Seeing so many Pokémon walking down the street like humans, all of Lillie's composure vanished. But Xingye was not about to let her leave just like that.
They had not run into Meowth and the others tonight, so Cyclizar easily carried the two of them inside. Lillie, however, was already close to fainting from fright.
"You acted tough for so long, but this is all you've got? I thought you'd be scared to tears..."
Xingye shook his head. Still, it seemed he could bring people into Kabukicho normally. As long as they got close to the district entrance, they could see it.
So how exactly did those Kabukicho Elite Four, who still had yet to show themselves, keep others from discovering this place? This was way too absurd, wasn't it?
He could not figure it out. The more he thought about it, the scarier it seemed. No wonder Slowking had told him not to investigate...
They soon arrived at the izakaya. Perhaps because it had snowed today, the weather was especially suited for drinking, and the place was quite lively.
Xingye removed his goggles and helmet, looked at the trembling Lillie, and called out, "We're here. Get down. Don't run around here, okay? Some wild Pokémon will chase people down and beat them up."
"!!!"
That only made Lillie even more afraid. She could no longer even pretend to stay calm. In the end, Cyclizar deliberately lifted its tail, startling her into jumping down.
"..."
"Look how nice the atmosphere is. If you stay here long enough, won't you get over your fear of Pokémon?"
"Even if you say that!"
Lillie tightly gripped the strap of her Clefairy-shaped backpack. All she wanted now was to go home.
This place was too terrifying. Why did Hau'oli City have a place like this? And Xingye actually lived here. No wonder he went to school injured every day.
She looked up at that moment. After spotting the Slowking Izakaya sign, she continued looking upward and froze slightly. "Odd Jobs A-Xing?"
"That's my home."
Xingye replied. Seeing that the lights in his home were off, he knew Mousy must have come downstairs, so he tidied himself up and headed straight into the izakaya.
Little Gengar followed closely behind while carrying the unconscious Mousy. Cyclizar, now stripped of its riding gear, immediately followed as well. Lillie stood there, looking around helplessly, and could only follow them inside.
It was quite lively inside, and warmth washed over them the moment they entered. Fortunately, only one Decidueye was seated at the bar, drinking berry wine.
On top of the bar, Slowpoke was still in its usual spot. Mousy was looking after the Pokémon Egg in a basket, which Delphox had made.
The moment Xingye entered, he called out, "Boss Slowking, one hot berry tea, and prepare some food to help restore strength. Also..."
"This isn't a membership restaurant!"
Slowking cursed around the lollipop in its mouth, then had Delphox prepare everything. Hearing the voice, Mousy looked toward the entrance and immediately saw the figure Gengar was holding.
Seeing it go from stunned to excited in an instant, Xingye was quite happy as well. "I found your companion."
"Eek!"
"If you want to thank someone, thank her. If she hadn't rescued this Little Gray, it probably would've fallen into the sea."
Smiling, Xingye turned sideways and pointed at the cautiously approaching Lillie behind him.
Some of this Mousy's fur was indeed a little grayish, so he had named it Little Gray. The other one was Little White. He did not have much talent for naming things, but as long as he could tell them apart, that was enough...
When he suddenly pointed at her, Lillie was a little confused and had no idea what was going on. Still, she saw Little White on the bar.
"Another Mousy?"
As she wondered about it, Little White looked at the unconscious Little Gray and immediately grew anxious again. Xingye stroked its head and comforted it. "It's fine. It'll recover soon. It was probably looking for you for days too. You finally reunited, so you should be happy."
"Eek..."
"Gengar!"
"Cyclizar!"
Watching them all gather together, Lillie, who seemed completely isolated, showed a surprised expression and muttered, "This has to be fake... He can actually make a smile like that? An Illusion?"
At last, Slowking noticed her. It then looked at Xingye and asked, "You're always picking things up and bringing them back. So this time, it's... a girlfriend? Doesn't look like it. She seems pretty scared."
"Uh..."
Just as Xingye was about to answer, Slowking suddenly noticed something off. Its gaze instantly sharpened as it asked, "You didn't trick her into coming here, did you? You've fallen that low too, brat!"
As it spoke, it threw a Mega Punch, sending Xingye flying straight into the wall. It was the familiar move he had experienced once two months ago.
"!!!"
Lillie jumped in fright, having no idea what had happened. The customers, however, seemed used to it and even chimed in with a few teasing cheers.
