Compared to Dead Loved Ones, the Living Suffer Most

"Don't run off. We'll be down soon."

"Cyclizar~"

Larger Pokémon were prohibited from entering the hospital, so Xingye had Cyclizar play with the wild Pokémon in the park while he took Gengar inside with Lillie.

The hospital was as busy as ever, but finding someone was easy enough. Decidueye had already told them the location of its trainer's room.

A moment later, the two arrived outside the ward. Since it was an intensive care unit, they could not enter and could only observe the situation through the transparent glass window.

"Gengar?"

Gengar pressed itself against the window and peered inside curiously, only for Xingye to pull it back moments later.

"Don't go phasing through the wall into there. This is an ICU ward. If something goes wrong, selling both of us wouldn't be enough to pay for it."

"Gengar..."

Inside the ward were all sorts of instruments and equipment Xingye could not identify, along with several hospital beds. The only occupied bed held an elderly man—Decidueye's trainer, Mai Ren.

He had been recuperating in a regular ward before this, but for some reason, he had failed to wake up a few days ago. Although he had been resuscitated in the end, he did not have much time left. It would probably happen within the next few days.

Looking through the glass, Lillie wore a saddened, puzzled expression. "Decidueye is still here, so why would he rather leave like this than spend the last bit of his life with it?"

Xingye silently watched him and sighed softly. "Because after witnessing the deaths of loved ones, the ones left alive are the ones who suffer most. The old man knows that, so he wants to leave quietly on his own. To Decidueye, he is no longer simply a Pokémon. He is its closest family."

Lillie froze slightly. She had not expected him to say something like that. He was actually dependable when he got serious... But now she understood. This was the answer Decidueye had wanted to know.

So did that mean the request was complete? She was not sure. After pondering for a moment, she asked, "By the way, doesn't this old man have any other family?"

Xingye shook his head. "The old man has children. He also made quite a bit of money traveling around as a trainer when he was young. He was among the earliest trainers from Alola to leave and travel abroad. Returning to his hometown in the end was probably his way of wanting to rest where he belonged."

"The earliest... That must have been sixty or seventy years ago. The Alola Region only officially opened itself to free contact with the outside world around then. Trainers and Poké Balls both originated in Sinnoh a century ago... or rather, Hisui. The Alola Region was one of the last places to come into contact with them."

Xingye was surprised to hear her suddenly say so much. "You really know a lot. When it comes to this world's history, I have to search encyclopedias, and I still might not find the right answer."

Lillie pursed her lips. "It's nothing... I just read a lot in my spare time. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me, especially if it's about Pokémon."

"Oh no, a real Pokémon scholar..."

"...By the way, how do you know so much about the old man?"

"Hm?"

Xingye came back to himself, then took out his phone. "Decidueye told me. I translate the meanings I hear and record them so I won't make mistakes. It makes verification and later study easier."

Seeing the notes on his screen, Lillie tried hard to suppress her excitement, but she could not hold it back. Her thirst for knowledge immediately burst forth.

"Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Once you become an official employee."

Xingye waved a hand, turned around with Gengar in his arms, and started to leave. Lillie looked confused. "We're leaving already? What about the request...?"

"Decidueye already knows what it wanted investigated. We just need to go out and tell it."

"That's it...? Isn't that too perfunctory? Though that really could be the answer, but..."

"The request was only to investigate. We just need to tell it the answer. Helping it resolve its feelings is more important. The old man does not have much time left, and Decidueye is probably at its limit too. At the very least, it should not be left with regrets."

"..."

Lillie fell silent again. What he said did make sense. If it had been her, even if she had guessed the answer, she would have stubbornly continued investigating until she confirmed it. But by then, it would have been too late.

"I didn't think that far ahead, so now that the request is over, my interview test..."

She suddenly grew nervous. It seemed like she had not done anything at all other than come along.

"We'll talk after we tell Decidueye the results." Xingye answered casually, then subconsciously looked back into the ward and sighed. "For a trainer to end his life alone in a hospital bed... That really is..."

With that, he returned the way they had come, holding little Gengar. Lillie followed behind him nervously, inexplicably uneasy. Neither of them spoke.

Just then, two middle-aged people approached them from ahead, a man and a woman who looked like a married couple.

