Galar Region.
Hulbury.
"Unbelievable—" Hayashi stretched his aching back as he stepped off the ship and grumbled, "I can't believe we had to take a boat here. Seriously?"
Originally, Hayashi and the others had planned to fly to the Galar Region, but they were informed that Galar currently had no air routes connecting to other regions, forcing them to take the sea route instead.
Thanks, I hate it.
The worst part was that Galar was quite far from Hoenn, so Hayashi and the others had been drifting on the ocean for a full week before finally arriving in Hulbury. It was downright exhausting.
Sabrina, however, didn't seem too bothered. She asked, "More importantly, when are we going to catch Rookidee and Hatterene?"
Aren't you being a little too eager?
Hayashi rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "At least let's rest for a day! I can't wait to sleep on a bed that doesn't rock."
Hisako nodded in agreement. "We really should rest properly. The young lady's skin has gotten worse! This is unacceptable—"
Upon hearing this, Erina couldn't help but touch her smooth, flawless cheeks and muttered, "Has my skin really gotten worse?"
Hayashi clicked his tongue. "Erina's skin is worse? No way! We need to rest ASAP! Get Miltank to prepare a milk bath for her! Let her soak until she's soft and supple!"
Sabrina deadpanned, "Using Miltank's milk for a milk bath? Even for luxury, this is too much. What a waste."
Hayashi blinked. "Why would you think it's a waste?"
"?"
Now it was Sabrina's turn to be confused. She countered, "How is it not a waste? You're just going to drain the water after the bath, aren't you?"
Hayashi feigned shock. "Who said anything about draining it? This is Erina's precious bathwater—something countless people would kill to have! I'm going to collect it and drink a bottle every day!"
"Ew—" Sabrina couldn't hold back anymore. She shuddered and rubbed her arms. "Are you some kind of pervert?"
Erina also couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed Hayashi's ear and hissed through gritted teeth, "My dear boyfriend, what kind of nonsense are you spouting now!?"
Hayashi looked at her innocently. "But in certain circles, a beautiful girl's bathwater is considered a reward—"
Right, Sora-kun, who thinks even the water a girl spits out is a reward?
"What kind of circles have such a weird reward system?!" Erina clutched her head. "Is my boyfriend a pervert? No, please, anything but that—"
Seeing Erina on the verge of tears, Hayashi coughed awkwardly. "I was joking! I'm not that much of a pervert!"
"Really?"
"Yes!!!"
Erina visibly relaxed, while Hisako, standing to the side, actually looked disappointed—leaving Sabrina utterly baffled but deeply disturbed.
'This team is seriously messed up—' Sabrina's pupils trembled in shock.
After calming down Erina, Hayashi placed his hands on his hips and said, "Alright! Let's head to the Pokémon Center for a break first! Then we'll prepare to search for Rookidee and Hatterene!"
"Okay—" x3
...
...
Pokémon Center, backyard.
"A Pokémon suitable for household chores?" Hayashi, who was playing with Sylveon and Growlithe, looked up at Hisako, who had posed the question. "Why are you suddenly asking this?"
Hisako rubbed her wrist helplessly and said, "After all, my role is the team's support staff, but with just me alone, I feel like the workload will become overwhelming in the future—"
Even though Hayashi's team currently only has three members (not counting Sabrina), as their journey progresses, the team's numbers are bound to increase. By then, could Hisako really handle the logistics for everyone alone?
Not just in the future—even now, the workload isn't small. For instance, preparing ingredients daily is already a significant task, especially since everyone's dietary preferences differ.
Even restaurants hire a couple of kitchen assistants to handle prep work, right? You can't expect the head chef to both cook and chop—that'd be way too busy!
Obviously, that's not feasible. She isn't some perfectly effortless secretary, just a devoted supporter of Erina.
"Hmm, that is a problem…" Hayashi stroked his chin.
While the issue Hisako raised could be solved by adding more support staff, why blindly increase the team's numbers when Pokémon could handle the task?
"Household chores, meaning good at taking care of people, right?" Hayashi pondered and said, "This brings us to Nurse Joy's partner Pokémon!"
Sabrina asked, "Chansey?"
Hayashi nodded and added, "Chansey and Blissey are just one type. Other regions have Audino and Wigglytuff filling similar roles, while in Alola, it's Florges. In Galar, as you just saw, it's a Pokémon called Indeedee."
"Florges?"
