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Roy looked at the irritable citizens around him, just about to crack a joke with Misty.
Suddenly, a "ding" sounded in his mind.
[Ding! Triggered Quest: Capture the Jigglypuff that loves to Sing, let the residents of Neon Town get a good night's sleep, and alleviate the irritable mood of the entire town!]
[Quest Reward: High-Quality Fairy Feather—When held by a Pokemon, the power of Fairy-type moves is increased by 40%!
Joy Family general favorability +20!]
Roy was stunned for a moment.
Jigglypuff?
The image of that pink, round, big-eyed little fellow immediately surfaced in his mind.
This was a very distinctive Pokemon from the original script.
Although Jigglypuff had never been captured by any Trainer, it appeared frequently in the plots of the Kanto and Johto Regions.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a concept-level Pokemon.
This fellow hadn't shown much combat ability, but it had a heaven-defying skill.
Sing.
Once it opened its mouth, everyone would surely fall.
Whether you were an ordinary Trainer or a gym leader, no matter how strong your strength was, as long as Jigglypuff picked up the microphone, you'd better get ready to lie down.
And the funniest part was, when Jigglypuff finished singing and found everyone asleep, it would puff up its cheeks in anger, take out a marker, and draw on everyone's faces.
Roy's interest in this Jigglypuff had always been very high.
Now he just happened to arrive at the place where it first appeared, and it even came with such a quest.
High-Quality Fairy Feather, increasing the power of Fairy-type moves by forty percent.
This thing was definitely good stuff.
If he caught a Fairy-type Pokemon for his team in the future, giving it this item would make it take off immediately.
Plus twenty general favorability with the Joy Family—adding 20 to help would be no problem at all!
The corners of Roy's mouth curled up.
He was definitely going to capture this Jigglypuff.
"What's wrong with you?"
Misty was still hanging on his arm; seeing him suddenly dazed, she looked up and asked.
"It's nothing."
Roy snapped out of it and reached out to rub Misty's head.
"Let's go, first find a place to stay."
The three of them took a walk around the streets of Neon Town.
Although this city wasn't large, there were several hotels.
It was probably because Trainers often passed through here on their way to or from the desert.
Roy chose a hotel that looked relatively clean and led the two women inside.
The front desk clerk was a middle-aged woman with permed curly hair, and the expression on her face was that of someone who couldn't be bothered.
"Staying here?"
Roy nodded.
"One room or two?"
Roy looked at Delia and Misty beside him.
"Open three rooms. The weather is hot, it's more comfortable to sleep separately."
The front desk quoted a price.
It wasn't expensive.
Just as Roy was about to take out the money, the clerk added another sentence.
"If you want to bathe, you need to get an extra bathing card; it's charged by the minute. Water resources here are very precious."
Hearing this, Misty became anxious.
"What? You have to pay extra to bathe?"
The clerk rolled her eyes.
"Nonsense, where do you think this is? A small town on the edge of the desert; water is more expensive than oil. If you think it's too much, you don't have to wash."
Misty bit her lip and looked pitifully at Roy.
This little extra cost was nothing to the current Roy.
Moreover, he still had a sticky mermaid who craved water to the limit hanging on his arm.
Misty was almost turning into a dried fish; if he didn't let her soak in water, she might just expire on the spot.
Roy smiled and took out the money.
"Open them, and get two more bathing cards."
After getting the room cards and bathing cards, the three went upstairs.
The hotel rooms were quite clean; although they weren't large, they had everything needed.
The sheets were white and looked worn from washing, but at least there was no odor.
Roy threw his backpack onto the bed and stretched his shoulders.
Delia walked to the window and pulled back the curtain to take a look.
The neon lights outside were still flashing incessantly, and although those large speakers were a bit farther away, the vibration of the subwoofers could still be felt.
"This city really is quite noisy at night."
Delia frowned.
"But it's still better than being in the desert."
Roy walked over and hugged Delia's waist from behind.
"Go bathe first, finish washing early so you can rest early."
Delia's face turned slightly red, and she gently broke free from his hands.
"I'll go call Misty."
The place for bathing was at the end of the corridor, with a row of bathrooms side by side.
Delia went into the leftmost one, while Misty impatiently rushed into another.
Roy looked at Misty's tightly closed door.
The corners of his mouth curled up.
He didn't enter his own bathroom but instead walked to Misty's door and used his Psychic power to unlock it.
Misty was standing under the showerhead, her clothes half-removed.
Hearing the door open, she was startled.
"Hey! What are you doing? I'm bathing!"