The man wore a suit and had a balding hairstyle, looking like a small business owner. The woman was dressed in expensive, lavish clothing and carried a Glameow unique to Sinnoh in her arms, gently stroking it over and over.

As they passed Xingye and Lillie, the middle-aged woman suddenly complained, "What a pain. Wasn't it good enough for that old fool to stay in Sinnoh? He clearly has a house in Sunyshore City, yet he insisted on coming to this dump in Alola to retire, and he's been here for over a decade."

The man in the suit replied quietly, "Don't say that. He's our father, after all. Our eldest and second brothers came with their families yesterday. The old man probably only has a day or two left. As long as the ICU keeps him going long enough for him to settle the will, it'll be fine."

"That's true, but hurry it up. Staying in this backwater is unbearable. I still have to go back and watch our precious daughter compete in the Pokémon Contest."

"Don't worry. The biggest share of the inheritance will definitely be ours. If he doesn't give it to me, his most beloved youngest son, is he going to give it to a Decidueye? Hahaha."

"Exactly. I heard that fierce old bird hasn't been seen lately either. Don't tell me it's gone too..."

Their voices gradually faded away. Xingye and Lillie remained where they were, having heard every word of the conversation.

Suddenly, Lillie turned around with an angry expression and was about to go after them, but Xingye grabbed her shoulder and stopped her. "Don't be impulsive. Calm down."

"How am I supposed to calm down? Those people are awful. Don't they have even the slightest sense of responsibility as children? The old man is already like this, and they still..."

"Gengar!"

It was not just Lillie. Even Gengar angrily waved its fists. Xingye, however, wore the same calm expression as always. "It's realistic enough. And what would you do if you went over there? Condemn them?"

"I... Uh..."

"So don't be so naive. That's how kids who have never dealt with society are. At your current level, you're still not qualified to be my assistant."

Hearing that, Lillie knew she had no chance. Her mood could not help sinking, but the middle part of his words immediately snapped her back to attention. She retorted, "Who are you calling a kid? We're the same age, aren't we? I might even be a few months older than you!"

"Hm? What gave you the illusion that you aren't small? Did you get hit by Kyōka Suigetsu?"

"How am I small..." Lillie was about to argue, but suddenly realized what he meant. She immediately covered her chest and took a step back, her cheeks flushing red as she muttered, "Pervert..."

Xingye did not continue teasing her. Instead, he looked down at the displeased Gengar in his arms and said quietly, "Later, find a place with no people and no cameras. Then when those two come out, I'll strike first..."

"Gengar!"

"Wait! That's a crime, isn't it?! Don't teach Gengar bad things!"

Just as Xingye, carrying little Gengar, and Lillie left one after another, the middle-aged couple also happened to arrive outside the ward.

But at that very moment, whether he had heard Xingye's earlier words, overheard his son and daughter-in-law's conversation, or simply experienced one final burst of life before death...

The old man lying motionlessly in the hospital bed suddenly opened his eyes wide, erupting with a terrifying aura. He tore off all the tubes attached to him and sat upright in bed...

A long while later, back in the same park, Xingye waited for Decidueye to appear and told it about the old man.

"That's what happened. He did not want you to be too sad, so he ignored you. That way, even when you part, it won't hurt as much."

"Coo..."

Decidueye lowered its head and quieted down, clearly having completely understood its trainer's intentions.

Xingye did not disturb it and simply let it have some peace. Not far away, Lillie felt sad, but her mood was also somewhat low.

Then, a sudden blare of police sirens shattered the quiet. They all turned toward the source of the sound. It was coming from the hospital—something had happened!

Decidueye immediately took flight, moving much faster than before. Xingye and Lillie also ran toward the hospital to see what had happened.

The moment they arrived, they happened to see Jenny maintaining order at the scene. Then she caught sight of a certain onlooker and looked a little surprised. "What a coincidence. Aren't you that guy... What are you doing here?"

"..."

Xingye froze. Why did she know him again? Still, setting aside his confusion, he asked curiously, "What happened at the hospital? Why all the commotion?"

At his question, Jenny seemed to recall something and wore a very strange expression. She then replied, "Can you believe it? An old man in the ICU suddenly punched through the protective glass and escaped. He even knocked out a married couple at the scene, then left the hospital and disappeared."

"What, some kind of Super Alolan?!"