Chapter 3
The next morning, Mike yawned as he pushed open his bedroom door—and found himself staring straight into an enormous face.
Tiny nostrils, two long, slender antennae, a small horn on its forehead, an orange body with a cream-colored belly, and a pair of undersized wings on its back.
The Dragonite lowered its head and stared at him, nostrils twitching.
Mike quietly closed the door.
’What?’
’Am I still asleep?’
’Why is there a giant fatty standing inside the house?’
’Did I open the door wrong?’
He tried again.
The Dragonite was still there.
So Mike closed the door once more.
Open. Close.
Open. Close.
Eventually, Dragonite lost its patience and reached out with one thick paw, stopping the door before Mike could shut it again.
"Rrr?"
’Got a problem with me?’
Mike forced a smile. "Um... good morning, Fat—Dragonite."
Dragonite stared at him for several seconds, an odd glint passing through its eyes.
Then it released the door, huffed two warm breaths into Mike’s face, and turned away.
Curious about where it had come from, Mike followed it toward the entry hall.
Grandma was sitting beside the table, sorting through something. When she saw Mike arrive with Dragonite, she smiled.
"You’re awake?"
"Good morning, Grandma."
"Breakfast is on the table. Go eat before it gets cold."
"Okay."
Mike quickly finished breakfast and returned to the entry hall, where Dragonite was sitting beside Grandma as though the two of them had been chatting for years.
He sat down on her other side and asked, "Grandma, is this...?"
"Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" Grandma introduced the Pokémon with a fond smile.
"This Dragonite was the Pokémon who first brought your grandfather and me together. It had a promise to fulfill for someone else, but now that it’s finished, it has come back to look after me."
She chuckled. "Now you don’t have to worry about Grandma living here alone, do you?"
With a Dragonite watching over her, Mike had to admit she could hardly be in safer hands.
"That’s good."
He nodded, then turned to Dragonite and held out his hand with a friendly smile.
"Nice to meet you, Dragonite. My name’s Mike!"
Dragonite stared at his outstretched hand, slapped it away with its paw, and turned its head aside.
Mike fell silent.
’Did I do something to annoy it?’
That did not make sense!
Dragonite were usually known for their gentle temperaments. It was not as though every Dragonite had Iris’s perpetually foul-tempered personality.
Most were closer to Ash’s Dragonite—kindhearted and famous for rescuing people lost at sea, though perhaps not quite as openly affectionate as his.
"Have you finished packing?" Grandma asked.
Mike nodded. "I did it yesterday. I didn’t have much to bring anyway."
Grandma picked up the item she had been working on and handed it to him.
"Try this on. I sewed it from memory, so let’s see whether it fits."
Mike looked down at the belt in her hands.
A fiery red stone had been set into the center, with four circular slots on the left and three on the right.
A shrunken Poké Ball rested in each slot.
’A Poké Ball belt?’
He wrapped it around his waist.
It fit perfectly.
"Yes, that looks very good on you," Grandma said approvingly. "All the Poké Balls are empty, so you can use them to catch Pokémon you meet during your journey."
She then passed him a plain backpack.
"I made this for you too, based on what I could remember. There are a few more Poké Balls inside, along with some Potions I bought this morning and a few cans of insect repellent."
Warmth spread through Mike’s chest as he looked at the simple, handmade bag.
"Oh, and I bought you some clothes as well," Grandma added. "They’re all for winter."
Mike turned toward the pile beside the table.
Hoodies, knitted shirts, sweaters, padded jackets—there seemed to be enough winter clothing to survive an expedition to Snowpoint City.
His head began to ache.
"Grandma, there’s no way I can carry all of that. I only have one back."
"You have Gengar, don’t you?"
"Gengar can’t carry that much either."
"Gengar," Grandma called.
Gengar had been outside playing ball with Growlithe, but it immediately floated through the wall.
When Grandma pointed toward the mountain of clothes, Gengar nodded, drifted over, and began stuffing every last piece into its mouth.
Mike stared.
’Does it have a pocket dimension in there?’
"You could do that this whole time?"
Gengar turned toward him with its usual enormous grin.
Growlithe came bounding in soon afterward and sat on its haunches beside Grandma, watching everything with wide-eyed curiosity.
Under Grandma’s direction, Gengar swallowed the sleeping bag, tent, and the rest of the camping supplies as well, storing everything in whatever impossible space existed inside its body.
Once it had finished, Mike pressed one of the Poké Balls on his belt.
