Hoshino, holding the Sprigatito which seemed to have finally settled down, left the Yorozuya and walked through the other Pokémon towards the Smile Restaurant.
The current Sprigatito looked completely different from its dirty and disheveled appearance of a few days ago; its light green fur was smooth and soft.
Even though it was a girl, it didn't care about its image or hygiene at all; all it thought about was eating and causing trouble everywhere.
But Hoshino would not tolerate his own Pokémon being dirty for more than a day, so he groomed its fur and replenished its water daily, and also had Gengar take it out to sunbathe by the door when he was home.
Grass-type Pokémon can generally absorb sunlight to create energy, and Sprigatito is no exception; its fur contains plant components that can perform Synthesis, allowing its body to recover faster…
Soon, they arrived at the Smile Restaurant. There were quite a few customers at this hour, but Hoshino was already completely integrated into the area. As a human, it was truly not easy for him to be accepted by these Pokémon.
After greeting a passing Gothorita waitress, he held the cat and found Gardevoir, who was instructing apprentices on cooking details in the back.
But as soon as it arrived, sniffing the delicious aromas of the dishes around, Sprigatito instantly came alive again. For it, eating was always the top priority!
"Meow!"
Sprigatito kept flailing its claws, but Hoshino held its belly from behind, so it could only pedal in the air and couldn't break free.
Gardevoir walked over. Seeing how energetic it was, a rare smile appeared on its usually languid face, and it reached out to stroke the cat's head.
Although it was older, its maiden heart had never changed. It always liked cute things, whether it was Gengar or the cat.
However, after seeing Sprigatito's drooling expression, completely captivated by the kitchen, it smiled and nodded gently, then waved its hand and retrieved several dishes from over there.
"Garde~"
"Meow?!"
Sprigatito snapped back to reality, looking at the other party who actually gave it food. It was momentarily suspicious, but the suspicion quickly vanished. Guesses were fake, but food was real!
Hoshino placed it on a nearby table and let it continue eating. Then he said to Gardevoir, "Then I'll leave this fellow to you. I'm going back."
"Gardevoir~"
"Hmm?"
Seeing Gardevoir shake its head, Hoshino was slightly taken aback: "You don't have time to look after it? Then what about this fellow? Can't it just work here?"
Gardevoir still shook its head. The work here was not suitable for Sprigatito, unless the cat could stand up, otherwise it could only act cute as a mascot.
"I see…"
Hoshino glanced at Sprigatito, who was enjoying its meal nearby. From its look, he knew it would definitely cling to this street and refuse to leave.
After a moment of contemplation, he sighed softly: "Forget it, I'll take care of it. Let this fellow honestly work to pay for the damage to the street."
"Garde~"
Gardevoir nodded, indicating it would provide some help. Hoshino looked at it and said helplessly: "Nai-chan, you're too kind…"
"Gardevoir~"
Gardevoir smiled sweetly, but Hoshino felt something strange about its smile. It seemed real, yet as if something was hidden…
After eating and drinking its fill, Sprigatito comfortably lay on the table and fell asleep, completely unguarded. Hoshino picked it up and carried it back.
Upon returning to the Yorozuya, he didn't disturb the cat. He put it back in its nest and brought it into the room. It was too late today, and after cleaning the house again, he also went to rest.
In the middle of the night, Kabukicho was still very lively. Hoshino had long been used to this feeling and slept soundly, but Sprigatito was woken up.
It stretched, its gaze sweeping across the dimly lit room. The cat's night vision was still excellent. Seeing that everyone else was asleep, it happily prepared to leave directly.
But just as it moved, its body seemed to be gripped by something, and it fell to the ground. Looking back, it found a pitch-black object stuck beside its foot, as if fixing its shadow.
"Meow?!"
"Gengar~"
In the dim environment, a pair of red eyes suddenly lit up. Gengar stood with its hands on its hips, looking at it smugly. Shadow Sneak had been activated!
"Meow!!!"
