Chapter 5: Ugh, I Told You Not to Look!

"Mm…" Whitney nodded slightly, though her gaze still lingered on Ather's face, carrying an inexplicable emotion.

"You're acting kinda weird…"

"Pfft…" Whitney giggled, resting her chin on her hand as she asked seriously, "Do you still remember the dream we promised each other back then?"

"Gulp…" Ather swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded. "Of course. You wanted to become the world's greatest Normal-type Pokémon expert, and I wanted to stand at the top of the world as the strongest trainer."

"Then… do you think we can really make it?"

"Of course we can. As long as we work hard, we'll make it happen."

Ather said this like it was a matter of fact.

In the soft glow of the setting sun, the girl's face appeared hazy. After years of growing up together, Ather could sense it—Whitney seemed a little sad today.

He asked, "Is something bothering you?"

"No~ Not really." Whitney shook her head, then paused for a moment before saying, "Can you take me to the department store later? I also want to drop by the radio station to see Walnut."

Because Whitney was a bit of an airhead with no sense of direction, she always needed Ather to accompany her when going out. Walnut was her best friend and worked as a broadcaster at the Goldenrod Radio Tower.

"No problem," Ather agreed with a nod. Lately, Whitney had been asking to go out shopping after dinner more and more. A quick trip to the radio station on the way was no big deal.

"Mm!" Whitney smiled and didn't say anything more.

Dinner ended in a slightly strange atmosphere. The two closed the ranch gates and headed to the department store together.

"Ather, just wait for me at the entrance like always~" Whitney waved and walked into the store like she knew it by heart.

Meanwhile, Ather stayed at the entrance, scribbling in his notebook.

He was working on building his team. Creating a balanced lineup without any glaring weaknesses was absolutely crucial.

The latest Pokémon League tournament had already begun—he needed to step up his preparations.

Today, Whitney seemed to be taking her time. Before he realized it, more than an hour had passed. Finally, she emerged with a bright smile, still chatting with a store clerk beside her.

"Just deliver everything to Miltank Ranch early tomorrow morning~" she instructed before pulling Ather's arm. "Let's go~"

"Alright, alright…"

Ather's notebook was now filled with dozens of names, ranging from powerful pseudo-legendaries to strong contenders among more common Pokémon.

Whitney glanced over. "Ather, what's your favorite Pokémon?"

"Hmm… I like them all, honestly."

"Nope, you have to choose one."

"Okay, okay… then my favorite is Miltank. And my favorite type is Normal. What do you think?"

"What? That's the same as mine~… Wait, no! You're just copying me!"

Whitney was just about to get excited when she realized Ather was teasing her.

"Hahaha, guess having big boobs doesn't always mean you're smart… just a little scatterbrained."

"Ather! Are you asking for a beating?! Miltank, use Body Slam!"

…

The two playfully bickered all the way to the radio station. After taking a quick tour, they returned to the ranch.

At night, Ather lay on his bed, daydreaming about the future.

With the system in his possession, he couldn't wait for his journey to begin…

But what he didn't know was that, upstairs, Whitney was hugging her Miltank and quietly sobbing.

"Miltank… do you think Ather's about to leave soon?"

"Moo~" Miltank gently patted her back, comforting her.

"But… I don't want him to go. If he leaves, I'll be all alone here…"

"But he's been preparing for his dream for so long. How could I be the one to hold him back?"

"Moo…" Miltank patted its belly softly.

"Ugh, I don't want any milk… I'm not a kid anymore…"

Whitney refused Miltank's offer of comfort milk and got out of bed, walking to the window. She stared up at the full moon in the sky.

Bathed in moonlight, her sweet face glowed with a holy luster. She looked out at the vast, sleeping land and murmured softly:

"Ather… you'd better not give up, okay?"

"Anyone home? Delivery for Miltank Ranch—please sign here!"

Early the next morning, Ather was woken by the shouting of the deliveryman. With a head full of messy bed hair, he stumbled to the front gate and signed the delivery form.

And then—he was instantly wide awake.

He thought it was just a small order, but the deliveryman kept running back and forth, practically unloading half a truck's worth of goods!

Looking at the mountain of packages, Ather couldn't help but twitch his lips… Yep, little rich girls can really do whatever they want, huh…

Just as he was about to see what she'd ordered, a shriek rang out from behind him.

"Ahhh—! I told you not to look!"

Whitney looked like she hadn't slept well. Her eyes were a little puffy, her hair was a mess, and she still looked half-asleep.

She had even buttoned her pajamas wrong.

"You—you—you! Go back to bed! It's way too early to be up!"

Without giving him a chance to object, Whitney pushed Ather back to his room before she began packing everything into her specialized space backpack.

"That was close… he almost found out…" Whitney muttered, carrying load after load of supplies into her room.

Finally, after the last trip, she looked at the pile of gear with a troubled expression. "I think I may have bought too much… what if it doesn't all fit?"

"What doesn't fit?" Ather walked over and glanced at the lineup of items.

"Ah!! You—you—you! Can't you walk with some noise?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

Whitney jumped like a frightened rabbit, adorably startled.

But Ather's attention had already been stolen by the impressive pile of opened gear.

Large, medium, and small reinforced travel tents. Durable sleeping bags for all four seasons. A high-tech ignition device. The latest running shoes from Hoenn's Devon Corporation. A dual-mode bicycle (speed and mountain) from Windwild Bikes. League-issued training dummies. Half a year's worth of premium Pokémon food. 100 of each type of rare Berry. A TomatoMate60 satellite phone for video calls. A full crate of Golden Bug Repellent. And three complete sets of elemental evolution stones: Water, Fire, Thunder, Leaf, Sun, Moon, Light, Dark, and Ice…

And in the center—six black-and-gold luxury Poké Balls gleaming brilliantly.

"This… all of this is…"

"Ugh, I told you not to look! I was going to surprise you with it all…" Whitney pouted slightly, lips pursed in mock anger.

"Wait… you mean… all of this is for me?"

...........

[300PS= 1Bonus chapter]

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