The blush on Jaina's face hadn't quite faded as they returned to the cabin to rest, her words lingering awkwardly in the air between them. Leon was silent, his thoughts clearly racing, but before either of them could process things further, Lita jumped in front of Leon.

"All right, lover boy," Lita's voice broke the tension as she stepped in front of Leon, giving him a teasing smirk. "Hope you're ready for our little contest. A race to see who can catch one of the Houndours first, remember? Loser has to do whatever the winner wants. And I like my prizes all-naturaaaall." She stretched out the word, her eyes trailing up and down his body in an exaggerated way that left no doubt about her meaning. Leon's face turned a deep red, and his brain short-circuited on the spot.

"I... wha—? Um, w-wait, what?" Leon stammered, eyes darting toward Jaina for help.

Jaina rolled her eyes, clearly irritated, but she stayed silent, her own thoughts still scattered from earlier.

Aussa, standing quietly nearby, merely followed them back to the rest station.

Lita glanced at Aussa, "So that Steelix of yours was pretty badass. Not a Pokémon I'd expect from someone cute like you."

Aussa's face, much like Leon's, began turning pink before quickly flushing a deep red. "C-cute? Me?" she stammered, looking away as her shoulders rose in a futile attempt to shield herself from the sudden attention.

Lita grinned, clearly enjoying Aussa's discomfort. "Oh, lucky me! A cute boy and a cute girl with glasses… and both of them are the shy type." She stepped between Aussa and Leon, leaning in just enough to make both of them squirm, then whispered just loud enough for them to hear, "Shy is my favorite flavor."

As if to drive the point home, Lita slowly ran the tip of her tongue over her top lip, leaving no doubt about her intentions. Aussa, already overwhelmed, glanced at Lita, stuttering, "S-s-sorry, b-but you're really close right now," her voice barely audible as she cast her eyes downward, visibly uncomfortable with Lita's overt confidence.

Lita, catching the nervous reaction, offered a playful wink before drinking in Aussa's appearance, something she hadn't had a chance to do during the chaos of the Beedrill swarm.

Aussa had a petite frame, her unassuming and gentle demeanor reflected in her outfit. She wore a long, beige coat that reached down to her knees, its wide sleeves loosely draping over her arms. Beneath the coat, a snug, forest-green turtleneck sweater added to her modest look, the fabric softly hugging her small frame and slightly smaller bust. The oversized sleeves nearly swallowing her small hands. Dark brown, skin-tight shorts clung to her legs, paired with scuffed thigh-high boots that gave her a practical, down-to-earth style.

Her light brown hair framed her delicate face, falling neatly to her shoulders. Square-rimmed glasses sat slightly crooked on her nose, which she hastily adjusted—a nervous tick that seemed to flare up whenever she felt flustered. Behind them, her green eyes were soft and shy, the thoughtful gaze of someone more comfortable with Pokémon than people.

Lita smiled wickedly at Aussa's flustered expression, clearly pleased with how easily the girl blushed, but she relented, for now.
Turning her attention back to Leon she laughed, "I like you, but don't worry. I won't try to break you, not yet at least."

Leon swallowed hard and gave a weak nod. "Yeah, um… let's just do race things now, okay?"

Lita smirked. "Whatever you say, lover boy" she replied with a sultry moan in her voice.

Lita looks at Jaina, "Mind if I borrow your boy toy for a bit of fun?"

Jaina whipped around at her, "He is not my boyfriend!" she snapped, flustered and blushing.

Lita merely smirked, "I didn't say boyfriend, but good to know."

Leon asked her, "Are you going to stop that anytime soon?"

Lita smirked at him, "Probably not," she admits, running a finger down his chest, "Now come on, it's time for some one on one action for you and me…all alone…in the deep forest."

Lita's challenge rang in Leon's earseven as his expression was locked into one of blankness as his mind struggled to reboot. As they set off into the dense greenery of Viridian Forest, Rei and Eevee sprinting ahead of their trainers. Leon kept his focus on the trail, trying not to let Lita's flirtation rattle him too much. The trees blocked out most of the sunlight, casting the forest in an almost eerie twilight, but the rustling of leaves and distant bird Pokémon kept the forest alive with sound.

