Oh No, My Virtue!  

As a mere human, Shiranui had no way to withstand Gabite's brute force. If Gabite hadn't deliberately held back, her slender neck would have likely snapped already. 

"You, come here..." 

Ignoring the surrounding crowd gawking and pointing in shock, Ryuuske beckoned to the dazed Squirtle still floundering in the water. 

Squirtle scrambled onto the shore in a panic, scurrying over to Ryuuske's side. When it saw Shiranui lying unconscious on the ground, its face twisted into an eerily human-like expression of ingratiating flattery. 

"Tch, truly like Trainer, like Pokémon. This Squirtle of yours is way too clever for its own good." 

Ryuuske chuckled wryly. While most Pokémon could understand human speech, they didn't think like humans—just like how Sabrina had been stunned that his Gabite could comprehend concepts like deception. This Squirtle, probably from being around Shiranui for so long, had inherited its Trainer's cunning and mischief. 

"Stay put and don't move a muscle. If you try anything funny, I'll chop your Trainer's head off first—then yours." 

Ryuuske shot Squirtle a glare, and Gabite helpfully flashed its razor-sharp claws. Squirtle nodded frantically, like a pecking Pidgey. 

At that moment, Dratini slithered onto the shore with a soft "Mii~" and coiled itself around Ryuuske's neck. 

Ryuuske crouched down, hesitated for a second, then—completely disregarding the onlookers still whispering and pointing—clenched his jaw and began patting down the unconscious Shiranui's body. The girl's clothes were thin, and through the fabric, he could feel the softness of her skin beneath. His thoughts briefly wandered into dangerous territory, but he forced himself to keep searching. 

Whatever. My reputation's already ruined. At this point, who cares what people think? 

Before long, he fished out a pink wallet from her waist. It was delicate and girly, stitched with her name—a small reminder that, beneath all the scheming, she was still just a girl next door. 

He flipped it open and counted the bills inside—over a dozen 10,000-yen notes. Ryuuske pulled out a stack and stuffed it into his own pocket before tossing the wallet back onto Shiranui's body. 

"...Confiscating the ill-gotten gains. Since you used my name for your scam, consider this 'copyright' and 'image rights' fees." 

He figured he was being generous enough by leaving her some money instead of taking it all. 

Frisking a girl in broad daylight and openly robbing her—how did it feel? A little nerve-wracking, but also thrilling. This was probably the exhilaration of breaking societal norms and moral boundaries. 

Unbeknownst to Ryuuske, the "unconscious" Shiranui curled her lips into a sinister smirk. Her fingers, which should have been immobile, twitched slightly. Squirtle's panicked expression suddenly morphed into a vicious grin as it opened its mouth, preparing to blast Ryuuske point-blank with a Hydro Pump! 

At this range, even with Gabite and Dratini's energy fields protecting him, a direct hit would at least fracture a few ribs. 

Just as the surging energy gathered in Squirtle's mouth, Ryuuske shot it a sidelong glance, his cold smirk unwavering. Dratini, as if anticipating this, crackled with electricity at its forehead. Before Squirtle could unleash its attack, a Thunder Wave zapped out faster, striking Squirtle's body. 

"Gah—?!" 

Squirtle convulsed violently as the powerful current surged through it, dispersing the energy in its mouth. Paralyzed and stiff, it collapsed to the ground, twitching helplessly. 

"Can't let my guard down around you for even a second. Pretending to be unconscious while secretly using hand signals to command your Pokémon for a sneak attack? If I'd been even slightly careless, I'd be coughing up broken ribs right now." 

Ryuuske smirked down at the motionless Shiranui, who remained perfectly still, as if genuinely "knocked out." 

"No response? Fine. Gabite, since she's not talking, don't hold back. Use Dragon Claw to take her head off. Dratini, freeze the blood spray with Ice Beam afterward—I don't want the scene getting too messy." 

Gabite raised its claws, its murderous aura dropping the surrounding temperature by several degrees. Shiranui, still sprawled on the ground, finally panicked. Given Ryuuske's track record—he had killed before—she had no doubt he'd go through with it. 

"W-Wait! I surrender! I give up!" She hastily raised her hands. "I—I have an elderly mother! A little brother to take care of! And the baby in my—" 

"Hmm?" 

Ryuuske's icy hum shut her up instantly. She forced a sheepish laugh. 

"...Okay, no baby. And no elderly mother. But the little brother part is true!" 

"H-How did you even figure me out?" 

Still lying facedown, not bothering to brush off the dirt, Shiranui didn't dare move—lest she provoke him further. 

"Gabite told me the 'feel' of hitting your neck was off. That's when I knew you were faking." 

Ryuuske graciously explained. 

"You can understand Pokémon speech? Or... their thoughts?" 

Shiranui gasped, stunned. 

"Don't overthink it. I only understand my dragons." 

"...Just my luck." 

Shiranui let out a bitter laugh. Who could've guessed his bond with his Pokémon ran that deep? Even something as abstract as "the feel was off" could be communicated. 

"What's that on your neck?" 

Ryuuske frowned as the skin on Shiranui's neck suddenly rippled. Her fair complexion shifted to a soft pink—and a terrified Ditto materialized in its place. 

"So that's it. You had a Ditto fused to your skin. Not only does it let you borrow a Pokémon's energy field for protection against sneak attacks, but you can also use Ditto's malleable body to absorb physical blows. Truly ingenious—one misstep, and I'd have fallen for it." 

Though his words sounded like praise, Shiranui couldn't help but feel mocked. She pouted indignantly. Yeah, yeah, so clever—and yet you still saw through it! 

Before she could retort, pain exploded in her neck again as Gabite struck with the back of its claw—this time, without Ditto's protection. Darkness swallowed her vision. 

Oh no... my virtue's done for. 

That was her last thought before everything went black. 

Ryuuske scooped the girl up, his hand resting on her smooth thigh. Suppressing the distracting thoughts bubbling up, he glanced around—people were already calling the police. He turned to Squirtle, which had just recovered from paralysis. 

"This time, you'd better behave. Take us somewhere else. If you try anything, your Trainer dies—and so do you." 

Dratini coiled threateningly around Shiranui's neck, as if to emphasize the point. 

Squirtle finally, truly, gave up.

To be continued…