Chapter 64
"So you’ve decided to take Snivy with you?"
"It’s less that I’m taking her and more that she chose to come with me."
"Hahaha, all right. I’ll transfer Snivy’s Poké Ball to you now."
"Thank you, Professor."
Mike thanked Professor Rowan through the video terminal, then looked down at Snivy standing beside his feet.
"I honestly didn’t expect her to be so silly. I thought she’d already left."
Mike told Professor Rowan everything that had happened with Snivy afterward.
"So that’s what happened."
After listening, Professor Rowan nodded.
"That’s why we often say Pokémon are very pure-hearted creatures."
The Poké Ball appeared inside the transfer machine, and Mike picked it up.
"I’ve received the Poké Ball, Professor."
"Good. I’ll leave Snivy in your care from now on."
Mike grinned.
"I’m not sure which of us will be taking care of the other."
Professor Rowan burst out laughing.
...
After ending the call, Mike crouched down and held out the Poké Ball toward Snivy.
"I’ll be counting on you from now on, Snivy."
Snivy gave him a beautiful smile and gently pressed one small hand against the Poké Ball.
It opened, and a beam of red light drew her inside.
Looking at the Poké Ball containing Snivy, Mike stood, struck an exaggerated pose, and shouted the same embarrassingly dramatic catchphrase he always used.
Glameow sat in the corner, staring disdainfully at Mike, Gengar, and Beedrill as they posed together.
Under the curious gazes of the people around them, Mike walked out of the Pokémon Center.
"Let’s buy a few things, then go visit Marill."
"Gar—"
[Okay—]
At the supermarket, Mike bought some drinks and fruit. After handing the bags to Gengar, he led the way toward Marill’s home.
When they arrived, Mike looked at the iron gate covered in vines and frowned.
’Strange... Why does this place look like no one has lived here for years?’
"Gengar, ring the doorbell."
Gengar floated toward the gate with the gifts and pressed the doorbell with one small foot.
Nothing happened.
He turned toward Mike.
"Gar—"
[The doorbell seems broken.]
Mike studied the house beyond the gate.
Even in broad daylight, it gave him an eerie feeling.
’This house couldn’t be...’
’It isn’t haunted, is it?!’
It had already been dark when they visited the night before, and there hadn’t been any lights on, so Mike hadn’t gotten a clear look at the building.
Now that the sun was up, he could see everything.
It was a standard Western-style villa, but plants covered most of the outer walls.
Through the iron gate, Mike could clearly see that the stone path leading to the front door was surrounded by dense, waist-high weeds.
"Hiss..."
Mike sucked in a breath.
He suddenly felt as though a cold, ominous breeze were drifting past his ear and down his neck.
Something slick seemed to brush across his skin, making goosebumps rise all over his body.
"G-Gengar... M-Maybe we should leave?"
There was no answer.
"Gengar?"
Mike noticed that Gengar had disappeared from the gate and turned to look for him.
The moment he turned around, a huge purple face was pressed right against his, tongue hanging out.
"GAAAAAAR!"
[BOO!]
"AHHHHHH!"
Mike stumbled backward in fright, his face turning pale.
Once he recovered from the shock and saw Gengar laughing at his expense, anger immediately surged through him.
Gengar floated in the air, laughing with his mouth wide open.
"Gar—"
[I finally scared you! Hahahaha!]
"You..."
Mike pointed at Gengar and was about to lose his temper when a surprised voice came from behind him.
"Assistant Mike? What are you doing here?"
Mike turned and found the same Officer Jenny he had met that morning.
"Officer Jenny?"
He was equally surprised.
Why was she here?
"I came to visit a friend," Officer Jenny explained. "Didn’t you say you were visiting a friend of yours and Gengar’s? Why are you here?"
Mike and Officer Jenny looked at each other, then pointed at one another and spoke at the same time.
"Marill?"
"Marill?!"
Mike lowered his hand and smiled.
"What a coincidence."
"It certainly is. I never expected Marill to be the new friend you and Gengar mentioned."
"You don’t have to speak so formally to me, Officer Jenny. Just call me Mike."
"All right. Then, like you do with my younger sister, you can call me Joy. My name is Jenny Joy."
"Got it, Joy"
The iron gate creaked open.
"Marill?!"
[You came?!]
Mike and Jo turned together.
Marill stood between the open gates, staring at them.
"I promised last night that I’d come visit you and the owner of the house today. Of course I wouldn’t break my word."
Marill grinned, the ball at the end of her tail swaying happily.
She stepped aside, walked into the yard, and waved for Mike and Joy to follow.
Gengar floated after her with the gifts, chatting happily with his new friend.
Mike followed Joy into the yard and looked around.
There was a broken swing, a rotting chair, a fallen parasol, and weeds covering nearly everything.
When he looked toward the house, he saw shattered windows, missing tiles, and walls swallowed by climbing plants.
The more he looked, the more wrong this place seemed.
Out of professional habit, Mike raised his camera and took several photographs before walking closer to Joy and speaking quietly.
"Joy, something about this place feels strange."
She looked at him curiously.
"Is this your first time here?"
Mike nodded.
"We met Marill on the road to Jubilife City yesterday and helped her with something. She invited Gengar and me to visit her home, but since it was already late, we decided to come properly today."
"I just didn’t expect... this."
"This really is her home, but the situation inside is a little complicated."
Joy glanced at Marill, who had turned to look back at them, then continued in a quieter voice.
"I’ll explain when there’s a better opportunity. Don’t worry. This is her home, and she’s very hospitable. She often invites her friends over to play."
"Although most of those friends are stray Pokémon."
After hearing that, Mike didn’t ask anything further.
"Marill."
Marill stopped and pointed toward a section of the yard.
"Marill."
[This is where I grow vegetables. I’ll use these to cook lunch for everyone today, okay?]
Mike nodded.
"Thank you for going to the trouble."
Marill shook her head.
She wasn’t carrying her shoulder bag today. Instead, she held a small vegetable basket and climbed into the garden to pick fresh produce.
Mike tried to help, but Marill pushed him away, insisting that guests weren’t supposed to work.
After gathering the vegetables, Marill led them inside the house.
She brought them to what was supposedly the dining room—and it was still possible to make out what the room had once been.
There was a dining table and several stools, though one stool was missing a leg.
The clock on the wall had stopped. The windows were broken, leaving only jagged fragments of glass around the frames.
Damaged furniture had been piled throughout much of the house.
Strangely, there wasn’t much dust.
Mike could faintly see signs that someone had cleaned earlier that morning, even though the work hadn’t been especially thorough.
’This house...’
’Its connection to Marill clearly isn’t simple.’