Roy, Delia, and the playing Pikachu and Eevee simultaneously turned their heads toward Misty's tent.
That scream was high-pitched and thin, clearly showing she had received a massive shock.
"What's wrong with Misty?" Delia put down her soup spoon, looking at the tent with concern.
"I'll go check." Roy stood up, dusting the dirt off his hands. "Sister Delia, you keep going. Don't let the soup burn."
"Alright, go quickly," Delia nodded.
Roy walked to the outside of Misty's tent but didn't rashly pull back the curtain.
"Misty, what's wrong?" he asked through the tent fabric... At this moment, Misty's face was already beet red inside the tent, turning her into a literal steam engine.
She was kneeling on her sleeping bag, with a small cloth bag for underwear spread out in front of her.
It should have contained several pairs of the cotton panties she usually wore, printed with cartoon patterns.
But now... they were all gone!
Replacing them were...
A pair of pure black lace, semi-transparent, with only a thin layer of gauze.
A vibrant red pair with thin straps on the sides that needed to be tied into bows.
A light purple pair with hollowed-out patterns and so little fabric they were practically just a few strings.
And the white lace pair she had bought herself before... mixed in with the rest, it actually looked the most 'conservative'.
"Who... who, who touched my panties?!"
Misty's voice trembled as her fingertips pinched the black lace; the fabric, thin as a cicada's wing, felt weightless in her hand.
The light filtered through the tent fabric, allowing her to clearly see the outline of her fingers beneath the lace.
This... what's the difference between wearing this and wearing nothing at all?
"How... how can I wear this? It's... it's too embarrassing!"
Misty felt like her whole body was burning with a fever.
She hurriedly stuffed those pieces of 'incriminating evidence' back to the bottom of the bag, pressing them down firmly with her clothes.
As if by doing so, she could pretend they didn't exist.
"Misty, what's wrong?" Roy's inquiry from outside the tent caused Misty to scream again.
"Ah!"
Her hands shook from the fright, and she nearly dropped the bag on the ground.
"I'm fine! You... you're not allowed to come in!" Misty shouted frantically, her voice changing pitch.
"I... I'm not wearing anything! You... you go help Sister Delia prepare dinner quickly!"
Yes, say it like that!
She absolutely could not let him see these!
"Huh? Not wearing anything?" Roy outside the tent was clearly stunned for a moment, followed by a low chuckle. "Alright then. Be careful, call us if you need anything."
The sound of footsteps gradually faded away.
Only then did Misty let out a long sigh of relief, her whole body slumping onto the sleeping bag.
Her heart was still thumping wildly.
She covered her burning face.
"It's over, it's over... Will Roy think I'm weird... being naked in a tent by myself in the evening..."
"It's all my sister's fault! It must have been her!"
Misty bit her lip as Daisy's gentle yet mischievously smiling face appeared in her mind.
Who else could it be besides her sister?
Last night... only her sister had touched her backpack!
"Why did she stuff so many of these... these kinds of panties in here!" Misty was both embarrassed and angry as she grabbed the sleeping bag and covered her head.
But... even with her head covered, in the darkness, the tactile sensation of that lace and those hollowed-out styles somehow became clear in her mind.
The black one... seemed particularly sexy.
The red one with straps... would it be very troublesome to put on?
And that light purple one... "Stop, stop, stop! What am I thinking!" Misty shook her head violently, tossing those messy thoughts aside.
But the temperature of her cheeks just wouldn't go down... Dinner was soon ready.
The enticing aroma of food drifted into the tent.
"Misty, come out and eat." Delia's gentle voice came through.
"I... I'm not hungry! You guys eat first!" Misty's muffled voice came from inside the tent.
She was not going out!
Her face was still so red; it would look wrong at a glance!
And... and she was empty down there right now, wrapped only in a sleeping bag. Her original panties were sweaty so she'd taken them off, and she didn't dare wear the new ones... How could she go out!
"Are you really not hungry? The soup smells delicious," Roy's voice also drifted over.
"Not hungry, not hungry! You guys eat!" Misty buried her face even deeper.
Silence followed outside for a while.
"Alright then, I'll leave some for you. Come out and eat when you're hungry," Delia said considerately.
"Mm..."
