The morning sunlight carried winter's distinctive chill, spreading a pale golden glow across the ground in the courtyard.
Eevee sat on his shoulder, her fluffy tail curled around the back of his neck. Her large brown eyes glanced back at his parents by the door, and she softly called, "Eevee," as though saying goodbye.
Gardevoir walked beside Xinhai. She gave a slight bow toward the doorway before turning to follow him.
Xinhai took out his folding bicycle from the Spatial Backpack and unfolded it. He swung himself onto it and pushed off, the wheels rolling over the familiar stone road outside the courtyard gate with a steady rustling sound.
"Dad, Mom, I'm leaving!" He turned his head and waved toward the doorway.
"Have a safe trip!" His mother, Nami, stood at the door and waved vigorously. Her voice carried far through the morning air. "Remember to call when you get there!"
His father, Yantai Bai Mu, stood beside her without waving, his gaze following that receding figure until the bicycle turned the corner and vanished behind the branches of the old banyan tree at the edge of town.
Once he left Verdanturf Town, fields stretched out on both sides of the road beneath the thin winter morning mist. In the distance, wisps of cooking smoke rose from village rooftops and merged into the pale blue sky.
The air was crisp and clean. His breath formed clusters of white mist before his eyes, then quickly scattered in the morning breeze.
Eevee sat in the bicycle basket, her brown eyes fixed on Rusturf Mountain growing ever closer ahead. Her fluffy tail swayed gently against the basket's edge, and she seemed to be in quite a good mood.
When he reached the entrance to Rusturf Tunnel, Xinhai braked and looked into the deep,