Chapter 50
"So you’ve decided to leave?"
Grandma sat on a cushion, pausing her needlework as she looked at the tablet propped up on the table.
On the screen, Mike was sitting inside the tent, using the Poké Tail Grass to play with Glameow, whose bandages had finally been removed completely.
Hearing Grandma’s question, Mike stopped moving and looked toward the screen before nodding.
"We’ve already stayed here for five days, but there hasn’t been any sign of a large number of Pokémon evolving. Maybe it already happened before we arrived, or maybe they changed locations this year..."
"Either way, it’s time to leave. The journey still has to continue."
Mike sounded a little disappointed.
"It’s a shame we missed something that only happens once every ten years."
Grandma smiled and shook her head. She pushed the needle into the scarf and set it aside.
"Silly child. How many things in life ever happen exactly as we wish?"
"There’s no need to limit your journey to one place. If you miss the beautiful scenery here, then there will naturally be other beautiful sights waiting for you somewhere else."
"Sometimes, searching is better than waiting."
"I understand, Grandma. I’m only a little disappointed. I’m not upset."
Mike continued, "I wanted to show you something that only happens once every ten years. It really is a shame."
"What Grandma wants to see most is you, Gengar, and the others."
"Hehe."
Mike grinned.
"When are you leaving?"
"After lunch. We’re planning to visit Lake Verity."
"Lake Verity..."
Grandma seemed to remember something.
"That’s where your grandfather and I were married."
"Huh? Really? You never told me that!"
The flames of gossip immediately ignited in Mike’s eyes.
He had just opened his mouth to ask for details when Gengar’s voice came from outside.
"Gar—"
Gengar entered the tent with Kakuna in his arms. Seeing Grandma on the screen, he grinned and greeted her.
"Gengar, how have you been? Has Mike been bullying you?"
Gengar opened his mouth in a wide smile, glanced at Mike, and nodded without hesitation.
"?????!"
"Explain yourself! How have I bullied you? I bought you snacks, and I even gave you another Toxic Orb. How dare you accuse me of bullying you?!"
Mike grabbed Gengar’s cheeks, and the two immediately began wrestling.
Grandma watched the human and Pokémon fighting on the screen and sighed.
As expected, these two children still loved fighting as much as ever.
Ignoring them, Grandma looked at Glameow, who was sitting nearby and watching her curiously.
A trace of nostalgia passed through her narrowed eyes.
"Glameow."
"Meow?"
[Yes?]
"Long time no see."
"Meow~"
[Hello~]
Glameow politely greeted Grandma.
"Please take good care of Mike from now on."
Glameow glanced at Mike, who had one hand gripping Gengar’s tail and the other pulling his cheek.
Then she gently nodded.
"That’s enough. Stop fighting," Grandma called.
Mike and Gengar immediately let go of each other and sat obediently in front of the tablet.
Even while sitting down, Gengar used his large backside to shove Mike out of the camera frame so his own round face could fill the entire screen.
’I’m Grandma’s good child. Hehe.’
Gengar hugged the tablet and kept grinning at Grandma.
"Oh, right, Grandma."
Mike brought over his camera.
"Gengar, turn the camera this way."
Gengar did as he was told and pointed the tablet toward Mike’s camera.
Mike found the photographs of Ho-Oh.
"Look, Grandma. Besides Suicune, I also photographed Ho-Oh."
"Ho-Oh? Let Grandma see."
Grandma studied the photographs on the camera and smiled.
"That’s amazing, Mike."
"To tell you the truth, Grandma also saw Ho-Oh once when she was young. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take a picture of it."
Mike grinned again.
"That’s why I took one for you."
They chatted a little longer before Grandma yawned.
"Grandma is tired. I’m going to take an afternoon nap. Be careful on the road with Gengar and the others."
"Okay. Take care of yourself too, Grandma."
"Gar—"
[Good afternoon, Grandma~]
Kakuna: [Jiiiii~]
"Meow~"
[Sleep well~]
After the call ended, Mike went to prepare lunch.
Grandma placed the unfinished scarf on the table, returned to her room, and lay down for an afternoon nap.
On the bedside table, a rainbow-colored feather stood inside a glass bottle.
For a moment, it gave off a faint light.
However, as Grandma fell asleep, the glow faded again until the feather looked completely ordinary.
...
After lunch, Mike rested for a while before calling Gengar back from the river.
"Let’s pack everything and leave."
"Gar?"
[Aren’t we waiting for that thing anymore? The evolution thing?]
Mike shook his head and smiled.
"No. Grandma is still waiting for us to take more pictures for her."
Gengar nodded, placed Kakuna on the ground, and floated back into the tent to pack the bags.
Mike stood and prepared to take down the tent.
"Sni."
A familiar voice sounded behind him.
Mike turned and found a familiar green figure standing on a tree branch.
"Snivy?"
He looked at her in surprise.
"Why are you here? Didn’t you leave a long time ago?"
Snivy held onto the tree trunk and paused to catch her breath.
"Sni."
[Today... is the Night of Evolution.]
She had spotted Mike preparing to leave and rushed over as quickly as she could.
"The Night of Evolution is tonight?"
Snivy nodded.
"How do you know?"
"Sni."
[I asked around.]
Mike stared at Snivy’s serious expression.
"Gengar, stop packing for now!"
Gengar floated out curiously.
"Gar?"
[What happened?]
Mike ignored his confusion and opened Snivy’s status screen.
{Snivy}
{...}
{Description: Someone once promised that when he returned, he would take her to see the ocean. Should she wait for him? But he loves his Pokémon so much. He can sing, and his songs sound beautiful. He knows what the place where she was born looked like... He treats his Pokémon so well... What should she do? The laboratory took her in, so she should remain behind and help them...}
{Professor Rowan told her that she was free to go anywhere she wished. She left, but she was afraid to suddenly approach him. She worried that she would inconvenience him or disturb him. Instead, she chose to follow from a distance, warning him of danger and spending several days and nights searching the forest for information about the Night of Evolution.}
{She no longer wants to wait for him to return before going to see the sea. She wants to travel with him and see many, many different oceans!}
{Grandma once said that you shouldn’t disturb others without a good reason...}
Mike felt his chest tighten.
"So you’ve been close by this entire time?"
He looked at Snivy and asked softly.
Snivy gave him a shy smile.
Then she nodded her beautiful head.
Mike took a deep breath and opened his arms.
"Snivy, let’s go see the ocean together."
"We’ll collect shells on the beach, build sandcastles, go fishing, surf, and watch the sunset..."
"We’ll visit different seas and see all kinds of waves."
Snivy stared at the man beneath the tree with his arms held open.
She blinked, then spread her own arms and allowed herself to fall forward.
There was no painful impact with the ground.
A pair of large, strong hands caught her and pulled her into a warm embrace.
Then she heard Mike’s voice beside her ear.
"Oh, Snivy~ My precious little sweetheart~"
"You’ve worked so hard."
Snivy rubbed her head against his warm chest, peacefully closed her eyes, and soon fell into a sweet sleep.
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Tomorrow Chapter will be another stream Chapter.