Although Hoshino had the intention of establishing an Yorozuya, he currently lacked the capability, as he was human and found it difficult to earn the trust of most Pokémon.
Moreover, to make it successful, he first needed to build up its reputation so that Pokémon would come seeking help, which would likely take a considerable amount of time.
Another issue was the lack of personnel; other Yorozuyas typically had a three-person, one-dog team, but he couldn't even gather that many people, let alone enough Pokémon.
"Perhaps I could find Pokémon to work for me?"
This idea suddenly popped into Hoshino's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He couldn't even afford his own rent, so where would he get the money to pay salaries as a boss?
It would be better to just use his own Pokémon; he could just give them some pocket money to play in Kabukicho, how easy would that be? So, he still needed to catch more Pokémon?
"My head hurts. Why is reality so cruel?"
This was like starting a business from the very bottom, extremely difficult, but if successful, the returns would be terrifying.
"Then, is there a way to quickly find troubled Pokémon and also quickly build up my reputation?"
Hoshino muttered, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards the floor, or rather, towards the first floor below.
An Izakaya is typically a place where many come to drown their sorrows in drink. As long as he spotted someone alone at the bar, it would be an easy catch.
And this was also a great place to gather information. Drinking always led to chatting, which was perfect for spreading the Yorozuya's reputation!
"Boss Slowking, I still have to rely on you!"
"Cycli?"
At 6 PM, Hoshino prepared to stake out. He finally witnessed Kabukicho waking from its slumber.
As more and more Pokémon walked in from a distance, the shops on the street gradually opened their doors, lighting up their signs, ready to welcome customers.
As Slowking just opened the door, he saw someone waiting at the entrance and asked, puzzled, "What are you doing?"
"Eating and drinking."
"Do you have money?"
"If I don't have money, I can put it on a tab!"
"I can give you a tab for a maximum of one month. Including yesterday's, if you don't pay by the due date, I'll have Ceruledge remove your kidney, understand?"
"...Understood."
Hoshino's mouth twitched. Slowking, with his innocent face, actually said such a terrifying thing as 'remove your kidney.' But it was only a month; as long as he could successfully close a few deals, he would be able to pay it back.
Entering the shop, he and Cyclizar were the first customers. Currently, he could only see Ceruledge wiping tables, who also looked up and glanced their way.
"His gaze is still so terrifying..."
Hoshino felt like that guy had a story, but for now, it was probably best not to approach him casually...
Sitting at the bar with Cyclizar, he called out to Boss Slowking, "Boss Slowking, warm two bowls of sake for us, and two plates of fennel beans."
"Kids aren't allowed to drink!"
"Then just prepare some snacks that can fill us up, and two cups of room-temperature moo moo milk."
"What kind of shop do you think this is?!"
Although he said that, Slowking still went to prepare them, as all who come are guests.
While waiting, Cyclizar watched the Slowpoke mascot on the bar, its tail wagging, and its gaze constantly followed the movement of the tail.
Then, with interest, it tried to pat it, but missed. So it continued to pat, but each time it was dodged by the other party's wagging tail.
"I know its tail is delicious, but don't actually bite it, okay?"
Hoshino warned. Just then, a cute, bipedal fox with yellow and white fur suddenly walked into the Izakaya from outside.
The fur around its waist formed a skirt-like shape, its lower legs looked like it was wearing black stockings, and its fluffy tail, which made one want to pet it, had a characteristic stick inserted into it.
"Braixen? So cute..."
Hoshino's gaze was instantly drawn to it. He liked this kind of Pokémon with a girlish feel, like a cute little sister. He felt it would be very comfortable to hug while sleeping, making one feel protective.
"Brai~"
Braixen let out a soft cry, likely saying "Alola~," but its mood seemed a bit low. Even when stared at by someone with a strange gaze, it only glanced back and didn't pay any attention.
After entering, it first looked around, as if searching for someone, but Slowking and Ceruledge had gone to the back to prepare dinner for someone and were not present.
