Chapter 65
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Marill came running over with a kettle in her arms and several cups hooked over her tail.
She handed the kettle to Joy, climbed onto a stool, removed the cups from her tail, and placed them on the table.
Then she took the kettle back and poured water for Mike and Joy.
"Marill."
[I just boiled this water. Have a drink first.]
After pushing the cups toward them, Marill climbed down from the stool again.
Mike thanked her. When he saw that she was about to start cooking, he tried to stand and help, only for Marill to stop him.
"Marill."
[She told me it’s rude to make guests help.]
Mike had no choice but to remain seated, though Gengar, Snivy, and the others went over to assist her.
Marill hadn’t planned to let them help either, but Gengar declared that if she refused, he would go home and never come back.
Left with no other choice, Marill allowed them into the kitchen.
Watching Marill bustle around inside, Mike looked at Joy sitting across from him and quietly asked, "Joy, what’s going on here? The owner of this house..."
"Isn’t here anymore."
"I knew it..."
"What exactly are you imagining?"
Joy glared at Mike when she saw the sorrowful, knowing expression on his face.
"She moved to another region. She didn’t die!"
Mike finally understood.
"Oh, she moved away? I thought..."
"Not everything ends in tragedy."
Joy rolled her eyes at him.
"Then was Marill... abandoned?" Mike asked softly.
Joy shook her head.
"Honestly, I’m not sure."
"What do you mean?"
"If you say she was abandoned, the owner never sold the house. She also sent me money every month to keep the electricity and water running so Marill could continue living here."
"But if she wasn’t abandoned, the owner has already been gone for two years."
"Two years?!"
Mike was surprised.
"You’ve been paying the bills all this time?"
"Only since a few months ago. For some reason, the owner stopped sending money, and when I tried to contact her, I couldn’t reach her anymore."
Joy shook her head, then lowered her voice.
"Mike, do you think Marill might really have been...?"
"It’s hard to say."
Mike shook his head.
"Marill?"
[What would you like to eat?]
Mike looked down at Marill gazing up at him and smiled.
"Anything is fine. I’m looking forward to whatever you make."
Marill beamed at his answer and happily returned to the kitchen, where she continued cooking with Snivy’s help.
Only after she left did Mike speak quietly again.
"If she truly wanted to abandon Marill, she wouldn’t have sent money for over a year to keep the utilities running."
"Maybe something delayed her, or perhaps she ran into some kind of accident..."
After voicing his guess, Mike asked, "Joy, do you know why the owner moved away in the first place?"
"I remember her saying that a family member had fallen ill, so she needed to visit. She expected to return within ten days or two weeks, but she never did."
"When we spoke on the phone afterward, she mentioned that her grandfather’s condition was very serious. She wanted to stay and accompany him through the final stage of his life."
"After finding work there, she grew busier and busier. We spoke less often, until I completely lost contact with her a few months ago."
"Marill has lived alone in this house for the past two years. It wasn’t originally this run-down, but you know how quickly a house deteriorates when no one truly lives in it."
"While the owner was still sending money, I could hire people to repair things from time to time."
"But since we lost contact, my salary has only been enough to keep the water and electricity running so Marill can cook and entertain her friends."
"That’s how the house gradually ended up like this."
"She has other friends?" Mike asked in surprise.
"She may have learned her hospitality from the owner, though it’s also possible that living here alone became too lonely."
Joy took a sip of water and continued softly, "Most of her friends were stray Pokémon wandering the streets—Meowth, Houndour, and others like them."
"At first, I thought it was good for her to have company since I’m always busy and rarely have time to visit."
"But as you know, many stray Pokémon have difficult tempers, and Marill is far too trusting."
"One day, I came by and found a group of Meowth surrounding and bullying her right here in the yard. After I had Arcanine chase them away, she stopped making new friends."
"You’re the first group of friends she’s made since then."
Joy smiled.
"After I lost contact with the owner, I tried to bring Marill home with me so she could live with Arcanine."
"She refused. She insisted on staying here and protecting this house and her little vegetable garden."
"I haven’t told you about that garden yet, have I?"
"Marill and the owner cleared it together. The owner loved the vegetables Marill grew, and before leaving, she told Marill that she hoped she could eat them again when she came home."
"Since then, Marill has guarded the house and garden all year round. She grows crop after crop, and when she has more vegetables than she can eat, she gives them to the neighbors."
"Over time, the neighbors began sharing things with her in return."
"I don’t know whether to call her foolish or something else."
Joy sighed and drank from her cup.
Mike looked toward Marill cooking in the kitchen, then back at Joy before letting out a soft laugh and taking a sip of water.
Was Marill foolish for waiting here because of a single promise?
Perhaps.
But what about Joy, who paid the house’s water and electricity bills from her own salary and drove away the stray Pokémon that bullied Marill?
Mike reached a conclusion.
Pokémon were foolish, and humans were just as foolish.
"By the way, Joy, you said she watches over the garden all year. Then why was she outside Jubilife City when we met her?"
Mike remembered finding Marill beyond the city and asked curiously.
"That’s because she grows vegetables using seeds she finds in the forest. Whenever a crop finishes, she goes out to search for more seeds to plant."
"Couldn’t you just buy some seeds?"
Mike looked puzzled.
"Well... about that..."
Joy lowered her head awkwardly.
"The one time I bought seeds for her, I accidentally bought flower seeds instead of vegetable seeds. She hasn’t trusted me with it since."
Flower seeds instead of vegetable seeds?
That was certainly... impressive.
"Marill."
[Lunch is ready.]
Mike and Joy turned toward the voice.
Marill was carrying a bowl of noodles over to Mike.
"Noodles for lunch? Thank you, Marill."
Mike smiled, accepted the bowl, and placed it on the table.
"Marill."
[Noodles are delicious. She taught me how to make them.]
Marill climbed onto her stool.
"Then I won’t hold back."
Once Gengar and the others had their bowls, Mike picked up his chopsticks and began eating.
After one bite, he raised his head without expression and looked at Joy across the table.
She was looking at him too.
Mike shifted his gaze and found Marill watching him with anticipation.
He swallowed the noodles and smiled.
"They’re delicious. As expected of you, Marill."
"Though the flavor might be a little light. Maybe you could add more salt next time?"
Marill took a bite of her noodles, then looked up.
"Marill?"
[What is salt?]
Mike: "..."
"Never mind. I’ll teach you next time. Let’s eat first."
Marill nodded and lowered her head to continue eating.
The meal was simply dried noodles from the supermarket boiled in water with vegetables added to make a clear soup.
It didn’t taste very good because there was no salt, but since Marill had prepared it with such sincerity, Mike and the others still finished everything.
Even Gengar didn’t complain. He simply shoveled down mouthful after mouthful.
Then he looked at Mike and blinked.
’As long as I eat fast enough, I won’t notice that it has no flavor!’