"Drinking is a no-no!" the girl said, her large, adorable eyes blinking. "If the floor manager sees me, he'll dock my pay. But fruit juice is fine." As she spoke, she picked up a glass of orange juice from her tray and clinked it against Hisoka's wine glass.
The girl sneaked a quick bite of a pastry, then hurriedly wiped her hands and said, "By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Meiqi, and I'm sixteen."
"Hisoka, fifteen."
"So you're still a minor!" Meiqi said, a look of sudden realization dawning on her face. She lowered her voice and whispered, "Minors aren't allowed to drink in public places..."
"If you don't say anything, who's going to know?" Hisoka replied with a smile.
"That's true!" Meiqi nodded. "You're quite tall and you look mature. You seem more like an eighteen-year-old."
"Daddy, Mommy, look! The Pokémon next to that big brother is so pretty, just as pretty as me..." While Hisoka and Meiqi were chatting happily, a high-pitched, childish voice rang out from nearby.
Looking up, they saw a little blonde girl in a white princess dress and twin tails, pointing at Lulu with eyes full of wonder.
"Now, Baobao, it's very impolite to point at someone else's Pokémon like that," a woman with golden curls and a luxurious red dress said as she picked up the excited little girl. "Remember, you are a lady."
"I know," the little girl replied, her head drooping in disappointment after the scolding.
"But it really is a kind of Pokémon I've never seen before..." the mature man in the black suit beside them remarked. "Baobao is just excited, dear. Don't be too hard on her. Thinking back, I was far more excited than Baobao is now when I encountered Pokémon I didn't recognize as a child."
"Mhm! Mm!" Seeing her father support her, the little blonde girl nodded happily again.
"You two really are..." The woman shook her head with a wry smile.
...
"What a cute little girl," Meiqi said, watching the family of three walk away with envy in her eyes.
"Let me introduce her to you," Hisoka said, leading Lulu over by her small hand. "Her name is Lulu, and she's part of my family. She's a Psychic-type Pokémon from the Hoenn Region. People there prefer to call her species Kirlia."
"And this one is Weavile, also part of my family."
"Family?" Meiqi seemed a bit dazed for a moment, but she recovered quickly. With a pleasant smile, she crouched down and held out her hands. "Lulu, Weavile, hello! It's great to meet you. My name is Meiqi."
"Weav..."
Weavile crossed his arms and took a step back, turning his head away with an arrogant air. Except for his master, Hisoka, Weavile didn't like interacting with anyone.
Lulu, on the other hand, calmly reached out her small hand and tapped the palm of Meiqi's hand. "Meiqi, hello!"
"Hello!" Meiqi responded habitually, but she immediately froze. Her eyes widened as she gasped, "You... can you talk?"
Lulu didn't acknowledge the question. Instead, she returned to Hisoka's side. She didn't actually enjoy interacting with strangers either; her previous gesture was merely a lady's courtesy.
"That's Telepathy. Only a small portion of Psychic-type Pokémon can learn it," Hisoka explained, answering her doubt.
"That seems so powerful!" Meiqi exclaimed, her understanding only partial.
"Meiqi! Where did you go, you brat? We're busy enough to jump out of our skins, and you're off on a date with a handsome guy? If the manager sees you, he'll dock your pay again!"
A series of playful, shouting voices erupted from the walkie-talkie at Meiqi's waist.
Meiqi's face flushed red. She grabbed the walkie-talkie and whispered urgently, "Coming, I'm coming! You annoying lot are teasing me again. I'm done being sisters with you..."
Meiqi looked around awkwardly. Seeing that no one was paying attention, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry, I have to go back to work now!"
"Go ahead. I was planning to walk around anyway and see what this world-class luxury liner is all about."
"Don't worry, the S.S. Anne definitely won't disappoint you..." Meiqi straightened her hair and her bow tie, picked up her tray, and walked away with a graceful sway.
"Wow, that really gives me goosebumps!" A familiar, wretched voice surfaced once more. The gaunt, monkey-faced man had appeared next to Hisoka again at some point.
"You're just a little bit more handsome than me, kid. How long has it been, and you've already hooked another one? And such a high-quality waitress, too. From the gap between her legs, I can tell she's definitely a first-timer. Work a little harder, kid; you can't miss a chance to take the prize like this."
Hisoka almost laughed at the man's crude bluster. The guy's voice was loud, causing the surrounding tourists to look overespecially the female tourists, who were all staring at the two of them with looks of disdain.
"Idiot."
Muttering a low curse, Hisoka felt ashamed to be associated with such a person and quickly walked toward the exit.
"Hey, kid, don't leave! We're all men here, discussing this kind of thing is perfectly normal!" The wretched man tried to follow, but he suddenly felt his body become incredibly heavy. No matter how much strength he put into his legs, he couldn't take a single step forward.
Lulu, walking ahead, had a blue light flashing in her eyes. With a light wave of her small hand, a heavy thud sounded behind them as the wretched man fell flat on his backside.
"Interesting. A Kirlia from the Hoenn Region," the wretched man said, watching Hisoka's disappearing figure with a strange smile. Since he had just fallen, it was likely that Kirlia's doing.
"As for the other Pokémon, it must be the evolved form of Sneasel, Weavile. Those are only occasionally found in the Sinnoh Region. This kid is not simple at all!"
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