Elder Gui, At Least Be a Little Scared

By the time Gui Mei arrived, the crying in the shop had already stopped.

He paused briefly at the entrance, his gaze sweeping over the tables and chairs before finally settling behind the counter.

"Where's the child?"

Xia Che was stuffing a cushion behind his back. Hearing that, he lifted his chin.

"Hiding."

Gui Mei glanced at him.

Xia Che merely smiled without answering.

The next moment, a small gray-blue face slowly rose above the counter.

Its eyes spotted Gui Mei first. Then, the tufts of hair on either side of its head spread open, revealing a deliberately fierce expression.

"Woo!"

Gui Mei did not move.

Misdreavus stopped in midair.

It changed direction, circling from Gui Mei's left shoulder to his right before suddenly poking its face out in front of him.

Gui Mei remained standing, merely handing Xia Che a thin booklet.

"Borrowed it last night."

"Just leave it on the table."

"The leaf you used as a bookmark is still inside."

Misdreavus watched the two of them, the red beads around its neck swaying slightly.

It had clearly cried out quite loudly just now.

By the door, Duskull, which had entered with Gui Mei, slowly floated closer. The red eye in its hollow socket turned as it looked toward Misdreavus.

Misdreavus looked back at it.

For a moment, neither Ghost-type Pokémon made a sound.

Manager Qi, standing nearby, finally understood where the crying had come from.

"Was that it just now?"

"Misdreavus," Xia Che said. "It likes scaring people, especially seeing the look on their faces when they get startled."

Rotom flipped the Pokédex open before everyone.

The little Pokémon on the screen had red beads around its neck and floated in midair, looking almost identical to the one beside the counter.

"The Screech Pokémon, Ghost type. It