Taking the Young Lady to Kabukicho

"What are you doing?!"

Xingye was completely baffled. Why was this young lady standing here instead of going home? Did she have no Pokémon, feel too much psychological pressure, and decide to jump into the sea?

No matter what, he couldn't just stand by and let something like this happen. He would save her first. They weren't close, but they were still classmates. The rest could be left to the police.

He got off Cyclizar and hurried over, but once he drew close, he realized something was wrong.

Lillie was holding a dirty, seemingly frozen Mousy in her hands. As for herself, her body's instinctive reaction had left her too terrified to move.

Xingye froze briefly before shouting excitedly, "Why is Mousy with you?!"

Let's rewind half an hour...

Since winter break had begun, whenever Selene and the others didn't ask her to hang out, Lillie usually spent her holidays reading at Malie City Library on Ula Ula Island.

She had a fairly good relationship with Acerola, the librarian there. Even though she was younger than Acerola, she was called big sister every day. Still, she had gotten used to it.

Today was no different. After the library closed, she took a boat from Malie City back to Hau'oli City. The Exeggutor buses didn't stop running until eight at night, so she could still catch one from the Port Area back to the suburbs.

"Phew..."

Lillie stood by the bus stop, her cheeks gradually turning red beneath the cold wind. She rubbed her little hands together for warmth. She hadn't expected the temperature to drop as soon as she came back. She was still wearing a skirt, and she was having trouble enduring the cold.

Fortunately, the bus arrived quickly. After she tapped her card and got on, her body soon warmed up. All that remained was to wait for the bus to take her directly to the suburbs.

There were only a few passengers on the bus. The evening rush hour had long passed, and these people had simply spent their holidays playing around downtown before heading home.

She sat by the window, took off her hat and placed it on her lap, gently resting a hand upon it. Her gaze drifted outside, watching snowflakes continuously fall toward the sea, as well as the lights shining farther away... from the direction of the Aether Research Center.

At this moment, the bus stopped. An adult came aboard, holding the hand of a child who was carrying an ordinary Meowth. They sat in the seats behind Lillie.

"Meowth, I bought your favorite fish cans. Can I hug you to sleep tonight?"

"Meow~"

"Keep it down. You need to be quiet on the bus."

"Mom, let Meowth sleep with me tonight."

"I know, don't disturb other people."

"..."

Listening to the noise behind her, a hint of sadness appeared in Lillie's eyes as she looked outside. Then she snapped out of it. Rather than continue watching the snowy scenery, she got off at the very next stop.

After putting her hat back on, she brushed aside her long hair and watched the bus drive away. Then, braving the cold wind, she stepped onto the bridge through the snow, intending to walk for a while and clear her head.

"Sigh..."

As one of the only two students who had failed the final practical exam, she felt utterly useless. She spent every day reading in the library and learning knowledge, yet when it came down to it, none of it was useful.

Professor Kukui had suggested that she give up on becoming a Trainer and specialize as a researcher instead. But if she didn't even dare touch Pokémon, what use would there be in becoming a professor someday?

She knew very well that the people around her were looking after her. Yet as time went on, that only made her feel worse, as if she had let all those friends down.

"Sigh..."

Lillie sighed again. No vehicles or ride Pokémon passed along the road beside her. Amid this snowy scene, it felt as though she was the only lonely person in the world... but perhaps she wasn't alone after all?

"Eek..."

A sudden cry shattered the silence. Lillie came back to her senses and looked toward the railing beside her, only to see a dirty Mousy hanging from the edge of the bridge, desperately clinging on to avoid falling.

"A Tandemaus? Why is there only one?"

Lillie recognized the Pokémon. This Mousy seemed frozen stiff, gradually losing its strength and able only to cry out for help. The sea was ten meters below. If it fell, it was done for.

Her expression instantly turned panicked. She hurriedly looked around and anxiously shouted, "What do I do? What do I do?! It's going to fall! Is anyone there?"

Unfortunately, not even Wattrel were willing to come out on a snowy day. She could only grab her skirt and crouch down, staring in increasing panic at the Mousy that was about to fall as her heart began to struggle.

The moment she saw Mousy finally lose its strength and begin to fall, she temporarily overcame her fear and reached out to grab it.

But in the next second, her body reacted instinctively. She shot to her feet and froze in place. A long while passed just like that. Even when she heard someone, she didn't know who, telling her not to jump into the sea, she didn't dare move at all...

