I Don't Eat Koffing

"Let them down."

Mingyou waved, and the Ariados in the trees cut through the silk. Everyone who had been wrapped up like a Kakuna finally got free.

They had spent over an hour hanging from the trees. Who knew what kind of mental torment they had endured, helpless as they were? At least Akari hadn't been caught.

"Haha..."

Akari twirled her hair awkwardly, unsure how to explain. If Mingyou hadn't suddenly asked why she had come, she might not have remembered the others for who knew how long.

Looking at the freed group, Mingyou apologized. "Sorry. A while ago, thieves broke into the Manor to steal Fruit and hurt some of the Pokémon living here, so..."

"Understandable..."

Professor Kukui waved it off. So this was Mingyou's home. No wonder there were so many strange Fruits. Still, the Wild Pokémon in this orchard were a little too clever.

Everyone cleaned the syrup off themselves. Finally able to speak, Carmine gritted her teeth and shouted at Mingyou, her face burning with humiliation. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? I'll make you swallow a Koffing whole!"

"I don't eat Koffing."

Mingyou answered casually, then waved to Ariados. "Hang her back up. Drop her when she stops yelling."

"I was wrong! I'm sorry! Aah—"

Latias stared at him resentfully. She had gone to all that trouble to catch the thieves, and he had let every one of them go without so much as a word of praise.

At Mingyou's prompting, she reluctantly returned the hat she had picked up to Lillie.

Seeing her expression, Lillie, who had been through enough today, shook her head. "You can keep it if you want. I have another one anyway... By the way, is there a bathroom here? I can't get the syrup out of my