Sitting on the floor, Xingye covered his face through the pain and shouted, "I didn't do anything!"
"It'll be too late once you do. You won't even spare a girl this young? Just take him out... before he commits a crime."
As Slowking's words fell, Ceruledge suddenly raised its blade and flashed in front of Xingye, preparing to bring it down.
"What a fast sword! Uh... No, no!"
Seeing Xingye about to be cut down, Lillie snapped out of it and hurriedly shouted, "It has nothing to do with him! I was worried, so I asked to come along myself!"
"Hm? Then it's fine."
Slowking waved a hand, stopping Ceruledge, then slowly explained, "This guy especially likes girl-type Pokémon like you. He's always getting handsy with the Delphox in my shop, especially its tail."
"And every now and then, he goes hunting Kirlia and the like around the red-light district... I thought he had finally changed targets and started going after humans."
Hearing that, Xingye suddenly panicked and shouted, "Don't casually reveal shocking facts like that! And what's this about wandering around the red-light district? How come I don't know about that? I've never been there!"
But after hearing the explanation, Lillie's expression darkened. She took half a step back, gave him a disgusted look, then calmly replied, "Yes, I was tricked here by him. Hurry up and do it."
"Hey!!!"
A moment later, Lillie took a small sip of the sweet-and-sour hot berry tea, and her body warmed up considerably.
She set down her cup and thanked Slowking. Then she closed her eyes, gave a soft snort, and said to Xingye, who was seated beside her, "Congratulations on breaking new ground in how low you can go. No wonder you act like a shut-in and never talk to anyone else every day. Who would've thought you were having such a great time playing with Pokémon in private?"
"..."
Like the Slowpoke atop the bar, Xingye stared up at the ceiling, not knowing how to respond. Gengar floated nearby and gently touched the spot where he had been hit.
Little White was taking care of the still-unconscious Little Gray, while Cyclizar had run off to fool around with the drunks.
When Xingye did not respond, Lillie began seriously observing the izakaya. Though there were so many Pokémon around her, she did not feel afraid for the first time. Instead, it felt incredibly warm and cozy. It was strange.
Pokémon living their lives like humans, Delphox and Ceruledge working as servers, and Slowking communicating through Telepathy...
This was all new to her. She had seen another side of Pokémon in their everyday lives, a life that belonged to Pokémon themselves.
She looked at Slowking again and quietly asked, "Um... may I ask some questions?"
"If you want to know about Kabukicho, just ask the guy beside you. As for anything beyond that, it's better not to pry."
"Okay..."
Lillie was not too disappointed, though she remained very curious. Still, being able to see and experience this place was already more than enough for her.
Just then, Little Gray, whom Little White had been looking after for so long, finally woke up. The food here at Slowking's place had excellent restorative effects. Since it had merely been cold and hungry, it recovered quickly.
Hearing the movement, Xingye finally came back to his senses. Looking at the two Mousy hugging each other, he smiled and said, "You're recovering well. Don't get separated again, okay? You're filthy, so go upstairs later and take a hot bath."
Gengar leaned closer as well and greeted it.
"Eek?"
Surrounded by all these unfamiliar faces, the newly awakened Little Gray was clearly still completely confused.
But after Little White introduced everyone, it finally understood. Then it looked at Lillie, who had saved it, and gratefully leaped straight onto her.
"!!!"
Lillie's body reacted instinctively, and she instantly bristled. Fortunately, Xingye quickly caught Little Gray, placed it back on the bar, and said, "Don't suddenly jump onto her. You should ask first."
"Eek?"
"That's right, but don't rush. Get your body back in shape first."
Seeing this, Lillie asked in surprise, "Is he... talking with Pokémon?"
Slowking behind the bar glanced over and explained, "Don't let his unserious appearance fool you. He's always been working hard to understand Pokémon language and figure out its meaning so he can communicate with them."
"He's that amazing?!"
"More or less. After all, he runs an Odd Jobs place upstairs, making a living by helping Pokémon. He needs to be able to communicate, though business is pretty terrible."
"Odd Jobs..."
Lillie recalled the sign she had seen outside, as well as how someone had missed an exam a week ago before the holiday, yet the school had still commended him. Could it have been because of this?
"Can I join too!"
She suddenly looked at Xingye and asked with an extremely serious expression. She loved Pokémon, but because of psychological reasons, she could not get close to them.
But if she could help Pokémon solve their problems, she would surely be happy...
Before you continue