Pokemon Need to Watch Out for Scams Too

"What are the Elite Four? The Pokemon League's Elite Four? Or something else...?"

"The Elite Four are the Elite Four. Isn't that easy to understand? Humans really are stubborn. You'll know once you survive long enough to meet them."

"That's not what I meant!"

Xingye had only just started to understand, yet now he was lost again. But why the Elite Four? One thing was certain: they definitely were not human!

But considering this was the Alola Region, the only ones associated with the number four were the four island guardian deities. If it was them, protecting Kabukicho did seem possible.

With that thought, Xingye seemed to understand again. Talking with Pokemon always made him feel like an idiot, the complete and utter kind...

"By the way, Boss Slowking, is it really okay for you to tell me all this? It seems like I'm the only human in all of Kabukicho..."

"That's why I told you to stay alive."

"???"

"In a place like this, if you run into domesticated Pokemon, it's not too bad. They generally can't be bothered with you. But most of the customers here are wild Pokemon without Trainers, especially those abandoned without mercy by their Trainers and left to wander here..."

Xingye was listening intently as Boss Slowking explained the rules of Kabukicho when he suddenly felt a chill run down his back, as though something had appeared behind him.

Before he could turn around, a flash of cold light streaked before him, carrying flames devoid of warmth. A sharp blade was instantly pressed against his throat!

"Hey!!!"

He glanced over and saw a greatsword formed from flames and Ghost-type energy. Out of the corner of his eye, Xingye also caught sight of its owner.

It was a Pokemon clad in weathered purple armor soaked in resentment, with blue-violet ghostly flames decorating the back of its knight's helmet.

Although the Pokemon looked incredibly cool, like some kind of Mega Man, the emotionless look in its eyes made it seem as if it wanted to kill him in a single strike!

"Ceruledge!!!"

Xingye was completely stunned. He had never expected to encounter one here. Ceruledge had a personality that would resort to underhanded tactics like ambushes and sneak attacks just to win a battle. It was also incredibly fast—a natural assassin, the sort that could mow through armies alone.

Ceruledge was just about to slash his throat, when a figure suddenly charged in from outside the izakaya and rammed into it... or rather, Ceruledge had retreated and dodged.

Cyclizar missed and crashed hard onto the floor.

When it woke up and found Xingye gone, it had followed his scent downstairs. Then it saw Ceruledge about to go for a decapitation strike, so it charged headfirst without hesitation, only...

"Cyclizar..."

"Cyclizar!"

Xingye immediately got to his feet, but Ceruledge swept its blade through the air, leaving a trail behind it. Then the sword tip pointed at his throat as Bitter Blade was about to strike.

But at that moment, Slowking suddenly slammed a hand down on the table and shouted, "All right, stop it. The stuff in my shop is pretty expensive."

"..."

At his words, the flames on Ceruledge's greatsword immediately weakened, turning it back into its usual short blades. It still said nothing as it walked off to the side. Machoke and the others, who had been watching the show, also stopped and went back to drinking and chatting.

Slowking then calmly introduced it. "It's a waiter at my shop. It's usually very quiet and never leaves this place. It only gets a little excited whenever it sees a human."

"A little excited? It almost killed me!"

"How could it kill you? You still owe me all that money. At least pay it back first."

"Huh?"

Xingye blinked in confusion and pulled Cyclizar to its feet. But Slowking suddenly bit through his lollipop, spat out the stick, and said, "Didn't you know? All the food your Cyclizar carried off today was bought on credit. I've already written it all down."

"???"

Slowking then pulled out another contract and placed it on the bar. "Also, the second floor of my place has been rented to it for an entire year. The contract already has its fingerprint, so it's now in effect."

"Under Alola law, Trainers pay for everything their domesticated Pokemon do. So you'll be paying the rent. Unless you completely sever your relationship with it, of course. And don't forget the water and electricity bills."

"..."

Trembling, Xingye took the contract and looked it over. Sure enough, Cyclizar's fingerprint was on it. It must have pressed it on when it followed him into the shop that afternoon...

Seeing that, he finally could not hold back any longer. He slammed the contract onto the bar and shouted, "This is a scam! You're taking advantage of it because it's stupid and doesn't understand anything, aren't you?!"

Slowking, however, did not care. He took out another lollipop, tore off the wrapper, put it in his mouth, and waved a hand. "You're a Trainer who can't even take care of his Pokemon, yet you came to a place like this to play survival games. How can you call that a scam? The moment you stepped onto this street, you had to bear the consequences."

"..."

"Business at the izakaya hasn't been great lately. It was hard enough waiting for someone like you to wander in. How could I let you go without taking a cut? If you really can't afford the rent, you still have kidneys, don't you? Just take one out."

"..."

"But don't even think about running away. I'm holding the contract. Even if you leave the Alola Region, I can still drag you back here. So pay up obediently, before you die... Slowking~"

At that moment, Slowking looked completely like a villain, shrewd beyond belief. There was nothing left of the absentminded, harmless image from before.

"..."

Xingye did not understand. He truly did not understand. Was this still the Pokemon world he knew? Were these guys really not humans wearing Pokemon skins?

The dinner and free lodging had all been a trap. Once he stepped into it, there was basically no escaping.

However, the other side had also offered him a solution besides paying: deny that he was Cyclizar's Trainer and sever their relationship.

Strictly speaking, he could not really be called Cyclizar's Trainer. He had never caught it; it had merely agreed when he casually mentioned it. They had known each other for less than two days, a friendship that came absurdly cheaply.

Most people would surely hesitate no longer. But Xingye was different. He had crossed over alone into this familiar yet unfamiliar world.

When he had been at a loss, he had finally met a Pokemon in the same predicament to keep him company, even if it had been for less than two days...

But he had already completely regarded it as his companion. Since it recognized him as its Trainer, then he was its Trainer!

"Cyc!"

Cyclizar stared at Ceruledge standing against the wall, ready to pounce again while shielding Xingye behind it.

"..."

Ceruledge did not even look at it. It simply went to help the Machoke at the next table get more drinks, as if Cyclizar did not exist at all.

Then Xingye flung the contract he had been holding back at Slowking. Staring at him with a serious expression, he said in a deep voice, "Even I have things I absolutely cannot abandon!"

"Hm?"

"I'm staying here, no matter what. Even if Arceus himself comes, it won't change anything. I said it!"

Xingye glanced at Ceruledge, meeting its gaze at just that moment. Then he looked back at Slowking, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he continued, "I didn't come to this street just to find a place to stay. Since so many Pokemon gather here because they're troubled by all sorts of things in life, then let me help them!"

With that, he took Cyclizar, which was still in an attacking stance, and left through the izakaya's front door. Only Slowking remained behind, briefly stunned by what Xingye had said before quickly recovering.

He looked toward the door and slowly said, "What a strange human. That Cyclizar was never even caught. If he just said that, couldn't he have left safely...?"

"And help the Pokemon on this street? What big talk... Well, whatever. As long as he can pay the rent, it doesn't matter if I take in one more human."

After thinking it over, Slowking stopped paying attention to it. He picked up the contract and put it away again before returning to his newspaper.

Ceruledge brought more drinks to the other customers. Everything remained as it had been; the only change was that there was now a human neighbor upstairs.

At that moment, the mascot Slowpoke lying on the bar swayed its tail and let out a cry. It seemed sleepy, or perhaps it was thinking about something.

"Slow~"