Roy leaned against the doorframe, looking at her with a chuckle.
"Didn't I say it before? I'm here to help you wash properly."
Misty's face reddened instantly.
She only then remembered what she had promised back in the desert.
"Ah? You're really coming? I thought you were joking!"
Misty subconsciously used her hands to cover her chest.
Although she and Roy had long been intimate, that was that kind of thing, and being cornered by Roy in the bathroom was another matter entirely.
Roy walked in and conveniently closed the door.
"I am a man of my word."
Misty took a step back, her back pressing against the wall.
Steam filled the bathroom, and the showerhead was still spraying water with a splashing sound.
The warm water vapor blurred the vision of both.
Misty's wet hair clung to her face, and with her clothes half-off, her fair shoulders and collarbone were exposed.
Fine sand from the desert still remained on her skin, which turned into faint mud streaks when rinsed by the water.
Roy walked over and reached out to pick up the nearby showerhead.
"Come, I'll help you rinse."
Misty's face was red as she lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's.
"You... be gentle..."
Roy adjusted the water temperature and slowly sprayed it onto Misty's shoulders.
The warm stream of water slid down her collarbone, carrying away the day's fatigue and sand.
Misty closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly.
After walking in the desert for several days, being suddenly hit by warm water like this made her whole body go soft.
"Does it feel good?"
Roy's voice sounded in her ear.
Misty gave a soft "Mm."
Then she added another sentence.
"But your hands... can you stop touching randomly..."
Roy's hands were slowly wandering over her waist.
"I'm helping you scrub off the sand."
"Liar... there's no sand there at all..."
"There is, look, isn't this it?"
...
The sounds of the two playing around came from the bathroom.
Water splashed everywhere.
Misty's exclamations and laughter mixed together.
In the adjacent bathroom, Delia heard these sounds and her face reddened slightly.
She shook her head and continued her own washing.
That Misty, her mouth said no, but her body was quite honest.
After a comfortable bath, the three of them came out of the bathrooms.
Misty's entire state was different.
The wilted look she had in the desert had completely vanished, replaced by a radiant glow.
Her wet hair was draped over her shoulders, and her skin was soaked pink by the hot water; she looked as if she had come back to life.
"Ah... I'm alive, I'm alive..."
Misty stretched, a satisfied smile on her face.
"A place with water is where people are meant to be."
Roy looked at her like this and smiled.
"Alright, let's go eat."
There was a small restaurant downstairs in the hotel that provided simple dinners.
The three sat down and ordered a few dishes.
The taste was mediocre, but after gnawing on dry rations in the desert for several days, being able to eat a hot meal was already very good.
Misty ate particularly heartily, even finishing off the vegetables she usually didn't like very much.
After dinner, the three returned to their respective rooms.
Roy lay on the bed with his hands behind his head, looking at the ceiling.
The neon light from outside shone through the gaps in the curtains, casting a patch of colored spots on the ceiling.
The music outside was still playing, thumping away, making the walls vibrate slightly.
Roy didn't feel much; let alone this bit of noise, he could even sleep through thundering weather.
But Misty was different.
She lay on the bed in her own room, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
After the bath, her body was indeed comfortable.
But the noise of this city was simply too loud.
It was already eleven o'clock, and the speakers outside were still crackling with music.
The vibrations of those subwoofers seemed to shake right into her bones, making her whole body uncomfortable.
Misty covered her ears with the pillow.
Useless.
She crawled under the covers.
Still useless.
That noise seemed to have penetrative power, impossible to block out.
Misty sat up and scratched her hair.
She was already sensitive to sound, and coupled with not resting well for several days, she was now in a strange state of being both exhausted and hyper-excited.
Her body was very tired and wanted to sleep.
But her mind just couldn't fall asleep.
Every vibration of the subwoofer felt like someone was plucking at her nerves.
Misty rolled around on the bed.
She turned over an unknown number of times.
The music outside only began to weaken slowly after midnight.
It was probably closing time for those nightclubs.
But Misty was already at her limit.
Her nerves had been battered into exhaustion by that noise.
Even though the sound outside had weakened a lot, she still couldn't sleep.
Her mind was a mess, with various thoughts spinning around like a revolving lantern.
"I'm going crazy..."
Misty sat up from the bed, sporting hair that was a mess from scratching.
She rubbed her eyes, stood up, and shuffled out of the room in her slippers.
The corridor was very quiet.
Misty swayed as she walked to the door of Roy's room.
She raised her hand.
And knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Inside the room, Roy was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, resting.
Hearing the knock, he opened his eyes.
With a casual wave of his Psychic power, the door lock opened with a click.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open a crack.
Misty squeezed in through the gap.
Roy leaned against the headboard, and seeing Misty with hair like a bird's nest, he couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you doing? Did you go clubbing? Your hair is so wild! Why aren't you sleeping so late?"
Misty swayed as she walked in and sat down on Roy's bed.
"The night in Neon Town is too noisy; it's kept me from sleeping."
Her voice was muffled, carrying a sense of grievance.
Roy looked out the window.
The music outside was indeed much quieter, with only a stray bass note or two from the distance.
"It's not that noisy now."
Misty shook her head, then leaned her head against Roy's shoulder.
Her body was soft, carrying the fresh fragrance of someone who had just finished a bath.
"Sigh... it's not that noisy now..."
"But it has already given me a nervous breakdown from the noise..."
Misty clung to Roy, her voice weak.
"I am now... extremely exhausted... but my spirit can't sleep... do you know what that feeling is like?"
Roy looked down at her.
Misty's face was pressed against his shoulder, her eyes half-open and half-closed, with somewhat heavy bags under them.
Her hair was a mess, and her lips were slightly pouting; she looked both pitiful and cute.
"Yeah, I know."
Roy suddenly gave a crooked smile.
"I actually have a very fast method for falling asleep, do you want to try it?"
Misty raised her eyelids in confusion.
"Huh? Yes, yes, yes! I really want to sleep right now!"
Her eyes brightened a bit.
"What method is it?"
Roy looked at Misty, the smile on his face becoming more and more mischievous.
"It's the Takeoff Sleep Aid Method."
Misty looked blank.
"What takeoff? Flying where?"
She frowned.
"I've never heard of this sleep aid method."
"It's fine."
Roy reached out and turned off the bedside lamp.
The room fell into darkness, with only a bit of neon light peeking through the gaps in the curtains.
He pulled over the thin bedsheet, covering both himself and Misty.
"If you haven't heard of it, you'll get to experience it soon."
Under the covers, Misty hadn't reacted yet.
Then she felt Roy's hand wrap around her waist.
A moment later, Misty understood; tonight, she was once again a sheep entering the tiger's mouth.
Only a startled cry could be heard from under the covers: "Ah... you rogue..."
...
Roy and Misty had a wonderful sleep.
This sleep was truly sound.
They slept until the morning.
Sunlight squeezed through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a bright band of light on the floor.
When Roy opened his eyes, he glanced at his phone.
Nine-forty.
He yawned and turned to look beside him.
Misty was curled up in the blanket, only her face showing. Her hair was scattered on the pillow, her breathing was even, and she was sleeping soundly. The corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she were having a good dream.
Roy reached out and pinched her nose.
Misty frowned, mumbled something, and tucked her face further into the blanket.
"Time to get up."
Roy's voice carried the hoarseness of someone who had just woken up.
Misty grunted and turned over, her back to him.
"Five more minutes..."
Her voice was muffled, as if coming from inside the blanket.
Roy smiled, sat up first, and stretched his neck.
He couldn't remember exactly how late they had been at it last night; anyway, Misty had eventually fallen straight into a faint-like sleep.
He put on his clothes and pulled back the curtains.
The neon lights outside were already off, and Neon Town looked much more normal in the daytime. There weren't many pedestrians on the street, with only the occasional car driving by, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Roy looked back at Misty, who was huddled in a ball on the bed.
"Misty, get up, get up."
He walked over and patted the blanket.
Misty finally opened her eyes reluctantly and sat up groggily.
Her hair was even messier than last night, practically like a bird's nest.
"What time is it..."
"Almost ten o'clock."
Misty was stunned for a moment, then gave an "Ah."
"Ten o'clock? It's so late?"
She rubbed her eyes and yawned.
Then she seemed to suddenly remember something; her face turned slightly red, and she glared at Roy.
"It's all your fault."
Roy looked innocent.
"What's my fault? Didn't you fall asleep?"
"I did fall asleep! But do you know what time I finally fell asleep?"
Misty angrily grabbed the pillow and threw it at Roy.
Roy caught the pillow easily and said with a chuckle: "Alright, alright, hurry up and get up; Delia must have been up for a long time."
Misty crawled out of bed; as soon as her feet touched the ground, her legs went soft, and she almost fell.
Roy was quick and supported her.
After Misty steadied herself, she shuffled in her slippers, swaying as she walked toward the door...