Although sporty girls weren't his favorite, when Misty appeared in that sheer, pure white evening gown, she exuded the elegance and nobility of a young lady from a wealthy family.
"Ryuuske, rest well tonight. We'll set off first thing tomorrow!"
After dinner, Misty unceremoniously pushed Ryuuske into the guest bedroom she had prepared for him and forcefully shut the door behind him. Ryuuske couldn't help but wonder if she was afraid he'd run away—maybe she had even locked the door from the outside?
"Hah, such an innocent girl. Too bad I'm not some smooth-talking Casanova, or I'd have had her wrapped around my finger in no time."
Ryuuske shook his head and placed the Poké Balls on the bedside table.
Girls were incomprehensible creatures—sometimes shrewd as a fox, other times utterly foolish. Regardless of their status or looks, once they truly fell for someone, they'd throw caution to the wind, even willing to bankrupt themselves for love.
That's why being a gigolo wasn't as easy as it seemed.
Ryuuske didn't think he had the talent for it.
As a man, he could only rely on himself first.
Even the guest room in Misty's house was luxuriously decorated, with expensive carpets underfoot and exquisite furniture. The bed alone was more comfortable than a five-star hotel's, making Ryuuske feel that coming here wasn't a bad deal—especially since that dinner had been so delicious he was still salivating over it.
Lying in bed, he found himself unable to sleep. By the moonlight filtering through the curtains, Ryuuske took out the stone Giovanni had given him. The thumbnail-sized stone shimmered under the moonlight, but despite its value, it was practically useless to Ryuuske.
An Everstone could be thought of as a rechargeable evolutionary stone—nothing legendary, just extremely rare. A single vein of ore might yield one or two, and most existing Everstones were collected by trainers or the wealthy. Unlike regular evolutionary stones, which were single-use, Everstones could recharge over time after being used.
Selling it didn't seem worth it, and Ryuuske didn't need a large sum of money for anything. After some thought, he decided to keep it for now—it might come in handy later.
"Goodnight, Mewtwo. I'll have to trouble you with keeping watch again."
After bidding goodnight to the three Pokémon in the Poké Balls on the bedside table, Ryuuske closed his eyes and drifted off. Compared to his miserable, overworked days before transmigrating, his sleep quality had improved significantly.
---
The next morning, after washing up, Ryuuske went downstairs for breakfast and found Misty already prepared and waiting for him at the table. She had changed out of her gorgeous evening gown and back into her combat-ready outfit. Her long legs were toned and powerful, and her exposed midriff revealed enviable abdominal muscles—proof that girls who swam often had great figures.
Well, except for the chest—that wasn't something swimming could improve.
After a hearty breakfast, Misty led Ryuuske to the back of the villa. The house was built over a river, and behind it lay a small private lake owned by Misty's family.
"Cerulean City is practically all waterways, with rivers branching out in all directions. When my father built this villa, he considered the transportation situation carefully. This lake has many inlets and outlets—it's basically a major thoroughfare. Taking the waterways from here can get you anywhere in Cerulean City."
Standing by the lakeshore, Misty explained the layout to Ryuuske.
"So we're taking the waterways to Mt. Moon?"
"Yep. Mt. Moon has underground water sources, and I happen to know a secret passage leading there. Traveling by water also reduces the risk of being spotted by Team Rocket."
"I don't have any Water-type Pokémon to ride the waves, though!"
Ryuuske shrugged. Dratini was still too small to ride—at the very least, it would need to evolve into Dragonair first. Rumor had it that Dragonair was the most comfortable Pokémon for crossing oceans, capable of gliding smoothly across even the stormiest seas.
"Don't forget—I'm the Cerulean Gym Leader, Kanto's most famous Water-type expert!"
Misty shot Ryuuske a glare before tossing a Poké Ball. Appearing on the lakeshore was a Lapras.
"This Lapras is…?"
Ryuuske felt like he had seen this Lapras before.
"Yep, it's the same Lapras that brought you and Blaine here that day. Though you were unconscious at the time, so you probably don't remember."
Misty smiled.
"This Lapras must be one of your main Pokémon. I can sense its strength."
A glint flashed in Ryuuske's eyes as he assessed the power contained within Lapras's body. He walked over and hopped onto Lapras's back, greeting it with a smile.
"…Long time no see, Lapras. Thanks for your help last time."
The highly intelligent Lapras turned its head and gave a soft cry, nuzzling Ryuuske before setting off across the water. Meanwhile, Misty summoned a Starmie as her own means of transportation.
"Memories linger, ever since the day I saw you riding Lapras. Like that day, I see you smile again. Like that day, I see you shine…"
Ryuuske hummed a tune softly as he sat atop Lapras.
"Huh? You know this song too?"
Misty, riding alongside him, sounded surprised.
"The Boy on Lapras." Ryuuske chuckled. "Heard it a bunch of times at Professor Oak's place—ended up memorizing it without realizing."
"This song's been a hit for ages. It's still topping the charts… Rumor has it, decades ago, a one-hit-wonder band wrote and performed it as a tribute to a close friend of theirs who shared a deep bond with a Lapras. But after releasing this song, the band disbanded. To this day, they're kinda like an urban legend."
Perhaps because Lapras was a Water-type, Misty seemed particularly enthusiastic about the topic, eagerly sharing tidbits of trivia she'd heard.
"I don't know much about the song's origins… but hey, doesn't this make me the 'boy on Lapras' now?"
Ryuuske leaned back against Lapras's neck, gazing up at the sky. He didn't know what riding a Dragonair felt like, but riding Lapras was pretty comfortable.
Misty blinked her bright eyes, glanced at Ryuuske, then snorted playfully.
"…You look more like an old man on Lapras!"
"Hahaha, I bet that 'boy on Lapras' from back then really is an old man by now!"
Laughing, Ryuuske continued bantering with Misty as they made their way toward Mt. Moon once more.
To be continued…