My Fists Said Yes! (Please Keep Reading)

Back home, Cyclizar had already gone to rest. The noise of Kabukicho could not affect it at all, but Xingye could not sleep.

He stared at the phone screen before him, at the glaring flashing dot practically right next to his own. It represented the Delphox from earlier!

He had noticed it the moment she entered the place, which was why he had deliberately tried to build rapport with her, hoping she would lower her guard so they could have a proper talk.

"Worked for two and a half years... has a Trainer... was remembered in the backyard... wanted to work here one last night even without pay..."

Xingye recorded all of it in his phone's notes. This phone seemed never to need charging, which was rather convenient.

All this information had actually come from Slowking. Combined with what he had said while leaving earlier, it was clear that this Slowking boss was not slow-witted at all. Xingye had no idea when he had figured out how much Xingye cared about this...

Putting all that information together, Xingye could tell that Delphox must have loved her job at Slowking Izakaya very much. After waiting all these days, she had finally found the chance to come out specifically to say she was resigning.

But there would be no more chances after this. Her Trainer, who had kept her in the backyard all this time, had finally remembered her and planned to take her along on a journey. It would be difficult for her to keep working here.

"Pokémon and Trainers... so this is what she's troubled about? After being left in the backyard for so long, she was finally remembered. She should be happy, and their bond is still there, but traveling with her Trainer means giving up the job she loves most."

After analyzing it all, Xingye understood. No wonder Slowking had told him not to meddle. This was the other party's family business, after all. One wrong move, and Delphox would be the only one hurt in the end.

"This really is troublesome. The most important thing is to ease her distress over making a choice, and the source of all this is her Trainer!"

Catching a Pokémon in a ball, then tossing it into the backyard to fill out the ecosystem, only to ignore it for two years or even longer—treating it as nothing more than a Pokédex entry.

What could one even call that behavior? Irresponsibility toward Pokémon? At the very least, Xingye had no favorable impression of Trainers like that. He was even deeply disgusted by them!

Truthfully, he also hoped Delphox could stay and work at the izakaya. Once he had earned her friendship, he could have her help promote his services a little while she worked.

But what if Delphox truly had a good relationship with her Trainer? That would be another matter. So he made a decision: he would not act directly for now. He would first go take a look at this Trainer.

If there was nothing wrong with the man, then Xingye's plan would have to be abandoned. He could only find a chance later to counsel Delphox and give her some emotional support.

But if there really was something wrong with him... then sorry, but depending on the circumstances, he could enjoy the premium Cyclizar high-speed repeated crushing treatment.

"It's better to stay alert. I just hope I don't end up making things worse..."

After all, this was probably his first time seriously helping a Pokémon, and he was acting on his own initiative without the other party even knowing.

Still, for the future establishment and operation of Odd Jobs, he needed to gain more experience. He had to take this operation seriously!

Because of that, Xingye did not sleep all night. His phone still had no signal, and there was nothing else he could do, so he simply waited...

Finally, near three in the morning, Delphox left Slowking Izakaya. Naturally, she could not stay until dawn before heading back.

"Man, I'm tired. Let's go!"

"Cyli~"

Xingye woke Cyclizar. Though it had just awakened, the thing was already full of energy. They then quietly followed along the backstreets. There were still plenty of Pokémon on the streets, and a human suddenly appearing would be far too conspicuous.

They soon left Kabukicho. As expected, the Stray Meowths came after them again, but they were fast enough to avoid being caught.

Delphox did not notice that she was being followed. After leaving the izakaya, her mood sank again. Perhaps because she had finally completed her last shift, her expression was still slightly better than before.

Eventually, she arrived outside an ecological park belonging to a research institute south of Hau'oli City, then crawled through a hole in the ground. It seemed this was where she entered and exited every time.

Xingye and Cyclizar stopped there because they could not get in. The map showed that this place was a small Pokémon research institute.

