Chapter 69
After leaving the Pokémon Center, Mike checked the time, then glanced at Gengar, who was still counting his spending money.
Gengar divided it into three shares and handed the other two to Snivy and Beedrill.
Snivy smiled and used Vine Whip to push the money back into Gengar’s arms.
Beedrill shook his head and refused as well.
"Gar?"
[Why don’t you want it?]
"Sni."
[You can spend it.]
Gengar shook his head.
"Gar—"
[You earned this money, so you should spend it!]
[I don’t want it.]
Snivy looked toward Mike.
Mike nodded and explained, "They probably haven’t decided what they want to buy yet, so they’d like you to keep it safe for them."
"You’re the eldest. Surely you can look after your younger brother and sisters’ spending money, right?"
Gengar’s expression instantly turned solemn, and he thumped his chest.
"Gar—"
[I’ll keep it safe for you! Whenever you want to buy something, tell me and I’ll give you the money!]
With that, Gengar carefully stored each share separately.
Mike chuckled and reached out to tug on his cheeks.
"As expected of our big bro. The mighty King Gengar."
Gengar grinned and puffed out his chest proudly.
Marill clapped beside him, praising Gengar as well.
Being praised by Mike and his new friend made Gengar extremely happy, and his little tail kept swaying behind him.
While Marill chatted with Gengar, Mike leaned close to Jenny Joy and whispered a few words into her ear.
Joy nodded to show that she had no objections.
When Ash and the others came out of the Pokémon Center, Mike looked at them and deliberately asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"
Ash shook his head.
"We were about to go eat."
"Would you like to eat with us? I’ll cook," Mike invited.
"Really? Wouldn’t we be imposing?" Ash asked excitedly.
Mike shook his head.
"Not at all, though before dinner, I’d like to ask you to help me with something small."
He turned toward Brock.
"I remember you know quite a bit about cooking, right? Why don’t we compare skills later?"
A faint light flashed in Brock’s eyes.
’A cooking showdown? Interesting! In that case, I accept!’
Wait—how had Mike even seen a light flash in Brock’s closed eyes?
Mike was deeply shaken.
Then he turned toward Dawn.
"You can also talk with Snivy. She might have some ideas about Pokémon Contests."
Snivy looked at Mike, wondering what scheme he was planning now.
Even so, she played along and gently nodded.
"Sni~"
"Then I’ll be counting on you, Snivy," Dawn said eagerly.
"In that case, let’s get going."
Mike winked at Joy, signaling that the plan had succeeded.
...
When they reached Marill’s home, Mike asked Marill to open the iron gate and led Ash and the others inside.
"This is the house where Marill lives. How about we have dinner here tonight?"
Mike made the suggestion.
"But..." Dawn looked at the dilapidated house and felt uneasy.
"There are so many weeds," Ash said as he surveyed the yard.
Brock examined the surroundings and nodded.
Ash and Brock weren’t particularly frightened.
After traveling together for so long, they had visited plenty of strange places. Compared to those, Marill’s house could almost be considered welcoming.
Dawn, however, held Piplup tightly and stayed close to Officer Jenny.
"As everyone can see, the yard is a mess. If we want to cook here, we’ll need to clean the area first."
Mike clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention, then continued, "Could you all help me clean the yard? Please."
He bowed at them.
Gengar and Snivy also bowed with him.
Marill looked at Mike, then at her yard without saying anything.
"I don’t mind, but I eat quite a lot..." Ash said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.
"That’s fine. I promise you can eat until you’re full."
"Then I’m in."
"I have no objections either," Brock said after glancing at Marill.
"Then Piplup and I will help too," Dawn added.
"Thank you very much."
Mike thanked them again.
Then he crouched in front of Marill, stroked her fluffy head, and said, "Is that okay, Marill? We’ll help clean up the yard. That way, when she comes home and sees how tidy it is, she’ll praise you for taking such good care of it."
Marill nodded hard.
"Marill!"
[Thank you, Mike!]
Mike gently tugged on her ears, narrowing his eyes at how pleasant they felt.
"We’re friends, aren’t we?"
"Marill!"
[Yes! Friends!]
Brock watched Mike interact with Marill and nodded silently.
Perhaps this was why the Pokémon Mike raised were all so exceptional.
Ever since meeting them, Brock had noticed that Gengar and the others had been raised remarkably well.
Each had a distinct personality—lively, gentle, aloof, elegant...
Most importantly, he could clearly sense how deeply they relied on Mike.
When a Trainer treated Pokémon sincerely, those feelings would naturally be returned.
"How are things? Ready to start?"
Joy’s voice came from the gate.
Mike turned and found her driving a lawn mower into the yard.
"Joy, where did that lawn mower come from?"
"Oh, while you were discussing everything, I borrowed it from one of the neighbors. This should make clearing the weeds much easier."
Joy stopped the mower in front of everyone.
"Joy, you really are... a woman of action," Mike couldn’t help saying.
"Every Officer Jenny is a woman of action. Shall we get started?"