Hisako widened her eyes and looked at her wrist, where the Florges hanging there blinked back at her innocently.
"She can take care of people? How come I didn't know that?"
Mainly because Florges was so tiny—Hisako couldn't even imagine the little thing struggling to wield a kitchen knife to chop vegetables. It felt a bit too surreal.
Hayashi said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "No, no! By 'taking care of people,' I mean they're good at healing and tending to the sick! Did you forget Florges is a healer?"
"Ohh—" Hisako nodded in realization.
Sabrina added, "However, aside from Florges, the other Pokémon you mentioned could also handle support work—"
At this point, it seemed Florges was the least capable?
Thinking this, everyone's gaze couldn't help but drift to the Florges on Hisako's wrist.
"Eep—"
Florges made a QAQ face, looking pitifully at Hisako. Waaah, Master, they're saying I'm useless!
"Don't look at Florges like that—" Hisako quickly shielded the Florges on her wrist with her hand. "Her role is a healer! Being able to heal is enough! It's the other Pokémon who aren't doing their jobs properly!"
"Yah—"
Exactly! It's them slacking off! Hmph, they're all just overworking themselves! How awful!
Florges couldn't help but recall her time at the Alolan breeding facility, where one of her dormmates had once said, I'm practicing a special technique of using Vine Whip to play cat's cradle—it'll definitely catch Nurse Joy's eye and make her pick me out from the crowd!
Ugh, were they already grinding from birth?
Thank goodness I found my master!
Florges—in peak condition.
As Hisako comforted Florges, Sabrina spoke up from the side. "Hisako, if you're looking for a new companion, I'd suggest Indeedee—"
"Huh?"
Hisako looked up and checked Indeedee's profile. "A Psychic and Normal-type Pokémon—"
"Right!" Sabrina nodded, blinking. "Psychic-types are extremely helpful in daily life!"
Hayashi chimed in beside her. "Sabrina's not wrong about that! For example, using psychic powers to move heavy objects, clean stubborn stains, or even dust—it's all super convenient!"
Erina also added, "Hisako, Professor Oak's Pokédex even describes Indeedee as a 'butler.' It really does seem like a great choice."
Tempting!
No doubt about it—Hisako was tempted!
She lowered her head, opened the Pokédex entry for Indeedee, and carefully read through it a few times before looking up with determination. "Young Master Hayashi, this is the one! Indeedee is perfect for me!"
Whether in role or ability, it was practically the ideal embodiment of a support Pokémon—a match made in heaven for someone like Hisako, who saw herself as a support specialist!
"Great!" Hayashi nodded with a smile. "Luckily, Indeedee is also from the Galar region, so we don't have to make another trip. That's a relief."
If they ran into another situation like with Tropius, Hayashi would be scratching his head bald from frustration! After all, the Galar region was already hard enough to get into—trying for a repeat performance…
Tch. What a hassle.
...
...
After enjoying a delicious lunch, everyone lazed around the room to relax—Sabrina hugged her laptop while catching up on anime, Hisako busied herself grooming Pinocchio, Klahh, and Growlithe, while Hayashi and Erina played It Takes Two together.
"Ghehehe—"
Gengar, who hadn't made an appearance in a while, emerged from the shadows looking exhausted. Wiping cold sweat from his forehead, he grabbed a Tropius-brand banana from the table and started munching.
"Hey, Gengar, you're out—" Hayashi, sensing the chill, turned to look at Gengar. "I thought you were still grinding in your game."
Actually, the main reason was that Hayashi had introduced Gengar to a game called "Civilization 6." Once Gengar got into it, he became completely addicted, constantly thinking, "Just one more turn, just one more turn." Before he knew it, the whole night would pass.
Damn it! Luckily, Gengar is a Ghost-type Pokémon, or he would've already burned himself out from grinding!
"Gee-hee!"
Gengar waved his hands with a pained expression, looking utterly miserable.
Wahhh, you have no idea how rough I've had it lately!
"Hmm?"
Hayashi controlled his character to step on a switch and casually asked, "Did you accidentally delete your save file? Or did wonders ruin your nation?"
"Gee… gee-hee…"
Gengar's expression froze, and then he collapsed into an "orz" position, tears welling up in his eyes as he let out a heart-wrenching wail.
Sniff sniff, my, my, my save file… wahhh…
Hayashi: Wow, so you really did delete your save file? That's just tragic.
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