"I'll leave the house in your care, Regirock."
A few days later, Xin Mu asked Regirock to watch the house, then locked the front door, picked up his suitcase, and left.
He left the back door unlocked so Regirock could get in and out whenever necessary.
They would be traveling by ship this time. Although large cargo ships could carry countless cars, the S.S. Anne wasn't equipped for that.
To avoid facing a hefty parking bill when they returned, Xin Mu and the others had chosen public transportation instead of driving, and planned to meet in a port city.
The seawater here was grayish-black overall. With ships docking year-round, pollution remained something of a problem.
The port's management hadn't imposed a blanket ban, at least. Fire-type Pokémon were allowed outside as long as they didn't have open flames constantly burning on their bodies.
In the passenger lounge, Xin Mu shared his location in the group chat, then began waiting for the others to arrive.
Just then, Litten caught an unusual aroma and began peering around, searching for its source.
"Meoow..."
Eventually, Litten stopped outside a coffee shop. What had drawn her over was the smell of brewing coffee.
"Meow? (Want to drink this?)"
There was no coffee in Xin Mu's home, mainly because drinking it made him sleepy.
He had once thought this was some extraordinary gift of his, only to discover later that he was allergic to caffeine.
Since there was none at home, and most shopping malls imposed blanket bans on Fire-type Pokémon, this was Litten's first time smelling it.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Litten nodded.
"Meow. (This stuff tastes bitter, you know. All right, you can try it. Hot or iced?)"
Meownei certainly wouldn't have asked another feline Pokémon that question, but Litten was different.