Where Life Crosses Paths

After parting ways with Kris, Yuga and his companions continued on their way to their destination.

Prior to arriving in Lilycove City, Yuga had already arranged accommodations. They were staying at a seaside resort hotel located in the coastal area of Lilycove City.

Being summer vacation, the weather was scorching hot, and it was also the peak tourist season for the seaside resort area. When Yuga and his group reached the beach, it was teeming with tourists.

After walking for a while, with sweat pouring down, Yuga looked at the sign that read "Seaside Haven" and said to Suzuki Koen and Windy, "We're here, this is it, let's go in!"

As Yuga was about to lead Suzuki Koen and Windy inside, he saw a blond guy named Robert. He was wearing a floral shirt on top and a pair of oversized shorts with flip-flops on his feet, walking out of the hotel.

"Yuga?"

Upon seeing Robert, Yuga, of course, saw him too.

"Big brother Robert!"

Seeing her idol, Luna, who was behind Yuga, rushed over trying to hug Robert, but Yuga was quick to react and held her back.

Yuga really didn't want to witness his cousin acting like a fangirl in public, it would be too embarrassing.

After restraining Luna, Yuga looked at Robert, and eventually couldn't hold back a chuckle, which led to Robert's puzzled question, "What are you laughing at?"

Pointing at Robert's outfit, still grinning, Yuga said, "I just find your attire a bit unusual."

Robert, baffled, looked down at his attire. Not seeing anything amiss, he was even more confused. "What's wrong with my clothes? They're perfectly fine. Look around, everyone here is dressed like this. See over there, and there, aren't they dressed similarly?" He gestured towards several men not far from him who were dressed somewhat similarly.

With a pat on his chest, suppressing his amusement, Yuga said, "It's not a problem if others dress like this, but somehow it doesn't suit you. Haven't people mentioned that to you?"

Robert's combination of a refined demeanor with the down-to-earth floral shirt did indeed look quite comical.

Robert finally realized, "No wonder my cousin burst into laughter the moment she saw me!"

"What a coincidence to run into you here! Are you here for a vacation too?" After containing his laughter, Yuga asked.

Hearing Yuga's words, Robert shook his head and explained, "Not exactly for vacation. I just caught a Water-type Pokémon recently and brought it here for some special training." He pointed to the hotel behind him and continued, "Yep, my aunt and uncle own this hotel, so it's convenient to stay here."

"I see."

Yuga nodded.

"By the way, based on what you said earlier, are you here for sightseeing?"

"Yes, these two are employees from our Day Care. This is Suzuki Koen, and she has her son Dian with her. As for this chubby fellow, his name is Windy." Yuga pulled Windy, who was behind him, over, then pointed at Suzuki Koen who was holding Dian, introducing them to Robert.

"As for Luna and Rand, I won't introduce them since you already know."

Luna didn't seem too pleased with how casually her cousin was handling her introduction in front of her idol, and her little mouth pouted high.

"Alright, let's not stand in front of the door. Let me take you guys inside." After everyone got acquainted, Robert led Yuga's group into Seaside Haven.

Once inside, after learning that Yuga's group were friends of Robert's, the innkeeper, who was also Robert's aunt, warmly welcomed them and offered them hospitality.

After completing the check-in process, the innkeeper shouted inside the hotel, "Kris, what are you doing? Come out and show the guests to their rooms. You can't always make your cousin do everything!"

Kris? Could it be just as he thought?

"Coming, coming!"

Following the innkeeper's call, a familiar voice emerged from inside, and soon Yuga's group saw the source of the voice.

"Brother Shimizu, why are you here?"

Exactly as Yuga had suspected, the person who appeared was indeed Kris. Not only was Yuga surprised by Kris's presence, but Kris was also equally taken aback by seeing Yuga in her house.

This was truly a case of life's unexpected encounters. Not only had they run into Robert here, but now it turned out Kris was none other than the cousin Robert had been laughing about earlier.

"Do you guys know each other?" Both Robert and the innkeeper asked in unison.

Yuga gave Robert's shoulder a friendly pat and explained, "You've forgotten, we both participated in the Pokémon Battle Tournament in Verdanturf Town."

Only now did Robert remember that his cousin had participated in that competition too. However, Kris had been eliminated quite early, so he had nearly forgotten about her involvement.

It turned out that Kris's grandparents weren't in good health and were currently staying at a sanatorium in Verdanturf Town. Kris had gone there to accompany them, and participating in the tournament was just a side thing.

After being eliminated by Yuga, Kris had been staying at the sanatorium with her grandparents. That's why Yuga hadn't encountered her whenever he visited the Pokémon Center to see Robert.

Yuga: "But we officially got to know each other on the plane here."

Kris: "Yeah, that's right. Like I told you, Brother Shimizu, he took care of my Spheal on the plane!"

With the details of Yuga and Kris's acquaintance clarified, everyone couldn't help but marvel at how small the world was.

Who could have imagined that Robert and Kris, friends of Yuga's, were actually cousins? Not to mention, the inn that Yuga had booked happened to be owned by Kris's family. On top of that, Yuga and Kris had coincidentally become acquainted on the plane.

Led by Kris, Yuga's group was shown to their respective rooms.

Yuga and Windy shared one room, Suzuki Koen stayed with Luna, and Rand shared a room with Audino and Linoone.

After settling their belongings and stepping out of their rooms, they spotted Robert again. He had changed out of the down-to-earth floral shirt and was now sporting a white T-shirt and shorts.

Seeing this, Kris playfully remarked, "Cousin, you finally took off that floral shirt. You can't imagine how surprised I was when I saw you earlier. I couldn't believe my eyes."

Ignoring Kris's teasing, Robert addressed Yuga's group, "Since you guys are new here and not familiar with the place, I'll show you around."

Before Yuga could say anything, Luna excitedly chimed in, "Sure, sure, as long as—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Yuga quickly covered her mouth to prevent her from blurting out anything embarrassing.

"Sure, thank you for your help," Yuga said apologetically.