Joy raised an eyebrow at him.
While they had been filming earlier, Mike and Joy had already decided to help Marill clean the yard that day.
After encountering Ash’s group, Mike suggested bringing them along so they would have more people to help.
"All right. The sooner we finish cleaning, the sooner we can eat."
Mike snapped his fingers and began assigning tasks.
Dawn, Piplup, and several other Pokémon would gather the weeds Joy cut and pile them together so they could later be used as fertilizer for the vegetable garden.
Brock and his Pokémon would clear away the loose stones scattered throughout the yard.
Mike and Ash would handle the useless and damaged objects around the property, including the broken flower beds, ruined decorations, shattered window glass, and anything else that needed to be removed.
Everyone worked at the same time.
Mike first led Ash toward the house and had Starly cut through all the vines covering the outer walls.
They pulled the severed vines down, then cleared the ones wrapped around the iron gate.
"Gengar."
Mike called out.
Gengar floated over and used Will-O-Wisp to ignite the pile of vines. They gradually burned to ash, which drifted across the garden.
After dealing with the vines, Mike examined the old objects in the yard. Once he had everyone’s approval, he turned toward Gengar.
"It’s getting late. Go buy the ingredients first. We’ll have a barbecue tonight, just like we discussed. Buy whatever you want to eat, and make sure you get plenty."
Mike took out his Rotom Phone and handed it to Gengar.
"You know how to pay with the phone, right?"
Gengar nodded.
"Gar—"
[I do.]
"Good. Off you go."
Mike took out his identification card as Professor Rowan’s assistant and hung it around Gengar’s neck—or at least where his neck was supposed to be.
Then he tugged on Gengar’s cheeks.
Gengar took the phone, grabbed his thin bamboo staff, and flew out of the yard.
Mike continued clearing the property with Ash.
He dismantled the broken chairs and parasol, planning to use the wood as fuel later.
Finally, he reached the old swing beneath the tree.
Marill stared at the damaged swing, lost in memories.
"Marill..."
[She and I built this swing together...]
Seeing how sad she looked, Mike thought for a moment, then went to Snivy and whispered a few words into her ear.
Snivy used Vine Whip to leave the yard.
Before long, she returned carrying a new wooden plank.
Mike accepted it and asked Beedrill to carve it into the right shape.
Then he removed the broken seat from the swing and replaced it with the new plank.
Holding a length of rope, Mike looked up at the tree.
Snivy carried the rope into the branches with Vine Whip. After measuring the correct height, Mike turned toward Ash.
"Help me tie it securely."
"Right!"
With Mike, Ash, and Snivy working together, a new swing soon stood beneath the tree.
Mike lifted Marill and placed her on the seat.
Snivy extended a vine and gently pushed the swing.
"How is it?" Mike asked with a smile.
Marill gave them an adorable smile.
"Marill—"
[Thank you.]
Seeing the smile on Marill’s face made Ash grin as well.
"Marill said thank you to you and Pikachu," Mike told him.
"Really?"
Ash smiled widely.
"You’re welcome, Marill. We were happy to help, right, Pikachu?"
"Pika, pika."
With everyone and their Pokémon working together, the yard was soon cleared.
Mike looked around the now clean and orderly yard, then clapped the dust from his hands.
"Finally finished. It’s still a little empty, but it looks much better than before."
Dawn nodded in complete agreement.
"Definitely. The house doesn’t look frightening anymore."
Mike looked at her curiously.
"So you were scared earlier?"
"Hey, I’m a girl! It was perfectly normal to be a little scared."
Mike shook his head.
"Let’s build the barbecue pit now. Once Gengar comes back with the ingredients, we can start cooking."
They used the stones they had gathered to build a simple barbecue pit.
Soon afterward, a noise from outside the yard caught everyone’s attention.
"Excuse me, which one of you is Mike?"
A worker entered while pushing along an entire prepared sheep.
Mike stood.
"That’s me."
"Hello. Is Gengar your Pokémon?"
Mike nodded.
"Good. He came into our store earlier, pointed at one of our sheep, then showed us an address on the phone before leaving."
"You mean... he ordered an entire sheep from you?"
"That appears to be the case. He already paid for it."
Mike fell silent as he stared at the fully prepared carcass.
’Gengar! I told you to buy whatever you wanted for the barbecue, and you ordered an entire sheep?! Just you wait until you get back!’
"Mr. Mike, would you like us to roast the sheep for you?"
Mike returned to his senses, looked at the worker, then at the prepared sheep before shaking his head.
"No, thank you. We’ll roast it ourselves."
"Very well. We hope you enjoy your meal. Please leave us a five-star review if you’re satisfied."
Mike pushed the sheep over to the barbecue pit and looked at Brock.
"Want to try?"
A serious light flashed in Brock’s eyes.
"Yes."
While Mike and Brock discussed the preparation and seasoned the sheep, Gengar floated back into the yard carrying bag after bag.
"Gar—"
[I’m back.]
