Decidueye's Request Begins...

The next morning, as the sun rose, the door to Odd Jobs was pulled open from within. Sunlight spilled inside, bringing a touch of warmth.

Xingye checked the weather, took out the washed clothes and set them out to dry, then returned inside to prepare breakfast for everyone.

The two Mousys ran around the living room, playing with Gengar and Cyclizar. They had completely gotten used to each other, but in another two days, Tandemaus would be sent away as well, back to their hometown in the Paldea Region.

After breakfast, Xingye and Cyclizar prepared to head out with Gengar for a job. The two Mousys stayed home to look after the Pokémon Egg. It had been shaking more and more fiercely lately, so it would probably hatch soon...

"The young lady really is early. Did she catch the first bus?"

Xingye saw Lillie's message, then remembered how seriously she had lectured him last night. An indescribable expression immediately appeared on his face.

"How am I supposed to face her later? Or should I just stay the same as always... Speaking of which, I haven't run into those Meowth these past few days. Did they finally give up? Or are they holding back some big move?"

He changed the subject for himself. Gengar, sitting on his head, could not understand what he was muttering about and simply continued enjoying the breeze and the view.

A light snow had fallen overnight, but as the sun rose, the snow had mostly melted. Xingye knew the route to the hospital well enough that he did not need a map, and he arrived quickly.

"Over here!"

When Lillie spotted Xingye, she smiled, waved, and called out. Today, she wore a short skirt better suited for moving around. Her white sunhat was gone, and her long hair was tied into a single ponytail, making her look full of energy.

"Alola~"

"Alola..."

Xingye walked over and returned the greeting. Sure enough, he still felt awkward—extremely awkward. Gengar and Cyclizar also came over to say hello, as unconcerned as ever.

"Gengar~"

"Cyclizar~"

"Alola~ You two are in great shape today too. Do your best later!"

Lillie was greatly looking forward to the upcoming job, and this would also determine whether she could officially join Odd Jobs.

Xingye tried not to look at her to avoid feeling awkward. After catching little Gengar, who wanted to float over and play with her first, in his arms, he said, "Wait a little longer. It's almost the appointed time. Decidueye should be here soon."

"Okay."

Lillie nodded lightly, then sat down with him on a park bench. They deliberately left some space between them.

While they waited, Xingye was the first to break the strangely awkward silence. He slowly said, "As, uh... friends? Could you tell me about yourself? I want to understand you a little better..."

"Hm?"

"Like, why are you afraid of Pokémon? There has to be a reason for something like that, right?"

Xingye was curious about this. He instinctively felt that he might not be able to shake this stubborn young lady in the future. To avoid getting unknowingly dragged into trouble by her later, it was better to ask about the reason.

At the mention of this, the smile on Lillie's face gradually faded. She gently shook her head and replied softly, "That... I actually don't know either. I just feel like I've forgotten something."

"I don't know when it started, but whenever I touch a Pokémon, I instinctively panic. Both my body and my heart become terribly afraid."

Hearing this, Xingye thought for a moment and guessed, "Maybe your brain made you selectively forget something to protect you? You don't remember it, but your body still does, so that's why this happens?"

"That's what everyone says, but I still can't remember what happened, and I can't overcome this fear either. And Mother... no, it's nothing."

When she suddenly mentioned her mother, a flicker of pain passed through Lillie's eyes, but it vanished in an instant. She shook her head, and her voice grew much quieter.

She did not continue. Instead, she changed the subject, turned to look at him, and asked, "What about you? There must be a reason you developed this kind of personality too, right? A lack of family companionship..."

"I've been an orphan since I was little. I don't have any family."

"I'm sorry..."

Only then did Lillie realize that she should have known that already, yet she had brought it up again.

But Xingye shook his head and replied, "It doesn't matter. That's all in the past anyway. Don't I have family now?"

As he spoke, he patted little Gengar's head in his arms, then looked toward Cyclizar, who was chasing a wild Wattrel around a small grove nearby.

Lillie instantly understood what he meant and murmured, "You treat Pokémon as family... Is that why you wanted to establish Odd Jobs?"

Xingye smiled, stood up, and replied, "Pokémon are the only thing I know and the only thing I'm good at. If I can't succeed at the thing I'm best at, then I don't know what meaning my life has."

"You don't seem especially good at it, though. Didn't you fail every subject on the exam..."

"Keep talking and I'm going to lose it!"

Seeing him suddenly react like that, Lillie laughed softly. But the next second, Xingye abruptly placed Gengar in her arms. Her smile froze, and she instantly bristled.

"!!!"

"If you're afraid of Pokémon, then keep interacting with them, again and again, until you completely overcome it and get used to it. Your Trainer purity will rise dramatically!"

"Gengar~"

Gengar smiled and reached out to rub Lillie's face. He already knew that this adorable young lady might become a member of Odd Jobs in the future, so naturally he had to treat her warmly and kindly.

While they were fooling around, the greenery overhead rustled. A Decidueye flew down from above and landed in front of them, nearly falling over.

"Hoo..."

"You're here."

Xingye straightened himself. Gengar returned to his shoulder, while Lillie recovered with a resentful expression. She was somewhat angry, but this was not the time for that. It was time to start work!

"Hoo..."

"Your Trainer is in the intensive care unit of this hospital with a serious illness? I understand... You two must have had a very good relationship, right?"

"Hoo!"

"Mm... Over the past two years, your Trainer's health has worsened and he has often been hospitalized, so you haven't seen each other much?"

Watching Xingye converse based on Decidueye's cries and movements, Lillie found it incredibly impressive. She wanted to learn how to do that too.

But she set that aside for the moment. After hearing the translation, she instinctively asked, "If that's the case, why not spend more time together during the final days? Did the two of you have some kind of conflict?"

Lillie voiced the question Xingye had wanted to ask, but Decidueye shook his head. His relationship with his Trainer had always been good, yet this had suddenly happened.

"That is rather strange..."

Xingye took notes and continued asking, "Does your Trainer have any other Pokémon? Since he traveled for so many years, you can't be the only one, right? Could the others also..."

"Hoo..."

Decidueye shook his head again. As he moved, feathers fell from his body. Lillie noticed and was about to speak, but Xingye stopped her with a wave, indicating that she should wait.

"Meeting and parting with Pokémon during the journey, until only you remained by his side..." Xingye pondered for a moment, then nodded lightly and replied with a smile, "I understand. Leave the rest of the investigation to us. We'll notify you as soon as we learn anything. You'll definitely be nearby anyway, right?"

"Hoo..."

Decidueye nodded, then flapped his wings and flew away. Yet he seemed to be struggling, and his takeoff was not fast at all.

After he left, Lillie looked somewhat saddened. She placed a hand over her chest and said quietly, "His body is failing too. Perhaps some injuries from his younger days were never properly healed, and now that he's grown old, they finally..."

"There's no one else here. You can be more specific."

"This Decidueye probably only has one or two years left..." Lillie paused slightly, watching the feathers drift down from the air, then continued, "His feathers are falling out so easily, and they don't have even a trace of vitality left. It's obvious..."

"As expected..."

Xingye had noticed that something was wrong with Decidueye last night. It turned out that not only was the Trainer nearing death, but the Pokémon was as well. Even with Ghost-type attributes, there was ultimately nothing that could change.

"Let's go. We'll check the hospital first—the target of this job."

"Okay."