Ask Slowking When You're Lost

"..."

Xingye had an inexplicably bad feeling, but was there any turning back now? No. He didn't have time to find another place to stay today.

"Did you sense anything strange just now? Like someone watching us?" he asked, looking down.

"Cyclizar?"

Cyclizar suddenly snapped back to its senses. Its eyes had returned to normal, and after looking dazed for a moment, it resumed its usual cheerful expression.

Seeing this, Xingye recalled how it had one-shotted the Crabrawler last night and stopped worrying so much. He let out a sigh of relief. "Looks like it's something you can handle. Then let's keep going!"

"Cyclizar, Cyclizar~"

They continued down the middle of the road toward the depths of the Drifter District. By all rights, this should have been where stray Pokémon lived.

Yet strangely, there were no other Pokémon in sight, much less humans who had also chosen to stay here for free.

The streets were remarkably clean, as though someone came by to sweep them every day.

There were even quite a few shops and billboards along the roadside. They were all closed, but nothing about them suggested they had been out of business for years.

"What kind of street is this? If you told me everyone on this street took the day off and went home, I'd believe it. It doesn't look abandoned at all. It feels more like a night market where everything closes during the day..."

Xingye had been keeping an eye on his map. He knew there were scattered glowing dots inside some of the surrounding houses, yet no small landmarks appeared on it.

Just as he was wondering about that, Cyclizar suddenly stopped and looked toward a plainly decorated building nearby.

It was only two stories tall, but it covered a fairly large area. A staircase along the side led directly to the second-floor balcony, where there was another door.

The roof had a tiled triangular shape, giving it an Eastern architectural style that did not particularly suit the tropical atmosphere of the Alola Region. Yet on this street, it somehow didn't feel out of place at all.

Xingye stared at the little two-story building in silence for a long while before slowly saying, "Have I seen this layout in some anime before...?"

"Cyclizar, Cyclizar!"

Cyclizar called toward the building. Xingye couldn't understand what it was saying, so he climbed off its back and headed over with it.

The map did not show a glowing dot in front of them, and he had no idea whether there were Pokémon inside. But as they drew closer, he caught the faint scent of fruit wine drifting through the air.

"Someone's brewing alcohol?"

He was somewhat surprised. It looked like a human lived here rather than Pokémon. Cyclizar had caught the scent and been drawn over.

Then he looked up at the tiled awning between the first and second floors, where a wooden plaque had been mounted.

The writing on the plaque had gradually faded with age, perhaps from rain washing over it. Only by getting close could he barely make it out.

"Slowking... Izakaya?"

Xingye silently read it once. So there really was a shop here. What was up with this phone map? Had it suddenly become worse than even a scummy map app?

"Cyclizar, Cyclizar!"

"Alright, alright, I know you're hungry. Don't try to smash through the door. You need to knock politely!"

He stopped Cyclizar, then gently knocked twice on the izakaya's door. It probably wasn't open for business yet, so the door was shut.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

After the three knocks, Xingye waited patiently. Then slow footsteps came from behind the door—slap, slap. They didn't sound like footsteps a human could make.

"Hm?"

As he puzzled over it, the izakaya door slowly opened. A pink head that looked brimming with wisdom suddenly poked out and stared at him blankly.

The orange-and-white umbrella-like adornment around its neck, along with the crown-like hat set with a ruby atop its head, made its identity clear. It was a Slowking.

"Slow... king?"

"Sorry to bother you..."

Xingye immediately dragged Cyclizar away. He hadn't expected a Noble Pokémon to be living here. No wonder it was called the Slowking Izakaya.

But after taking only one step, he suddenly realized that Slowking was not actually a particularly dangerous Pokémon.

On the contrary, Slowking was highly intelligent and especially good at helping others solve difficult problems. Some regions even had a saying: "Ask Slowking when you're lost."

So he immediately returned, putting on a nervous expression as he said somewhat awkwardly, "Um... sorry to disturb you for a moment."

"Slow?"

Seeing that the Noble Pokémon still wore the same vacant expression, Xingye stopped beating around the bush. He pointed upward, leaned closer, and asked familiarly, "Boss Slowking, does anyone live upstairs?"

"Slow~"

The Noble Pokémon clasped its hands behind its back and shook its head. The meaning was clear. Xingye immediately brightened and asked, "Then it'd be alright for us to move upstairs, right?"

