After their joking, the two walked side by side along the soft beach, waves gently lapping at the shore.
"How have things been here lately?"
Xia Chi turned his head to ask.
Over the past month or so, Yui had given him regular updates on the island's construction.
But as she was currently his only employee, he naturally wanted to show her a little more concern.
"Wonderful~ There's an orchard, a flower field, and I get to live peacefully with my Pokémon."
The smile on Yui's face instantly grew genuine and warm, her gaze drifting unconsciously into the distance.
Swellow was preening on a leafy tree branch, Blaziken was enjoying a leisurely nap in the shade, and Houndoom, following a habit of many years, trailed a short distance behind her, silently keeping watch.
She took a deep breath of the sea breeze, filled with the scent of sunshine and plants.
Then she turned toward Xia Chi with a brilliant smile. "No scheming, no smoke or gunfire, just pure peace and happiness. I couldn't ask for a better place to call home."
That sort of pastoral life might seem a little dull to someone accustomed to the bustle of the city.
But to Yui, who had once struggled beneath Team Magma's shadow, living on this island was undoubtedly the most precious gift fate-
No, Xia Chi had given her.
Besides, it wasn't as though this place was cut off from the world.
Just across the sea lay Shanghai, the most prosperous metropolis in the Donghuang Region.
As they chatted, Xia Chi and Yui approached the largely completed residential area.
The house wasn't particularly large, at least compared to the century-old mansion on Wallace's estate.
Its exterior design also differed greatly from the artistic style of Wallace's home.
With clean, flowing lines