Seeing Braixen slightly lower its head, its mood even more dejected, Hoshino's brows furrowed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, resting his hand on the bar and saying casually, "You're a customer, right? Boss Slowking and them are in the back. Just call out to them."
"Brai..."
Hearing him speak, Braixen finally noticed him again and realized something was off: a human? Why was there a human here?
Hoshino cleared his throat, adjusted his demeanor, and smiled, greeting, "Alola~ I just moved in yesterday. I live upstairs from the Izakaya."
"Brai~"
Braixen responded softly, also lowering its guard slightly. After all, being able to live upstairs meant he must have a good relationship with Boss Slowking.
Seeing this, Hoshino continued to smile to further put the other party at ease, then softly asked, "You seem to have some trouble. This Izakaya is a place for humans or Pokémon to confide their daily worries. Would you like to tell me about it? Perhaps I can help you."
Hearing these words, Braixen became even more confused. It couldn't quite understand what this human was doing, but since he had asked, after a moment of hesitation, it decided to explain the situation.
After all, humans don't understand Pokémon language, so he was indeed a good listener...
Just as it was about to sit at the bar and begin to confide its troubles, Slowking emerged, floating several plates with his Psychic power. After delivering them to Hoshino, he noticed Braixen.
"Slow~"
"Brai~"
Seeing Slowking come out, Braixen greeted him and no longer intended to continue confiding.
At this point, Hoshino told Cyclizar to stop playing and prepare to eat. As he ate, he said to Boss Slowking, "Boss Slowking, when you're talking, can at least one of you speak in human language? I want to hear what you're saying."
"Humans are really troublesome! Just eat your food properly, why are you talking so much!"
Slowking didn't refuse, just muttered a curse, then looked at Braixen, asking with some concern, "I haven't seen you here for many days. Did something happen? You're so down, not at all like your usual self."
"Brai..."
"You're going to quit?"
"Hu..."
"I see. Your Trainer finally remembered you were still in the backyard, did he? You should be happy about this, shouldn't you?"
At Slowking's question, Braixen's expression subtly changed. It seemed to have something it wanted to say, but after a long silence, it still couldn't articulate it. Finally, it forced a smile and nodded.
"Is that so..."
Slowking seemed to have understood something, but he didn't press further. Instead, he took a lollipop and put it in his mouth, turning his head away and saying, "Be careful on your way back. Remember to come and play when you have time. Don't let my shop be too desolate."
Braixen nodded, then let out another soft cry: "Brai..."
"You want to stay and help out for one last night? Alright then, but since you've quit, there won't be any more wages. Go on."
"Brai!"
Having received permission, Braixen instantly perked up, its earlier low spirits swept away. Perhaps it was its last time working, so it took it especially seriously.
Seeing it quickly run to the back, Hoshino, who had been listening for a long time, was expressionless. As he ate, he casually asked, "An employee of your shop?"
Slowking had a similar expression to his. After biting the lollipop in half, he slowly replied, "You could say that. It's been working for two and a half years. Although it couldn't come every day, and sometimes it would have some injuries... I hadn't seen it for the past half month, and I thought something had happened, but now it looks to be in good spirits."
"In good spirits..."
Hoshino glanced at Braixen, who had changed into a maid outfit and walked out, happily approaching Machoke and Gurdurr, who had just entered the shop, to greet them. It was indeed in high spirits; there was no denying that.
At this point, he had finally finished his dinner. He then stood up, patted Cyclizar, who had already finished his meal at lightning speed and gone back to patting Slowpoke's tail, and said, "Let's go. Get some rest early. We still have to go to Nai-chan's place tomorrow morning."
"Cycli~"
Cyclizar stopped playing and left with him. But just as they reached the door, Slowking looked at them calmly and slowly said, "Although I don't know what you're trying to do, it's better not to meddle in things that don't concern you, especially since you're human. It's easy to get into trouble."
"What would I do..."
Saying this, Hoshino looked back with a smile and continued, "I just want to go back and get some sleep."
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