Ignoring the Meowth chasing him from behind, Hoshino, riding his Cyclizar, made it back just as most of the stores in Kabukicho were closing.
Slowking, carrying the movable sign from the storefront and preparing to go inside, saw him appear with a less-than-ideal expression and calmly looked at him, saying, "Didn't I tell you not to meddle?"
"…"
Seeing that Hoshino did not respond, Slowking continued, "You want to help the troubled Pokémon on this street. While I don't know your purpose, perhaps they don't need your help at all."
"This plan was wrong from the start, purely a waste of effort. Whether you're here or not, it won't affect the operation of this street at all. Everything will remain the same."
"Is that so…"
Hoshino finally spoke, then dismounted his Cyclizar, took off his goggles, looked at Slowking, and then took out a branch he carried with him.
"This branch is…"
"It was dropped by a Pokémon that naively believed it was going to be taken into a team by its trusted Trainer to travel, but in reality, it was going to be treated as merchandise and traded with others."
Hoshino smiled as he briefly narrated, then muttered to himself with a look of relief, "My luck is really good; I actually picked it up. It seems quite important to that Pokémon. If I heard correctly, it's its mother's keepsake? Can I use it to extort some money?"
As he spoke, he waved the branch in his hand and walked towards the stairs. Cyclizar's gaze followed the moving branch, constantly waving its hands to try and catch it, but it just couldn't.
Hearing this, Slowking's expression did not change at all. Instead, it turned around, glanced at Ceruledge, who was wiping tables inside the store, and then continued to carry the movable sign, preparing to go back into the store.
At this moment, it suddenly cursed in a calm tone, "Since you picked it up, return it to them, you brat! Don't just learn bad things all day!"
Hoshino did not respond, only twirled the branch like a pen once, then put it away.
He understood Slowking's words; returning the branch meant letting him go ahead and do it. This was different from the advice it had given him before, showing that it was not a very stubborn Slowking.
But Braixen didn't need help, so he naturally wouldn't help it again. Moreover, Trainers exchanging Pokémon with others is a very normal thing and not illegal.
But he wasn't going to help; he was going to use this branch to extort some money! A branch for a good rub of Braixen's big fluffy tail isn't too much, right? As for whether any accidents will happen during the process? That's unclear.
"A big fluffy tail…"
"Cycli?"
…
Back home, Hoshino took a hot shower and changed his clothes.
Yesterday, when Hala went to help him with the enrollment procedures, he also brought two sets of school uniforms, the kind with a jacket and an inner shirt, which he could make do with.
Afterward, he and Cyclizar went out again, heading to Smile Restaurant, first to get a free breakfast from Gardevoir, and then to prepare for other things.
Because they arrived relatively early today, there were still some Pokémon in the restaurant, but only Gardevoir was working in the kitchen. Whoever ordered, it would use Psychic to send the finished dish over, which was one of the benefits of fewer customers.
Hoshino was there to learn, so he didn't need to interact with other Pokémon; he just needed to stay in the kitchen and watch Gardevoir control the kitchen knives flying around with Psychic.
It chopped all the berries and some unknown animal meat, put them into a bowl in one smooth motion, and then began the next step, truly making him dizzy.
"Nai-chan! I want to learn this!"
But he couldn't learn it. However, learning to recognize the ingredients was no problem.
Hoshino was also a versatile talent. In his previous life, he often quit jobs and ran away, having worked in almost every legitimate industry, and even had some contact with illegitimate ones.
So, in just a few days, he had almost adapted to the living environment here, and opening an Yorozuya was very suitable for someone like him.
Gardevoir was also very responsible. Although there hadn't been any substantial communication with Hoshino due to language issues.
But it would use Psychic to draw marks in the air to write and teach him what these ingredients were and how to make this dish.
Soon, it was time for Smile Restaurant to close. Hoshino said goodbye to Gardevoir and left with Cyclizar, who had finished breakfast.
He recorded everything he learned today on his phone, but he didn't gain Gardevoir's friendship, which was a bit strange. He guessed it might be because his affection level wasn't high enough yet.
"But it doesn't matter. It's only the first day. It's like pursuing a girl; you can't rush, even though I've never had a girlfriend…"
"Cycli?"
"…Let's go! Next, we're going to stake out Big Wave Beach!"
Hoshino hadn't forgotten his mission. He then followed the map, riding Cyclizar towards the beach. As expected, he was chased by the Meowth again when he came out. These guys were really persistent, but teasing them like this was quite fun.
Big Wave Beach is located northwest of Hau'oli City, completely outside the urban area, but it is a lively tourist attraction where you can enjoy Mantine Surf. There are also some shops clustered along the beach, catering to tourists.
After leaving the urban area, Hoshino finally dared to speed up, following the coastal road all the way to Big Wave Beach.
Since it was morning, the temperature hadn't risen yet. The sea breeze blew in, giving a very refreshing and comfortable feeling, and he could also enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Alola Region.
However, there were still some other Trainers on the road, especially when they saw Cyclizar, they were very surprised.
After all, this is a very rare Pokémon in Alola, not to mention that with this riding gear, it looked like a violent motorcycle driven by a biker gang member.
And Hoshino's school uniform jacket, constantly blown by the wind, and his black goggles, practically screamed "delinquent," the kind who would greet you with "Yoroshiku" instead of "Alola"!
"Hmm?"
Hoshino suddenly noticed that the Trainers who were originally on the same road were now keeping a certain safe distance from him, as if they were afraid of something.
He observed his surroundings and himself but found nothing unusual, so he didn't pay any more attention.
…
Soon, he arrived at Big Wave Beach. Since it was still early, he saw a notice board there advertising temporary lifeguard jobs for the weekend, with daily pay.
So, relying on his experience, he successfully interviewed and then strolled along the beach with Cyclizar.
Actually, it was just looking after the children playing there, to prevent them from drowning or being attacked by wild Pokémon on the beach, which was relatively easy.
Time quickly passed. At noon, Cyclizar caught fish for lunch. Hoshino didn't eat but kept waiting for his target to appear. In the meantime, he also taught a lesson to a few brats who were pulling the shovels off the heads of wild Sandygast.
Around five in the afternoon, his day's work ended. His daily wage was 300 Poké Dollar, the price of a Potion, which was not bad.
"My first pot of gold…"
Hoshino looked at the paper money in his hand. It seemed that before the Yorozuya opened, he would have to rely on part-time jobs to make a living. However, with Cyclizar, delivering food or packages would be no problem.
As a tourist attraction, Big Wave Beach also has a night market. There is a small town not far above the beach, so it was still quite lively, but nowhere near as bustling as Kabukicho.
With his freshly earned wages, he didn't hesitate to take Cyclizar to grab a meal. He casually picked a restaurant by the side and began to wait.
While eating, he suddenly noticed that there were several police officers in this night market, patrolling with Yungoos and greeting some people around them.
"Why are there so many police? I hope they don't catch me later… Hmm? Have they finally arrived?!"
Hoshino put down his chopsticks, his gaze falling on a man with a Toxicroak who appeared not far away, and then the corners of his mouth curved slightly…
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