"Waaah!!!"
Vulpix struggled fiercely in Hoshino's arms, finally bursting into tears, instinctively resisting being fed.
Its amber eyes, gradient from blue to white, shimmered with tears as it looked at Lillie, who was sitting opposite with her head down, constantly waving its tiny paws, wanting to go to her.
"This is too much trouble…"
Hoshino held the warm Moo Moo Milk, completely unsure how to feed it. It had been fine before, but then the little one suddenly hatched, and now it was like this.
Cyclizar curiously lay beside them, then extended a claw to gently poke, but suddenly a chill attacked it, striking it for super effective damage. Seeing this, Gengar burst into laughter, only to get a face full of it too.
"It's Ice Beam, it inherited a good move." Hoshino dodged Vulpix's instinctive attack, then looked up at Lillie and asked, "So, have you thought it through?"
"I'm sorry… I really…"
"If you don't take it in, then no one can manage this Vulpix. Officer Jenny asked me to look after the egg temporarily and said it needed to be returned for a decision, but now it won't bond with anyone but you. For a newborn Pokémon, it's too dangerous."
"I…"
"It's not even eating now. If this continues, it might not make it in a few hours."
"…"
Listening to Hoshino's devil-like whisper, Lillie reluctantly looked up, meeting Vulpix's gaze, just as she had done earlier.
Newborn Pokémon generally instinctively bond with the first person or Pokémon they see, and some even treat them as family. This is the case with Vulpix right now.
Lillie naturally understood this, but she remained hesitant. Under Hoshino's clearly deliberate "coercion," she finally revealed the reason.
"Actually… three years ago, when I first enrolled and became a Trainer, I also had a starter Pokémon. It was a very cute Shiny Clefairy."
"Oh? And then?"
"Then… because of my issues, I didn't know how to get along with it, and our relationship was terrible. In the end, I could only release it, letting it leave happily. It's because of these things that my classmates in class are especially considerate of me…"
Hearing Lillie's somber explanation, Hoshino suddenly understood why she had been so agitated at the door earlier; this was the reason.
Perhaps a few years ago, she had the opportunity to overcome her fear, but the result was not only failure but also an intensified fear of Pokémon.
"Then I understand."
"Huh?"
Lillie paused slightly at his words, then saw Hoshino suddenly pick up Vulpix and walk over, handing it to her, and said with a smile, "Let's start with this Vulpix and try to get closer to Pokémon."
"I'll talk to Officer Jenny. Since it's an Alolan Vulpix, there's no need to worry about any problems, and I'm sure she'll be very happy to find a Trainer it can be entrusted to."
"Vul~"
Watching Vulpix constantly wiggling its little paws, wanting to jump onto her, Lillie pursed her lips, then asked, "Can I really…?"
Hoshino responded with a smile, "Don't forget what our Yorozuya does: helping Pokémon with their troubles. This Vulpix needs your companionship now. Isn't this also a kind of request?"
Hearing this, Lillie closed her eyes to compose herself, then nodded with determined eyes, responding, "I understand!"
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Hoshino handed over both Vulpix and the Moo Moo Milk. Lillie took the milk, and Vulpix was placed on her lap, pressing down her skirt.
As long as there was no skin contact, she could tolerate it. Then she picked up the milk and tried to feed Vulpix. She knew how to feed it, but she had no experience and was clumsy.
When she saw Vulpix actually start drinking, a happy expression appeared on her face, as if a wonderful feeling welled up in her heart, though she didn't know how to describe it.
Hoshino didn't disturb them and took Gengar outside. The time waiting for the rice to cook was perfect for trying out a new talent.
"It's done. Give it a try."
"Gengar?"
Gengar clutched its head, feeling as if it had suddenly learned a strange new move.
"It's Shadow Sneak. Do you remember how to use spiritual power? Try to feel it."
"Gengar!"
Gengar nodded. It was also very curious about this power. Immediately, its eyes glowed red, and it pressed its hands together before spreading them apart.
