The Boy on the Whale's Back

"Everyone, run! A Wailord is swimming toward us!" a villager shouted.

The weather was clear today, and the sea was calm. As usual, the villagers of Big Shell Village had gone out to sea.

Their haul had been good, and everyone had been delighted. But on the way back, they encountered a Wailord heading straight toward them. As the largest Pokémon in the world, the few little wooden boats from Big Shell Village were nothing before it.

"How could we run into a Wailord in a place like this?"

Village chief Kam was deeply puzzled. They normally never ventured near the deep sea.

"Chief, there seems to be something on that Wailord's head."

Hearing this, Kam looked toward the Wailord. Most of its body was underwater, with only the top of its head above the surface.

As the Wailord drew closer, Kam finally saw what was on its head. It was a large wooden basin lined with soft bedding, and inside lay a baby that looked to be around a month old.

The baby's eyes were wide open, and it happily sucked on its thumb.

"Chief, let's run! If that Wailord gets angry, we're all done for."

A villager looked at the enormous shadow beneath the sea, fear filling his heart. If that giant whale suddenly leaped out of the water, all their boats would be destroyed—and they might lose their lives at sea.

"Stay calm. We can't outrun it. If we suddenly flee, we might provoke it instead."

"Roar~"

Seeing that the humans were not paying attention to it, the Wailord gently nudged the wooden basin on its head. The sea immediately began to surge, and fear appeared on everyone's faces.

"Waaah~ Waaah!"

The baby in the basin laughed happily, seeming to enjoy the rocking sensation.

Seeing the Wailord behave this way, Kam seemed to understand what it meant.

"Do you want to give this child to us?"

"Roar~ Wailord~"

The Wailord nodded. Its massive body stirred up waves, and several villagers lost their footing and fell into the sea.

"Chief, save us!"

"You all know how to swim. What are you panicking for?"

"Oh, right. We can swim."

Only then did the villagers remember. They quickly swam to their boats and climbed aboard.

Kam rowed his little boat closer to the child atop the Wailord's head.

"Yah yah~ Yah yah~"

When the baby saw him, it gave him a huge smile and stretched out its arms toward him. Kam moved the wooden basin onto his boat and scooped up the baby inside. Its adorable appearance melted the old man's heart.

"Roar~ Roar~"

Seeing that the child had been taken away, the Wailord gave a pleased cry and slowly swam off into the sea.

Just as everyone let out a sigh of relief, it suddenly surfaced again and blasted out a huge column of water.

"Yah~ Yah yah~"

Lying in Kam's arms, the baby kept reaching both little hands toward the Wailord.

"My goodness, this baby is really brave. If I'd been carried by such a huge whale, I'd have been scared stiff."

A villager looked at the baby, then at the departing Wailord, and spoke with lingering fear.

"Yeah. I've lived this long, and it's my first time seeing something so strange!"

"A Wailord gave us a child while we were out at sea. No one would believe it if we told them."

"But this baby really is adorable. It doesn't look like any of the children in our village!"

"Look, his eyes are blue."

The villagers gathered around the child, chattering excitedly.

Kam looked at the child and felt an unusual sense of closeness. Ever since his wife passed away, he had thought he would spend the rest of his life alone. He had never expected a Wailord to bring him a child.

"Alright, it's getting late. We should head back."

Kam interrupted the villagers who were watching the spectacle and told them to return to their boats.

"Mantine, I'm counting on you."

Kam took out a Poké Ball, and a Pokémon that looked very much like a manta ray appeared in the sea. This was Kam's starter Pokémon. It had been with him since it was a Mantyke.

It was easy to lose one's direction while sailing the ocean, and Mantine had helped him greatly. For over twenty years, it had been his most reliable partner.

"Ray~" Mantine was happy to see its master as well.

"Mantine, lead us back to Big Shell Village."

"Ray! Ray!"

Mantine swam to the front of the fleet. It had done this work for more than ten years and was thoroughly familiar with it.

As the sun set, its fading light shone across the sea, creating a magnificent scene.

On the beach of Big Shell Village, a group of people anxiously stared out at the distant sea. There were elders, women, and children among them.

"They're back!"

A child spotted the distant sails and shouted excitedly. Everyone looked in the direction the child pointed, their faces full of emotion.

"It's good they're back. Good they're back," an old man murmured.

Making a living on the sea was extremely dangerous. Not only did they have to guard against terrible weather, but they also had to stay alert for dangerous Pokémon in the ocean.

The villagers of Big Shell Village had encountered many disasters at sea. In the worst one, not a single person returned.

Because they lived close to Lilycove City, the villagers here made their living from the sea. They mainly gathered ingredients used to make Pokémon food, though sometimes they also found valuable Pokémon items. Lilycove City had great demand for these things, so they had to go out to sea every so often.

"Chief, where did this baby come from?"

When the villagers saw Kam holding a baby, they were all curious. Kam did not hide anything and told them about the Wailord.

"That really is strange."

"Maybe this child is a gift from heaven for you, Chief!"

"Exactly, exactly! Look how cute this child is!"

Everyone crowded around the baby, not even bothering with their own family members who had just returned from gathering along the shore.

"Chief, give this child a name! He'll be one of Big Shell Village's young ones from now on," someone suggested.

"He does need a proper name. This isn't an ordinary child."

"How about Zeno?" After thinking for a while, the village chief spoke.

"Zeno, not bad. That's a good name—much better than my Xiao Hai."

"Hmph, it only sounds bad because you named it." The child beside him retorted indignantly.

"You brat, is your skin itching again?"

"Ow! Ow, that hurts! Dad, let go! My ear's going to fall off!"

"Alright, Dazhuang, count up these things. I'll take Zeno home first," Kam said, glancing at the father and son.

"Don't worry, Chief. Leave it to me." Dazhuang patted his chest in assurance.

Kam carried Zeno toward his home. The Octillery and Shellder waiting at the door rushed over excitedly as soon as they saw their master.

"Octillery, Shellder, you've worked hard." Kam stroked their heads.

"Octi~ Octi~"

"Shellder~"

Kam then released Mantine from its Poké Ball.

"Mantine, Octillery, Shellder, his name is Zeno. He'll be a new member of our family from now on, so make sure you get along well!"

The three of them seemed to like Zeno very much and happily agreed. They all crowded before Kam, eager to get a good look at the human baby.

"Yah~ Yah yah yah~"

Zeno was thrilled to see them too. He kept stretching out his hands as if he wanted to touch them, and Mantine and the others cooperated readily. Completely satisfied, little Zeno broke into a huge smile.