Huh? Why Do I Still Have to Go to School?

With Xingye tugging hard, there was a pop, and he finally pulled Cyclizar off her head—along with two hair buns that rolled to the floor.

He immediately grabbed Cyclizar and apologized to Gardevoir. "Sorry, it didn't mean to. It's just simple-minded. Whenever it sees something it likes or is curious about, it bites..."

"Cycli..."

Cyclizar scratched its head and smacked its lips, not quite understanding, but it apologized along with him anyway.

Gardevoir did not respond right away. With a wave of her hand, she used Psychic to pick up the fallen hair buns and put them back on her head, then gave them a little wiggle. They really were just decorations.

"Nae..."

Still calling out in that lazy tone, Gardevoir turned and headed toward the kitchen.

As she suddenly moved, a faint fragrance wafted through the air. She must have picked it up while cooking in the kitchen. No wonder Cyclizar had bitten her.

Xingye was a little surprised. "She didn't get angry even after that? That's weird."

Slowking spoke up to explain. "Nae-chan can be pretty airheaded sometimes, and she rarely gets angry. But at certain times, like when she gets serious, she becomes very scary. You should be careful..."

"So she's the trendy landmine girl type?"

"A girl? Nae-chan might be old enough to be your mother."

"Hey, is it really okay to talk about someone's age behind their back? You know, some older women are really sensitive about that... Gah!"

Before he could finish, a powerful force struck both of them head-on, instantly blasting them out the door and leaving them sprawled across the quiet street.

"See? Scary."

"Why did I get hit too...?"

"That's pretty common around here."

"I see."

Xingye understood now. Even among Pokémon, there were some whose ages simply could not be discussed.

"But do Pokémon even care about age? Don't most of them get taken to do that with Ditto right after they're born, and then keep—"

"What kind of common sense is that? Go to school! Pokémon have to be at least five years old before they can lay eggs! They have to be over five to do that sort of thing! Otherwise, their parents would never allow it!"

"Then Caterpie would go extinct, wouldn't they?"

"Caterpie won't go extinct. They'll just keep living and molting until they can fly."

"Then they evolve into Rayquaza..."

Xingye understood again. This guy was just messing with him. Still, Pokémon obviously could not lay eggs right after being born. They had to go through sexual maturity first.

Different Pokémon species would definitely mature at different rates. Bug types probably matured earlier, while Dragon types would take much longer.

"Even in this world where Pokémon really exist, there's still so much I don't know. At least it's pretty easy to understand."

He decided he needed to find opportunities to learn more about such things. Maybe they would come in handy when helping Pokémon later on.

Still, instead of constantly following those shining points and actively approaching others to help them, why not let Pokémon come to him for help?

Maybe he could even earn some extra money to support himself and Cyclizar. After all, there were plenty of rich Pokémon in Kabukicho!

"That might actually work. But I'll think about it after we get back..."

Xingye got up from the ground, recalling the impact from earlier. The Pokémon here all seemed pretty strong, whether it was Gardevoir, Slowking, or that Ceruledge from last night.

So had they really trained themselves to this level? Or did they actually have Trainers who were no longer around? Or was there some other reason?

"This street feels like it's hiding a lot of secrets I don't know about."

Curious as he was, he was not bored enough to investigate those secrets. Otherwise, he might end up sunk into the waters of Hau'oli with concrete around his feet the next day...

When they returned to Smile Restaurant, Gardevoir brought out some freshly steamed buns. Cyclizar was already eating one, its face full of satisfaction.

"Are they really that good?"

Curious, Xingye picked one up and took a bite. The bun skin was springy and chewy, with an excellent texture.

He had no idea what the filling was. There were chunks of fruit in it, probably some kind of Berry, along with plenty of meat. Two buns were enough to fill him up.

After finishing breakfast, a bold idea suddenly surfaced in his mind. After thinking for a moment, he put on a serious expression and shamelessly asked, "Say, can I come here every day to freeload... I mean, to learn?"

Hearing that, Gardevoir gave him a puzzled look. "Nae?"

"She's asking what you want to do," Slowking translated while biting into a bun.

Xingye looked utterly confident as he immediately replied with a smile, "Learn, of course. Learn how to cook. I'm actually very confident in my cooking skills. Don't underestimate the abilities of a kid who lives alone!"

"Nae...," Gardevoir replied softly.

"What did Nae-chan say?"

Hearing him call her Nae-chan too, Slowking swayed and nearly fell off its chair. Then it translated, "She said that's fine. Just come before six-thirty in the morning. Be careful on the way, and don't be late."

"Then thank you, Nae-chan!"

Xingye had not expected it to be settled so easily. It seemed that as long as he did not bring up her age, Gardevoir's airheaded personality made her pretty easy to talk to.

His main goal was really just to bring Cyclizar here every day to freeload breakfast. There had to be unsold food that needed someone to help finish it off.

Of course, learning to cook was genuine too. He wanted to become familiar with the different ingredients in this world so he could cook for himself at home later...

After breakfast, they said goodbye to Gardevoir, and Slowking led them out of the Drifter District. They did not talk much along the way.

As they passed the street entrance, Xingye did not feel those gazes from yesterday again. At that moment, Slowking suddenly asked, "By the way, how did you run into Kabukicho like nothing happened?"

"We just ran straight in. Is there something hidden here too?"

"There's a group of Meowth, Rattata, and others living around Kabukicho. Any human trying to enter gets attacked by them."

"I see..."

Now Xingye understood what had happened. But he had no idea why those gazes had suddenly disappeared yesterday. Maybe it had been luck?

"Cycli?"

Slowking led the two of them around for three hours. In the end, they climbed a mountain slope along a small path on Mahalo Mountain, passed through the forest, and soon a town came into view.

Xingye had ridden on Cyclizar's back the whole way, so he was not too tired. He had been checking the map and realized they had reached Iki Town, which left him confused.

"Didn't you say you were helping me get identification? Why are we here?"

"Only this place can help you get it done. I happen to know an old friend."

As he spoke, Slowking continued leading them toward a highly conspicuous villa with an orange roof in the northwest of Iki Town.

They had only just reached the entrance when the villa gate opened. A squinting middle-aged man dressed somewhat like a sumo referee stepped out.

"Hmm?"

Xingye looked at the man before him and instantly recognized Hala, the island kahuna of Melemele Island. Slowking, meanwhile, kept walking forward and waved in greeting. "Alola~"

"Alola~"

Hala returned the greeting with a smile before saying, "I knew from far away that it was you. It's been a long time. What brings you here this time?"

"Yes, I have a small favor to ask."

Slowking pointed at Xingye and continued, "I picked up a poor kid who isn't even a Trainer. Help him get some identification."

"Oh?" Hala looked surprised. After studying Xingye with narrowed eyes, he suddenly asked, "No identification? How old are you this year?"

"Um... fifteen."

"Fifteen... Then you've never attended Pokémon School, have you?"

"Hm?" Xingye did not understand why he was asking, but he shook his head. "No."

After hearing his answer, Hala's expression suddenly turned serious. He shouted, "That won't do! You've already missed three precious years of education. You absolutely cannot delay any longer! I'll get your identification sorted out right now and send you to school!"

"Huh? Wait, what the hell?"