes.
If Mew was petite and cute, then this white dragon was the ultimate in nobility and splendor.
Indeed.
In terms of strength, Reshiram couldn't even rank among the top-tier Legendaries-
But in terms of appearance value, few could compare.
And that noble, queen-like temperament suited the preferences of Erina, the former [Totsuki Queen], even more.
"Ooo~~"
Reshiram spread its wings again upon landing, its cry, resembling a wolf king's but actually a dragon's roar, echoed once more.
Its azure blue eyes stared fixedly ahead.
More precisely, at Lott.
[What is your truth?]
A neutral, yet slightly feminine, ethereal voice sounded in Lott's mind.
Lott: "..."
'No, I'm not interested in you Pokémon.'
'Why do you keep coming to me one after another.'
[What is your truth?]
It seemed Reshiram thought Lott didn't hear because he didn't answer.
It used telepathy to ask again.
After his speechlessness, Lott thought for a moment and said:
"Enjoying food after battle, enjoying fun after battle, enjoying beauties after battle. That is my truth."
Instantly, Reshiram's wings spread open wider for no apparent reason.
[Your truth... I understand it!]
The Truth Dragon flew high, reaching above Lott, then enveloped him with its warm wings, much like the Susanoo of the Uchiha Clan.
[I will, with all my strength, carry out your truth.]
This final telepathic message echoed not only in Lott's ears but also in Erina's and Cynthia's.
Erina, who didn't yet understand the Planet Pokémon well, only thought this noble dragon had chosen to follow Lott.
She smiled happily for her lover.
But Cynthia, who knew the context, widened her eyes in shock.
'Had it chosen the Truth Hero of this generation?'
Reshiram, the White Dragon, and Zekrom, the Black Dragon.
Their relationship was like the Senju and Uchiha of the Planet Ninja, the Kusanagi and Yagami Clans of the Planet King of Fighters, or Real Madrid and Barcelona from Lott's previous life on Earth.
They fought generation after generation.
Each generation had to determine a winner.
And each generation, the two dragons would choose a 'spokesperson' as their partner, to fight the other.
According to intelligence provided by her friend Caitlin recently-
Zekrom seemed to have already chosen the Ideal Hero of this generation.
It seemed to be the leader of Unova's largest criminal organization, Team Plasma.
This had the Unova League very worried.
They also secretly cursed Zekrom, wondering if it had slept for so long its brain had gotten addled.
How could it pick such a guy as its partner?
Originally, Cynthia was also quite worried for her good friend.
But now, seeing the sacred Reshiram enveloping the utterly bewildered Lott.
She couldn't help but picture this scene in her mind-
Lott: "Reshiram! Fusion Flare!"
N: "Zekrom! Fusion Bolt!"
Blazing red-white flames and dazzling blue-green lightning converged in mid-air.
The two waves of energy were momentarily evenly matched.
Then Lott, standing behind, looked increasingly impatient.
He suddenly used Instant Transmission to appear beside Zekrom, slapped it with the back of his hand, directly knocking the Black Dragon's head off.
Then, flexing his terrifying muscles, he'd say:
"Won another Pokémon battle without using Pokémon today."
…
Cynthia: "..."
Cynthia felt that if she had the chance to meet Zekrom, she could remind it to grovel to Reshiram before the fight started.
You can only blame yourself for choosing your Hero too early.
Did you forget the saying circulated in gaming circles: "The one who strikes first loses"?