Listening to the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks outside, along with the occasional low-voiced conversation between Roy and Delia, Misty sat in the tent hugging her knees.
She was actually a bit hungry.
But more intense than the hunger was a strange sense of panic and secret shame.
Images of those panties kept drilling into her mind uncontrollably.
Her sister's words also echoed in her ears.
"Men like this..."
"If you have the chance, you should be more proactive..."
"Strive to 'eat' Roy early..."
"Argh! Stop thinking!" Misty shook her head vigorously and buried herself in the sleeping bag.
She didn't sleep soundly that night.
Fragmented images kept appearing in her dreams.
Lace edges.
Roy's face drawing near.
And the scene of herself standing before him wearing those shameful fabrics... The next morning.
Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Misty woke up.
Or rather, she hadn't slept well at all.
Rustling sounds came from outside the tent; it was Roy adding firewood, preparing to boil water for washing up.
Delia's soft humming also drifted over faintly.
A new day had begun.
Misty sat up, looked at the cloth bag containing the underwear in the corner, and bit her lip.
She couldn't... just not wear anything forever, right?
They had to travel today.
She took a deep breath as if making a major decision, crawled over, and cautiously untied the cloth bag.
Those brightly colored, fabric-saving styles caught her eye once again.
Misty's cheeks burned as her fingertips hesitated back and forth over the items.
In the end, she picked up the white lace pair she had originally bought.
At least... she had chosen this one herself.
The psychological burden was slightly smaller.
She pulled down her pajama pants and slowly put on the white lace panties.
The cool, silky touch instantly enveloped her skin.
"Mnh~" Misty couldn't help but let out a soft moan, then quickly covered her mouth.
Such... such a strange feeling.
The fabric was so thin and transparent that she could barely feel its existence, yet it reminded her every second: you are currently wearing something very incredible.
Blushing, she quickly pulled on her outer pants and top.
As if by doing so, she could cover up that shameful 'evidence'.
After tidying her clothes, she looked in a small mirror.
Everything looked normal on the outside.
But just thinking about what was hidden under her clothes made Misty feel uneasy all over, and even her walking posture became a bit awkward... "Morning, Misty." Roy greeted her as he saw her come out of the tent.
"Mor... morning!" Misty's eyes darted around, not daring to look at him, as she walked straight to the river to wash her face.
The icy water splashed on her face, slightly relieving the heat in her cheeks.
During breakfast, she also kept her head down, nibbling her sandwich in small bites, fearing she would attract any attention.
Delia looked at her, then at Roy, a knowing smile appearing at the corners of her mouth, but she didn't point it out.
After the meal, they packed up the campsite and continued on their way.
At first, Misty still felt very awkward.
But as they walked... perhaps she got used to it, or maybe it was because she had cleaned up yesterday.
The silky fabric pressed against her skin, swaying gently with her steps, bringing a hint of coolness and an indescribable fit.
It seems... actually quite comfortable?
Misty felt it secretly, her face turning a little red again.
Especially when the breeze blew through her pant legs, bringing coolness while also making her more clearly aware of the presence of that thin layer of lace.
It seems... really not bad?
She murmured softly to herself.
But in the next second, she snapped back to alertness.
No, no!
No matter how comfortable it is, I can't show it!
Absolutely, absolutely cannot be discovered!
Especially cannot let Roy find out!
Otherwise, I'll really have no face left to see anyone!
She quickly adjusted her expression, trying her best to act like everything was normal, even deliberately finding topics to chat with Delia to distract herself... Roy indeed didn't pay much attention to Misty's subtle expressions and awkward walking posture.
Most of his mind was focused on grinding levels and the upcoming Vermilion Gym challenge.
As they moved further away from Cerulean City, the levels of the wild Pokemon in the surroundings increased slightly, but the increment was limited.
The experience bar was growing slowly.
[Pokémon: Pikachu, Level: lv22→lv23]
[Pokémon: Pidgeotto, Level: lv24→lv25]
[Pokémon: Butterfree, Level: lv13→lv16]
Roy looked at the team panel, feeling somewhat satisfied.
Butterfree's crowd control abilities were gradually taking shape, while Pikachu and Pidgeotto, as the main damage dealers, were making solid improvements.
Just as he was calculating whether he needed to find some stronger opponents, a lively clamor came from an open space on the right side of the road ahead.
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