"That was one long flashback!"

Xingye held Mousy as he looked at Lillie, who was pinching the hem of her skirt with both hands, lowering her head in embarrassment as she explained everything to him.

"I... there was no helping it."

"Keep it brief next time."

"Mm..."

Lillie bit her lip and nodded. She hadn't expected Xingye to be the one who came over. It was so embarrassing to have someone she knew see her like that.

After a brief silence, she finally remembered something important and hurriedly said, "Take it to the Pokémon Center quickly. This Mousy has clearly gone several days without food, and also..."

Before she could finish, Xingye looked down at Mousy and replied softly, "Too much trouble. I don't want to wait half the day. I'd rather take it home, give it a hot bath, then prepare some nutritional food and slowly nurse it back to health."

Finding the other Mousy was truly an unexpected delight. He needed to go home immediately and tell Mousy the news. But after hearing him say that, Lillie stopped him. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she said, "No. You have no idea what condition it's in. It has to go to the Pokémon Center for treatment right now!"

"No, you have no idea how skilled our Pokémon are at treatment. So hurry home, young lady. It's dangerous for a girl with no Pokémon to be running around outside at night."

Xingye waved a hand dismissively. Kabukicho was a place where Pokémon went to relax and have fun. Some foods there were not especially useful for humans, but they had excellent restorative effects on Pokémon.

Lillie didn't know that, though. Her conclusion came from theoretical knowledge, so hearing this made her somewhat angry.

"How can you be like this?!"

"Then should I hand it over to you?"

"This..."

"See? You don't even dare touch Pokémon. You can only rely on me. If you're worried, why not come with me?"

Xingye deliberately brought it up before turning to leave. He was riding Cyclizar. Although it could carry another person, did she have the courage to ride it? Impossible.

But just as he turned around, Lillie suddenly called out, "I'll go with you! This Mousy is in terrible condition, and its companion is missing too. I can't feel at ease just handing it over to you! And besides..."

"Huh?"

Xingye was stunned. Had this young lady lost her mind? What kind of place was Kabukicho? Pokémon ran everywhere. That place was hell for her...

"Interesting. Then let's go."

He didn't refuse. Since this young lady was so stubborn, he might as well tease her and see if she cried. Besides, he had never seen any human other than himself enter Kabukicho, so he was curious.

Seeing him agree, Lillie nodded and followed him over. But upon seeing Cyclizar, she froze again. She had to ride a Pokémon? As long as she didn't touch it, it would be fine, but...

"Too scared?"

Xingye teased her, then climbed onto Cyclizar's back and had Gengar hold Mousy to keep it warm. Lillie clenched her small fists and climbed on as well.

The seat on riding gear generally left room for one more person. She sat sideways behind him, gripping the backrest to avoid touching Cyclizar or the person seated in front of her.

"..."

Before putting on his goggles, Xingye glanced back, somewhat surprised. She was clearly so afraid of Pokémon, yet she had climbed on without hesitation?

Maybe part of it was because she was trying to prove something to him, but the concern on her face for Mousy's condition was absolutely genuine...

Then Cyclizar began to run. Although it was carrying two people, that was no problem at all. The two riders remained silent, until Xingye slowly said, "The young lady really is innocent. You followed me so foolishly. Aren't you afraid I might do something to you?"

Lillie huffed and replied, "I trust your character. You're not a good person, but you aren't a bad person either, unless you can somehow lower your standards even further."

"Tch..."

Xingye returned to his usual expression and didn't continue talking to her. Lillie didn't speak again either. One hand gripped the backrest while the other held down the brim of her hat, silently watching the snow continuously drift down.

The boy watched the road ahead while the girl enjoyed the snowy view behind him. They quietly traveled on like this, as though they were taking a stroll through a romantic snowy night...

After an unknown amount of time, Cyclizar stopped under Xingye's control. Lillie came back to her senses and looked ahead, only to freeze.

Before them was a district ablaze with neon lights, dazzling beyond compare. Scattered Pokémon converged from all directions before pouring inside.

She was momentarily dazed, but her expression finally changed. Nervously, she stammered, "Th-this... what is this place?"

"Alola~ Welcome to Kabukicho~ Since you've already seen it, you might as well go in obediently."

"Don't... I want to go back!"