Axel had always firmly believed in a wise saying from a master surnamed Tong.
If you want to get closer to a girl, the best way is to take a bath together.
So, after Axel returned the Icy Wind TM, the first thing he did was bring the two little ones to Emberpine City's most famous sauna house and booked a private hot spring.
The entire room was shrouded in white mist, giving people a feeling of stepping into a fairyland.
In the constant-temperature pool, some fruits and pastries floated on the surface.
Though not as delicious as the ones Axel made, the fact that you could eat just by lifting your hand made it the ultimate earthly enjoyment.
Kirlia obediently sat on Axel's lap, the white dress on her body causing ripples on the water's surface.
Her little face was steamed red by the mist, making her look delicate and cute.
Axel was pinching the little one's smooth feet, his gaze falling on the nearby Pheromosa.
Right now, she was wearing a white swimsuit picked out by Axel, and paired with her tall figure, it gave off a unique charm. [T/N: She's a Pokemon ffs]
Feeling Axel's appreciative gaze, Pheromosa clearly seemed a bit restrained, with stiffness visible all over her body.
She really didn't expect that being a nanny + bodyguard would also include accompanying bath duties.
But Kirlia had said, the Master really likes that...
To ensure that the Master wouldn't fall into danger, the two of them had to restrain Axel so that bad people couldn't approach him in that way.
While Pheromosa felt that what Kirlia said made sense, she also felt it was kind of strange.
'The Pokémon business these days is really intense...'
["Master~"] The little loli's voice rang in Axel's mind.
"What is it?"
["Were you... looking at her chest?"]
"What nonsense, the data clearly says Pheromosa has no gender. I was just looking from a research perspective."
["Then what did you find out from your research?"]
Axel's eyes lowered slightly, falling below the surface of the water, "I found out that Pheromosa actually does have a gender, it's just that from a human perspective..."
"No wait, little one, why are you asking me this?"
Kirlia tilted her head, blinking her big cute eyes.
["Because my foot hurts, so I wanted to distract you."]
"I'll massage it for you, then it won't hurt."
["But I feel... it seems to be the one you massaged into pain..."]
"Then I'll massage more gently~"
Kirlia helplessly gave up, no longer paying attention to Axel's reaction, and picked up some fruit from the side to eat.
'Anyway, I am already used to it... just let it be.'
They'd known each other for so long, was she supposed to change Masters now or something?
After a while, the little one's belly began to growl.
["Master... I'm hungry..."]
"Didn't you say you don't need to eat?"
["I want to eat hot pot..."]
"Alright~"
Axel let go of the little one's foot, and led Pheromosa and the little one out of the room.
Seeing the hot pot, Pheromosa was first surprised, then troubled.
Even though she looked tall, she was actually just a Pokémon that had only been out in the world for a few days.
She had seen chopsticks before, but completely didn't know how to use them.
Axel noticed Pheromosa's awkwardness and picked up a piece of lamb for her, directly feeding it into her mouth.
Afraid that the little one would get jealous, Axel didn't even bother eating himself, and quickly picked up a piece for Kirlia too.
The little one blinked her dumb-cute eyes and secretly smiled, silently stretching her little foot onto Axel's chair.
After eating the lamb, Pheromosa's purple eyes instantly lit up.
She had never eaten anything so delicious before.
'No wonder Kirlia loves junk food so much, it is really tasty!'
"Ah~", After swallowing the food in her mouth, Pheromosa immediately opened her mouth again, expectantly looking at Axel.
Axel understood instantly and stuffed her mouth with cooled-down food.
A few minutes later, while Pheromosa was satisfied, she also felt a little embarrassed.
'One should not take others' food easily...'
After hesitating for a while, Pheromosa finally slowly raised one leg and placed it in the same position as Kirlia's.
"Hiss!"
Axel immediately sucked in a breath of cold air. [T/N: Is it foo... tjob?]
Unlike the little Kirlia, shiny Pheromosa's legs were incredibly smooth, as if wrapped in silk.
If not for Axel's strong will, he might not have lasted until Kirlia evolved into Gardevoir.
'Even to test a cadre, isn't this a bit too intense?'
Feeling that Axel's mental fluctuations were off, a trace of panic flashed through Pheromosa's big eyes. She subconsciously reached out and tapped the Poké Ball on Axel's waist—swish—vanishing on the spot.
Little Kirlia reacted a beat too slow. Just as she was about to dive into her Poké Ball, she was caught red-handed by Axel.
["I... I'm still little..."]
Axel looked up at the sky.
'What kind of brain circuits do these two little ones have?'
'I just wanted to teach them a lesson, so they won't act so over-the-top when outside.'
'What are they imagining?'
'They need a spanking!'
———
After returning home, Pheromosa was still hiding in the Poké Ball, no matter what, she wouldn't come out.
Kirlia was rubbing her own red and swollen butt, looking at Axel with grievance.
The little one's eyes were full of wronged sorrow, making Axel feel a wave of heartache.
"How about we don't study tonight, and just go straight to bed?"
The little one didn't say a word.
"I'll make you some delicious donuts, and download some cartoons for you, okay?"
The little one let out a cold humph and shed a tear.
"Then I'll take you out to play, okay?"
["Yay... I want to play ring toss!"]
Axel: "..."
'If I ever treat you like a dummy again, I'm the real idiot!'
After her plan succeeded, the little one returned to her dazed, silly expression, with no trace of the fact she had just tricked Axel.
———
As they walked on the road, the nearby street lamps shone on the pair, stretching their shadows long.
If only looking at the shadows, they looked like a pair of lovers.
Kirlia's gaze drifted across the familiar road, filled with thoughts.
'In the previous life, it was on this road.'
Axel wasn't as busy back then, nor did he have so much money.
Every few days, they would without fail cross this street to buy a grilled sausage at Dragon Lake Park.
Because the sausages were big, one was enough for them to share for a long time.
Before she knew it, the two of them crossed Dragon God Plaza again.
Kirlia's eyes fell on the old man still fishing for Magikarp, and all the nostalgia in her heart vanished instantly.
She speechlessly knocked her little head.
'Stupid love-brain, almost ruined everything!'
After encountering this old man last time, she remembered he had once gifted Axel a giant Magikarp.
It was just that the Magikarp had appeared too late and hadn't yet evolved into Gyarados when the final decisive battle happened.
After returning home, Kirlia had spent a whole night recalling and finally remembered where that huge Magikarp came from.
But later on...
She had been too wrapped up with Axel and forgot all about it...
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