Pokémon: Helping Pokémon Pays Off [34]

Hoshino glanced downward and was surprised to find not just one, but an entire pile of them!

They came in all sorts of colors. He had no idea which four unlucky trainers had been beaten up and robbed for these.

Normally, Sparkling Stones were gifts from the guardian deities to trainers they acknowledged—a crucial material for crafting Z-Rings.

But then, Hoshino suddenly realized something: he had been in this world for nearly two months now, and he had never once heard of Z-Moves.

He never paid much attention to things like this—he was always busy. He had no interest in watching tournaments or gossip news online…

So, he immediately pulled out his Rotom Phone and searched for information. The results came in quickly—there were absolutely no records of Z-Moves anywhere online!

Mega Evolution, Dynamaxing, even Terastallization were all mentioned—but Z-Moves? Nothing.

There were, however, some traces of Z-Crystals. Apparently, they could be found along the shores of Alola or knocked out of rocks. But these crystals were treated as pretty gemstones and sold as decorations—no one called them Z-Crystals.

"Could it be because a bunch of Sparkling Stones were stolen, and no one knows how to make Z-Rings anymore? The guardian deities don't teach them? Did they get beaten stupid?"

That was the only explanation Hoshino could think of. But wasn't this a great opportunity? If he could recreate Z-Moves and develop a whole new system, wouldn't he be famous and rich? Of course, that was just wishful thinking for now…

"So, how do you make a Z-Ring?"

Just as Hoshino was pondering this, he suddenly felt something approaching from behind. He froze, then slowly turned around—locking eyes with Bewear, who was holding several jars of Sweet Honey.

"…"

"I was just… curious… just looking…"

"…"

Bewear didn't give him a chance to explain. Without hesitation, she grabbed a jar of Sweet Honey and poured it straight into his mouth. Cyclizar didn't escape either—this was their after-meal dessert.

"…"

Hoshino collapsed onto the ground, completely drained. He felt like he never wanted to eat anything sweet ever again. Why force-feed them? Were they afraid he couldn't feed himself?

After finishing the force-feeding, Bewear finally seemed to have completed her task. She extended her paw and gently patted Gengar's head, as if saying goodbye.

"Gengar?"

"Bear~"

It was rare for Bewear to make such a gentle sound. Gengar stared blankly, not quite understanding, but she still responded with a call of her own.

Hoshino pushed himself up from the ground with a groan, looking at the Sparkling Stone in his hand. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Can I… take this?"

"…"

Hearing this, Bewear suddenly turned her head sharply, her aura intense. Her expression was unreadable as she stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Then, she turned back around.

She didn't say anything, but Hoshino felt like that was a yes… You could never tell what this bear was thinking—his instincts were completely useless against her.

And why didn't he just take it without asking? Because if she trusted him enough to entrust him with finding her child, then he couldn't betray that trust by stealing from her!

Since it seemed like they were free to go now, Hoshino got up and said, "Alright, we'll be heading out now. If I find your child, I'll let you know right away, so don't give up. Also… it's not dinnertime yet, but thanks for the hospitality."

"Cycli…"

"Gengar~"

"Bear!"

"Huh? Wait—"

Seeing Bewear suddenly spread her arms wide, Hoshino had a terrible premonition. And in the next second, they were all scooped up and thrown high into the sky—again!

"WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?!"

After what felt like forever, Hoshino finally rode Cyclizar back to Kabukichō. They had been flung to who-knows-where and had to run all the way back. Thankfully, they were fine—just nearly scared to death.

"Cycli…"

Cyclizar collapsed in front of the izakaya, too exhausted to move. Hoshino had to drag him inside to get some food and drinks to recover.

Gengar, on the other hand, wasn't tired at all. She had already figured out how to float properly and was having fun flying around, though she never strayed far from Hoshino.

