"Squirtle? Home?"
Hearing that word, Squirtle's eyes widened.
Gastly beside it was also somewhat puzzled. "Gastly?"
Squirtle had never had a home. From the day it hatched from its Pokémon Egg, the Pokémon League caretakers had told it that it would someday meet its own human Trainer.
Before meeting Dongshu, Squirtle had lived in a breeding facility with a group of equally young Pokémon, waiting there for its Trainer to come and choose it.
Until not long ago, when this batch of grown Pokémon had been sent to Professor Oak's laboratory.
At that time, Professor Oak told them that in a few days, new Trainers who had just begun their journeys would come to choose their starter Pokémon, and they too would have Trainers of their own.
From then on, they would live and battle alongside that person, becoming the closest partners in the world.
Home—was this Dongshu's home?
Squirtle felt something stir within its heart. Would it be able to live here with Dongshu from now on?
"Gastly—"
Gastly had never had any concept of home.
From the day it gained consciousness, it had lived alone in that house.
Before meeting Dongshu, it had not known what loneliness or solitude meant. It only knew that having no one to play with was boring.
Seeing the expressions on the two Pokémon's faces, Dongshu smiled and explained to Gastly, "Home is the place where we live together and have fun together!"
"When our journey is over, or when we feel tired out there, we can come home, rest properly, and live together with everyone."
"Gastly—"
Gastly only half understood.
But Squirtle, having been around humans since it was young, understood.
Its eyes shone.
"Squirtle—Squirtle!" Wonderful! It could finally have a home of its own, just as the Pokémon League caretakers had