Chapter 279: Oh, It’s Big Bear

The scene changed again.

The perspective shifted to the living room of Dawsher House Pokémon Day Care.

Afternoon sunlight streamed diagonally through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm golden patch across the carpet.

Dawn wore a light-pink set of loungewear, her hair casually tied into a low ponytail, with fluffy pink slippers on her feet.

She was kneeling on the carpet with her legs folded beneath her.

Asher’s head rested in her lap.

His eyes were closed, his breathing steady.

Under his wife’s personal ASMR service, he had already drifted into a light sleep.

Dawn held an ear pick in one hand, carefully cleaning Asher’s ear, while her other hand gently stroked his hair.

Her movements were exceptionally soft.

Her expression was focused.

The tenderness radiating from her was completely different from her usual energetic image.

[VIP Chat Group]

[Johanna]: Oh my. Dawn never cleaned my ears when she lived at home. Now that she’s married, she’s suddenly learned how to take care of someone.

[Dawn]: MOM!! T-That’s parallel-world me! Not current me... (///ω///)

[Kenny]: W-Wah... Why? Why do I have to see something like this...?

[Elesa]: ...I don’t know why, but my mood suddenly got worse.

[Misty]: I was here first... Even I’ve never done something like that for him...

[Diantha]: Oh my, hubby looks like he’s enjoying himself quite a lot. Is it really that comfortable? Looks like I’ll have to try it sometime...

[Bianca]: I suddenly feel like I just got force-fed a whole mouthful of pokemon food.

[Lana]: Definitely!

[Iris]: +1!

[Shauntal]: My, seeing this suddenly makes me want to publish a romance novel about Asher!

[May]: ((▽) You’re publishing one? I want to read it!

[Cynthia]: I want to read it too. Can you write one with me as the heroine?

[Shauntal]: Of course~ Asher’s number of girlfriends in the novel is currently increasing at record speed. Anyone interested can sign up!

[Volkner]:@Shauntal, can we nominate Steven?

[Aaron]: ?

[Wallace]: Absolutely cursed.

[Asher]:@Volkner, you really do have a death wish. Tiana, go.

[Tiana]: At once! @Volkner, Uncle Volkner, are you home right now? I’m bringing you some of my favorite ice cream! - (?ω?)

[Volkner]: WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! I WAS WRONG! I REALLY WAS WRONG! TIANA, DON’T COME OVER——!!!

The video continued playing.

Asher’s eyelashes twitched.

He slowly opened his eyes.

"Hubby, you’re awake?"

Dawn put down the ear pick and looked down at him.

"Was I making you uncomfortable?"

Asher reached up and ruffled her hair.

"How could you? Wifey is the best."

Dawn’s cheeks visibly turned red.

But instead of pulling away, she lowered her head even farther.

"Then what about the reward you promised?"

Asher lifted his head and kissed her cheek.

"Is that enough?"

Dawn kept her head lowered.

Her lips hovered less than two centimeters above the corner of Asher’s mouth, her soft breath brushing against his skin.

"...Not enough."

The corners of Asher’s lips lifted slightly.

He raised one hand and cupped the back of her head, just about to pull her down—

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP——!!!

The sudden vibration made Dawn jolt violently.

Her forehead slammed straight into Asher’s chin.

THUNK.

"Wifey, are you trying to murder your husband?"

Asher rubbed his chin with one hand while blindly feeling around the coffee table for his communicator with the other.

"I-I didn’t mean to!"

Dawn clutched her forehead, her face as red as a boiled Crawdaunt.

"Who told that thing to suddenly start ringing?! It scared me!"

An encrypted message was flashing across the communicator.

The sender was listed as:

Lance the Dragon Master (Working Overtime)

Asher unlocked the screen and skimmed the message.

His expression gradually shifted from lazy to slightly complicated.

"Hubby, who is it?"

Dawn rubbed her forehead and leaned closer.

"Nothing."

Asher flipped the communicator facedown on the coffee table, his tone completely natural.

"Spam message."

Dawn snatched the communicator away.

Across the screen was a line of bold red text—

ABNORMAL LEGENDARY POKéMON ECOLOGICAL ACTIVITY. RETURN IMMEDIATELY.

Dawn fell silent for a moment.

Then she looked at him.

"Hubby... are you going to deal with those things again?"

"No choice."

Asher sighed.

"As a special investigator appointed by the League, anything involving Legendary Pokémon has to be handled personally by me."

He reached up and tucked the loose strand of hair Dawn had knocked out of place behind her ear.

"Wifey, you have to trust your husband’s professional abilities."

"Of course I trust you."

Dawn lowered her head and kissed his forehead.

"It’s just..."

"Every time you go out to deal with something like this, I worry."

"Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon."

Dawn immediately wrapped both arms around Asher’s arm and clung to him like a koala.

"No!"

"Every time you say, ’I’ll be back soon,’ you disappear for several days!"

"This time, no matter what you say, I’m going with you!"

"Wifey, the situation this time is a little complicated—"

"How complicated?"

Dawn leaned in until her face was only a few centimeters from his.

"Tell me."

"I’m listening."

Asher looked into her determined eyes.

After a moment of silence, he sighed.

"Fine."

"We’ll go together."

"But you have to promise me one thing first."

"What?"

"Once we arrive, you follow my instructions."

"No acting on your own."

"Can you do that?"

Dawn raised her right hand as though taking an oath.

"No problem!"

"So we’re leaving now?"

"...We’re leaving."

The two packed a few things and temporarily entrusted the Day Care to Johanna.

The moment Dawn’s mother received the call, she agreed without hesitation.

"You two go ahead and do what you need to do. Leave the shop to me. I guarantee it’ll run even more smoothly than when the two of you are here."

After ending the call, Dawn fell silent for a moment.

"...Was Mom implying that we’re bad at managing the place?"

"She wasn’t implying it."

Asher patted her shoulder.

"She said it directly."

The scene changed.

Northern Sinnoh.

Deep within a primeval forest designated as a restricted area.

Dawn followed closely behind Asher, one hand tightly gripping the corner of his clothes.

"Hubby..."

"Why does this forest feel so creepy?"

Asher pushed aside a hanging vine.

"It feels creepy because the trees are too dense."

"The trees are this dense because the energy field here is too strong."

"Ordinary plants can’t withstand it properly, so they grow out of control."

The moment he finished speaking—

A rustling sound came from the canopy above them.

Dawn instinctively looked up.

A massive Ursaring poked its head out from between the leaves and bared its teeth at her.

"HUBBY!!"

Asher looked up.

"Oh."

"So it’s Big Bear."

"What are you doing up in that tree?"

"Get down here."

Ursaring jumped from the tree and landed in front of them.

Then—

It bent forward.

Pressed both front paws together.

And bowed deeply to Asher.

Dawn: "..."

...

TL: "Dog food"—or, in this case, Pokémon food—being force-fed to you means having to watch a couple be overly affectionate or lovey-dovey. In more familiar terms a PDA (Public Displays of Affection).