"Can I join you?"
Hoshino, who had been talking with the Tandemaus pair, froze for a moment. Had he misheard something?
Lillie, seeing his lack of response, stepped closer with an even more serious expression. "Please let me join Yorozuya! I want to help Pokémon in trouble too!"
This time, Hoshino heard her loud and clear. He snorted, waved a hand dismissively, and replied, "Don't be ridiculous, young lady. No offense, but get over your fear of Pokémon first. Otherwise, you'd just be dead weight."
"Yorozuya doesn't have much business right now, but we're constantly dealing with Pokémon. Maybe you know more theory about Pokémon than I do, but can you even understand what they're saying?"
Lillie fell completely silent. She had spoken in the heat of the moment, fueled by sudden inspiration.
But now, it was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head.
Hoshino didn't say anything else. He knew this was just a naïve, fleeting thought from a rich young lady. Once she cooled down, she'd give up on her own and besides, letting someone else into his Yorozuya?
Yeah, right. He hated working with others. It was much better alone with just his Pokémon.
Turning his attention back to the Tandemaus pair, he saw that Gengar had already joined the fun, watching the two with curiosity.
Just then, the familiar system panel popped up in front of him. A reward notification appeared.
[You have gained the friendship of Tandemaus: Pure Love War God]
(Deals massive bonus damage to NTR-loving scumbags… Pure love may seem foolish, but it's truly beautiful. Anyone can become a Pure Love War God through sheer willpower. Destroy those who corrupt true love! Now go and hunt them down tonight!)
"Why is this description so long?! And why is this skill so unhinged?!"
Hoshino was stunned. Sure, it sounded completely useless… but you never knew when something like this might come in handy. Besides—he was a proud member of the pure love faction!
Out of habit, he checked the status screen.
[Pokémon: A pair of Tandemaus]
Type: Normal
Height & Weight: 0.29m/5.3kg, 0.31m/5.5kg
Ability: Run Away (Extremely fast at escaping)
Moves: Baby-Doll Eyes, Echoed Voice, Helping Hand, Double Hit, Super Fang
[Status:]
Happy (Finally back together!)
Grateful (Thankful for those who helped them!)
"Pretty normal. Would've been nice if they had Technician instead. If they evolve into Maushold, that ability would be insane… but whatever."
It's not like they were his Pokémon. There was no need to train them. The job was done. No reward, though.
He glanced at the two mice, debating for a second, then shrugged. Forget it. The new skill was payment enough. Once they fully recovered, he'd just hand them over to Officer Jenny to be sent back to Paldea.
"But now, thanks to all this mess, we didn't even get to have barbecue tonight… and—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Lillie suddenly spoke up again. "I may not be able to take on cases yet, but I can be your assistant!"
Hoshino swirled his tea and casually said, "Wow. You sound like you're begging."
"Uh—"
"But let's be real, do you even know what Yorozuya does? We're not even that close, are we? You don't know anything about me and honestly, you're just caught up in the moment.
You probably don't even understand what this job really is."
Lillie fell silent again. After a moment, she lowered her head and spoke softly.
"I really want to help Pokémon… I may be a Trainer, but without my own Pokémon, there are so many places I can't go alone. At the very least… I want a place where all the knowledge I've learned can actually be used."
The room fell quiet. Even the bustling izakaya seemed to pause for a second.
Slowking, munching on his lollipop, shook his head and spoke. "You like Pokémon but are afraid of them, huh? Well, at least you learned something. That's already better than some guy I know who's running a business without a clue."
He side-eyed Hoshino. "But knowledge alone is useless if you don't apply it and honestly, this kid's Yorozuya sounds like a good place for you."
Hoshino frowned. He knew what Slowking was doing. The old guy loved helping out dreamers, as long as they had determination. After all, that's how Hoshino himself ended up here.
Still, he really didn't want to do this. Yorozuya was his. He liked being alone with Pokémon. Why let some troublemaking outsider in? Why give himself more headaches?
As he was about to reject her, a voice suddenly cut through the silence.
"Hoo…"
The Decidueye sitting alone at the counter turned around. His hoot was deep and aged, unlike a Rowlet's. Looking closer, you could tell—this Decidueye was old. His movements were sluggish. His body worn out by time.
Slowking gave Hoshino a look. "Looks like you got a new client."
Hoshino blinked, then quickly refocused. He stepped toward the Decidueye and spoke in a calm voice. "Yorozuya takes on any job. What do you need help with?"
"Hoo."
Decidueye wasn't drunk at all. He had been sitting here for a long time, listening to everything. Seeing Hoshino accept a request, Lillie curiously followed, wanting to see the process firsthand.
Since this was his first time hearing Decidueye's voice, Hoshino needed a moment to fully understand the request. After a while, he asked, "…Is this about your Trainer?"
"Hoo."
Hoshino's hand, which had been taking notes, froze. "Wait. What?"
Lillie, confused by his reaction, looked to Slowking. Slowking sighed and explained, "His Trainer is dying. But for some reason, they won't allow him to visit. In fact, they're actively keeping him away. He wants us to investigate why."
The air grew heavy. Lillie fell silent. She turned to Hoshino, waiting for his response.
Hoshino didn't hesitate. "A request for investigation… Can you give me more details? If it's inconvenient here, we can talk somewhere else."
Decidueye nodded. He reached for some paper and a pen, borrowed from Slowking, and wrote down an address.
"Hoo."
"Meet there tomorrow morning? Got it."
Hoshino pocketed the note. This was exactly what Yorozuya was for—helping Pokémon in trouble. There was no way he'd turn this down.
Decidueye nodded in gratitude, paid for his drink, and left the izakaya. Watching him disappear into the night.
Slowking spoke. "That guy's been a regular here for over a decade. He used to travel the world with his Trainer. But after years of struggles, he finally got tired and settled down in Alola."
"He looks like he has quite a story to tell."
Hoshino glanced at the address, then turned to Lillie. "You want to be my assistant? Fine. Come with me tomorrow. Consider it a trial run."
"Wait—you're agreeing?!" Lillie lit up in surprise.
But then, Hoshino met her gaze and calmly said, "Just so you know—I don't like working with others. If something dangerous happens, I won't hesitate to leave you behind and run."
"I don't care!" Lillie clenched her fists, her voice full of determination. A bright smile spread across her face.
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[T/N: this one feels better?]
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