"Interested? W-Wait a minute—"
Noticing her prominent dark circles, Hakuya suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
"Don't tell me you tailed me all the way here, and then just stayed here waiting until now?"
Hakuya questioned her like this.
Courtney, however, quickly shook her head, correcting this statement.
"...It's not called stalking... It's just because your vigilance wasn't high enough to notice me..."
"...And I'm not a pervert either... During the twenty-six minutes and forty-eight seconds... you spent kissing that girl named Roxanne... I covered my eyes in advance and didn't watch..."
The corners of Hakuya's mouth began to twitch slightly.
You even memorized exactly how long we kissed, and you still have the nerve to claim you're not a perverted stalker?!
A 2D yandere, beautified by filters, might have a unique, twisted sense of moe. But when a 2D character truly exists in reality, it couldn't be called cute at all; it would only make one's scalp tingle with dread...
"Heh~ No matter how you try to twist it, it doesn't cover up your terrifying behavior just now, Miss Perverted Stalker."
Hakuya crossed his arms, his tone gradually turning cold.
"Although you made quite a few contributions during the battle against Primal Groudon earlier, you are still an official wanted member of an evil syndicate by the League. Now, with this added offense, I have the right to notify Officer Jenny to rush over here and arrest you."
"Spit it out. What exactly is your reason for going out of your way to track me down?"
At this moment, looking down condescendingly at the purple-haired girl in the red hood before him, Hakuya was not fooled by her pretty face.
Courtney's identity was an elite Admin of Team Magma.
Although these evil syndicate members running rampant across the region mostly had their own pride and dignity—usually disdaining direct attacks on opposing Trainers, setting them fundamentally apart from poachers who lived life on the edge of a knife.
But their stance was still diametrically opposed to the League's. Letting the little head do the thinking for the big head was absolutely out of the question here.
Just as Hakuya was still guessing her true motives, Courtney suddenly spoke up.
"Let's battle!"
Whether it was because this sentence was too short, or because the girl's mood was too excited and hyped up at this moment, her response this time broke her previous habit of needing to pause mid-sentence, blurting it out at incredible speed.
???
Hakuya's expression blanked.
Then, he asked back, his face full of suspicion.
"It's that simple?"
He thought that because his performance in the battle between the Dual Gods not long ago was too eye-catching, he had drawn the close attention of Team Magma and the others. Therefore, they had sent Courtney to get close to him, attempting to recruit him or gather intel to make a move against him.
But in the end, you're telling me you just want to have a formal Pokémon battle?
Hakuya tried to discern other hidden things in Courtney's beautiful smoky-purple eyes. As a result, after staring at each other for a long time, aside from receiving the girl's playful, unconsciously tilted head in confusion, he essentially gained absolutely nothing and returned in total defeat.
It wasn't until the end that Hakuya was forced to admit this one fact.
This perverted, yandere stalker miss genuinely wanted to have a Pokémon battle with him!
"...Is it okay... the Pokémon battle..."
Courtney rested her cheek on her hand, leaning her body slightly forward. Her smile was innocent, yet it inexplicably carried a heart-stopping, sickly, obsessive feel.
Hearing her invitation once more, Hakuya's expression suddenly became a bit weird.
Although as an elite Admin of Team Magma, Courtney's strength was highly likely not inferior to rookie Gym Leaders like Roxanne or Misty, if she wanted to clash with Floragato and the others, she was clearly unqualified.
So what the hell was this?
Did she come all the way here specifically to deliver a Defeat CG?
Hakuya looked at Courtney, who was staring at him as if he were fresh prey, and felt a sudden headache coming on.
He had absolutely every reason to suspect...
If he opened his mouth and refused right now, then probably the very next day, this yandere pervert miss wouldn't just appear at his door. She might crawl out from under his bed while he was sleeping at night. Or even from the wardrobe, the sofa, the curtains...
"Alright, I accept your challenge."
Hakuya nodded in agreement, simultaneously putting forward his prerequisite condition for accepting the battle.
"However, let me declare this in advance: after the battle ends, the loser must agree to one request from the winner."
"..."
Courtney pursed her lips and tilted her head. After pondering for a moment, she agreed.
"...Okay... as long as it's within my capabilities..."
"Good. There's a spacious area near the dormitory that should be suitable for a Pokémon battle."
Hakuya nodded, preparing to go back inside to see whether he should pull out Alcremie or Latias.
His dinner plans could be temporarily postponed. It just so happened that he also wanted to use Courtney, an elite Admin of Team Magma, to gather some information about the current, specific situation of Team Magma.
"...Then... let me... thoroughly analyze you..."
Having received his permission, the corners of the girl's mouth curled up slightly, and a strange light shone in her beautiful eyes. In an instant, she completely shed the seemingly weak and delicate feeling from moments ago. Her entire person became sharp and piercing, and her tone seemed somewhat impatient.
This was a display of her extreme excitement.
Immediately after, under Hakuya's surprised gaze, Courtney collapsed straight forward.
A perfectly soft warmth carrying a rich, fragrant scent hit him head-on. Anyone in this position would inevitably feel her charm—Hakuya hurriedly reached out to support her. His mind contained absolutely no romantic or erotic feelings of having a beauty in his arms; there was only suspicion over whether this female Team Magma Admin had come here to pull a honey trap extortion scam to drain his wallet.
It wasn't until a long moment later that Courtney tremblingly lifted her pale face.
On her usually bland, emotionless face, a faint, embarrassed blush surfaced for the very first time.
The battle aura the girl had just begun to build up was instantly shattered by the extremely ill-timed growl of her stomach.
"...Waited too long... hungry... no energy left..."
———— Mini Theater ————
Courtney (Expressionless): "...By the way, if I lose the challenge... how much money do I have to pay..."
Hakuya: "Paying a certain amount of money after losing a battle is what official League Trainers do. But as a member of a villainous organization, you really ought to pay with a Defeat CG instead."
Courtney (Tilted her head, heart shapes popping up in her eyes at some unknown point): "...Alright... if that's what you want, Hakuya..." (She deliberately changed into a highly appropriate, revealing outfit and slowly walked over.)
Hakuya: "Ah... I was just making a joke to fit the mood. If we actually do that, we'll get brutally censored and banned! Wait a minute, why are you tying me up? And Courtney, why are you holding weird things like handcuffs, a whip, and candles?!"