"She's here, she's here! Look, she's floating down!"
A stir ran through the crowd, and under Officer Jenny's direction, the police stood ramrod straight in two rows.
Suddenly, everyone around Gary had cleared away. Left standing alone in the middle of the port, he immediately became the center of attention.
"This is so awkward..." Gary muttered under his breath, speechless.
"You'll get used to it, Young Master Mao." Psyduck stroked the three stray hairs on his head. "Individuals like us just tend to draw attention."
"I think they just want to see which brave soul has the guts to host an SSR-class psychic," Gary said, shaking his head.
"Eevee, sorry for the trouble. If things get awkward later, let Caitlin pet you to break the tension," Gary whispered, leaning down to Eevee's ear.
Eevee nodded reluctantly. For the sake of her trainer, she would let another woman pet her head a little. But burying her face in her belly? Not a chance!...
Tap, tap, tap. Crisp footsteps sounded at the end of the corridor.
Long, wavy golden hair fell over her shoulders. She wore a pink slip dress, a white Chanel-style shawl, and little white leather shoes.
An elegant, delicate-looking girl emerged from the passage, her gaze tinged with innocence and curiosity. Behind her, a Gothitelle carried an exquisite suitcase, following half a step back.
This was Caitlin, the psychic girl who was one of Unova's Elite Four.
The only person whose record could rival her formidable achievements was Sinnoh's Valkyrie, the revered Champion Cynthia!
Stepping out of the passage, Caitlin blinked her deep blue eyes and surveyed her surroundings.
"Are you... Mr. Gary Oak?" Caitlin tilted her head, her voice cool and clear.
Gary glanced at Lance, who looked up at the sky and gave Gary a push in the back.
Fortunately, Psyduck was quite the social butterfly. He waddled up to Caitlin, then turned and eagerly gave Gothitelle a courtly bow. "Beautiful Gothitelle, may I invite you for a cup of coffee?"
Gothitelle looked helplessly at Gary, while Caitlin tilted her head in bewilderment.
"Sorry... my duck has watched too many Unovan romance dramas." Gary dragged Psyduck back, his face reddening.
I asked you to welcome Caitlin. Who told you to flirt with her Pokémon?!
A faint blue light flickered in Gothitelle's eyes. Understanding immediately, Caitlin smiled slightly and spoke to Gary. "It's all right, Mr. Oak. My Lady Goth doesn't mind. However, she isn't particularly fond of yellow ducks, so I'm sorry, but she can't have coffee with Mr. Psyduck."
Gary looked awkwardly at Eevee. Eevee nodded and bravely accepted her fate as Gary placed her in Caitlin's arms.
"My Eevee's fur is very soft. You can pet her for a while... it'll help you relax," Gary offered generously.
"Oh, thank you. This feels wonderful." Caitlin stroked the fur around Eevee's neck, looking reassured.
Seeing how much Caitlin liked Eevee, Gary finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Nice work, Eevee!
Dejected after being rejected, Psyduck used Confusion and returned himself to his ball.
Seeing that the atmosphere had become reasonably friendly, Lance cleared his throat twice. "Ahem. Well, welcome to Kanto, Miss Caitlin. Our exhibition match is scheduled for a month from now at Indigo Plateau. Until then, Professor Oak's grandson, Gary, will be your host. If you need anything, just let him know.
"Well, if there's nothing else, I still have work to do. I'll see you in a month."
Watching Dragonite take off at once and shrink to a black speck on the horizon, Gary's mouth twitched. Just you wait, Lance. If I don't max out your credit card, my name isn't Oak!
Once she confirmed that Gary had met Caitlin, Officer Jenny blew her whistle and called her officers back.
In an instant, only Gary and Caitlin remained at the brightly lit port.
"Well, shall we head back to the hotel first?" Gary froze as soon as the words left his mouth. Why did that sound so suggestive?!
"Mm, all right, Mr. Oak." Caitlin nodded gently in agreement.
"Ahem, just call me Gary. Shall I get us a car?" Gary suggested.
"I'd like to walk," Caitlin said expectantly.
Until she was ten, she had lived in her family's castle, with only Psychic-type Pokémon and an elderly butler for company.
That had left her a little socially anxious, though she was much better now.
Normally, the arrival of an Elite Four-level Pokémon Trainer in the Kanto Region would have warranted a grand reception, complete with a police escort and a team of accompanying staff.
Caitlin herself had requested just one person to receive her. She had also hoped her guide would be young and interesting.
"Then let's walk. A stroll would be nice." The eager look in Caitlin's eyes softened Gary's heart, and he nodded in agreement.
After all, she was a genuine Elite Four-level Trainer. As if anyone could hurt her!
"Wonderful! Thank you, Mr. Gary!" Caitlin replied happily.
"No need for the 'Mr.' Just call me Gary," he corrected helplessly.
"All right, Mr. Gary..."
Gary gave up completely. "Fine. Or you can call me Young Master Mao. Everyone else does anyway..."
"All right, Young Master Mao!" Caitlin smiled, her eyes narrowing, and stepped up beside Gary.
"Okay, let's get going." Gary nodded in resignation.
A fragrant breeze drifted into his nose, and Gary was surprised to discover a soft little hand in his own.
"What's this?" Gary looked beside him in surprise.
Beneath that long golden hair were clear, wide eyes, long lashes, a finely shaped nose, and translucent, apple-pink lips.
"Grandpa Darach said I should hold my companion's hand when we go out, so I won't get lost," Caitlin answered earnestly.
Gary froze for two seconds, then smiled gently. "All right. Hold on tight, Miss Caitlin."
"Caitlin. You don't need to call me Miss Caitlin," she reminded him.
"All right, Caitlin."
And so, along the streets of Vermilion City, Gary walked hand in hand with a golden-haired girl, his Eevee perched on his head and Caitlin's Gothitelle following behind.
They looked exactly like a family of four...
In an alley off to the side, Lt. Surge puffed on a cigar and sighed. This kid was practically Cupid's target board. It really made a man envious...
Gary had started drinking milk and doing exercises to grow taller at the age of five, and he stood a full head taller than Ash. Yet fourteen-year-old Caitlin was still taller than Gary.
According to official records, Caitlin was actually only five centimeters shorter than Cynthia.
As for their figures, though, judging by Caitlin's utterly flat chest, Cynthia probably won hands down...
Even so, pedestrians kept shooting Gary looks of envy and jealousy.
Golden hair, cool, fair skin, a beautiful girl-the security guard outside the hotel had one word written all over his eyes: "Respect!"
Caitlin was a little shy around strangers and simply followed Gary quietly. When he let go of her hand, she naturally grabbed the strap of his backpack.
"Two of your best Champion Suites, please." Gary took out Lance's card and handed it to the young man at reception without hesitation.
The receptionist glanced at Caitlin and asked quietly, "Not from around here?"
"Yeah." Gary nodded.
"Dude, you're awesome." The receptionist secretly winked at Gary.
Feeling exhausted, Gary sighed. "Could you hurry up?"
The receptionist gave him an understanding look. "I'm sorry, sir. We're fully booked. There's only one Champion Suite left."
Gary's eyes went wide. Wait, that's not what I meant!!
The receptionist waved a hand and silently mouthed, "Don't thank me."
"It's fine. Let's take that one, the Champion Suite!" Caitlin nodded, her eyes sparkling. A Champion Suite! Just the name sounds classier than an Elite Four suite!
Gary covered his face. Please, don't do this...
And so, a hotel attendant escorted Gary and Caitlin together to the Champion Suite on the very top floor.
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