Pokémon: Helping Pokémon Pays Off [25]

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"What a genius! You spent all your hard-earned money on claw machines and now you're here begging for free meals?"

"Money's meant to be spent! So, boss slow, do you want a plushie? I'll sell you a substitute plush for 100 bucks—who knows, it might even turn you into a Stand user!"

"Are you trying to pay rent with this?"

"Braixen~"

Braixen happily took one, so Hoshino handed it over without hesitation. After secretly ruffling her big tail, he continued eating.

That evening, when he got home, he was once again chased by a gang of Meowth, but he managed to escape safely. It looked like he'd have to outsmart those guys every day from now on.

After dinner, he and Cyclizar went upstairs, found a spot to display all the plushies, and then went to bed early.

The next morning, the Smile Restaurant finally opened. After such a long time, Hoshino was thrilled to see Nai‑chan again—finally, he could put his learning talents to good use.

Even though they hadn't met for days, Nai‑chan somehow knew about his recent hospitalization and had even sent a mid-air message asking how his recovery was going.

"I'm fine—completely stable!"

After the restaurant closed, Hoshino rode Cyclizar to school, taking extra care when leaving the Wanderers' District.

Still, he couldn't avoid running into those troublemakers again—but he managed to escape safely.

Today he was in proper clothes. When he arrived in class, some people didn't recognize him at first; however, the goggles hanging around his neck immediately revealed his identity, and they no longer greeted him warmly.

Hoshino ignored them and returned to his seat, lying down to catch up on sleep. When he couldn't sleep, he'd just glance around. This routine had become his everyday rhythm.

He spent his days sleeping in class, working part-time with Cyclizar in the commercial district after school, and playing cat-and-mouse with the Meowth gang on his way to and from school.

The only change? Even the teachers gave up on him. At first, they'd call his name during battle drills, but soon acted like he didn't exist. The students followed suit…

Time flew, and before he knew it, it was already the end of November. Unbeknownst to him, Hoshino had now been in this world for over a month.

On a weekend, he headed downtown to work as usual. Boss Dai was now hounding him to repay his meal debts by the end of the week.

"After today, it should be plenty—even if I pay two months' rent in advance."

He wasn't worried about the debt. His mind was on saving up for his dream "yorozuya hoshi-chan." Raising Pokémon seemed expensive, but Cyclizar needed no training—one less burden.

Although raising Pokémon might be expensive, his Cyclizar didn't really need training—otherwise, everything would be delayed even further…

Weekends were busy, especially at places like the claw machine arcade in the shopping plaza, which was always bustling.

During such times, Hoshino had to stay on guard to prevent little rascals from causing trouble. These kids would sneak their hands into the machine's exit to steal prizes, and some even tried using screwdrivers to force them open.

Over the past half month, he'd caught several of them, but most were under ten—and the things they stole were cheap enough that the boss would only give them a verbal scolding before letting them go…

Around noon, after finishing lunch with Cyclizar nearby, he noticed a group of kids gathered around a claw machine, arguing over something.

"What are you up to now? Don't steal anything!"

Hoshino stepped forward and saw that the kids were trying to grab a batch of newly arrived plushies. With Halloween coming, the machine was stuffed with Ghost‑type Pokémon plushies like Mimikyu and Sandygast .

"I've spent a hundred coins and still can't get this one! It must be rigged!"

The kid who'd been operating the machine angrily slapped it, mocked by his friends, he stormed toward Hoshino.

"Hey! Your claw machine is rigged—I'm going to report you!"

"Skill issue. Practice more."

"Skill issue?! I've cleared every machine here!"

"Then don't play."

Hoshino wasn't one to coddle these kids. Even though they seemed luckier than him, a bit of intimidation was in order. The boy snarled, "If it's not rigged, grab that pink Gengar plush yourself!"

"Pink Gengar? Shinies aren't even that color… Another limited edition?, huh?"

Limited edition plushies were the gimmick to draw players in. There had been past collaborations with Rowlet and a Substitute plush of Cyclizar—exclusive pulls everyone aimed for.

Since the kid had issued a challenge, Hoshino decided to demonstrate, hoping to quiet them down and end the commotion.

They said the plushie was on the top layer—a spot that should be easy enough to grab. Even a rookie shouldn't miss it.

Hoshi eyed the plushie—a 30cm pink Gengar in a pale blue dress, yellow bow on its ear, hugging its belly with a mischievous grin.

"Wow, it's really cute…"

He felt a moment of temptation—who doesn't like adorable things? But since he was there to prove the machine's fairness, he set aside his personal desire.

After inserting two coins and relying on his top-notch technique, Hoshino locked onto the Gengar plush and swiftly lowered the claw in one smooth motion!

"See? I told you—I'm just bad at this…"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Gengar plush inexplicably slipped free from the claw. His confident smile vanished in an instant—it turned out that he was the one failing!

"Hahaha, I told you something was wrong!"

"This can't be. I'm supposed to be unbeatable at claw machines—maybe I just overdid it after eating!"

Frowning, Hoshino couldn't believe his misfortune. He'd checked this machine before; its payout rate was normal. How could it yield an empty grab?

Determined, he swapped in a few more coins and tried again to snatch the Gengar plush—only to experience the same baffling result. Once more, it slipped away inexplicably.

Seeing this, the kid mocked, "Heh, give it up—it's obvious you're being cheated by a rigged machine!"

"Yeah, refund us!"

As the other kids joined in the jeers, Hoshino calmly replied, "It's been a while since I last played, so my touch is off. Next time... next time, I'll definitely get it!"

"Gengar~"

Meanwhile, not far from the claw machine arcade, four girls in casual clothes strolled side by side through the shopping plaza.

If Hoshino had paid a bit more attention, he'd have noticed they were all his classmates…

Mallow, sporting low twin ponytails and the tallest among them, stood aside and asked with a smile, "Class rep, what are you planning to buy today? I heard it might snow here next month—are you getting winter clothes to go see the snow?"

Beside her, Selene, cradling a Rowlet, shook her head in resignation and replied, "If you want to see snow, you can go to Ula'ula Island. I'm here to pick up some potion ingredients—and maybe a few pieces of lingerie…"

"Lingerie? Weren't you shopping for that last time too?"

"I've grown again recently… puberty is such a hassle—having to change them every few months."

Hearing this, the petite Lana tilted her head with an expression of resigned exasperation and said, "I just don't grow at all…"

Next to her, wearing a dress and a very conspicuous white hat, Lillie glanced down and then whispered, "I haven't really grown either."

"At least that's better than me…"

Noticing the suddenly awkward atmosphere, Mallow wrapped an arm around Selene's shoulder and, in a sly tone, whispered, "Class rep, be honest—how's it going with Sun?"

"Eh?"

"Stop playing dumb—aren't you two dating?"

At that, Selene's cheeks flushed instantly, and she replied irritably, "Since when did I start dating him? Don't spread rumors!"

"Eh~ stop pretending, just tell us already!"

As Lana and Mallow teased Selene together, Lillie was about to intervene when her gaze was suddenly drawn to a group of noisy kids not far away.

She saw that many people were continuously gathering over there to watch the commotion. Among them was a very conspicuous Cyclizar carrying several little brats…