Inside this ecological park lived Pokémon left behind by Trainers who had gone off traveling. It was not merely one person's backyard.

"I didn't expect it to be a place like this. What a pain. I can't fit through that dog hole."

Xingye took off his goggles and hung them around his neck. He looked at the tall wall ahead, his expression turning thoughtful. It was not daylight yet, so nobody would be coming to work and letting him in through the front entrance.

"Damn it, there's no way around it. Let's head back..."

He was not about to have Cyclizar ram a hole through the wall. Once daylight came, he would be sent straight to the police station. He had just written a self-criticism there yesterday; getting hauled in again at light speed would be far too rude.

Just as he was about to turn around, Cyclizar seemed to spot something. It suddenly ran over and clamped its teeth around a branch lying on the ground in front of the dog hole.

"Huh? Wait! Don't bite it in half!"

Xingye quickly snatched the branch away. He recognized it as the one stuck in Delphox's tail. She must have scraped it off by accident when she distractedly crawled through the hole earlier...

At that moment, he seemed to hear something. He immediately hid behind a tree with Cyclizar and began observing. Soon, Delphox crawled back out of the hole with an anxious look on her face, apparently searching for the branch.

Just as Xingye was about to quietly toss the branch in his hand out, a man's voice suddenly came from the distance. "What are you doing here?"

"Delphox!"

Delphox looked in that direction and saw a man in a suit emerge from the dim forest with a Toxicroak.

Using the moonlight, Xingye sized the man up. He did not know this guy, but the man did look fairly kind.

The man walked over, gently stroking Delphox's head as he said worriedly, "I couldn't find you all night. You worried me to death. I thought something had happened to you."

"Delphox..."

"What's wrong?"

"Delphox!"

Delphox held her tail, crying out anxiously. The man glanced at it and immediately understood. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Did you lose the branch that was left behind by your mother?"

"Fox!"

"I see... Don't worry, I'll help you find it. It's something very important to you, after all. You should go back and rest first. I can tell from how tired you look that you haven't slept all night. That's not good for your health."

The man continued stroking her head. Perhaps because she trusted her Trainer, Delphox nodded before crawling back through the hole.

Seeing this, the man sighed helplessly and muttered, "So she's been sneaking out from here. She really worried me. But I can't rest yet—I still need to help her find that branch..."

As the man gradually walked away, Xingye, who had been secretly watching the whole time, sighed as well. Delphox's flashing dot had disappeared, which meant she no longer needed help. She trusted what her Trainer had just said.

"Looks like there's no need after all. What a waste of effort. I'm exhausted, and it turns out this guy unexpectedly has some decency. You got lucky..."

Xingye chuckled. He was not too upset about it. Since Delphox no longer needed help, he could only think of another way—such as getting on good terms with Nae-chan, then asking her for a favor?

"Given Nae-chan's personality, earning her friendship should be pretty easy. It's worth a try!"

With that, he took Cyclizar and headed back the way they had come. But in this quiet little forest, even slightly loud sounds were easy to hear—like someone making a phone call...

"Has Grafaiai arrived? Then let's make the trade tonight. I've wanted that Pokémon for ages. I went to Paldea twice and still couldn't find one."

"..."

"Wasn't this already agreed on?! I'm trading Delphox for it. They're both Fire-type starters, just like Typhlosion, so there's no difference. Besides, mine is much rarer than Grafaiai. Wild ones are hard to find!"

"..."

"I caught her ages ago. If you hadn't said you wanted a Fire-type starter, I would've forgotten there was even a Delphox in the backyard. But she lost that branch she carries around, so I have to waste time helping her find one. What a pain..."

"..."

"Yeah, as long as you don't mind. Then let's meet at Big Wave Beach tonight. Don't keep me waiting too long!"

As the man's voice faded deeper into the forest, Xingye, who had stopped in place, revealed a sinister grin and unconsciously clenched his fist.

"You bastard! My fists said yes!"