The luxurious mansion, which clearly had a New Year's atmosphere, was eerily quiet, with no one in sight, not even a single Pokémon.
All the lights in the courtyard shone on the mansion, but compared to the incredibly lively four large islands of Alola in the distance, it seemed particularly eerie.
Suddenly, a rustling sound broke the silence, and Gladion, still the same as ever, moved, standing in the courtyard with Zoroark, looking at the only unlit room on the second floor.
"..."
He didn't approach, but instead frowned, clenching his fist tightly, and then prepared to leave.
But just then, a tall woman in an elegant golden gown suddenly appeared.
Her appearance was somewhat similar to both Lillie and Gladion; her beautiful Green eyes held a hint of playfulness as she looked ahead, and the sea breeze from the distance rustled her golden hair, which was tied into a ponytail.
Gladion looked at her with a solemn expression, and mused, "Lusamine…"
The woman he called Lusamine, hearing her name called directly, smiled sweetly and replied, "Oh my, you've grown so much after not seeing you for a few years. Did you specifically come back for the New Year to visit your mother?"
"..."
Seeing that he didn't respond, the smile on Lusamine's face seemed to become even more dangerous as she continued, "This sentiment is very good, but staying up late is not good for your health, you know. Look how obedient Lillie is; she went to rest early."
Hearing this, Gladion finally responded in a deep voice, "Even after all these years, you haven't changed at all. Are you still hurting her by protecting her in a way that disregards her feelings as a child?!"
"Hurting?"
Lusamine chuckled softly, then continued, "For children, obeying their parents is the shortcut to happiness. Good, obedient children get rewards, while disobedient, bad children only get punishment."
"The explosion at the island laboratory a few months ago, that was your doing, wasn't it? One of the three Type: Null that were still in experimentation was stolen… And I don't remember ever teaching a bad child who steals things. Have you finally gone bad after staying out for so long?"
Changing the subject, Lusamine suddenly showed a twisted smile, as if she were a yandere, and continued, "This won't do. As a qualified mother, it is my duty to guide my children onto the right path. Since you've returned, then stay. Stay by my side until you become my good child!"
Seeing that the situation suddenly turned awry, Gladion didn't hesitate, immediately having Zoroark launch an attack to cover his escape, but at that moment, a slender figure suddenly dropped from above, blocking his path.
"This is?!"
He was stunned for a moment, as if he had seen something incredibly absurd, but it was just that momentary lapse of focus. The other party extended a foot, as if wearing high heels, and delivered a direct roundhouse kick to his face.
…
The battle outside did not affect the interior of the mansion, especially the only unlit room on the second floor, where there was no movement.
In the dim environment of the room, with the faint light filtering through the curtains from outside, numerous Pokémon dolls could vaguely be seen, whether on the floor, on the table, or on the bed.
And at this moment, Lillie, dressed in pajamas, was sitting on the bed, hugging a Shiny Clefairy Poké Doll. She wasn't asleep, just spacing out.
She didn't want to stay at home, but going home for New Year's reunion was her mother's command, even if only she and her mother were eating the New Year's Eve dinner.
After spacing out for a long time, she finally prepared to rest. As long as she got through tonight, she could return to Melemele Island, and then go to the Yorozuya.
But just then, her phone suddenly rang, which startled her, because all her classmates and friends knew that she rested earlier during the New Year, and all the New Year's greetings had already been sent.
"Who could it be…"
Lillie took out her phone, and to her surprise, Hoshino had sent her a 50-Poké Dollar red packet, just enough for a Crazy Thursday meal. For a young lady like her, this was incredibly meager.
"???"
She was a bit confused and directly sent three question marks back, and Hoshino immediately replied.
"The boss gives red packets to employees, just a token of appreciation, everyone gets a share. You're also a part of the Yorozuya, so you definitely can't be left out. But if you want more, go wash up and sleep. My wallet has been emptied today."
Seeing this reply, Lillie couldn't help but finally show a slight smile on her face, and then accepted the red packet. But to her surprise, Hoshino then sent a video call. She hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the location of the room door, and finally answered.
