Chapter 203: Aside from My Wives, I Won’t Give Another Woman a Second Look
In the real world.
"Looks like there’s already some outfit film loaded inside."
Asher gave the camera a quick inspection.
"Dawn, stand over there by the lake. Keep your back toward the water and turn slightly sideways toward me."
Dawn obediently hurried to the end of the pier and assumed the pose he described.
"Like this?"
"Perfect."
Asher raised the camera.
"Hold that pose. Three, two, one—"
Click.
The instant the shutter sounded, Dawn’s traveling clothes were enveloped in a soft ring of white light.
When the light faded, Dawn lowered her head and looked at herself.
Her clothes had been replaced by a pale-blue gradient dress.
The fabric transitioned from pure white at the waist to a lake-blue shade at the hem.
Dawn spun around once on the spot—
And the skirt immediately swept outward in an exceptionally graceful arc.
"It’s so pretty!"
Dawn cupped her cheeks with both hands, her eyes practically overflowing with excitement.
"This dress is even prettier than the performance outfits I wear in Pokémon Contests! And it feels completely weightless!"
[VIP Chat Group]
[May]: Oh my gosh!! That dress!! That gradient is gorgeous!!
[Dawn]: It’s even prettier than my own performance outfits! I’ve decided—when I get back, I’m definitely having an identical one custom-made! (≧∇≦)ﾉ
[Wallace]: The design really is excellent. Gradients are particularly expressive on camera, and with Lake Verity in the background, the composition gains an exceptional sense of depth.
[Johanna]: Dawn, remember to lower your chin slightly when you’re posing for photos.
[Dawn]: Mom! Do you really have to say something like that right now?!
[Johanna]: A Coordinator should maintain her best form at all times, regardless of the situation. That’s one of the fundamentals.
[Dawn]: ...Fine, I know!
In the real world.
Click. Click. Click.
The shutter kept sounding.
Dawn had already changed into so many outfits that even she had lost count.
Her poses had become increasingly adventurous as well.
She went from the stiff, reserved poses she had started with to resting her chin on one hand, clasping both hands together, lying sideways across the pier, and balancing on one foot while tracing an arc through the air with both arms.
Every pose carried the unmistakable flair of a Pokémon Contest performance.
"Quick, quick! Take another one like this!"
Dawn was having the time of her life.
After all, opportunities to try on this many beautiful outfits didn’t come around every day.
However—
Just as Asher raised the camera and pressed the shutter again, something happened that absolutely no one had expected.
A glaring System notification suddenly appeared on the screen.
[Abnormal situation detected! To protect the privacy of the person involved, automatic black-screen protection has been activated!]
[VIP Chat Group]
[Ash]: ?????? Why did the screen go black?????
[Iris]: Did the signal cut out?! Or did someone hack the livestream?!
[Gary]: How could that possibly happen? What level of hacker could even attack something like this livestream?
[Wallace]: The livestream specifically said it activated the blackout to protect someone’s privacy. But what kind of privacy issue could possibly come up while taking promotional photos?
[Lorelei]: Simple. Dawn is the one being photographed, so the most likely explanation is that something happened to Dawn.
[Jasmine]: Miss Lorelei, that analysis sounds terrifying! Wouldn’t that mean Dawn is currently...
[Johanna]: !!!
[Johanna]: Dawn?! Dawn, are you okay?! Can you hear your mother?!
[Misty]: @Asher, take your eyes off her immediately, turn around, and don’t make a single unnecessary move! Do you hear me?!
[Elesa]: I think we should just head over there ourselves. Sisters, get Garchomp.
[Cynthia]: Already calling her.
[Steven]: Hahahahahahaha! Brother Asher, Brother Asher... Spend enough time walking beside the river and eventually your shoes are bound to get wet. This time, even I have to admit you’re in a pretty difficult situation!
[Lance]: Steven, aren’t you worried Asher will come after you once this is over?
[Steven]: What am I supposed to be afraid of? Brother Asher has much bigger problems than me right now!