…
The next morning, Hoshino turned off his phone alarm. As soon as he got up, he saw the cat standing there all night, on the verge of tears.
He got out of bed and walked over, stroking its head and saying, "Running away is impossible. Just stay here and work to pay off your debt. Pray that I get a commission, because that's the only way you'll get paid."
"Meow…"
"Stay here. I'll make you guys breakfast. It's Friday, I still have to go to school."
With that, Hoshino tidied up and went to the kitchen. Cyclizar was already awake. Looking at the new working cat, it grabbed it in its hand, its expression very happy, as if it had found a new toy, which made Sprigatito even more despairing.
Soon, Hoshino had prepared breakfast. Because there was an extra big eater, he naturally made more, and expenses continued to rise.
"Time to eat."
"Cycli~"
Cyclizar immediately ran out of the room. Gengar was already sitting on the sofa, hugging its bowl. Its body was small, and its appetite was not large; it only needed to maintain the necessary energy consumption.
Sprigatito was placed on the table by Cyclizar. Originally listless, it dramatically revived after smelling the aroma! This time, no one was holding it back, so it rushed forward and plunged its head into the pot.
"???"
Hoshino, holding his bowl, froze on the spot. Then he watched as it emptied the pot in a few swift motions, crawling out with a happy expression. And from its look, it seemed only half-full.
"Meow~"
Sprigatito affectionately meowed, as if saying breakfast was excellent, and then prepared to lie down and sleep.
Hoshino grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and lifted it, murmuring with an unreadable expression: "This job's benefits are really good, huh? Master Meow is full already, no need to work, just rest? What about us?"
"Cycli!"
"Meow…"
Sprigatito's expression instantly panicked. It looked around awkwardly, then hunched its head and curled into a ball.
Seeing its wronged expression, Hoshino slapped his forehead, unable to bear looking. It was rare for him to be so troubled by a Pokémon, but thankfully it wasn't his own.
After a long silence, he sighed helplessly: "Forget it, I'll just have to freeload a meal from Nai-chan. I'll prepare more tomorrow morning. Expenses are getting bigger and bigger. If there's no business, I'll just have to continue delivering food."
Hearing this, Sprigatito looked up, with a goofy expression as if asking if it could continue to eat and drink for free here?
"Yes, aren't you happy!"
Hoshino was amused. Want to eat and drink for free without working? How could there be such a good thing? But Sprigatito seemed to take it seriously, because the familiar panel automatically popped up the next moment, and a reward effect appeared!
[Obtained Sprigatito's Friendship: Gourmet (Greatly increases food appreciation, and also somewhat improves cooking ability, for Trainer use only)]
"Maybe I should just change my profession to a chef…"
Although unexpected, Hoshino was also speechless. Another strange talent was added, but this one felt odd. Why would Sprigatito give this kind of talent?
He didn't disturb the cat's excitement and curiously checked its status, but he didn't expect…
[Pokémon: Sprigatito]
[Type: Grass + Dark]
[Height/Weight: 0.4m / 5.2kg]
[Ability: Overgrow (When HP is unhealthy, Grass-type moves gain a significant power boost. It's a good ability for idealistic bursts. What about Hidden Ability Protean? Slash into the sewer, even dogs wouldn't play with it.)]
[Moves: Petal Blizzard, Bite, Hone Claws, U-turn, Slash, Seed Bomb, Minor Ruination]
[Status: Happy (Finally someone is willing to take me in and let me eat and drink for free), Hungry (Often feels hungry, but because it eats too much, its demands for food are also very high; it would rather starve than eat something unappetizing), Curse (Suffered a Curse after eating dirty things that recorded a king's evil deeds and were imbued with grudges, causing its food digestion and energy conversion speed to increase, leading to a tendency for gluttony and easily committing evil unconsciously)]
"Hmm?"
Hoshino was immediately stunned. Why was the cat dual-type? Had it evolved to its final form early? And what was Minor Ruination, a youth version of Ruination?
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