In the end, Ryuuske just couldn't resist Lilac's insistence—or rather, he simply went with the flow and agreed to go home with the little loli.
Lilac's home was located on the outskirts of Viridian City, not in the city center. The house resembled a detached home from another timeline's Japan, rather than the typical apartment buildings within the city. Ryuuske had long since given up on trying to make sense of the styles in this world—everything was divided by cities, and each city had its own distinct flavor.
Most buildings were skyscraper-style, but occasionally, you'd spot architecture that resembled ancient Chinese, Japanese, or even European palaces. In short, it was a giant hodgepodge—just like the people's names. Some had names similar to those from the East in another world, while others had very Western, foreign-sounding names.
Following Lilac to her house, Ryuuske found it to be a two-story home, very clean and tidy inside—clearly, the little girl cleaned often. Judging from the style and size of the home and the appliances and furniture inside, her family was probably middle class. They weren't rich, but definitely not poor either.
In this world, there were social classes, but truly impoverished people were rare. Thanks to the existence of Pokémon and abundant natural resources, humans didn't need to fight over them. As long as you weren't incredibly lazy, you could get a job that at least met your basic needs.
As soon as he arrived, Ryuuske shamelessly asked to take a bath. After over a month surviving in the wild—even though he'd brought some basic cleaning tools—nothing beat a proper hot soak in a real bathroom.
Sitting in the bathtub, soaking comfortably in hot water, he thoroughly cleaned himself. When Ryuuske finally walked out wrapped in a towel, he noticed a small bamboo basket near the bathroom door containing neatly folded pajamas and a note on top—
"Big brother, I took your clothes to wash. These are my dad's clothes—they might be a bit big, but please wear them for now~"
At the end of the note was a little chibi doodle of Lilac smiling with a cute red star next to her. It was only then that Ryuuske noticed the washing machine nearby humming along.
Clothes weren't a big concern while surviving in the wild, so he hadn't packed many, but Ryuuske had brought plenty of underwear. He pulled out a fresh pair from his high-tech waist pack and changed into Lilac's dad's pajamas. Looking at himself, he blinked a few times, unsure of what to say.
"Big brother, are you done bathing? Wait for me in the living room, okay? I'll be done cooking soon."
Peeking out from the kitchen, a small head waved at him with a smile. Ryuuske walked over and saw Lilac standing on a chair, cooking skillfully—though she seemed a bit flustered trying to prepare fish, probably still learning.
He wanted to help, but wearing pajamas meant he'd probably just get them dirty, so he held back.
"Am I being taken care of by a little loli?"
Ryuuske's mind was full of question marks.
She was adorably charming—no doubt she'd grow into a stunning beauty. Add to that her domestic skills and nurturing nature, and Ryuuske really wanted to shout: "Mom, I want to marry her!
(T/N: Lil bro you need some serious help)
Though she was only eight or nine, calling her a wife sounded extremely wrong—but Ryuuske couldn't help thinking: It's because she's a loli—that makes her a true treasure of humankind!
When Ryuuske walked into the living room, he saw Gible sitting dazedly on the floor. As soon as it saw him, it happily jumped up and bounced over, plopping beside him on the couch, pressing its big head tightly against him.
"Finally back to the human world. These next couple of days, I'll rest up—then I'll take you to check out a human city, Mewtwo."
"Looking forward to it."
Chatting casually with Mewtwo in his mind, Ryuuske pulled up his Pokédex. It had all the functions of a smartphone. His stay at Professor Oak's lab had given him a decent grasp of this world's basic info and technology—it was clearly more advanced than the world he came from.
Thinking about how Gible's food was almost gone, he opened an app that was basically this world's version of "Walmart." Not only did it have every kind of human product, but it also had a massive selection of Pokémon-related goods. He searched for the same brand of food he'd seen Gible eating at Professor Oak's lab, and when he saw the prices, his eyes widened—
Expensive. Very expensive.
Maybe because there weren't many Dragon-type trainers, the food suited for Dragon-types cost at least twice as much as regular Pokémon food. Based on Gible's appetite, a week's worth of food would cost over 10,000 yuan. Since he'd been living at the lab before, Ryuuske hadn't grasped how expensive everything was. He quickly searched for other items to compare prices and came to a conclusion:
This world's currency and cost of living were about the same as Japan in his original world. That 100,000 yuan he got from Professor Oak seemed like a lot—but it was really only the equivalent of a regular office worker's half-month salary. A night in an average hotel might cost 10,000 yuan, and even the cheapest meal could run around 1,000 yuan.
That's when Ryuuske realized—this money's not going to last long at all...
He frowned, realizing he needed to solve his financial problem—at least for the short term. He didn't have Shigeru's arrogant pride, but he still couldn't bring himself to keep mooching off Professor Oak. The old man had already done so much—he couldn't keep asking for more.
"But what can a fifteen-year-old boy do to make money?"
Ryuuske fell deep into thought.
Getting a part-time job? Never happening. Not in this lifetime.
The moment the word "part-time" crossed his mind, he immediately rejected it. He felt like he still didn't know enough about this world. As a Pokémon trainer—a profession with special status in this society—he shouldn't have to worry about money.
"Should I get Mewtwo to rob a bank?"
It actually seemed like a pretty viable idea. Might even be a one-and-done solution. Even if he didn't rob a bank, redistributing wealth from the rich would be easy enough for Mewtwo—with its psychic powers, taking control of a wealthy CEO would be a piece of cake.
"As expected, all the fastest ways to get rich are written in the Criminal Code. Just flip through the Criminal Code and you'll find everything."
Ryuuske let out a sigh. He was seriously tempted by the idea of crime—maybe he should give it a try someday!
Just as he was deep in thought about money matters, Lilac came out from the kitchen, carrying a tray of steaming, fragrant dishes into the living room.
To be continued…