"Better keep up, cutie," Lita called out, running beside him with an effortless grin. "You don't want me to leave you behind, do you? Unless you'd prefer to do the chasing for once?"

Leon's breath hitched as he stumbled over a root, his face burning. "I'm good! Totally fine!" He straightened up quickly, willing himself to focus on the race and not on Lita's teasing.

"Uh-huh," Lita laughed. "Let's see if you're still saying that when I win."

Meanwhile, Jaina and Aussa had stayed behind near the rest cabin, deciding to take the time to get to know each other. Aussa still seemed overwhelmed by Lita's boldness, and Jaina could sympathize. The two girls sat down at one of the tables inside the cabin, letting the silence settle around them before Jaina spoke up.

"So," Jaina began, trying to ease the tension. "How long have you been a trainer?"

Aussa looked up briefly before her gaze flicked back down to her hands. "Since I was a kid. But I… don't, uh, socialize much outside of battles. I'm better with Pokémon than with people."

Jaina smiled softly, sensing Aussa's nerves. "I get that. Leon and I are pretty social, but I'm the quieter one while Leon's the vocal one between us. I'm more about Pokémon, too."

Aussa's shoulders relaxed slightly as they continued talking. "I, um… like your outfit. And your Natu."

Jaina felt a warm smile curve her lips. "Thanks. I think your outfit is pretty, too. There's an elegance in its simplicity. And your Steelix is pretty cool. Do you have any other Pokémon with you?"

Aussa nodded. "Ye-yeah. I, uh, have my Scizor."

"A Scizor, too?" Jaina asked, impressed. "Are you planning on specializing in the Steel-type?"

Aussa shook her head. "N-no, I… Scizor was my first partner, back when he was still a Scyther. I found him injured in a field when I was seven. I brought him food and medicine to help him heal. We've been together since. I'm 15 now, so it's been eight years."

Jaina smiled again. "Scyther tend to be dangerous. That's really impressive. I'm sure the two of you are really close after that."

Aussa nodded. "Yeah, we're really good friends. What about you? How'd you get your Natu?"

Jaina chuckled, glancing at the green spherical bird standing on the window sill, staring blankly out into the forest. "My parents and I are originally from Violet City in Johto, but we moved to Celadon about eight years ago. We had a lot of opened moving boxes laying around, and this little guy got into the house somehow and went right to the box that had food in it. We were so distracted by moving and packing that we didn't notice and closed the box with him inside. When we got to our new home and unpacked, he hopped out. He's been with me since."

Aussa looked at the Natu and then back at Jaina, a gentle smirk playing on her lips as she raised a hand to cover her mouth and giggled. "That's a funny way to have met."

Jaina had to agree. "Yeah, it is. Right now, Leon and I only have Grun and Rei, but now he's out there looking for a Houndour with… what was her name? Lita?"

Aussa nodded, blushing slightly at Lita's name. "Ye-yeah, that's her name. She's, uh… very forward."

Seeing Aussa's shy discomfort, Jaina decided to switch back to their original topic. "So, how'd you get your Steelix? Did you evolve it from an Onix?"

Aussa's energy did a complete flip. "Uh, no. Edge—my Scizor—and I were in Mt. Moon, two years ago now, I think. The ground started rumbling really bad. Steelix—was digging around really aggressively, and it caused part of the cave floor to collapse. Edge and I fell down a good distance, but Edge caught me and lowered us safely. That's when the Steelix erupted from the ground. It seemed upset about something and was lashing out. Edge and I battled, and I caught her. I named her Stahl."

Jaina's eyes widened a bit. "You fought a rampaging Steelix and caught it? Color me impressed again. You're really something, Aussa."

Aussa blushed again. "Uh, no. I'm really not anything special. Just a lot of training and hard work, really. That's all it takes, right?"

Jaina paused for a moment. Aussa was shy, but that felt more like a nervous deflection than genuine modesty. "Yeah, hard work does pay off if you follow through with it. So, what brings you to Viridian Forest? Are you looking to qualify for the Pokémon League, too?"

Aussa nodded once more, her voice rising in brief excitement. "Yeah!" She quickly stopped and quieted herself, blushing again. "S-sorry. I get excited during battles, and thinking about them. Uh, but I heard there was a really strong Heracross somewhere in Viridian Forest. Supposedly over a hundred trainers have failed to catch it so far. Five people even teamed up on it at once, and it beat all of them by itself."

