Nae-chan, I Want to Learn This!

Ignoring the Meowth chasing after him, Xingye rode Cyclizar back just as the shops in Kabukicho were about to close.

Slowking was carrying the movable sign from in front of the shop inside. Seeing Xingye appear with a less-than-pleasant expression, it looked at him calmly and said, "Didn't I tell you not to meddle in other people's business?"

"..."

When Xingye gave no response, Slowking continued, "You want to help those Pokémon on this street who have troubles. I don't know why, but perhaps they don't need your help at all."

"Your plan was wrong from the very beginning. It's completely pointless. Whether you're here or not won't have any effect on how this street operates. Everything will remain the same."

"Is that so..."

Xingye finally spoke. He got off Cyclizar, took off his goggles, looked at Slowking, and then pulled out a branch he had been carrying with him.

"This branch is..."

"It was dropped by a Pokémon that innocently believed the Trainer it trusted was taking it along on a journey, when in reality, it was going to be traded away like merchandise."

Xingye explained with a smile, then muttered to himself in relief, "What luck. I actually picked it up. It seems pretty important to that Pokémon too. If I heard right, it was its mother's keepsake? Maybe I can use it to extort some money?"

As he spoke, he waved the branch in his hand and headed toward the stairs. Cyclizar's gaze followed the branch as it moved, and it kept reaching out to grab it, but could never catch it.

Hearing this, Slowking's expression did not change at all. It turned around, glanced at Ceruledge, who was wiping tables inside the shop, then continued carrying the movable sign back in.

Then it suddenly scolded him in an even tone, "If you found it, then return it to its owner! Quit learning bad habits all day, brat!"

"..."

Xingye did not answer. He simply spun the branch around his fingers like a pen before putting it away.

He understood what Slowking meant. Returning the branch meant letting him do as he pleased. That was different from its earlier lecture, and it was clear that Slowking was not as stubborn as it seemed.

But Delphox did not need help, so he naturally would not help it anymore. Besides, Trainers trading Pokémon with others was perfectly normal. It was not illegal.

But he was not going there to help. He was going to use this branch to extort something! Trading a branch for one squeeze of Delphox's fluffy tail was not too much, right? As for whether there would be any accidents along the way, that remained to be seen.

"A big fluffy tail..."

"Cyclizar?"

After returning home, Xingye took a hot shower and changed his clothes while he was at it.

When Hala had helped him sort out his enrollment procedures yesterday, he had also brought over two sets of school uniforms, complete with jackets and undershirts. They would do.

Then Xingye and Cyclizar headed out again, making their way to Smile Restaurant. They would first mooch breakfast off Gardevoir, then get on with other business.

Since they had arrived fairly early today, there were still some Pokémon in the restaurant. However, Gardevoir was the only one working in the kitchen. Whenever someone ordered, it would finish preparing the food and use Psychic to send it over. That was one advantage of having few customers.

Xingye had come to learn, so he did not need to interact with the other Pokémon. He only needed to stay in the kitchen and watch Gardevoir use Psychic to control kitchen knives as they flew everywhere.

It chopped up Berries and meat from some unknown animal, tossed everything into bowls in one smooth motion, then moved on to the next step. The sheer speed of it all left him dizzy.

"Nae-chan! I want to learn this!"

Of course, he could not learn it, but there was no problem following along and getting familiar with the ingredients.

Xingye could be considered a versatile talent. In his previous life, he had changed jobs constantly and had worked in pretty much every legitimate industry. He had also dabbled in a few illegitimate ones.

That was why, after only a few days, he had already nearly adapted to life here. Opening an Odd Jobs business suited someone like him perfectly.

Gardevoir was quite responsible as well. Although the language barrier had prevented it from having any substantial exchanges with Xingye—

—it would use Psychic to trace words through the air, teaching him what each ingredient was and how each dish should be made.

Soon, Smile Restaurant reached closing time. Xingye said goodbye to Gardevoir, then left with Cyclizar after it had finished breakfast.

He had recorded everything he learned today on his phone. Still, he had not gained Gardevoir's friendship, which was rather strange. He guessed that perhaps its favorability toward him was not high enough yet.

"But it doesn't matter. It's only the first day. It's like pursuing a girl—you can't rush it. Though I've never had a girlfriend..."

"Cyclizar?"

"...Let's go. Next, we're heading to Big Wave Beach to stake it out!"

Xingye had not forgotten his mission. Following the map, he rode Cyclizar in that direction. Sure enough, the Meowth started chasing him again as soon as he left. Those guys were truly persistent, though teasing them was pretty fun.

Big Wave Beach lay northwest of Hau'oli City, completely outside the urban area. Still, it was a bustling tourist attraction where visitors could try Mantine Surf, and clusters of shops along the beach catered to tourists.

After leaving the city, Xingye finally dared to pick up speed, following the coastal road straight toward Big Wave Beach.

Since it was still morning, the temperature had not risen yet. The sea breeze was wonderfully refreshing and comfortable, and he could admire the beautiful scenery of the Alola Region along the way.

There were still some other Trainers on the road, especially after they spotted Cyclizar. They were quite surprised.

After all, Cyclizar was a very rare Pokémon in Alola. And paired with that riding outfit, it looked like some vicious motorcycle from a biker gang.

With Xingye's school jacket constantly fluttering in the wind and his black goggles, he looked just one step away from having "juvenile delinquent" written across his face—the sort who looked ready to greet people with "Yoroshiku" instead of "Alola" at any moment!

"Hm?"

Xingye suddenly noticed that the Trainers who had originally been traveling along the same road were now keeping a certain safe distance from him, as if they were afraid of something.

He looked around himself and examined his own appearance, but found nothing wrong, so he did not dwell on it...

Before long, he arrived at Big Wave Beach. Since it was still early, he noticed a notice on the signboard advertising weekend temporary lifeguard positions with daily pay.

So, relying on his experience, he passed the interview and began strolling along the shore with Cyclizar.

All he really had to do was watch over the children playing there, preventing them from drowning or being attacked by wild Pokémon on the beach. It was fairly easy work.

Time passed quickly. At noon, Cyclizar caught fish for lunch. Xingye did not eat, instead continuing to wait for his target to appear. Along the way, he also taught a few brats a lesson for pulling the shovels out of wild Sandygast's heads.

At around five in the afternoon, his workday ended. His daily pay was 300, about the cost of a Potion. Not bad.

"My first pot of gold..."

Xingye looked at the bills in his hand. It seemed that until the Odd Jobs business opened, he would still have to support himself through part-time work. But with Cyclizar around, delivering food or packages would not be a problem.

As a tourist attraction, Big Wave Beach also had a night market. There was a small town not far above the beach, so the place was fairly lively, though it could not compare to Kabukicho at all.

With his newly earned wages in hand, he immediately took Cyclizar out for a meal. He picked a restaurant near the edge at random and began waiting.

While eating, he suddenly noticed several police officers patrolling the night market with Yungoos, greeting some of the people around them.

"Why are there so many cops here? They'd better not arrest me later... Hm? Has he finally come?"

Xingye put down his chopsticks, his gaze landing on a man with a Toxicroak who had appeared not far away. The corner of his mouth slowly curled upward...