Ron said this as he walked inside. After exchanging a few words with Magearna, he specially approved a batch of ores that weren't needed, letting the Geodude take them to celebrate the birthday party with the Dwarves.
"You're a good person." The Dwarf said, guiltily rubbing his hands together.
The Geodude followed behind the Dwarves, carrying a pile of ores.
"Geodude, Geodude." (Magearna said we were being used.)
The Geodude looked at the Dwarves: "Geodude?"
"Can't understand. What'd it say?" one Dwarf asked.
"No idea." The Dwarf said, generously patting the Geodude. "Let's bring out all our hoarded ores! And Cave Carrots! Milk! A big feast!"
"Geodude, Geodude?"
Meanwhile, Sailor, who had rapidly won everyone's hearts with a pile of gifts, was currently sitting at the table studying the strange box it had just received.
Because Ron had declared that its war trophies belonged entirely to it, Ron didn't know about this matter. Otherwise, at a single glance, he would have recognized it as a Mystery Box.
Tapping the box with its paw, Sailor studied it with a confused expression.
The box's shell was incredibly hard. It looked like a box, but was as solid as stone.
However, based on the smell, Sailor was certain there was something good inside.
Maybe it was a Magic Rock Candy.
Thinking of this, Sailor continued studying it with a grave expression.
Conventional methods probably wouldn't open it——but if there really was a popsicle inside, it couldn't exactly have a Geodude smash it open like a rock.
After pondering for a while, Sailor decided to take the box and ask Willy for his opinion.
Carrying the box to the beach, before Sailor could even get close, it spotted Clint sitting next to Willy.
"Don't be too upset——" Willy tried to comfort Clint somewhat awkwardly. "Look on the bright side. There's bound to be a girl who'll like you."
"Will there?" Clint took a sip of his drink, staring at the beach with a drunken expression. "Who?"
"Uh——"
This question instantly silenced Willy. He racked his brain, trying to find someone approachable among the girls in Pelican Town.
At least someone who wouldn't reject Clint too bluntly.
After thinking for ages, Willy's mouth opened and closed repeatedly.
Penny? No, for that young woman, life had just gotten a bit better; it would be too pitiful if she got tangled up with Clint——Leah, uh, no good either. Then Maru——
Silence sometimes meant another answer. Clint grew even more dejected: "It's not fair——if my father wasn't a blacksmith, if my father, or my grandfather, was a farmer——"
"Then you'd inherit a run-down farm." Willy couldn't help but interject. "You can't just look at the one enviable thing someone has and forget that they also got to where they are through hard work, can you?"
"——" Clint let out a long sigh.
He knew that, of course. Even Ron's miserable state when he first arrived in Pelican Town had, for a time, been Clint's talking point at the saloon.
He also knew that his current state of mind was utterly shameful.
"How about starting with——uh, changing your image?" Willy's gaze roamed over Clint before he finally said, "Maybe a new look would help?"
As a perennial bachelor, Willy had no experience with romance himself. But as Clint's only drinking buddy, he was the only one who could offer advice right now. So Willy racked his brain and came up with one possibly useful idea.
"——Change my image?" Clint stared at his reflection in the water, examining himself from different angles. "In what way?"
"Lose some weight?" Willy thought for a moment and couldn't help but ask. "Why is it that you do physical labor all the time——but——"
"If I don't eat a lot, how am I supposed to swing a hammer?" Clint muttered in dissatisfaction. "You don't see any scrawny blacksmiths."
Just then, Sailor came running up to the two of them, excitedly carrying its Mystery Box.
"Rattata, Rattata, Rattata——"
It patted its Mystery Box.
"Ah, this." Willy stared at the Mystery Box. "Your prize? What about it?"
Sailor tried its hardest, patting and tapping the Mystery Box with its paws, attempting to make Willy understand what it wanted to express.
"You want to open this thing?" Clint chimed in.
"Rattata!"
Sailor immediately gave Clint a thumbs up.
"A Blacksmith can do that. I've opened these before." Clint said. "But it's 10g per box."
"Rattata!" Sailor happily agreed.
With Sailor's interruption, Clint couldn't very well continue complaining to Willy. So he stood up, thanked Willy, and got up to take Sailor to the Blacksmith to open the box.
Willy, breathing a sigh of relief, slowly cast his hook into the sea.
"Love is truly terrifying." Willy said.
"Krabby?" Krabby waved its pincers in agreement.
Willy turned his head and spotted Penny, who had come to the beach for a stroll to clear her mind.
Seeing Penny reminded him of what everyone was saying about Penny secretly being in love with Ron.
Mentioning secret crushes, he then recalled the rumor he'd heard at the saloon about Sailor.
Apparently, Indeedee had a crush on Sailor and tried to confess, but was rejected——
"Never would've guessed, that kid." Willy took another glance at Sailor's retreating back.
It seemed quite a few people were troubled by love lately.
Willy thought, with an expression of not understanding but respecting, and cast his hook into the sea.
Meowth, as always, arrived at the saloon for dinner carrying the latest gossip.
This was its recent form of entertainment.
As for why the topic of conversation was Indeedee and Sailor——don't ask. Meowth felt that everyone deserved their own karma, Pokémon included.
"Any latest developments today?" As soon as it walked in, Emily asked with a gossipy expression.
"Of course, meow!"
Meowth plopped down on a chair. "Which chapter do you want to hear, meow?"
"Hmm——let's go with Sailor's side." Emily pushed a soft drink over to Meowth, then asked the question everyone was curious about.
"Sailor, huh——" Meowth tapped its paw on the table.
"Isn't this enough? This is already being deducted from my wages." Emily said with some dissatisfaction.
"Today is Sailor's first day back from the Trout Derby——" Meowth narrowed its eyes. "Don't you want to know, after two days of contemplation, how Sailor ultimately decided to face this forbidden love?"
"Why is it a forbidden love?" Emily asked.
"Did you learn that from the TV drama you watched yesterday?" Robin asked from not far away.
"Hehe, it sounds more mysterious, meow. It has a kind of——" Meowth searched desperately for the right words: "blood-pumping feeling."
"Alright." Gus came out from the back kitchen. "Here's your Fruit Salad, plus a serving of Spaghetti."
Meowth's gaze bounced between the two plates of food, then it cleared its throat.
"Today——the very first thing Sailor did upon returning to the farm——" Meowth said mysteriously: "was bring a gift for Ribbon, meow!"
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