Jaina thought back to the Viridian City Pokémon Center. She'd overheard something about a particularly strong Heracross in the forest while waiting for Leon to wake up. "So are you looking to try and catch it?"

Aussa shook her head. "No. Well, maybe. Really, I just want to face off against as many strong opponents as I can find. I really want to test myself as much as possible. That's also why I want to go to the Pokémon League."

"Do you have any badges yet?" Jaina asked, sure that someone with a Scizor and Steelix must already have at least two.

Aussa shyly smiled and slowly held up her hand, with three fingers raised.

"You have three already?" Jaina asked, her voice rising in surprise. "But… the League's season just started two weeks ago."

Aussa nodded again. "I-I know. I, um, beat Lieutenant Surge first, then went to Cerulean City and beat Misty. I beat Mr. Brock in Pewter City just a couple of days ago. I'm going to head to Viridian City after I find and challenge that strong Heracross."

"You beat Surge?" Jaina muttered, disbelief creeping into her voice. "Three badges in two weeks, and she beat one of the strongest Gym Leaders already… Who is this girl?"

Back in the forest, Leon was lagging slightly behind Lita when Rei suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, her ears perking up as she sniffed the air. She barked softly, her nose pointing toward a small cluster of flowers hidden behind a large tree trunk.

"What is it, girl?" Leon asked, coming to a stop. Rei didn't answer. Instead, she crouched down and silently crept around the tree line toward the group of flowers. Leon seeing the way she was acting lowered himself down as well, slowly crawling on his stomach to follow her. Reaching the flower patch they saw it, fluttering above the flowers—a Butterfree, but not just any Butterfree. This one had a shimmering, unusual color to its wings. Unlike the usual white wings of its species, this one had beautifully shimmering, soft pink wings, the color glinting almost like freshly bloomed cherry blossoms in the sunlight. The black edges of its wings stood in stark contrast, framing the pink like delicate lace. Its body was a paler, almost muted purple in comparison to their typical pigmentation. Its limbs were also a pale, almost rosy pink, and its large eyes were a brilliant-green giving it an ethereal, almost otherworldly presence. The way the light caught its wings made it seem like it was sparkling in the dappled sunlight, an unmistakable sign that this Butterfree was something truly special.

"A Pokémon with a different color pattern" Leon muttered quietly, "Those are rare…"

He felt Rei nudge him, then she reached for his belt, taking one of his Pokéballs in her mouth and pushing it against his hand.

"You think I should catch it?" Leon asked her.
Rei set the Pokéball down and raised her paw, pressing against his head before pointing her snout toward the special Butterfree and then pawing the same spot on his head again.

"What does a Butterfree have to do with my head?" Leon whispered before it dawned on him, "Jaina?" he asked to which Rei started wagging her tail. That's right, Jaina wears a hair clip in the design of a Butterfree.

Leon took the Pokéball in his hand, whispering, "You think Jaina would like this?" Rei wagged her tail in response, staying quiet to not alert the fluttering bug Pokémon..

With a chuckle, Leon stood up. "All right, let's catch it."

At Leon's command he and Rei darted forward, using Ember to surprise the rare-colored Butterfree, the bug-type turned and flapped its wings to disperse a yellow powder around the area.

Leon ordered, "Rei, jump up, use the tree, get above it and use tackle, bite the wings to bring it down!" The Butterfree tried to fly out of the way as Rei jumped over it and pounced down, seizing one wing in its mouth, dragging the Butterfree to the ground.

The Butterfree wildly flapped its wings trying to spread as much dust around as it could, but Rei jumped back and lunged forward tackling it. Leon called for Rei to fall back and his hands shook slightly as he tossed the Pokéball. It sailed through the air, hitting the Butterfree and absorbing it in a flash of light. The ball shook once, twice, three times, then clicked shut.

Leon let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Got it," he said, grinning. "Jaina's going to love this." He looked down at Rei, ruffling her fur. "You've got good instincts, girl. Better than mine, for sure."

Leon stared at the Pokéball in his hand, processing that this is the first Pokémon he ever caught and he was intending to give it to someone else.

