Gotta Find ‘em All: You Never Look at What’s Right Under Your Nose... [Episode 103019]

Ryōga blinked, shook his head, and looked down at the can of juice still in his hand.

“Great... now I’m dreaming all awake...” he muttered to himself.

Not that daydreaming was anything new for him.  That’s what ended him getting hopelessly lost more often than not.  Though it wasn’t the sole reason... some said his abysmal direction sense was some kind of Blood Curse.

Whatever... Ryōga would have thought he was above fantasying about cute, masterless Pokégirls simply showing up unexpectedly at his doorstep.  Wishful thinking wasn’t going to solve his problem.  He had his tamer license, but no Alpha to start his harem.  How was he supposed to compete with that pervert, good-for-nothing Ranma?  That bastard got all the luck... Saotome’s parents had already arranged for him several Pokégirl ownerships with various breeders when he was just a kid.  And the worst part was that the hypocrite pigtailed-boy even had the gal to complain about it!

Ryōga sipped the drink while pondering.  What should he do?  Maybe visit a few Pokéranches in hope they had some excess Pokégirls he could buy....  But that would mean, at first, trekking in the countryside without the protection of a harem.  Not that it was frightening him; with his Blood Gifts of inhuman strength and endurance, he could go toes-to-toes with many feral Pokégirls.  But his propensity for getting lost would still make it an uncertain journey... and even Ryōga wouldn’t want to stumble on a swarm of insect-types, or other more dangerous denizens of this world.

Completely lost in his thoughts, Ryōga didn’t even notice he was no longer alone.  The intruder had discreetly entered his house, stalking within its halls without a noise... until the prey was located.  Glinting eyes focused on Ryōga’s back, but the Lost Boy was unaware of them.  As he closed the fridge door, the silent predator attacked.  Closing in on the Hibiki son with amazing speed, a blurred form jumped on Ryōga as he turned around and tackled him to the floor before he could say anything.

“RISE AND SHINE, ONĪ-CHAN!!”

“WHA...?” yelped Ryōga in surprise, as a small but surprisingly strong shape clung to his waist and pinned him to the ground.  Then, his shocked expression turned into one of annoyance.  “Damnit, Yoiko!  What are you trying to do?  Give me an heart attack?!”

The petite, dark-haired girl with twin pigtails didn’t release him from her crushing hug, at least not immediately.  Instead, she was contentedly rubbing her face against his muscular chest.  This was, fortunately, hiding her blush from her brother.

“Shouldn’t you be in school?” Ryōga tiredly asked his little sister.  He made no move to unclamp her, just waiting fatalistically that she’d get tired of making a barnacle imitation.

Eluding the question, Yoiko chirpily responded “I couldn’t wait, Onī-chan!  That’s such a big day for you; I wanted to be here when my Big Brother would come back with his very first Pokégirl!  Sorry I got lost on the way.  So, what type did you get, Onī-chan?!  Is she a fighting type, like you wanted?  Or maybe a earth type?  Can I see her?”

Ryōga sighed.  It wasn’t going to be easy to explain he missed this chance of acquiring his first Pokégirl just because he was late....

---

Meanwhile, walking back from the marketplace of the village, a canine anthropoid wearing a conservative dress was heading toward the Hibiki house with a bag of grocery in her arms.  She was a Denmother (the evolved form of a Growltit) Pokéwoman (having gone through her second puberty) with unusually bright and intelligent eyes.  This individual had fur that was entirely black on one side and white on the other, symmetrically separated by a line running along the middle of her front and back (including her bushy tail).  A peculiarity that had earned her the nickname “Checkers”, although her true name was Shirokuro Hibiki.  Technically the pet of the Hibiki family, the Pokéwoman had in fact practically raised Ryōga and Yoiko on her own, their real mother being lost more often than not because of a tenacious family Blood Curse.

As such, Shirokuro was currently a little worried about her Ryō-kun.  Having paid a quick visit to Professor Tōfū, the local Pokéscientist, she knew that Ryōga arrived too late for any Pokégirl to be left for him.  Aware just how important it was for the young boy to start a harem and compete with the other tamers, she could guess he was fairly disappointed.  She hoped he’d found his way back to the house so that she could comfort him.

As she was strolling, a solution to the problem came to her mind, and the more she was thinking about it the more tempting it looked.  She was sure her true owner, Ryōga’s father, wouldn’t see any problem with giving her Pokéball to his son.  She was still young enough to go on a Pokéjourney, and that way she wouldn’t be separated from her Ryō-kun.  Her own Pokékits were all grown-up now, and have been entrusted to a ranch a while ago.  Understandably, she was quite reluctant of being separated from the Hibiki children.

Beside, Ryōga tended to be quite shy around human females or human-looking Pokégirls.  Shirukuro was pretty certain he was still a virgin.  Having an experienced, familiar Pokéwoman as his first lover would certainly ease things for him.  Shirokuro was really quite fond of the young man, and dearly hoped he’d accept her as his Alpha.  The motherly dog-woman began fantasying about taming, her black and white cheeks getting a rosy tint at the thought.

---

Back at the Hibiki Home, Ryōga had finished telling his younger sister of his misfortune.

“So you see, Yoiko-chan... I’m a failure as a tamer before even starting...” he concluded depressingly.

“Oh, don’t say that, Onī-chan.  That’s too bad, but I’m positive we’ll find a solution....”