It popped free and landed in his palm, expanding to full size.
"Gengar."
Gengar turned around and saw Mike holding out the Poké Ball with a smile.
Understanding immediately, it grinned back, floated over, and lightly tapped the button.
The Poké Ball opened, transforming Gengar into red light and drawing it inside.
Click!
A perfect catch!
Mike stared at the Poké Ball in his palm as excitement surged through him, impossible to contain.
’So this is what it feels like to catch a Pokémon?’
’This is... freaking awesome!’
He thrust the Poké Ball into the air and struck the most embarrassingly dramatic pose he could manage.
"Gengar—GET!"
"Gar~!"
Gengar burst back out of the Poké Ball and immediately copied Mike’s ridiculous pose.
Growlithe had no idea what was happening, but it never missed a chance to join the fun.
It rushed over and struck a pose beside them.
Grandma watched the three of them with a loving smile while Dragonite looked thoroughly unimpressed.
...
Once everything was ready and lunch had been eaten, Grandma, Dragonite, and Growlithe accompanied Mike and Gengar to the front gate.
As Mike looked at Grandma, a sudden reluctance to leave tightened his chest.
She saw it immediately and reached out to hold his hand.
"You’ll be coming home again. Make sure you eat properly while you’re away, get enough rest, and stay safe. Especially when you camp in the wilderness—you must always check your surroundings carefully before going to sleep..."
Grandma continued giving him one warning after another. Mike never interrupted, merely nodding along to every word.
At last, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and looked at Mike and Gengar.
"Go on. And whenever you get tired.... come home."
Mike and Gengar both nodded to show they understood.
Mike looked down at Growlithe, who was sitting on the ground with its tongue hanging out.
He crouched and vigorously rubbed the puppy’s head.
"While Gengar and I are gone, you have to protect Grandma, okay?"
Growlithe grinned broadly and nodded again and again.
"Growl~!"
Mike smiled.
Growlithe seemed happiest staying beside Grandma, and perhaps that was for the best.
The two of them could keep each other company.
Mike stood and pulled Grandma into a hug.
Then, while Dragonite was not paying attention, he reached over and patted its enormous belly.
Boing, boing.
It felt every bit as satisfying as he had imagined!
The instant his crime was complete, Mike tightened the straps of his backpack and bolted down the road.
"Sinnoh, here we come!"
Gengar raced after him, dove forward, and disappeared into his shadow.
Dragonite watched the two of them flee, its nostrils flaring before it released a low growl.
"Rrr."
’That brat...’
Grandma reached out and patted Dragonite’s round belly as well.
"He hasn’t changed at all, has he?"
She watched until Mike disappeared from sight, then turned and headed back toward the house.
Growlithe remained at the gate, staring blankly in the direction Mike and Gengar had gone.
A strange feeling welled up inside its chest, but at only three months old, it had no idea what the feeling was.
When Grandma began walking home, Growlithe finally got up and followed.
"Growl~?"
’When are they coming back from playing?’
’Will they bring me something tasty?’
’Aren’t they coming home tonight? Why did they take so many things with them?’
...
That evening, Growlithe lay quietly beside the swing with the old cloth ball held in its mouth.
Earlier, it had wanted to find Mike and play, only to remember that he had gone out.
It had run to the front gate to wait for him, but even by dinnertime, neither Mike nor Gengar had returned.
After eating, Growlithe carried the ball to the swing where Mike usually sat each evening and settled down beside it in silence.
Grandma, who was sitting on a nearby stone stool, noticed and called its name.
Growlithe immediately picked up the ball, hurried over, and sat in front of her with bright eyes and its tongue hanging out.
"Growl~"
Grandma gently pulled its head into her arms and stroked its fur.
"You silly child..."
She glanced at the cloth ball, then smiled.
"Would you like Grandma to play with you?"
Growlithe instantly forgot all about its earlier sadness, its tail whipping back and forth with delight.
Grandma picked up the ball and threw it across the yard.
Growlithe shot after it, caught it in its mouth, and raced back to place it in her hand again.
Before long, the yard was once more filled with Growlithe’s happy cries.
Dragonite sat beneath the eaves nearby, holding a Berry it had borrowed from Pachirisu.
It took a large bite, spraying juice everywhere, then watched Growlithe race around the yard and shook its head.
’Its mood changes quickly.’
When Growlithe returned with the ball, Grandma clapped and praised it for doing such a wonderful job.
Children became upset quickly, but they recovered just as fast.
That’s good.
Carefree days suited them best.