After the incident at the lake the other day, Liko started observing Sprigatito as per Jin's advice. She followed Sprigatito around all day, noting its actions, what it liked, and its favorite spots.

(I did say to start by learning, but just following and taking notes is really diligent.)

However, Liko's method seemed fine to him. She had thought about it and decided on a course of action. Doing something was definitely better than doing nothing. But Liko's physical abilities were no different from an ordinary girl's, so she often got left behind by Sprigatito.

"What's up? Did Sprigatito go off somewhere again?"

"Yeah. But Sprigatito has a few favorite sunbathing spots. I think I can find it there."

"Oh?"

Jin was the one who advised Liko to learn about Sprigatito. He was genuinely impressed that she had gathered so much information in just a few days.

"Well, I'm off to find Sprigatito!"

"Alright, good luck."

"Thanks!"

Liko set off to find Sprigatito, and Jin watched her go.

(I'm a little worried, but I'll let her handle it for now.)

Truthfully, Jin wanted to help her search. But since Liko was trying hard to learn about Sprigatito, he decided to trust and watch over them instead of just lending a hand.

By the time the dorm curfew had passed, Jin was sneaking out of the dormitory. He didn't have a particular reason; he just couldn't sleep and felt like seeing the lake again. He moved stealthily, avoiding the guards' gaze, making no noise, and taking care not to be seen.

By the way, he wasn't wearing a cardboard box.

Sneaking out of the school grounds and heading into the bushes, Jin soon saw the lake again. This time, the lake reflected the starry sky, offering a different kind of beauty from what he saw in the evening. While he was momentarily captivated by the sight, he heard a familiar voice a little distance away.

(...Could it be?)

"Sprigatito, 'Leafage'!"

"Meow!"

Green leaves began to sprout from Sprigatito's neck, but they quickly faded away.

"Hmm. No good, huh?"

As expected, it was Liko and Sprigatito. It looked like they were training.

(Training even at night? She's got more grit than I thought. But...)

Liko looked dejected as the move failed, and Sprigatito, seemingly bored, started scratching its claws on a nearby rock.

(It seems like they've gotten closer, but their coordination still needs work.)

It was true that building a strong bond would take time. However, having a good role model could help them progress.

(I just decided to watch over them, but maybe I should help a little... But first...)

Jin mischievously sneaked up behind Liko and took a deep breath before shouting loudly.

"Hey! Do you know what time it is? Students should be back in the dormitory!"

"Eek! I'm sorry!"

Liko instinctively bowed to the voice behind her, then slowly looked up at her scolder.

"......"

"You shouldn't be breaking curfew, you delinquent!"

"...Jin, what are you doing?"

"Pretending to be a strict dorm supervisor."

Realizing she was being teased, anger started welling up inside Liko.

"Geez! You really scared me!"

"Haha."

"Don't laugh it off!"

Liko began to lightly hit Jin, but it didn't seem to affect him. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying it.

"I'm sorry. So, you were training Sprigatito's moves?"

"...Yeah. But it looks like Sprigatito got bored, so I thought I'd call it a day."

"Meow?"

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Really? Well, then I have something good to show you both."

"?"

"Come on out."

Jin reached into his pocket, took out a Poké Ball, and tossed it into the air.

"Scepp!"

The Pokémon that emerged from the Poké Ball had a green body with red markings on its jaw and belly, and six yellow, round seeds arranged in three vertical rows on its back. Its arms had leaves growing from them, and it wore a green scarf with a peculiar stone attached to its neck.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?"

Liko pulled out her Rotom Phone to look up information about the Pokémon.

"Sceptile, the Forest Pokémon. The final evolution of Treecko. The leaves growing on its arms can slice down giant trees with one stroke. It is invincible in jungle combat."

"This is my partner, Sceptile."

"Sceptile."

Even Liko, who was still a novice Trainer, and her low-level Sprigatito could tell that the Sceptile before them was incredibly strong.

"Watch closely, you two."

"?"

Jin exchanged a knowing look with Sceptile, then turned to face the lake.

"Sceptile, use Leaf Storm!"

"Scepp!"

Compared to Sprigatito's brief attempt at 'Leafage', the number and power of the sharp leaves Sceptile produced were incomparable. A storm of leaves shot toward the lake, splitting the water and sending a massive spray into the air.

"...Amazing."

"Meow!"

Liko was left speechless by the sheer power of the 'Leaf Storm', while Sprigatito watched the display with sparkling eyes.

"The 'Leaf Storm' you just saw is like a much stronger version of 'Leafage'."

"Really? Is that true?"

(I can't believe it. They looked like completely different moves.)

"What do you think, Sprigatito? Do you want to be able to do that?"

"Meow!"

"Then you'll have to train steadily. But unfortunately, Liko said she was done for the day, so you'll have to wait."

At that moment, Sprigatito began jumping repeatedly in front of Liko, showing its enthusiasm.

"Meow, meow, meow!"

"Sprigatito?"

"What do you think, Liko? Sprigatito seems eager."

