Chapter 39
"Don’t move. Nurse Joy said you shouldn’t walk too much, and you already ran a long way just now. You can’t keep walking."
Glameow stared curiously at Mike from his arms.
Mike kept a perfectly straight face.
"I’m only carrying you because I’m worried about your health. It’s definitely not because I want to hold you."
Glameow blinked her beautiful eyes.
After thinking for a moment, she allowed Mike to continue carrying her.
Seeing Mike’s calm expression, Gengar made a face at him.
Mike carried Glameow over to Professor Rowan, greeted Snivy in the tree, then looked at the professor.
"Professor, we’ll be leaving now."
Professor Rowan nodded.
"All right. I’ll see you off from here."
Mike gave a quiet reply, then bowed to Professor Rowan once more with Glameow in his arms.
"Goodbye, Professor Rowan."
"Gar—"
[Goodbye~]
Kakuna: [Jiiii~]
Glameow looked at Mike, then at Professor Rowan.
"Meow~"
[Goodbye~]
"May fortune follow you in battle."
Mike nodded, then looked up at Snivy.
"Goodbye, Snivy. When I come back, I’ll take you to see the ocean."
"Sni~"
[Okay~]
Professor Rowan watched Mike disappear into the distance, then turned and headed back toward the laboratory with Snivy.
...
Glameow remained in Mike’s arms, repeatedly pawing at the camera hanging from his neck.
To keep it from pressing against her, Mike had moved the camera to his side.
"Trainer!"
Someone called out to him.
Mike turned curiously toward a man standing outside a shop.
When the man saw him stop, he hurried over. His eyes lit up when he noticed the bandage around Glameow’s leg.
"Trainer, is that Glameow injured?"
Mike nodded and looked at the man warily.
For some reason, he suddenly had a bad feeling.
Meanwhile, Glameow kept moving her head away from Mike’s hand.
After dodging him yet again, she stared at him with confusion in her eyes.
’Is there something wrong with this human?’
’Why does he keep trying to touch my head?’
The man smiled.
"What a coincidence! Our store happens to sell carriers designed for catlike Pokémon. They can make traveling much less tiring."
Mike: "..."
"No, thank you."
"Don’t worry. Our carriers are made from excellent materials. They’re very light and will be much easier than carrying her in your arms."
"Thank you, but we don’t need one."
"Meow?"
Mike lowered his head and found Glameow looking at him.
"Don’t listen to him. You’re not heavy at all. Carrying you isn’t tiring."
The man continued, "You seem to be a photographer, sir. If you keep holding Glameow, taking pictures will be difficult."
Glameow’s eyes widened.
"Meow!"
[You won’t be able to take pictures!]
Mike looked down at her and spoke softly.
"It’s fine. I can still take pictures. You don’t need to worry."
"Meow!"
[Buy it!]
"..."
Mike sighed helplessly.
"Be good, Glameow. Our budget isn’t very large, so we need to save money."
"Meow?"
[Is that why?]
Glameow wrapped her spring-shaped tail around Mike’s wrist and gently rubbed her head against his palm.
Mike froze.
"Trainer."
The man’s voice now sounded like a call from hell.
"You don’t need to worry. Today is the first day our store is open, so everything is half price."
"And since you and Glameow clearly have such a close bond, I’ll personally take another twenty percent off."
Mike slowly turned toward the man and stared at him in silence.
The man smiled back.
’He must be touched by my sincerity.’
’Everyone says I’m terrible at business, but look at that. I’ve already made a sale!’
The man felt extremely pleased with himself.
"Meow?"
Glameow looked up at Mike.
Mike stared into her beautiful blue eyes and finally surrendered.
"Fine. We’ll buy one."
"Meow~"
[Good~]
After choosing a carrier that suited Glameow, Mike paid and quickly left the store with it strapped to his chest.
"Please come again~"
The man stood outside and waved after him.
Mike looked back.
Glameow was sitting elegantly inside the carrier with her head sticking out, curiously observing everything around her.
She seemed quite interested in it.
Mike stared at the man for a moment, then looked at the sign above the shop.
Without another word, he turned and quickened his pace out of Sandgem Town.