Rei barked happily, nudging Leon forward as if to say, "Let's keep going."
"Right, the race," Leon said, snapping out of his thoughts, "Let's hurry."

Before they could return to their search they heard a low growl coming from nearby. The bushes rustled, and suddenly, a Houndour emerged, its teeth bared. It was clearly on edge, having heard the battle against Butterfree moments earlier, and now it was defending its territory.

"Looks like it found us," Leon muttered, stepping back slightly as Rei crouched into a defensive stance.

The wild Houndour snarled and lunged forward, and Leon gave the command. "Rei, tackle!"

Rei leaped forward, her body ramming into the Houndour's side, forcing it back. The two dog Pokémon circled each other, and Leon could feel the heat building between them. He knew he had to act fast—Houndour was both a dark and fire type, meaning it would resist Rei's best attacks, but Rei was strong.

"Now, ember!" Leon ordered. Rei inhaled sharply before unleashing a blast of fire. The Houndour snarled, inhaling as well before using its own ember attack. The two breaths of fire meet each other in a stalemate.

"Rei, jump back to the left then tackle it!"

Rei jumped to the side then lunged forward, once again ramming into the Houndour which tried to defiantly take the hit only to lose its footing and be knocked back with a yelp. Rei at Leon's command pounced on the Houndour, biting on its leg and dragging it back before tackling it into the ground again, releasing a point-blank ember attack. Though the bites and ember did little damage, keeping it tackled to the ground limited the Houndour's ability to fight back so all they had to do was whittle it down.

Then Leon saw his chance. He threw a Pokéball, watching as it absorbed the Houndour in a flash of light. It shook once, twice, then clicked shut.

Leon grinned in triumph. "Got it!"

Just then, Lita arrived, having missed the battle. She watches as Leon picks up the Pokéball, she had heard the growls and yelps of a Houndour. Pouting slightly, she crossed her arms. "Looks like you win this time, lover boy."

Leon glanced at her, "Guess so. And my name is Leon."

She winked, "Well, since you won, what do you want me to do? Loser has to do whatever the winner wants, remember?"

Leon didn't have to think long, "How about you call me by my name."

Lita stepped closer, her eyes gleaming mischievously, "Is that all?" she asked, her voice dropping low as her hand ran up her side and to the edge of her mostly unbuttoned shirt, "Are you sure you don't want anything else?" she asked, gently pulling at her shirt, teasing a peek.

Leon's face became red again as he froze making Lita grin, "Consider that payback for beating me. But don't think you're off the hook" she pressed a finger to his chest, tracing a single circle in his chest, "I still might decide to make you my prize one day."

Lita walked away, with Rei barking at her, leaving Leon frozen like a crashed computer waiting to reboot.

It took a bit longer for Lita to track down and catch the other Houndour, but once she did, her and Leon regrouped with Jaina and Aussa back at the rest cabin. Lita wasted no time teasing Leon, smirking as she crossed her arms. "Looks like lover boy finally caught something worth bragging about."

Jaina raised an eyebrow. "So? How did it go?"

Leon, trying to stay composed, shrugged casually. "I caught a couple of things… but it's not what you think." He pulled out the Pokéball containing the rare-colored Butterfree, handing it to Jaina. "Rei found this while we were out. We thought you might like it. You know, because of your… hair clip."

Jaina stared at the Pokéball before opening it to release Pokémon within, her eyes widening when she saw the unique colored Butterfree, "You caught this… for me?"

Leon rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks reddening again. "Yeah, it's no big deal, I just…thought of you when we saw it."

Jaina smiled warmly, her voice soft. "Thank you, Leon. I love it."

Lita leaned in with a grin. "Ooh, what a gentleman. You might want to put a ring on that now, Jaina, before I claim him for myself."

Jaina rolled her eyes, but there was a soft blush on her cheeks, "Shut up, Lita."

Aussa smiled quietly from the sidelines, watching the group with a warm expression. As the teasing continued, she seemed to relax more, finding comfort in the easy camaraderie.

As they prepared to leave the forest and continue their journey, Leon couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. He'd won the race, caught a rare Pokémon, and made Jaina smile. As Jaina admired the Butterfree, Leon's heart fluttered slightly, and he knew, in that moment, he was exactly where he wanted to be.