Chapter 87
"Let’s go buy supplies first."
Mike draped a towel over Glameow’s face as he spoke to Gengar and Snivy, who were brushing their teeth.
"We’ll pass through Oreburgh City on the way to Crown City, so we only need enough food to last until we get there."
Once everyone had finished washing up, Mike took Gengar to a nearby supermarket and went on a massive shopping spree.
After buying snacks for the Pokémon and all the ingredients they needed, he left the store and headed to a seed shop.
"Gar?"
[What are we doing here?]
Gengar stared curiously at the shelves packed with vegetable seeds.
"Marill likes growing vegetables, doesn’t she? We’ll buy some seeds for her as a farewell present."
Gengar nodded in realization.
"Gar—"
[I’ll choose them!]
With that, Gengar practically cleared the shelves.
When it was time to pay, he grabbed Mike’s phone back before Mike could use it, then took out his piggy bank and began counting his own pocket money.
"Hahaha! Is that Gengar’s own spending money?" the elderly shopkeeper asked with a smile as he watched Gengar carefully pull out the bills one at a time.
Gengar counted with intense concentration, terrified that he might accidentally hand over too much.
Mike stood beside him and shook his head at the serious expression on his face.
"That’s right. He wants to buy seeds for a friend who loves growing vegetables."
"I see. In that case, Gengar, how about I give you a discount?"
The old man stroked his beard and smiled warmly.
Gengar’s eyes lit up.
He looked at the man, gave him an honest grin, then took out one of his snacks and offered it to him.
"Gar—"
The old man understood that Gengar was thanking him and laughed happily as he accepted the snack.
"You’re welcome. A cute Gengar like you deserves a discount."
Mike packed the seeds into a bag and carried them out of the store.
Gengar floated beside him while repeatedly looking back and waving goodbye to the old man.
Before heading to Nicole’s yard, Mike also stopped by a photography shop.
He collected the photographs he had asked them to print the previous day, placed the framed picture inside the bag on Gengar’s back, then left.
...
When they arrived at Nicole’s yard, Mike handed the bag of seeds to Marill.
"Marill?"
Marill looked into the bag, then raised her head curiously toward Mike.
"It’s a present from Gengar. Do you like it?"
Mike crouched and whispered into her ear.
"He paid for it with his own money. He said he wanted to buy something for his best friend."
Marill tightened her grip on the bag and looked toward Gengar.
Gengar gave her a wide grin.
"Hehehe."
"Marill—"
Marill grabbed Gengar’s hand and dragged him straight toward the vegetable garden.
Mike stood and looked around the yard.
After searching for a while without seeing Mew, he asked curiously, "Where’s Mew? Is it hiding somewhere again?"
Nicole finished spreading out a blanket and answered, "It seemed to leave last night after helping Marill prepare your present."
"It left?"
Mike frowned before quickly relaxing again.
"That heartless little menace! I played with it for so long and even let it act in a movie. Then the moment it had enough fun, it disappeared without saying a word."
Mike sat on the blanket, picked up one of the Berries Nicole had washed, and took an indignant bite.
"Sni~"
Mike turned toward Snivy.
"Mew came to see all of you last night?"
Snivy nodded.
"Then that’s fine."
Mike finished the Berry and casually tossed the pit into the yard to serve as fertilizer.
After spending some time engaged in a battle of wits with Glameow on the blanket, Marill and Gengar returned from the garden.
Nicole washed Marill’s hands, then smiled at her.
"Mike and Gengar both prepared presents for you. Aren’t you going to bring out the present you made for them?"
"Marill prepared something for us too?"
Mike looked at her.
Marill nodded, then waddled quickly into the house.
A short while later, she came running back with several sheets of paper and handed them to Mike.
"Marill."
Mike accepted them and looked down.
Rather than ordinary drawings, the papers were covered in various marks that resembled the random prints Pokémon might leave behind.
Mike studied them for a moment, then pointed at a round mark.
"Is this your tail?"
Marill copied Mew by covering her mouth and giggling.
"These are your ears, and these are your paws."
Mike identified them one by one.
"Then these must be the marks Mew left behind?"
He looked at Marill.
She smiled and nodded.
Staring at the handmade picture covered in prints from Marill and Mew, Mike asked curiously, "Why did the two of you decide to give me this?"
Marill pointed toward the camera hanging around his neck and cried softly.
"Marill—"
[You take pictures with your camera. I can’t do that, but I can draw, so Mew and I made this picture for you.]
Mike looked down at the paper.
If Marill said it was a drawing, then it was a drawing.
"Thank you. I really like it."
Mike smiled and stroked her head before taking the framed photograph out of his bag and handing it over.
"This is my present for you."
Marill accepted the frame and hugged it against her chest as she examined the picture.
It was a group photograph.
