Chapter 60: The bike
Red prepared his things, double-checked everything, and looked at the others.
Everyone was ready as well.
Yes, including Misty.
Misty had handed over the damaged gym to her sisters, which made them extremely angry.
However, after thinking about it, performing water shows under the sunlight wasn't a bad idea, so they didn't say anything further.
Thus, Misty continued her journey together with Brock, Red, and Leaf.
Of course, before leaving, Red hadn't forgotten Blue's words.
[Host!]
Oh, the system wasn't in hibernation yet; it had been following Red's battle and chattering a lot.
Fortunately, the system knew to go into hibernation mode at night, so he could sleep peacefully.
[Host, I've gathered enough energy to do a few things now!]
"…?"
[Let me show you!]
Suddenly, the system began to transform, emitting a light that resembled evolution...
When the transformation was complete, Red saw that its form looked like an orange lightning bolt, smiling at him.
[Tadah! I've transformed into Rotom!]
[Wait, I don't know how to speak like Rotom.]
[Ahem... Hello! I am the system, and I will assist you in managing the players, Rotomu!]
"..."
[Okay, that was a bit cringe, sorry.]
After talking, the group headed to the wooden bridge.
At the end of the bridge was Blue, standing there and looking at his phone.
Blue then looked directly into Red's eyes.
"So, you've come,"
Blue walked up to Red.
"How long has he been waiting there?"
"Since early morning. To think he'd be that patient, waiting for just one person."
"What a strange guy!"
Some trainers across the bridge pointed at Blue, whispering to each other.
Of course, Blue didn't care because his eyes were fixed on just one person.
"Let's battle right here on this bridge. I can't wait any longer," Blue said, pulling out a Pokéball and pointing at Red.
Leaf and Misty quickly stepped back, knowing this was an inevitable battle between the two.
Seeing this, Red accepted the challenge, pulling out his own Pokéball and raising a fist toward Blue.
"Then I'll referee," Brock stepped forward, looking at both sides.
"Trainer Red will face Trainer Blue. No limit on Pokémon or items. The one who runs out of Pokémon first loses!
"The battle... begins!!"
***
"Yaho! Hi everyone! No, no, that greeting won't do..."
"Loha! I'm back! Hmm... not that one either!"
"Chippy chap chap! How's everyone doing? Hmm! That works, I'll go with that!"
Yuna looked at herself in the mirror, trying different greetings until she found one she liked.
Since she was the daughter of a farmer, moving to the city and seeing how people didn't speak in a simple, down-to-earth way like back home made it a bit hard for her to adjust.
But to get her college degree, she had to get used to these things.
It was tough, but not impossible!
Satisfied, she grabbed her backpack and opened the door.
Locking her dorm room, she walked down the stairs to the bike rack.
She got on her bike and rode out, enjoying the cool breeze.
Although her recent breakup made her sad, she wasn't going to let that feeling take control!
And an ex-boyfriend is just that—an ex. No longer relevant!
"Let's hope today's a lucky day!" Yuna cheerfully said to herself.
But just as she said those words, someone suddenly dashed out in front of her bike, causing her to crash into them.
"..."
Panicking, Yuna got off her bike to check, and realized the person she had hit...
...was Lukas.
Without hesitation, she turned back to her bike, ready to continue on her way.
"W-WAIT!! DON'T LEAVE ME!!" Lukas quickly got up, covered in blood, grabbing onto the rear wheel of her bike.
"Let go! I have to get to class!"
"Then take me with you! Please!!"
"No!"
The two bickered back and forth, leaving Yuna exhausted.
"Fine, I'll give you a ride, but promise me you won't do anything stupid at my university!"
"Okay, trust me, I'm totally reliable!"
With that, Lukas got on the bike, waiting for Yuna to pedal.
'What kind of man has no shame...?'
Yuna sighed and tried to pedal, but before she could, several black cars suddenly arrived. Men in black suits and sunglasses jumped out and rushed toward them.
"AGHH THEY'RE HERE!!" Lukas jumped off the bike, grabbed both Yuna and the bike, and took off running.
Wait, what kind of insane physical strength is this??
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU'RE BEING CHASED BY SOMEBODY?! LET ME GO! I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!!" Yuna screamed, on the verge of tears, as she saw the men closing in.
"I'M SORRY!!!" Lukas shouted while running.
"Ma'am, he's still running. May we use the tasers now?" one of the men politely asked Yuna.
"...Go ahead, but don't do too much damage to him, please."
"But he's carrying a woma—"
"Kill her."
"Understood."
The men immediately pulled out tasers and fired at Lukas.
Seeing this, Lukas' brain kicked into overdrive.
Inside Lukas' mind...
Happiness: WHAT DO WE DO, WHAT DO WE DO??
Sadness: Just accept your fate.
Pride: Are you crazy? That would be so humiliating!
Anger: THEN WHAT DO YOU WANT? IF YOU DON'T SURRENDER, YOU'LL GET BEATEN AND DRAGGED BACK ANYWAY! THAT'S EVEN MORE SHAMEFUL!
Pride: YOU IDIOT! YOU WANNA FIGHT?!
Anger: BRING IT ON!!
Fear: P-P-Please, stop!
Happiness: Fighting won't help! Calm down, everyone!
As the emotions argued, a sinister and terrifying voice echoed.
"Enough."
All the emotions turned to look.
It was Lukas' inner demon.
Pride: So, do you have any ideas?
The demon pointed at Yuna's bike.
"Even though this bike looks ordinary, do not underestimate it."
"Because its owner is a girl with BIG thighs, meaning this bike can definitely withstand over 100 kilograms! And it also means her thighs are beautiful!"
All the emotions: ...
The demon was promptly beaten up by all the emotions.
Back to reality...
"Oh, right!"
Lukas put the bike down, scooped Yuna up like a princess, and started pedaling without using his hands.
"W-What are you doing?! We're going to crash!!" Yuna screamed, both terrified and blushing as she looked at Lukas.
"IT'S FINE, JUST TRUST THE MOST HANDSOME GUY IN THE WORLD!!" With one powerful kick, the bike suddenly accelerated, moving faster than an airplane.
"AGHHHHHHHHH!!" Yuna screamed, her hair flying wildly in the wind.
A newspaper appeared out of nowhere, slapping onto Lukas' face, causing him to lose balance as the bike wobbled dangerously.
At such an insane speed, hitting a rather large rock sent both of them flying through the air.
'Mom, Dad, it seems like I'm dying young... I'm sorry,' Yuna mentally wrote her last will, hoping her parents could somehow read it.
However, thanks to some bizarre logic, Lukas shielded Yuna from everything in their path, including trees, lampposts, cars, and so on.
When they landed, Yuna was completely unharmed, thanks to Lukas absorbing all the impact and face-planting into the ground, plowing through the pavement.
"...I'm still alive?" Yuna couldn't believe her eyes. She stood up, checked her body, and saw she was perfectly fine.
Then, she looked at Lukas, who was lying flat beneath her.
"Ugh..." Lukas groaned as he stood up, his messy red hair now covered in dirt.
Miraculously, they had landed right in front of Yuna's university!
As the men in black suits approached, they stopped at the entrance to the university.
"This isn't good, ma'am. They've crossed into the territory of a major family. Entering the university would mean declaring war against them."
"...Retreat."
"Understood!"
With that, the men disappeared, leaving Yuna utterly baffled.
"Lukas, what on earth did you do to make them chase you like that?"
"Oh, well, I was just out buying ice cream when they suddenly showed up and told me to come back with them to the Ying family. Of course, I refused, so they tried to kidnap me."
"..."
You idiot, if that's the case, why drag me into this?!