But what surprised her was that it wasn't Hoshino who appeared on the screen, but Vulpix!
"Vul~"
Then Hoshino's voice came through: "The little one is feeling down, so I had to let her see you. But it's so dark on your side, didn't you turn on the lights?"
Lillie, still in surprise and excitement, immediately came back to her senses when she heard the voice, and then replied, "Um… the light is broken."
"If you can't lie, then don't. Since you don't want to say, I won't ask."
"..."
"You two can chat through the screen. I'm still eating here. This is the New Year's Eve dinner I made. It's a pity you, a young lady, can't eat it."
"That's truly enviable…"
Lillie responded softly. Seeing that Hoshino seemed to be truly gone, she began chatting with Vulpix, even though she couldn't understand what it was saying at all.
However, she was very happy. It was the first time she had felt this way during the New Year, so much so that she was too engrossed to even hear the explosions outside the mansion.
And unknowingly, the bells that echoed across every island suddenly began to chime, ushering in the new year, and the entire Alola Region erupted in celebration at this moment.
Hoshino, with Cyclizar and the others, stood at the door, gazing at the dazzling fireworks above Hau'oli City.
On the artificial island, Lillie, for the first time, was a 'bad child' staying up late, standing by the window, gazing at Melemele Island in the distance, enjoying the fireworks display.
A new day had finally begun.
…
That afternoon, Lillie didn't even go to Burnet's house, but first contacted Hoshino to meet Vulpix at the Yorozuya, even though she still didn't dare to touch it.
On the third day of the New Year, Tandemaus finally left. With the help of Jenny, they boarded a ship returning to the Paldea Region. Once they arrived, a ranger would help send them home.
Hoshino, with Gengar and Cyclizar, went to the port area to see them off. Although they had only spent half a month together, a friendship had already formed.
Lillie was late due to something, but still barely made it. Both of them hoped that Tandemaus would safely return to their companions and live a peaceful life.
On the seventh day of the New Year, Kabukicho completely returned to normal. Some familiar faces, like Machoke and others often seen, also appeared.
Within a week, the Yorozuya completed three more Pokémon requests. Although they were all about handling daily chores, it was a good start.
Regarding the Yorozuya website, after Lillie took over to help with its promotion, she discovered various issues with the website that Hoshino had created for this business.
So she voluntarily offered to help organize the website. Although she wasn't very skilled in this area, she at least knew more than Hoshino.
Therefore, for a short period, the operation of the website could only be put aside for now. However, this was mainly for earning extra income, so as long as it looked presentable and was functional, it was fine.
But with only five days left until school started, something that Hoshino had almost forgotten—the first prize he won in the lottery event hosted by Iono on the TV show, which was precious ingredients obtained from the Titan Pokémon—suddenly reminded him that it was being shipped.
…
Also on the same day, far away from the Alola Region, in the Paldea Region located south of the Kalos Region, the port of Levincia City, its largest city in the east, was loading supplies for other regions.
As for why air transport wasn't chosen, the main reason was that cross-region transport was too expensive. If a trip wasn't cost-effective, it would be too much of a loss, so sea transport was better.
At this moment, the staff were counting the supplies, then shouted, "All the physical prizes from the TV lottery events in the three months before the end of the year are here. Confirmed correct, you can have Pawmot start moving them up!"
"Received!"
The others immediately began directing the Pokémon to move the goods, but just then, a small green figure seemed to flash by suddenly.
The staff immediately came over to check but found nothing. Just as they were about to check further, they were called away by others, and then a group of Pawmot came over and began helping to move the supplies onto the ship.
No one knew that a hole had already been opened at the bottom of one of the boxes, and a figure had successfully snuck inside.
It was a bit disheveled, but its face still wore a smile, revealing a pair of tiny sharp teeth, and drool was flowing from its mouth, as if it hadn't eaten for days. This time, it had been lured by the scent.
Then, without hesitation, it tore open the packaging, revealing the huge claw belonging to the Titan Pokémon Klawf underneath, which had fallen off due to battle or excessive force. This was top-grade ingredient from a Titan Pokémon!
"Meow~ (Ecstatic)"
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