As soon as they entered, Braixen came over to help, while Slowking stood behind the bar, looking at them. "Where the hell did you guys run off to this time? Octillery went to pick up the shipment and didn't see you. Your payment's here, though."

"No wonder I didn't see the boat when I went over."

Hoshino sat at the counter, ordered some food and drinks, then asked, "So, where's my payment?"

"Right here."

Slowking casually tossed a red envelope over. Hoshino opened it and counted the money inside—then frowned. "Huh? Why is half of it missing?"

"I took my cut."

"You're charging a commission fee?!"

"You broke my door yesterday."

"How is a single door this expensive?!"

"It's a set. If one door is broken, the other has to be replaced too."

"…"

Hoshino was speechless yet again. But that wasn't important right now—he needed information.

"That Bewear looking for her lost child—"

Hearing his question, Slowking surprisingly fell silent for a moment. Then, he asked, "You mean the one from Mahalo Mountain Forest?"

"Yeah, looks like you know about her. Tell me about her situation. I saw her one-shot Tapu Koko with a single punch—she's insanely strong."

Slowking blinked, then suddenly spoke in a serious tone, "How the hell did you get involved with her? Don't drag me into your bloodbath."

"Huh? What?"

"That's the 'Bear God' you're talking about. The most terrifying creature in Alola. As for Tapu Koko… it probably spent the night partying in Kabukichō, got drunk, and picked a fight—then got wrecked. Happens all the time."

"???"

Hoshino was stunned. Tapu Koko was supposed to be one of the guardian deities here, right? Why did it sound like it had no dignity at all? What the hell was going on?

He voiced his confusion, but Slowking just laughed like he had heard a joke. "Kabukichō's Four rulers aren't like those guardian deities. The Bear God isn't from here, but her strength qualifies her as the unofficial fifth member—one of the Five Special Combat Powers!"

"Where the hell did this setting come from?! Do they have Bankai too?!"

"This has always been a thing. As for Bankai? No idea. What I do know is that ever since the birth of Alola, they've been the strongest—The Miracle Generation, The Golden—"

"Wait! Wait! Stop right there!"

Hoshino hurriedly stopped him, his mind filled with question marks. All his previous assumptions had been completely wrong!

He had thought the Four rulers were the guardian deities, but from what Slowking was saying, the rulers were all on the same level as Bewear?! The guardian deities were just guests in Kabukichō?!

"Hold on, this isn't right…"

Hoshino couldn't wrap his head around it. A single Bewear could one-shot a Legendary Pokémon, and there were four others like her here? Did they secretly have four Mewtwos hidden somewhere? But where would that many Mewtwos even come from?

"Boss Slow, these Four rulers…"

Before he could finish, Slowking suddenly smacked the counter, cutting him off. With a serious expression, he said, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't. Those aren't opponents you can afford to mess with. I've told you before—Kabukichō hides many terrifying things. Be careful, or they'll see right through you."

"See right through… me?"

Hoshino muttered the words to himself. The moment he did, the atmosphere around him seemed to grow eerily silent. He couldn't hear anything anymore. It hit him then—he knew far too little about this place.

Behind the bar, Slowking simply stared off into the distance, tail swaying gently.

"Slow~"

Once Cyclizar had recovered enough, Hoshino took him and Gengar upstairs. He had gathered way too much information today—his brain was fried.

Slowking had warned him to stay out of Bewear's business, saying that she was completely irrational. She was absurdly strong and could do anything—making her incredibly dangerous.

And her child had been missing for years with no leads. At this point, the chances of finding them were slim.

But Hoshino wasn't the type to give up. Since he had earned Bewear's trust and accepted the request, he would see it through to the end—even if he had no idea where to start.

"This is only the first day of my yorozuya agency… but at least I already have a case!"

Hoshino quickly regained his energy and, as he opened the door to his apartment, declared, "Let's work hard and make sure our name echoes through all of Kabukichō!"

"Cycli!"

"Gengar!"

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