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? Was she under too much psychological pressure from not having any Pokémon and wanted to jump into the sea?

No matter what, he couldn't just stand by and watch. He would save her first. They might not be close, but they were classmates. The rest could be left to the police.

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

Lillie was holding a filthy Mousy that looked like it had been frozen stiff. Meanwhile, she herself had gone rigid from instinctive fear.

Xingye froze for a moment before shouting excitedly, "Why is Mousy with you?!"

Let's rewind half an hour...

Since winter break had started, whenever Selene and the others didn't ask her out, Lillie would usually spend her days reading at Malie City Library on Ula Ula Island.

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

Today was the same as usual. After the library closed, she took a boat from Malie City back to Hau'oli City. The Exeggutor bus didn't stop running until eight in the evening, 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 small hands together for warmth. She hadn't expected the temperature to drop as soon as she returned, and she was still wearing a skirt. It was getting hard to bear.

Fortunately, the bus arrived quickly. After tapping her card and getting 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 board. The evening rush hour had long passed, and these people had merely spent their holiday in the city before heading home.

She sat by the window, took off her hat, and placed it on her lap. Her hand rested lightly atop it as she gazed outside, watching snowflakes drift endlessly toward the sea, and farther away... the lights shining from the direction of the Aether Research Center.

At that moment, the bus stopped at a station. An adult holding the hand of a child carrying an ordinary Meowth boarded and sat behind Lillie.

"Meowth, I bought your favorite fish cans. Can I hold you while I sleep tonight?"

"Meow~"

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

"Mom, I want Meowth to sleep with me tonight."

"Okay, okay. Don't disturb the other passengers."

"..."

Listening to the noise behind her, a trace of sadness appeared in Lillie's eyes as she looked out the window. Then she came back to herself, stopped watching the snow, and got off at the very next stop.

After putting her hat back on, she gently brushed up her long hair and watched the bus disappear into the distance. Then, facing the cold wind, she stepped onto the bridge through the snow, intending to walk for a while and clear her mind.

"Sigh..."

As one of only two people who had failed the final practical exam, she felt utterly useless. She spent every day studying in the library, yet when it came down to it, none of that knowledge 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 it be even if she became a professor someday?

She knew very well that the people around her were looking after her. But the longer it went on, the worse she felt. It was as if she had let all her friends down.

"Sigh..."

Lillie sighed again. There were no cars or riding Pokémon passing along the road beside her. In this snowy scene, it felt as though she was the only lonely person in the world... but perhaps she wasn't alone?

"Eek..."

A sudden cry shattered the silence. Lillie came back to herself and looked toward the railing, only to see a filthy Mousy hanging from the side of the bridge, clinging on desperately to avoid falling.

"Is that a Tandemaus? Why is there only one?"

Lillie recognized the Pokémon. It seemed to have been frozen stiff, gradually losing its strength. It could only cry for help. Ten meters below was the sea—if it fell, it would be done for.

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

But unfortunately, even Wattrel didn't want to come out on a snowy day. She could only gather her skirt and crouch down, staring even more frantically at the Mousy that was about to fall as she began struggling inwardly.

When Mousy finally ran out of strength and was about to fall, she temporarily overcame her fear and reached out to grab it.

But in the next second, her body reacted instinctively. She sprang to her feet and froze in place. She stayed like that for quite some time. Even when she heard someone she didn't recognize 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 clutching the corners of her skirt with both hands, her head lowered shyly as she explained what had happened.

"I... I couldn't help it."

"Keep it shorter next time."

"Mhm..."

Lillie bit her lip lightly and nodded. She hadn't expected Xingye to be the one who showed up. Having someone she knew see her like this was far too embarrassing.

After a brief silence, she finally remembered something important and hurriedly said, "Take it to the Pokémon Center quickly. Mousy clearly hasn't eaten in days, and besides..."

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

Finding the other Mousy was truly an unexpected delight. He needed to go home at once and tell Mousy the news. But upon hearing that, Lillie stopped him, her delicate brows knitting slightly. "No. You don't understand its condition at all. It has to go to the Pokémon Center for treatment right now!"

"No, you don't understand our Pokémon's treatment standards. So hurry home, young lady. It's dangerous for a girl without Pokémon to be wandering around outside at night."

Xingye waved his hand casually. Kabukicho was a place for Pokémon to relax and have fun. Some of the food there was not particularly useful to humans, but it had excellent restorative effects for Pokémon.

Lillie didn't know that, though. She had reached her conclusion based on theoretical knowledge, so she became a little angry upon hearing him.

"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 threw that out before preparing to leave. He was riding Cyclizar. It could carry someone, sure, but did she have the courage? Impossible.

But just as he turned around, Lillie suddenly called out, "I'll go with you! Mousy is in terrible condition, and its companion is missing too. I can't just hand it over to you and stop worrying! And also..."

"Huh?"

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

"Interesting. Let's go, then."

He didn't refuse. Since this young lady was so stubborn, he would tease her a little and see whether she cried. Besides, he had never seen anyone other than himself enter Kabukicho. He was curious.

Seeing that he agreed, Lillie nodded and followed him. But when she saw Cyclizar, she froze again. She had to ride a Pokémon? As long as she didn't touch it, it should be fine, but...

"Too scared?"

Xingye teased her before climbing onto Cyclizar's back. He had Gengar hold Mousy to keep it warm. Lillie clenched her tiny fists and climbed on as well.

The seat on riding gear usually left room for one more person. She sat sideways in the back and gripped the backrest to keep from touching Cyclizar or the person sitting 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 spite him, but that expression of concern for Mousy's condition was definitely genuine...

Then Cyclizar began running. Although it carried two people, it was no problem at all. Both riders remained quiet, until Xingye finally said slowly, "The young lady really is naive. You followed me so foolishly. Aren't you afraid I might do something to you?"

Lillie gave a soft snort. "I trust your character. You're not a good person, but you're not exactly a bad person either—unless you can somehow sink even lower."

"Tch..."

Xingye returned to his usual expression and didn't continue the conversation. Lillie didn't say anything else either. One hand held the backrest while the other steadied the brim of her hat, and she silently watched the falling snow.

The boy watched the road ahead while the girl admired the snowy scenery behind him. They traveled quietly, as if they were taking a stroll through this romantic snowy night...

Who knew how much time passed before Cyclizar came to a stop under Xingye's control. Lillie came back to herself and looked ahead, then froze.

Before her was a district glittering with neon lights, dazzling beyond measure. Scattered Pokémon streamed in from all directions, gathering and pouring inside.

She was briefly lost in a daze, but then her expression finally changed. Nervously, she asked in a trembling voice, "Th-this... what kind of place is this?"

"Alola~ Welcome to Kabukicho~ Since you've seen it, you might as well come inside obediently."

"No... I want to go back!"