"You—what are you doing?!"
Hoshino was completely dumbfounded.
Why was this rich young lady standing here in the cold instead of going home?
Did she get too stressed about not having Pokémon and decide to jump into the sea?
Regardless of the reason, there was no way he was going to ignore this.
Saving her came first—everything else could be sorted out by the police later.
Even though they weren't particularly close, they were still classmates.
Hopping off Cyclizar, he ran over immediately.
But as he got closer, he realized something was off.
Lillie was holding something—
A dirty, half-frozen female Tandemaus in her arms.
And she herself… was frozen stiff in fear.
Hoshino stared for a moment, then suddenly shouted in excitement—
"Why do you have the mouse?!"
…
Half an hour earlier…
Since winter break had started, Lillie's usual routine was simple—if Mizuki and the others didn't invite her out, she would spend her days at the Malie Library on Ula'ula Island.
She had a good relationship with the librarian, Acerola, even though she was younger than her but still called her "big sis." Lillie had long since gotten used to it.
Tonight had been just like any other day.
Once the library closed, she took the ferry back to Hau'oli City.
The Exeggutor Express would still be running until 8 PM, so she could take it from the port district to the outskirts.
"…Hoo…"
Standing at the bus stop, the cold wind stung her cheeks, turning them slightly red.
Rubbing her hands together, she tried to warm herself up.
She hadn't expected the temperature to drop so suddenly, and her dress wasn't enough to keep her warm.
Luckily, the bus arrived quickly.
Once she boarded, she felt much better as the warmth settled in.
Now, all she had to do was wait until it reached the outskirts.
There were only a few passengers on board.
It was well past rush hour, and most of the people here were tourists heading home after spending their day in the city.
Lillie sat by the window, placing her white sunhat on her lap and resting her hands on it.
She gazed outside at the snowflakes drifting down over the ocean, and in the distance…
The bright lights of Aether Paradise.
At the next stop, a mother and child boarded the bus.
The little kid was hugging a Meowth, and they sat right behind her.
"Meowth, I bought your favorite fish can! Can I cuddle you while we sleep tonight~?"
"Meow~"
"Lower your voice—keep quiet on the bus."
"Mom, I want Meowth to sleep with me tonight."
"Alright, alright, don't bother people."
"..."
Listening to the small chatter behind her, Lillie's gaze darkened slightly.
Then, she snapped back to reality.
She looked away from the snowy scenery outside—
And got off at the next stop.
After putting on her hat, she gently lifted her golden hair, watching the bus drive away.
Now, with the wind biting at her again, she stepped onto a nearby bridge to take a quiet walk and clear her thoughts.
"…Sigh…"
She was one of the only two people who failed the final practical exam.
It made her feel completely useless.
Even though she spent all her time in the library studying, when it actually mattered, none of that knowledge helped her.
Professor Kukui had suggested she give up on being a Trainer and instead pursue Pokémon research.
But what good would that do if she couldn't even touch Pokémon?
She knew that everyone around her was being considerate, but…
The longer this went on, the worse she felt.
It was like she was letting them all down.
"…Sigh…"
Lillie sighed again.
There were no cars or Pokémon riders on the road beside her—
For a moment, she felt like she was completely alone in this snowy scenery.
But…
She wasn't alone.
"Eeeng…"
A sudden cry shattered the silence.
Lillie snapped her head to the side, toward the bridge railing—
A dirty female Tandemaus was hanging off the edge, desperately clawing at the frozen metal to keep from falling.
"A Tandemaus…? But why is there only one?"
She recognized the Pokémon immediately.
But the poor thing was almost frozen stiff—
It had no strength left and was on the verge of falling into the icy waters below.
The ocean was ten meters below.
If it fell, it would be over.
Lillie's panic skyrocketed.
Frantically, she looked around for help and shouted,
"What do I do?! Someone, help—!"
But there was no one.
Even Pikipeks wouldn't come out in this weather.
No one was around.
Gripping her dress, she crouched down, her expression growing even more frantic as she stared at the struggling Pokémon.
Her mind was in turmoil.
But at the very last moment—
Just as the Tandemaus lost its grip—
She overcame her fear.
And grabbed it.
However—
Her body instinctively froze up, stiff as a statue.
She had saved it, but now…
She couldn't move.
Even when she heard someone yelling in the distance—
She couldn't respond.
…
"That was the longest backstory ever."
Hoshino held the Tandemaus in his arms and stared at Lillie, who was fidgeting with the hem of her dress, her face red with embarrassment as she explained the situation.
"I… I couldn't help it…"
"Next time, keep it short."
"…Okay…"
Lillie bit her lip and nodded.
She never expected Hoshino to be the one who found her—
Getting caught by a classmate made it so much worse.
After a brief silence, she suddenly remembered something important and quickly said,
"That Tandemaus hasn't eaten in days! We need to take it to a Pokémon Center, or—!"
Before she could finish, Hoshino interrupted,
"Too much trouble. I don't feel like waiting for hours. I'll take her home, give her a warm bath, and slowly get her back in shape."
Finding the missing Tandemaus was a huge surprise.
He needed to get back and tell the other one.
But Lillie immediately blocked his path, her eyebrows furrowing.
"You don't even know its condition! We need to go to the Pokémon Center now!"
"No, you don't know how good our healing methods are. Just go home, young lady—it's dangerous for a girl to be out alone at night."
Hoshino waved her off casually.
Kabukicho was full of Pokémon—many of the foods there were specially made for Pokémon recovery.
But Lillie didn't know that.
She only relied on what she learned from books.
Hearing his response, she puffed up angrily.
"Why are you like this?!"
"Want to take care of it yourself?"
"I… I…"
"See? You can't even touch Pokémon properly. You need me. If you don't trust me, just come with me."
Hoshino said it on purpose, fully expecting her to back down.
After all, he was riding Cyclizar—even though he could carry passengers, there was no way she had the guts for it.
But—
"I'm coming with you!" Lillie suddenly declared.
"…Huh?"
Hoshino was stunned.
She wanted to go… to Kabukicho?
That lawless zone full of Pokémon?
…Interesting.
"Alright, let's go."
He smirked.
If she was this stubborn, then he might as well tease her a little.
Hoshino had never seen another human step foot in Kabukicho before.\
This was going to be fun.
----
The boy focused on the road ahead, while the girl behind him admired the snowy scenery. They moved quietly, as if strolling through a romantic snowy night...
After some time, cyclizar came to a halt under Hoshino's guidance. Lillie snapped out of her reverie and looked ahead, then froze.
Before her was a street illuminated by dazzling neon lights, vibrant and lively, with Pokémon from all directions gathering and streaming into it.
She was momentarily dazed, her expression finally showing unease as she stammered, "Wh-what is this place?"
"Alola~ Welcome to Kabukicho~ Now that you're here, you might as well come in."
"N-no! I want to go back!"