Hoshino closed the status screen. As for that archery talent, he'd have Gengar try it out once they were back. There wasn't time for that now anyway.
Cyclizar's performance today, on the other hand, was excellent. The amnesia and forgotten moves weren't a big deal, he'd slowly recall them with time. The important thing was that his body still remembered how to fight.
And now Hoshino had seen what Cyclizar could do at full strength without relying on Miraidon's power. That gave him a rough idea of Cyclizar's current capabilities.
"Cycli~zar!"
"Yeah, the request's over. Let's go back."
Hoshino gave him a pat on the head, then looked over at Gengar, who was fiddling with Lillie's ponytail. "Quit playing around-we're going home."
"Gengar~!"
Gengar cheerfully floated toward him. Lillie snapped out of her flustered daze and quickly called out, "Wait, I'm coming too!"
Hearing that, Hau and Sun were both frozen with shock. Then, in perfect unison, they asked, "What's going on between you two?"
Lillie seated herself on Cyclizar's back and answered, "We're just friends. And don't overthink it. Sure, sometimes he's a bit annoying, but once you get to know him, you'll see he's actually pretty nice. He's just… not very good at expressing himself."
"..."
Hoshino's mouth twitched at her words. He didn't bother explaining and simply signaled Cyclizar to run.
Watching them ride off into the distance, Hau finally snapped out of it and started waving his hands wildly. "This is huge news! We've gotta tell the class rep—Lillie's been abducted!"
On the way back to the Vagabond District, the two didn't exchange another word. Kabukicho hadn't opened for the day yet, so the streets were still quiet.
A few Meowth were wandering near the street entrance. The moment they saw Cyclizar, they all scattered into hiding, cautiously watching as the group passed by.
Lillie looked around with curiosity. She hadn't expected the place to look like this in the daytime—so different from how it was at night. The contrast was striking.
Before long, Cyclizar stopped in front of the izakaya. Hoshino removed his helmet and goggles, then turned around and said, "Hop off. We're here."
"Okay."
The izakaya hadn't opened yet, but the familiar scent of fruit liquor was already drifting out—it was obvious Slowking was inside brewing again.
Hoshino didn't knock. He was just about to lead them up the side staircase when the izakaya door suddenly slid open. Slowking emerged, hands tucked behind his back.
"Alola~ What a coincidence."
Lillie kept her distance and greeted him politely. Slowking returned the greeting, then turned to Hoshino and said slowly, "Kid, I heard you stirred up some serious stuff again. How'd it go?"
"It was fine. Everyone left with smiles on their faces, the request was completed without a hitch."
Hoshino had no idea how Slowking already knew, but still answered calmly. Then Slowking suddenly tossed him a thick envelope. Hoshino opened it—inside was a stack of cash!
"What the hell? Boss, did you forget your meds today? Or are you plotting something again?"
Slowking popped a lollipop into his mouth and replied, "It's your payment. That old man seems to have donated his entire estate to the Pokémon school. This portion was pulled out specifically as your commission to thank you for giving them one final battle."
"…???"
Hoshino was baffled. Was this some kind of supernatural event? But Slowking didn't elaborate. Instead, he just said, "They left on their journey together. Isn't that, in a way, a whole new kind of adventure? The bond between Trainers and Pokémon, it's pretty incredible, isn't it?"
With that, Slowking turned and walked back into the izakaya, closing the door behind him.
Hoshino looked down at the payment in his hand. It wasn't a massive sum, but it was enough to live comfortably through the new year.
"Well, that's… something."
He let out a faint smile and tucked the money away. At that moment, Lillie quietly asked behind him, "Now that the request's done… I was wondering if I could…"
"Let's talk upstairs."
"Okay."
Lillie immediately followed him up, feeling nervous but also a little excited. After all, she'd never seen what the inside of the Yorozuya looked like.
As the two of them, along with Cyclizar and Gengar, reached the door, footsteps could already be heard from inside. The twin rodent Pokémon had sensed them and came to open the door. Then both of them leapt onto someone.
"!!!"
Suddenly tackled by Little Grey, Lillie completely froze at the doorway.
Hoshino stroked Little White, then leaned over to gently lift Little Grey off her. With a laugh, he said, "He seems to like you. Want to try catching him?"
"N-no thanks!"
Lillie quickly stepped back, nearly losing her balance. She clearly had a strong aversion to the idea of catching a Pokémon.
"I was just asking. No need to overreact."
"Sorry…"
"Whatever. Come on in."
"Okay… Sorry to intrude…"
Lillie stepped in softly and looked around, surprised by what she saw. It was much tidier than she expected—cleaner than her own room, even.
"Um… do I need to change my shoes?"
"Nope. I clean every day anyway."
"Alright."