(So, Jin did this for...)

"...Okay! Let's continue! Let's go, Sprigatito!"

"Meow!"

Liko and Sprigatito resumed their training. With occasional advice from Jin and demonstrations from Sceptile, their progress was much faster than when it was just the two of them.

And then...

"Sprigatito, 'Leafage'!"

"Meow!"

Multiple leaves emerged from Sprigatito and struck the target rock.

"We did it! We did it, Sprigatito!"

"Meow!"

Overjoyed, Liko and Sprigatito hugged each other in celebration. Watching them, Jin and Sceptile also quietly bumped fists to share in the success.

"Jin, Sceptile! Thank you, it's all thanks to you two!"

"Meow!"

"You're welcome. But it's because you and Sprigatito worked hard. Right, Sceptile?"

"Sceptile."

"Hehe."

Liko smiled brightly, showing just how seriously she had been training. However, the next moment, she suddenly sat down as if her legs had given out.

"Huh? What?"

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just suddenly lost my strength..."

"...Doesn't look like you're hurt."

Jin conducted a quick check but found no injuries. Most likely, Liko had pushed herself past her physical limits due to her intense focus on the training.

"Let's rest for a bit. Then we'll head back to the dorm so you can get a good night's sleep."

"Yeah, I'll do that."

"Meow."

"Sprigatito... thank you. I'm okay, just a little tired."

(...I thought she had determination, but she's more hardworking than I imagined. I'll have to keep that in mind during training from now on.)

"Here."

Jin handed Liko a bottle of water he had taken from the dorm's fridge earlier.

"It's some nice, fresh water. Go ahead and drink it."

"Huh? But..."

"I haven't touched it yet. You're tired, so don't hesitate."

"...Thanks, Jin."

Liko slowly drank the water Jin gave her. The refreshment helped, and her complexion improved a bit.

"Hey, Jin."

"Yeah? What's up?"

"I've been wondering about the scarf that Sceptile is wearing. Is it something special?"

"No, the scarf itself is just an ordinary one. The important part is the stone attached to it. It's a symbol of the bond between Sceptile and me."

"A symbol of your bond?"

"Yeah."

Jin reached into the chest pocket of his uniform and pulled out a pendant. The pendant had a stone similar to the one on Sceptile's scarf.

"These two stones represent our bond. I'll show you what it means someday."

(A symbol of Jin and Sceptile's bond... I'm a bit jealous.)

After their break, Liko and Jin made their way back through the bushes and into the academy grounds. They parted ways in front of the dorm, and Liko snuck back to her room without being caught by the security guard.

(Jin's pendant... it looked really cool on him.)

Thinking about Jin's pendant, Liko took out a box from under her bed. She opened it and gazed at the pendant inside.

"What's up?"

"Whoa!"

Ann, Liko's roommate, had woken up from the noise and spoke to Liko from behind.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Don't worry about it. What's that?"

"Um... it's a charm."

"A charm?"

"My grandmother gave it to me. She said it would protect me."

"Really? Can I touch it?"

"Sure."

Ann took the pendant from the box and imagined how it would look on Liko.

"Why keep it hidden? It would totally suit you!"

"Well... I feel like it's still too early for me to wear it."

"Is that so? Then why were you looking at it?"

"Huh?"

Liko was visibly flustered by the unexpected question.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Um... I was training with Jin and Sprigatito earlier, and I saw Jin with his pendant. It made me want to see mine again."

Ann grinned mischievously after hearing Liko's answer.

"So, you went on a date this late at night?"

"A d-date?! No, it's not like that! He was just helping with training!"

"No need to be embarrassed. You took out the pendant because you wanted to match Jin, right?"

"I'm telling you, it's not like that!"

Liko's face turned bright red as she waved her hands vehemently.

"And besides, Jin doesn't think of me like that... I'm sure..."

"Really?"

(From what I see, Jin seems to like Liko...)

Ann was convinced that Jin had feelings for Liko and that Liko also had feelings for Jin, given how much he looked out for her. Unfortunately, both of them seemed completely unaware of their mutual feelings.

(Well, I'd rather not get kicked by a Ponyta or bitten by a Growlithe, so I'll let it go for now.)

Ann decided not to press further. She thought it was wrong to expose someone's romantic feelings when they weren't present.

(Watching this play out should be interesting anyway!)

Secretly, she was also curious to see their reactions once they realized their feelings for each other.

From that day on, the lake became a secret training spot for Jin and Liko. They would sneak out after school and at night to practice moves and have mock battles.

As time passed, Jin and the others continued their training at Indigo Academy, and soon, the students were about to experience their first extended break.

"So this is the place."

At that moment, a new boy arrived at Indigo Academy. His arrival would bring unexpected events into Jin and Liko's lives.

A significant change was about to unfold in Jin and Liko's story.

---

Jin's Current Team:

- Sceptile

- ???

- ???

- ???

- ???

- ???

Jin's partner is Sceptile. Since Liko's partner is Sprigatito, I wanted to go with a Grass-type as well.

//End