"What are you doing?!"
Hoshino was truly bewildered. Why was this young lady standing here instead of going home? Was she overwhelmed by not having a Pokémon, contemplating jumping into the sea?
Regardless, he wouldn't just stand by. He had to save her first. Even though they weren't close, they were classmates. The rest he could leave to the police.
He dismounted from his Cyclizar and rushed over. But as he got closer, he realized something was wrong.
Lillie was clutching a dirty, seemingly frozen Tandemaus in her hands, while she herself was frozen in place by an instinctive reaction of fear.
Hoshino paused for a moment, then shouted with some excitement, "How is Tandemaus with you?!"
...
Rewind half an hour...
Since it was winter break, if Moon and her friends didn't come to play with her, Lillie would usually spend her time reading at the Malie Library on Ula'ula Island.
She had a good relationship with Acerola, the librarian there. Even though Lillie was younger, Acerola called her "big sister" every day, but Lillie had gotten used to it.
Today was like any other day. After the library closed, she took a boat from Malie City back to Hau'oli City. The Exeggutor bus stopped at 8 PM, so she could make it from the port area back to the suburbs.
"Phew…"
Lillie stood at the bus stop, her cheeks gradually turning red from the cold wind. She rubbed her small hands to warm them up, not expecting the temperature to drop so much as soon as she returned. She was still wearing a skirt and found it a bit unbearable.
Fortunately, the bus arrived quickly. After swiping her card and getting on, her body quickly warmed up. Next, she just had to wait for the bus to go directly to the suburbs.
There were only a few scattered passengers on the bus. It was well past rush hour. These people were all returning home after spending their holiday in the city.
She sat by the window, took off her hat, and placed it on her lap, resting her hand lightly on it. Her gaze drifted out the window, watching the snowflakes falling towards the sea, and further away… the lights shining from the direction of the Aether Paradise.
Just then, the bus stopped at a station, and an adult leading a child holding a regular Meowth got on. They sat in the seats behind Lillie.
"Meowth, I bought your favorite fish can for you. Can I hug you to sleep tonight~"
"Meow~"
"Quiet down, the bus needs to be quiet."
"Mom, let Meowth sleep with me tonight."
"I know, don't disturb others."
"…"
Listening to the noise coming from behind, a hint of sadness appeared in Lillie's eyes as she looked out the window. Then she snapped out of it, no longer watching the snow scenery, and got off at the next stop.
Putting her hat back on, she gently swept her long hair aside, watching the bus drive away. She then braved the cold wind, walking onto the bridge in the snow, preparing to walk for a while to clear her mind.
"Sigh…"
As one of only two students who failed the final practical exam, she felt useless. She spent every day in the library studying, but in the end, it was all for nothing.
Professor Kukui had suggested she give up on the Trainer path and specialize in research, but what good would it do to become a professor later if she didn't even dare to touch a Pokémon?
She was well aware that everyone around her was taking care of her, but as time went on, it made her feel even worse, as if she was letting her friends down.
"Sigh…"
Lillie sighed softly again. There were no vehicles or riding Pokémon passing on the road beside her. She felt like she was all alone in this snowy landscape… but it seemed she wasn't alone after all?
"Maus…"
A sudden growl broke the silence. Lillie came back to her senses and looked towards the guardrail beside her, only to see a dirty Tandemaus hanging on the side of the bridge, gripping tightly, not falling down.
"Is that a Tandemaus? Why is there only one?"
Lillie recognized the Pokémon. This Tandemaus seemed to be frozen stiff and was gradually losing strength, only able to make a growl to call for help. Ten meters below was the sea; falling would be fatal.
Seeing this, her expression instantly panicked. She quickly looked around and anxiously shouted, "What do I do, what do I do?! It's going to fall, is anyone here?!"
But unfortunately, on a snowy day, even Pikipek didn't want to come out. She could only grab her skirt and squat on the ground, watching the Tandemaus that was about to fall with even more panic, her heart beginning to struggle.
Watching the Tandemaus finally lose strength and about to fall, she temporarily overcame her inner fear and reached out to grab the Tandemaus.
But the next second, due to an instinctive reaction, she suddenly stood up, frozen in place. After a long while, even though she heard someone, she didn't know who, advising her not to jump into the sea, she still couldn't move at all…
...