They made their way to the living room, where the Pokémon Egg was resting on the couch. Hoshino motioned for Lillie to sit on the other side.
He sat at the desk, laced his fingers together, and rested his chin on them. His expression suddenly turned serious, striking the classic Gendo Ikari pose. He looked at Lillie and asked, "Tell me your dream."
"Huh?"
"You wanted to join us, didn't you? Let's say you passed the test—now all that's left is the interview!"
"Uhh…"
Lillie glanced at the Pokémon playing around the room. The atmosphere had taken a weird turn—she hadn't expected this at all. But she quickly straightened up and answered seriously, "I want to do what I can—use the knowledge I've learned in the right way!"
"Well said. So, do you know what exactly the Yorozuya does? And what kind of role you could play here?"
"Um… I don't really care! As long as there's something I can help with, that's enough for me!"
Lillie answered earnestly. She didn't want to keep being coddled by others. She didn't want to spend every holiday holed up in a library reading books, unable to do anything useful.
Hoshino nodded at her answer, then continued, "Actually, besides our physical store, we also have a website. But it mainly serves Trainers…"
"So you want me to help run the website?" Lillie sounded a little disappointed. A website didn't seem very impactful. She wanted to be more involved—not just sit behind a screen chatting with people.
But then, Hoshino shook his head. "No, I'll handle the website. Though… we don't have a single visitor right now. I'd like to ask you to help anonymously promote it to your friends. After all… you're the only human friend I have."
His voice dropped on that last sentence, but Lillie heard it clearly. Her face lit up with a smile. She stood up and patted her chest confidently. "That's easy—leave it to me. So, I'm officially…"
"Yeah." Hoshino stood as well and smiled. "You're now a member of the Yorozuya."
"Yay!"
Lillie's heart finally settled, and her face lit up with excitement. "I'll do my best to help out with any Yorozuya commissions. If anything needs doing, I'll be there!"
"Good. Do your best!"
Hoshino gave her a light pat on the shoulder, then walked away. His expression finally cracked—he was this close to bursting into laughter.
Such a good employee. Such a kind-hearted girl. She joined this empty, broke Yorozuya without even asking about salary or benefits… and she was even willing to work overtime voluntarily.
"This might be a bit of trouble, but I still came out ahead. Next step is helping her get over her fear of Pokémon. A little tricky, but manageable."
Thinking that, Hoshino turned back. "You haven't eaten lunch, right? Just wait a bit—eat here before you head home."
"Okay. Do you need help?"
"Nope. My cooking skills are something you can trust."
"Cyclizar!"
"Gengar!"
"Piing~!"
All the Pokémon chimed in to show their support, which surprised Lillie. Could his cooking really be better than Mallow's?
With Hoshino in the kitchen, she stayed on the sofa, still not daring to approach the playful Pokémon around her.
Then her attention drifted to the Pokémon Egg on the other side. She leaned in, hesitant to touch it—but it wasn't moving, so that made it okay.
"It's only been a day, but even he's starting to change little by little. Maybe I should…"
Lillie stared at the Pokémon Egg for a long time, then slowly reached out her hand. She wanted to try touching it. Hoshino had been right—the more you fear something, the more you should face it. Otherwise, the fear will always control you.
She knew that truth well. But it was so hard to summon the courage to confront it.
"Piing?"
Little Grey scurried up beside her. Lillie quickly said, "Don't come—uh, sorry. I mean, please keep a little distance."
She knew that ruined the mood, but it just slipped out. Yet when she'd rescued Little Grey by the bridge, she'd managed to touch him. That meant her fear wasn't unbreakable!
"I need a little courage!"
Determination suddenly filled her eyes. She placed both hands on the Pokémon Egg. Her body tensed, ready to recoil—but she didn't pull back. She held the Egg in her arms.
She'd done it.
Gengar floated beside her and clapped, celebrating her success. The other Pokémon joined in.
"Huh… it's not so bad after all…"
She was still afraid, but she managed a faint smile. This was her first time taking the initiative—even if it was just a Pokémon Egg, she'd taken the first step. But then—
Crack—
The sudden sound of cracking snapped her back to attention. The egg in her arms began to glow.
A chill spread through her hands—a soft, pleasant coldness.
"Uuu~"
And there it was: a small white fox, looking up at her with wide, dazed eyes, nestled in her arms.
Lillie froze.
Completely.
Her whole brain shut down in an instant.
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Sorry everyone, from now on I promise 1-2 chapters every day. Also, I'm planning to write a fanfic, which one should I write?
1) Genshin/Honkai/star rail/blue archive etc.
2) SoL anime worlds, like the chinese ones you see with op protagnist
3) Shadow Slave/Mother of learning/Lotm
4) Comment