[Brock]: Three seconds of silence for Master Asher! I, Brock, swear that I will carry on your will!
[May]: We don’t even know what happened to Dawn yet! Stop saying ridiculous things!
In the real world, beside Lake Verity.
Time rewound to the exact moment the screen had gone black.
"KYAAAAAAAAAA—!!!"
Dawn’s scream shattered the peaceful afternoon around Lake Verity.
Asher reacted extraordinarily quickly.
Almost the instant Dawn screamed, he yanked the sunglasses down from his forehead and over his eyes—
Though wearing sunglasses probably didn’t accomplish much.
"Dawn, let me explain first—the outfit film inside the camera ran out and I didn’t replace it in time, so the outfit effect completely disappeared. It was my fault for not noticing, but I swear I didn’t do it on purpose!"
Dawn had already crouched down on the pier and curled herself tightly into a ball, both arms wrapped firmly around her knees and her face buried against them.
Her voice was filled with embarrassment and panic.
"C-could you turn around first?!!"
"Okay, okay!"
Asher immediately turned around without hesitation.
"My reaction was really fast! I didn’t see anything!"
Dawn cautiously raised her face just enough to peek through the gap between her arms with one eye.
After confirming that Asher really did have his back toward her, she finally managed to breathe a little easier and forced herself to calm down.
"Th-then... what do I do now?"
"Don’t panic."
Asher thought for a moment.
Then he tossed the camera backward over his shoulder.
"Here. Check the camera yourself and see if there’s another outfit film inside. If there is, just take a picture of yourself and put something on."
Dawn peeked through the gap between her arms again.
After making absolutely certain that Asher was still facing away from her, she quickly picked up the camera.
"Y-you’re not allowed to turn around!"
"Don’t!"
"Absolutely don’t!"
Her voice had once again become flustered and embarrassed.
"Relax."
Asher’s tone was utterly sincere.
"I may believe in universal love, but I still have principles."
"Aside from my wives, I absolutely won’t give another woman a second look."
For some reason—
Hearing that actually made Dawn feel more relieved.
She lowered her head, inserted another outfit film into the slot, pointed the camera toward herself, and pressed the shutter.
Click.
Dawn was immediately dressed in a pink jacket and white skirt.
She let out a long breath.
Then she looked toward Asher again.
He was still standing with his back to her.
He hadn’t made a single unnecessary movement.
Suddenly, Dawn felt that Asher really was quite dependable.
After all, when something went wrong, his first instinct hadn’t been to make excuses or shift the blame.
Instead, he had immediately tried to solve the problem.
And he genuinely hadn’t taken advantage of the situation.
Dawn cleared her throat twice.
Then she spoke.
"...I-I’m changed now."
Only then did Asher turn around.
His gaze briefly swept over her outfit before he nodded.
"That one looks pretty good too."
Dawn’s cheeks immediately flushed bright red again.
This time, however, she didn’t react nearly as dramatically.
She simply tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and spoke in an extremely soft voice.
"Um... Even though there was a little accident today, the pictures really did turn out beautifully, so..."
"Thank you."
The complicated emotions contained within that simple thank you could probably be divided into two parts.
One was gratitude for Asher helping her with the photoshoot.
The other—
Just like the inexplicable pounding of her heart earlier—
Was something even Dawn herself couldn’t properly explain.
Asher casually waved a hand.
"No need to thank me."
"The next time you enter a Pokémon Contest, remember to lower the spread angle of your Bubble Beam by another five degrees. The visual effect should be even better."
Dawn’s eyes immediately lit up.
"You like studying Bubble Beam too?"
"Not really."
Asher pushed up his sunglasses, the corner of his mouth curving into an exceptionally bright smile.
"But like I said—"
"I’m your fan."
[System Notice: Punishment complete. Teleportation countdown: ten seconds.]
Two pillars of white light descended from the sky, enveloping them separately.
The next second—
Both of them vanished from beside Lake Verity.
...
TL: Tsk tsk, my brother Asher really thought giving a solution to a panicked woman would work. He’s lucky this is a webnovel and not real life!