To Unlock Bonus Chapters:
10 Powerstones - [1 chapter]
50 Powerstones - [3 chapters]
100 Powerstones - [5 chapters]
500 Powerstones - [7 chapters]
1000 Powerstones - [10 Chapters]
All bonus chapters will be released on friday!
Resets every Friday!
------------------------------
patreon.com/phaeron
------------------------
With a forceful tug, Hoshino finally managed to pull the Cyclizar off the other person's head with a loud "pop", causing two bun-shaped hair ornaments to tumble to the ground along with it.
He immediately grabbed the Cyclizar and apologized to Gardevoir, "Sorry about that. It didn't mean any harm—it's just curious and tends to bite things it likes or finds interesting…"
"Cyli…"
Cyclizar scratched its head, smacking its lips in confusion, but still followed up with an apology.
Gardevoir didn't respond verbally. Instead, with a casual wave of its hand, it used psychic power to pick up the fallen hair buns and reattach them, giving them a slight twist—turns out they were just decorations.
"Garde~"
Still in that lazy, indifferent tone, Gardevoir called out softly and turned to walk toward the kitchen.
As it moved, a faint, appetizing aroma wafted through the air, likely picked up while cooking. No wonder Cyclizar couldn't resist biting.
Seeing this, Hoshino commented in surprise, "Not even mad? That's kind of weird."
Slowking explained, "Garde's personality is pretty laid-back, rarely getting angry. But when it does get serious… it can be downright terrifying. Just a heads-up."
"Oh, like one of those modern 'landmine' girls?"
"Girl? Garde's probably old enough to be your mom."
"Hey, hey, is it really okay to talk about a lady's age behind her back? You know some older women are really sensitive about—WHOA!"
Before he could finish, a powerful psychic blast hit both of them square in the face, sending them flying straight out the door and sprawling onto the quiet street outside.
"Told you. Terrifying."
"Why'd I get hit too?!"
"Happens all the time around here."
"…I see."
Hoshino quickly realized that, apparently, even Pokémon don't like having their age discussed.
"But do Pokémon even have age issues? Don't most of them start breeding with Ditto as soon as they're born and—"
"What kind of nonsense is that?! Go back to school! A Pokémon has to be at least five years old before they can breed! That's the minimum age. No responsible parent would allow it any earlier!"
"If that's the case, wouldn't Caterpie be extinct by now?"
"Caterpie won't go extinct. They'll just keep growing and evolving… until they fly."
"Right, into a Rayquaza or something…"
At this point, Hoshino realized Slowking was just messing with him. Obviously, Pokémon can't breed right after birth—they must reach some level of maturity first. Different species likely mature at different rates: Bug-types probably faster, Dragon-types much slower.
"Even in a world where Pokémon exist for real, there's still so much I don't know. But at least I'm picking things up quickly."
He figured he'd need to learn more about this kind of stuff—it could come in handy when helping Pokémon in the future.
But then he thought, instead of always chasing after Pokémon to help them, why not let them come to him? Maybe he could even make some money off it to support himself and Cyclizar. After all, there are plenty of rich Pokémon in Kabukicho!
"Sounds like a plan… but I'll think about it more when we get back."
Climbing back to his feet, Hoshino recalled the sheer force of that psychic blast. The Pokémon here were no joke—whether it was Gardevoir, Slowking, or even that Ceruledge from last night.
So were these Pokémon really self-trained? Or did they all have Trainers once, who just weren't around anymore? Or maybe there was another reason entirely?
"This street's hiding a lot of secrets I don't know about."
Curious as he was, he wasn't reckless enough to go poking around. For all he knew, he'd end up buried in concrete and dumped in the Alola Sea the next day…
Back inside the Smile Café, Gardevoir emerged from the kitchen with a plate of freshly steamed buns. Cyclizar was already digging in, its face full of satisfaction.
"Is it really that good?"
Hoshino, skeptical, picked one up and took a bite. The bun's skin was chewy, with a satisfying texture. The filling—some sort of juicy fruit chunks mixed with meat—was hearty enough that two buns filled him up.
After eating, a bold idea popped into his head. Without a shred of shame, he put on his most serious face and asked, "Hey, uh… can I come here every day to, uh… learn? Yeah, to learn."
Gardevoir gave him a puzzled look. "Garde?"
"It's asking what you want," Slowking translated, munching on a bun.
Hoshino flashed a confident smile. "To learn, of course! I'm really passionate about cooking. Don't underestimate the skills of a kid who's been living alone!"
"Garde~" Gardevoir replied softly.
"What'd it say?"
Hearing Hoshino call it "Garde-chan" nearly made Slowking fall off his chair. Regaining his balance, he translated, "It said no problem. Just make sure you're here by 6:30 a.m. And be careful on your way—don't be late."
"Thanks, Nai-chan!"
Hoshino hadn't expected it to be that easy. Looks like as long as he avoided the topic of age, Gardevoir's laid-back personality made it pretty agreeable.
Of course, his real goal was to freeload breakfast every day with Cyclizar. There's always leftover food, right? He could help "clean it up."
Though, he was genuinely interested in learning about local ingredients. That way, he could cook for himself at home in the future.
After breakfast, they bid farewell to Gardevoir. Slowking led them out of the drifter's district without much conversation.
As they passed an intersection, Hoshino noticed he didn't feel that eerie gaze from the day before. Just then, Slowking asked, "By the way, how'd you stroll into Kabukicho like it was no big deal?"
"We just… walked in. Why?"
"Well, the outskirts of Kabukicho are crawling with Meowth and Rattata. Any human trying to get in usually gets attacked."
"Oh… that explains a lot."
Hoshino now understood. But why had that ominous feeling disappeared yesterday? He wasn't sure. Maybe just dumb luck?
"Cyli?"
…
After wandering around for nearly three hours, Slowking finally led them up a narrow path to the slopes of Mahalo Mountain. They passed through a forest, and soon a small town came into view.
Hoshino, riding comfortably on Cyclizar, wasn't too tired. He'd been checking the map and realized they'd arrived at Lili Town, which confused him.
"Weren't we getting my ID sorted? Why are we here?"
"This is the only place where it can be done. Plus, I know an old friend here."
With that, Slowking led them toward a villa with a bright orange roof on the northwest side of town.
Just as they reached the entrance, the door swung open, and out stepped a squinty-eyed man dressed like a sumo referee.
"Hmm?"
Hoshino looked at the person in front of him and instantly recognized him as Hala, the Island Kahuna of Melemele Island. However, Slowking continued walking forward, waving and greeting, "Alola~"
"Alola~"
Hala responded with a smile, then said, "I knew it was you from afar. It's been a long time. Is there something you need this time?"
"Yeah, I have a little favor to ask."
Slowking pointed at Hoshino and continued, "Picked up a poor kid who's not even a Trainer. Help him get some identification, will you?"
"Oh?" Hala looked a bit surprised. Squinting his eyes, he sized up Hoshino and suddenly asked, "No identification? How old are you this year?"
"Uh… 15."
"15… So that means you've never attended a Pokémon School, right?"
"Huh?" Hoshino didn't understand why he was asking this and shook his head. "No."
After hearing the answer, Hala's expression suddenly turned serious as he shouted, "That won't do! You've already missed out on three precious years of education. You absolutely can't fall further behind. I'll sort out your identification right now and send you to school!"
"Huh? Wait, what the heck?"
…