Ogerpon Plans a Birthday Party for Two

To most people, January 28 was just another ordinary or busy workday. At the Manor... it was much the same.

Although Mingyou and Akari shared a birthday, neither planned to make a big fuss. A large cake and some candles would do.

That had not been the original plan, but Mingyou had spent the past few days planting trees everywhere, and Akari had been working alongside him. They simply had no time for anything more.

In the end, Akari decided to keep things simple. A birthday did not need to feel like a farewell ceremony. What mattered was celebrating together: buying a big cake, sharing it with everyone, and letting Ogerpon and the others join in.

Mingyou had no objection. It was not such an important occasion, and apart from Ogerpon, few Pokémon seemed excited about it.

That evening, after finishing work, Mingyou went with Wyrdeer to Verdant Town to collect the cake he had ordered. He set it by the living room wall, planning to assemble its layers when they were ready to eat.

But after he left, a figure poked its head through the window, reached in with a thick arm, and carried the cake away.

"Snor~"

Unaware that the cake had been stolen, Mingyou had gone to the lake behind the house.

Purple stalks and leaves now grew along its shore. As night fell, they began to glow faintly. The ghost water chestnuts planted there had ripened yesterday, and the Pokémon living in the lake picked them to eat.

Akari was talking with Basculegion by the lake. She had originally planned to take it to Blueberry Academy, but after seeing so many Basculin here, she decided it should stay too.

"You've settled it?"

Mingyou walked over and asked.

"Mm." Akari nodded and turned toward him. "It agreed