The man was startled by his gaze and looked confused.
Thinking back to Mike’s expression while paying, he couldn’t understand it.
He had practically given the carrier away. Why had the Trainer still looked unhappy?
Trainers these days were truly impossible to understand.
...
Only after Mike hurried out of Sandgem Town and stepped onto the dirt road toward Lake Verity did he finally sigh in relief.
’If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve left town sooner!’
He looked at Glameow resting inside the carrier with her head poking out and reached over to stroke her.
"Meow."
Glameow hissed at him, then pulled her head back inside.
Mike: "..."
With an aching heart, Mike sighed.
He looked down the seemingly endless dirt road, lifted his camera, and took a photograph.
"Everyone, let’s keep looking after each other from now on!"
"Gar—"
[Of course~]
Kakuna: [Jiiii~.]
"Meow~"
[Fine~]
"Let’s go!"
And so, after saying goodbye to Sandgem Town, Mike and his companions headed toward Lake Verity to witness the legendary Night of Evolution that occurred only once every ten years.
Would they succeed in—
"Ahem. Sorry, wrong show!"
Gengar walked ahead with Kakuna balanced on his head, a backpack containing the drone and game console on his back, and the thin bamboo staff swinging in his hand.
Everywhere he passed, not a blade of grass survived.
"Gar~"
[The sun is shining bright~
Bellossom smiles at me~
Staravia says good morning~
Where are you going today~
I have no idea~]
Listening to Gengar’s moving voice and the lyrics he had mangled beyond recognition, Mike stared ahead with lifeless eyes.
The midday sun was unbearably hot.
After walking until he was tired, Mike found a secluded tree and stopped beneath it to prepare lunch.
...
After eating, Gengar went to wash the dishes while Mike sat in the shade with Glameow and Kakuna.
Once Gengar had cleaned and stored everything, he returned to Mike’s side, sat down, and took out some after-meal snacks.
As the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped, Mike yawned comfortably.
Traveling with a Gengar really was convenient.
His "four-dimensional pocket" could carry a huge amount of luggage, and during the hot summer, he could lower the temperature around them.
He was practically the perfect travel companion.
Anyone planning a journey should catch a Gengar. It definitely wouldn’t disappoint.
Glameow had already fallen sound asleep.
"Gar—"
A small, chubby hand appeared in front of Mike, holding several shelled walnut pieces.
"Thanks."
Mike accepted them.
With one hand, he quietly stroked Glameow while the other kept placing walnut pieces into his mouth.
’These walnuts... Why do they taste familiar?’
Mike looked toward Gengar.
Gengar was using Kakuna to crack open more walnuts.
And that bag...
Why did it look so familiar?
"Gar?"
[Want some more? Here.]
Gengar generously handed him another handful.
Mike accepted them and thanked him again before asking curiously, "Gengar, where did these walnuts come from? I don’t remember buying any."
Gengar cracked another walnut open with Kakuna, tossed the kernel into his mouth, and began chewing.
"Gar—"
[I took them from the laboratory~]
Mike: "..."
"Professor Rowan gave them to you?"
Mike sighed in relief.
Gengar shook his head and looked at him.
"Gar."
[I saw them sitting on the table and thought no one wanted them, so I took them.]
"..."
Mike stared at Gengar with his mouth open.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
"What do you mean they were sitting on the table, so you thought no one wanted them? You took them yourself?"
Gengar nodded as though it were perfectly reasonable.
Mike closed his eyes.
After a long silence, he said, "You’re basically a robber..."
"Gar?"
[What’s a robber? Are they like me?]
"That’s—"
Before Mike could finish, he suddenly sensed something and looked up.
A huge bird Pokémon flew overhead, its rainbow-colored feathers shone brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
’Is that... a Shiny Fearow?!’
’No—Ho-Oh?!’
The true photographer of the Pokémon world?
Mike didn’t even have time to speak.
He stuffed all the walnuts into his mouth, grabbed his camera, picked up Glameow, and ran in the direction Ho-Oh had flown.
Glameow: "???"
Gengar hurriedly packed everything away, grabbed Kakuna, and followed.
Today, Mike would definitely photograph that "photographer" and prove that he was the real one!