Marill stood at the very front, while Nicole, Mike, and Officer Jenny sat behind her.
All the other Pokémon were gathered around them.
Holding the frame, Marill spun around happily.
"Marill~"
At last, she returned to Mike, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him on the cheek.
Mike’s heart melted.
’Marill is so adorable...’
Nicole took the picture frame, then went with Marill to find a suitable place to display it.
Mike lay down in the yard beneath the tree.
The blanket had been placed in the shade, so the sunlight didn’t shine directly on him.
He raised the papers and carefully examined the marks left by Marill and Mew.
He could tell just how happy they had been while making them.
{A Farewell Gift: Marill considers you her best friends. Before your departure, she personally created this picture for you and hopes that all of you will always be happy. Congratulations! You have obtained the item "Marill and Mew’s Drawing."}
{Marill and Mew’s Drawing: It has no special effect, but it contains the Pokémon’s sincerest feelings toward you and is extremely valuable as a keepsake.}
{As someone working hard to become a Legendary Photographer, you will undoubtedly make many friends throughout your journey. Although photographs can preserve their appearances, why not learn from Marill and have them leave behind a more personal mark of their own? Congratulations! You have obtained "Mysterious Paper" ×999.}
{Mysterious Paper: It can record and preserve the marks left by Pokémon. The papers containing those marks can be gathered together and will never be lost.}
Mike froze as the system messages appeared.
He looked at the stack of paper he had suddenly received and its description, and an idea immediately surfaced in his mind.
’Have them leave their marks?’
’Marks...’
’Names? Sheets of paper? Gather them all together into a book?’
’Did I just become Natsume?!’
(This refer to Natsume from anime Natsume yujincho, once he write a name of a yokai in a book he can summon and control them)
"Then after they leave their marks... if I call their names, will they immediately appear in front of me?" Mike asked cautiously.
{???}
{Please refrain from dreaming about things that cannot be achieved. Thank you.}
"...So it doesn’t work? I thought it might."
Mike clicked his tongue.
"I was already imagining meeting an opponent I couldn’t defeat, opening the book, and calling everyone inside to come out and gang up on them!"
The system ignored his complaints and continued.
{The Road to Filmmaking: Congratulations! As you continue toward becoming a Legendary Photographer, you have finally completed the first movie of your life and even invited the Legendary Pokémon Mew to make a special appearance. Mew had a wonderful time throughout the filming process. Since this was its first experience making a movie, it has left you a generous reward.}
{Instruction: Last night, Mew personally taught your Pokémon several new moves.}
{Gengar: Protect. Beedrill: X-Scissor. Snivy: Leaf Storm. Glameow: U-turn.}
Mike froze and looked toward Gengar.
"Gengar, did Mew come to teach all of you new moves last night?"
Gengar nodded, poured the remaining chips into his mouth, chewed several times, and swallowed.
Then he raised one chubby hand.
A round, transparent barrier appeared in front of him.
Mike immediately recognized Protect and turned toward Snivy and the others.
They each demonstrated their new moves as well.
Mike nodded and fell silent.
’So the generous reward it mentioned was teaching them moves?’
{Rewards are not fixed.}
Mike rolled his eyes at the new message, then stood and took Gengar’s backpack.
He opened the zipper, reached inside, and withdrew his hand.
A large sheet of white paper and a set of watercolors came out with it.
Gengar remained seated, staring intensely at Mike and the backpack.
’Damn it! He pulled something out of the bag that wasn’t inside again!’
(｡•́︿•̀｡)
Gengar had always wanted to know how Mike did it, but Mike refused to explain, leaving him frustrated for ages.
Gengar bit one finger and watched Mike press his palm onto the paper.
’I’ll definitely figure it out! Damn you, Mike!’
"You’re the only one left. Do you want to leave your handprint too? We can give the picture to Marill."
Gengar’s eyes lit up.
He floated over, dipped one large hand in paint, and pressed it directly on top of Mike’s print.
"Hey, you stamped over mine."
Gengar nodded in satisfaction, then dipped his large foot in paint and planted that on the paper as well.
"Gar—"
[All done.]
Mike stared speechlessly at his own handprint, which now appeared to have eight fingers, then put the picture aside and gently fanned it so the paint would dry faster.
As he waved his hand, the sky suddenly darkened.
Mike looked up at the rapidly blackening clouds and immediately broke into a run.
"Get inside!"
"Gar—"
Gengar rolled up the blanket and hurried into the house behind him.
Summer rain arrived without warning.
Mike moved a chair to the doorway and sat there, staring blankly at the heavy rain pouring outside.
Glameow hid on his lap. Cats hated rain and the wetness that came with it.
Snivy sat on one of the ceiling beams, gently swinging her short legs while Beedrill floated silently beside her.
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