Mike turned toward the enormous pile of shopping bags in Gengar’s hands and slowly narrowed his eyes.
"Whoa! Gengar bought so many ingredients!" Ash exclaimed while training with Pikachu and the others.
"That much... Can we really finish it all?" Joy asked worriedly.
"It’s fine. We’ll eat what we can and save the rest for later."
A look of approval flashed in Brock’s eyes.
’He refuses to waste food! Mr. Mike truly is an accomplished cook.’
Since they already had an entire roasted sheep, Mike carefully controlled the portions of the other food and avoided grilling too much at once.
"Mr. Mike, why are you grilling those mushrooms separately?" Dawn asked curiously.
"Because those are for Gengar and Beedrill. They’re poisonous mushrooms."
Brock, who had been entrusted with roasting the sheep, looked up at the mushrooms Mike was grilling.
’Feeding poisonous food to Poison-type Pokémon? It can improve their resistance to toxins while strengthening their Poison-type moves.’
’What an impressive training technique!’
In reality, Gengar simply wanted to eat them.
Mike handed the grilled poisonous mushrooms to Gengar and told him to share some with Beedrill.
Then he looked toward Brock’s Croagunk and asked whether he wanted the rest.
Croagunk hesitated, but after smelling the delicious aroma, he walked over and accepted them.
The ordinary barbecue food was soon ready as well.
The tempting smell spread throughout the yard, and the stomachs of Ash and the others began growling.
"Grrrr~"
"Come eat. Have something to fill your stomachs while we wait."
"Yes!"
"This is delicious..."
"This flavor... Has Mr. Mike’s cooking surpassed mine by such a great distance?"
Once the roasted sheep was finished, everyone eagerly dug in.
By the time everyone else was full, only Ash and Gengar were still battling over the remaining food.
In the end, Ash couldn’t keep up with Gengar and admitted defeat.
After dinner, Marill volunteered to clean up the rubbish.
Snivy offered to help her.
Once everyone had taken a group photograph, Mike let out a satisfied burp. He had Gengar take out a blanket and spread it over the grass, then lay down in the yard.
Glameow rested nearby with her eyes half closed.
Beedrill hid in the tree above the swing.
Mike had no idea why a Beedrill enjoyed hiding among trees so much.
Gengar sat beside Mike with his bamboo staff in his arms, telling Marill stories while she listened with complete concentration.
Ash and Pikachu lay on another blanket, patting their full stomachs while digesting their meal.
Brock was mentally reviewing everything Mike had taught him about food preparation while they ate.
Dawn and Piplup were asking Snivy for advice about Pokémon Contests.
Mike had explained Contests to Snivy earlier, so she performed according to her own understanding, using her natural charm to create an elegant display that repeatedly left Dawn amazed.
Mike lay on the blanket and stared at the stars above.
It felt as though he hadn’t looked at the stars in a long time.
Ever since leaving Grandma’s home, he had either slept inside a tent, stayed in hotel rooms, or camped deep within the forest.
The last time he had quietly lain on the ground and watched the stars like this had probably been the night before he left Grandma’s house.
He wondered how Grandma was doing.
He wondered whether Growlithe was behaving himself around her.
The night sky in this world truly was beautiful.
Countless stars covered the heavens beneath a bright moon, and every so often, several Pokémon would fly overhead.
Mike couldn’t remember the last time he had seen stars this bright in his previous life.
As he grew older, the stars in the sky had seemed to become dimmer and dimmer. Eventually, once he lived in the city, he could no longer see a sky filled with them at all.
At some point, Glameow crawled into Mike’s arms and fell asleep with a soft purr.
After resting for a while, Joy left first.
Ash, Brock, and Dawn stood shortly afterward and prepared to leave the yard.
"Mr. Mike, we’ll be going now," Brock said.
"All right. See you next time."
"Goodbye."
The trio didn’t linger and soon left.
Ash had been a part of Mike’s childhood memories, with his journey continuing all the way through Mike’s university years.
Mike had cursed him plenty of times in the past, but he had always liked Ash.
After all, Ash had carried the dreams and hopes of his entire childhood.
That was also why the first thing Mike had bought after growing up and earning money was a Nintendo Switch.
He had expected himself to be incredibly excited when they finally met.
Yet after spending the afternoon with them, he realized he hadn’t been nearly as excited as he imagined.
Why was that?
Was it because he had already encountered so many familiar characters before meeting them?
Or had he completely accepted this place as a real world rather than the story he once knew?
Mike didn’t know the answer.
What he did know was that they would certainly meet again during the journey ahead, along with many other people and Pokémon he recognized but had yet to encounter.
A photographer existed to capture the things he wanted to photograph and to search for the sights he wished to see.
Together with Gengar and the others, Mike would leave his footprints across the entire Sinnoh region.
Then Hoenn, Unova, Kanto...
He would travel through every region.
He would take more and better photographs to send home to Grandma, while recording more videos and Pokémon so his audience could understand them better.
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