"That was a long flashback!"
Hoshino held the Tandemaus and looked at Lillie, who was standing in front of him, clutching the hem of her skirt, head bowed shyly, explaining the whole story to him.
"I… I couldn't help it."
"Be more concise next time."
"Mm…"
Lillie bit her lip lightly and nodded. She hadn't expected Hoshino to show up. Being seen like this by someone she knew was too embarrassing.
After a brief silence, she finally remembered something important and quickly said, "Take it to the Pokémon Center quickly. This Tandemaus clearly hasn't eaten for several days, and…"
Before she could finish, Hoshino looked down at the Tandemaus and replied softly, "It's too much trouble. I don't want to wait for half a day. How about I take it back, give it a hot bath, and then prepare some nutrients to slowly nurse it back to health?"
Finding another Tandemaus was truly an unexpected surprise. He wanted to go home immediately and tell Tandemaus the news. But when Lillie heard this, she stopped him, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and said, "No, you don't understand its physical condition. It must go to the Pokémon Center for treatment now!"
"No, it's you who doesn't understand the level of Pokémon treatment we have. So, young lady, hurry home. It's very dangerous for a girl without a Pokémon to be out at night."
Hoshino waved his hand casually. Kabukicho was a place for Pokémon to relax and have fun. Some of the food there wasn't very useful for humans, but it had a very good recovery effect for Pokémon.
But Lillie didn't know that. Her knowledge was based on theory, so when she heard this, she became a little angry.
"How can you be like this?!"
"Then I'll give it to you?"
"This…"
"See? You don't dare to touch Pokémon, so you can only rely on me. If you're worried, then come with me?"
Hoshino deliberately brought it up, then prepared to leave. He was riding a Cyclizar, and while it could carry a person, did she have the courage? Impossible.
But just as he turned around, Lillie suddenly called out, "I'll go with you! This Tandemaus is in a very bad condition, and its companion is missing. I can't just leave it to you! And also…"
"Huh?"
Hoshino was stunned. Was this young lady out of her mind? What kind of place was Kabukicho? Pokémon running everywhere—that place was hell…
"Interesting. Let's go then."
He didn't refuse. Since this young lady was so stubborn, he would tease her a bit and see if she would cry. Besides, he had never seen any human other than himself enter Kabukicho, and he was curious.
Seeing his agreement, Lillie also nodded and followed him. But when she saw Cyclizar, she froze again. Ride a Pokémon? Although it was fine as long as she didn't touch it, but…
"Are you scared?"
Hoshino teased, then mounted Cyclizar. He had Gengar hold the Tandemaus to keep it warm. Lillie clenched her small fists and also got on.
The seat of the riding gear usually left space for one person. She sat sideways behind, holding onto the backrest to avoid touching the Cyclizar or the person sitting in front.
"…"
Hoshino glanced back before putting on his goggles, a little surprised. She was so afraid of Pokémon, yet she still got on without hesitation?
There might have been an element of defiance towards him, but the expression of concern for Tandemaus's physical condition was definitely genuine…
Then Cyclizar began to run. Although it was carrying two people, it was no problem for it. The two people on its back remained silent. Finally, Hoshino slowly said, "Young lady, you're really simple-minded, following along so foolishly. Aren't you afraid I'll do something to you?"
Lillie snorted lightly and replied, "I trust your character. Although you're not a good person, you're not a bad person either, unless you can lower the bar even further."
"Tsk…"
Hoshino returned to his usual expression and didn't continue talking to her. Lillie also remained silent. She held the backrest with one hand and the brim of her hat with the other, silently watching the continuously falling snowflakes.
The young man gazed at the road ahead, while the young woman admired the snow scenery behind him. They were quietly like this, as if strolling through this romantic snowy night…
After an unknown amount of time, Cyclizar stopped under Hoshino's control. Lillie came back to her senses and looked ahead, then froze.
It was a district with dazzling neon lights, extremely brilliant, and scattered Pokémon gathering from all directions, then pouring into it.
She lost herself for a moment, and her expression finally changed. She asked nervously and hesitantly, "This… what is this place?"
"Welcome to Kabukicho~ Since you've seen it, just go in obediently."
"No… I want to go back!"
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