"Slow~"

This time, Slowking neither shook its head nor nodded. Instead, it tilted its head and blankly locked eyes with him. Xingye had no idea what that meant, and they remained deadlocked for several minutes, neither willing to lose.

"Are you trying to assimilate me and turn me dumb...?"

Xingye narrowed his eyes as he spoke. Behind him, Cyclizar finally lost patience and tried to enter the izakaya. Only then did Slowking shift its gaze to it, and the two began communicating.

"Slow?"

"Cyclizar, Cyclizar~"

"Slow, hmm~"

"Cyclizar, Cyclizar?"

"Slow, Slow~"

"Cyclizar, Cyclizar~"

"Slow can't move anymore~"

Xingye had no idea what the two Pokémon had discussed. He hadn't understood a single word.

If there was some ability that allowed someone to understand Pokémon language, he absolutely had to get it.

Yet after the conversation, Slowking suddenly turned around and led Cyclizar back into the izakaya.

Xingye tried to follow them inside, but Slowking stopped him with an outstretched hand. Since he couldn't figure out what was going on, he could only wait at the entrance for the moment.

A little later, Cyclizar came out carrying a pile of snacks and juice he didn't recognize, probably Alolan specialties. It also brought out a ring of keys.

With a bewildered expression, he accepted everything. Then he looked at the keys, glanced at the Slowking that had come out with Cyclizar, and curiously asked, "Are these the keys to the second-floor door?"

"Slow~"

Still wearing that wise expression, Slowking nodded, then returned to the izakaya once more and shut the door.

Xingye still had no idea what had just happened, but seeing Cyclizar's happy expression, he guessed it had said something to Slowking earlier...

"Forget it. I can't figure it out. Let's check out the room first. At least dinner's settled too!"

"Cyclizar, Cyclizar~"

He and Cyclizar went up the side stairs one after the other. The second-floor corridor was quite clean and had probably been swept often as well.

"The key..."

As the key turned, there was a click, and the lock opened successfully.

The second-floor door was the same sort of wooden sliding door as the izakaya downstairs. He had no idea what kind of wood it was made from, but it looked quite sturdy.

The room was somewhat dim, and the air carried the faint scent of air freshener.

When he switched on the lights and looked around, both the imitation wooden floor and the ceiling were spotlessly clean. Xingye almost hesitated to step inside.

After entering and checking the place over, he found it was quite spacious. The bathroom, kitchen, living room, bedroom, and everything else were all there. It was just rather empty—there was no furniture, not even a bed. He would have to prepare those himself.

"You can tell no one's lived here for a long time, but it's still cleaned regularly. The owner is pretty diligent. Still, I'll clean it again later."

Overall, Xingye was extremely satisfied. He had never expected to move into such a place so easily, and the key point was that it was free!

Sure enough, his luck had turned around. His mood had been like a roller coaster all day, but once bad luck ran out, good luck naturally arrived.

Standing in the living room, he pulled up the blinds. A burst of blinding light flashed through. It was already nearing dusk, and the descending sunlight shone straight through the window, spilling across the floor.

The entrance faced east, so he could see the sun as soon as he opened the door every morning. In the evening, he could sit in the living room, raise the blinds, and enjoy the sunset.

"Now this is living!"

"Cyclizar, Cyclizar~"

"Alright, time to eat—hey! Don't eat the wrapper too! That's not how you drink juice either! The straw! Use the straw!"

Xingye hurried over and taught Cyclizar how to eat the snacks step by step. He was hungry too, fortunately, and Slowking had given them plenty. It was more than enough for a filling dinner.

After eating, Cyclizar wanted to lie down on the bedroom floor and sleep, but Xingye still forcibly dragged it off for a bath.

Afterward, Xingye cleaned the floor again where they had dirtied it by stepping around. He was truly exhausted today, but once everything was done, he could finally get a decent night's sleep. Whatever problems there were could wait until tomorrow.

Since there was no bed or even bedding yet, he could only make do with another night on Cyclizar's back.

"Good night~"

"Cyclizar~"

The sky gradually darkened. After an unknown amount of time had passed, the noisy commotion from the street outside woke Xingye from his sleep.

He blinked listlessly. After glancing at Cyclizar, which was still asleep, he climbed off its back, left the bedroom, and crossed the living room.

From here, the sounds became increasingly distinct. There was noise from outside, and even from downstairs.

Annoyed, he pulled open the door and stepped outside. Just as he was about to ask what was happening, the sight of the street below made him freeze in place.

"Did I get transported again?"