At this moment, spiritual power, invisible to the naked eye, condensed into a short bow, seemingly made of dark energy. The entire bow had a special glow, looking very cool!
"Gengar?"
"Don't be surprised. Try pulling the bowstring first."
"Gengar!"
Gengar looked surprised and curious, then followed Hoshino's instructions, clumsily grasping the bow with one hand and pulling the string with the other.
And the moment the string was pulled, the surrounding spiritual power, which hadn't dispersed, automatically formed an arrow with the same special effect in the middle!
"Good heavens, that's a bit cool… Wait a moment, I'll call Cyclizar over to test it out."
Hoshino quickly returned inside. Cyclizar wasn't afraid of Shadow Sneak, and its sheer strength was sufficient, making it a great sparring partner for Gengar.
A moment later, Cyclizar was standing on the street downstairs. There were no other Pokémon around now, so the possibility of accidental injury was extremely low.
Gengar floated in mid-air, aimed its bow and arrow at Cyclizar below, and released its hand, but it didn't control its strength well, and the arrow shot into the sky.
Hoshino instinctively looked up, and then an arrow quickly slid down from above, finally sticking into his head, causing him to collapse on the spot.
"Gengar!!!"
…
After an unknown amount of time, Hoshino returned fully recovered, with a cross-shaped bandage on his head, and continued to teach Gengar how to shoot arrows.
This bow and arrow was indeed classified as an item, as guessed, and benefited from the effect of another talent.
However, Gengar wasn't good at using it, which was a major weakness, but Pokémon usually master such things very quickly.
"One mistake is fine, keep trying. Aim at Cyclizar and shoot the arrow."
"Gengar!"
Gengar nodded and continued to operate. All arrows were made from its spiritual power, which was equivalent to consuming stamina.
It recalled the combat posture of Decidueye it had seen before, then quickly and continuously pulled the bowstring, instantly unleashing a volley of arrows, all of which landed in the middle of the road, while Cyclizar didn't move a single step.
"Cycli?"
"Gengar?"
"Aim properly! I didn't tell you to go all out. Since we're practicing archery, start with a stationary target, then move to a moving target, progressively!"
"Gengar…"
Gengar held the bow and arrow, floating in mid-air, its expression a little wronged, but it instantly cheered up. The new power was almost… familiar enough. Now it was time to be serious!
It once again assumed the archery stance, its eyes locked onto Cyclizar below. Hoshino nodded, watching it compose itself for a long time. Just as it was about to shoot, the door of the Izakaya downstairs suddenly opened!
The sudden movement disrupted Gengar's thoughts. It panicked instantly, and its hand slipped again, shooting the arrow directly downwards.
Slowking walked out as usual, looked at Cyclizar standing alone and dazed on the street, and asked confusedly, "What are you doing now? I heard the commotion inside. Don't mess around…"
Before it could finish speaking, a whooshing sound came from above, and a pitch-black arrow shot straight down, for super effective damage…
…
Inside the Yorozuya living room, Vulpix had eaten its fill and was curled up, resting on Lillie's lap, like a fluffy white ball, very cute.
Looking at Vulpix, she reached out, wanting to touch the fluffy, curly fur on its head, but each time she extended her hand, she immediately pulled it back.
After a long internal struggle, she patted her own face and said with a serious expression, "Pull yourself together, come on, Lillie, you can do this. Pokémon aren't scary, they are all very well-behaved and kind creatures, there's nothing to be afraid of!"
After some self-motivation, she finally made a decision and was about to actively stroke Vulpix's head, but suddenly a loud bang broke the peace.
She was startled and before she could react, she saw Hoshino, with his back against the door, flying backward down the hallway into the living room, while Ceruledge followed closely behind, pinning him against the wall directly with its sword.
Then, Slowking, with a bandage on its tail, also walked in. It clasped its hands behind its back and slowly said, "That's not how you ambush. Going all out head-on is the best ambush technique. I'll have Ceruledge demonstrate it for you now."
Watching this scene, Lillie's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, then she immediately pulled it back and covered her eyes, refusing to watch what was about to happen.
"Pokémon are so scary…"
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