The next morning, Chen Yan yawned and opened his bedroom door, only to come face-to-face with an enormous head. It had tiny nostrils, two long, slender antennae and a horn, an orange body, a cream-colored belly, and a pair of small wings on its back.
As the Pokémon's nostrils twitched and it lowered its head to look at him, Chen Yan shut the door.
*???*
Am I still half asleep?
Why is there a Dragonite in the house?
Did I open the door wrong?
Chen Yan opened the door again. Finding Dragonite still there, he chose to shut it once more.
Open, shut, open, shut.
Finally, Dragonite lost patience and reached out a thick paw to stop him.
"Roar?"
Got a problem with me?
Chen Yan forced a smile. "Um... good morning, Dra... Dragonite."
Dragonite stared at Chen Yan for a long while, an odd gleam flashing in its eyes. Then it let go, huffed at him twice, and turned to leave.
Curious, Chen Yan followed it, wondering where this Dragonite had come from.
When they reached the entry hall, Grandmother was sitting beside the table, sorting through something. Seeing Dragonite and Chen Yan approach together, she smiled. "You're up?"
"Good morning, Grandmother."
"Breakfast is on the table. Go eat first."
"Okay."
Chen Yan quickly finished breakfast and returned to the entry hall, where he found Dragonite sitting beside Grandmother, keeping her company as she chatted.
Chen Yan walked over, sat on Grandmother's other side, and asked, "Grandmother, this is...?"
Grandmother introduced Dragonite to him. "Remember what I told you yesterday? This Dragonite was the Pokémon that brought your grandfather and me together. After fulfilling its promise to someone, it came back to look after me."
Then she smiled and added, "Now you won't have to worry about me being home alone, will you?"
With Dragonite looking after her... that really would be better than having most other Pokémon.
"That's good, then." Chen Yan nodded, then looked at Dragonite and held out his hand with a smile. "Hello, Dragonite. My name's Chen Yan."
Dragonite stared at his outstretched hand, swatted it away with a thick paw, and turned its head, refusing to acknowledge him anymore.
Chen Yan was speechless.
Did I... do something to upset it?
That doesn't make sense. Dragonite are normally gentle Pokémon. It's not like every Dragonite has a bad temper like Iris's.
Most Dragonite are gentle like Ash's and often help people who fall into the water, though they aren't quite as cuddly as his.
"Have you packed?"
Grandmother asked.
Chen Yan nodded. "I packed yesterday. I didn't have much luggage to begin with."
Grandmother picked up something from the table and handed it to Chen Yan with a smile. "Try this on. I sewed it from memory. See if it fits."
Chen Yan looked at the belt in her hands. A fiery red stone was set in its center, with four round slots to the gem's left and three to its right. Each slot held a shrunken Poké Ball.
A Pokémon belt?
Chen Yan took it and tried it on. It fit perfectly.
"Yes, very handsome. Oh, and the Poké Balls on it are all empty. You can use them to catch Pokémon you meet along the way."
Then Grandmother handed him a backpack. "I made this backpack for you, too, all from memory. I put some Poké Balls inside, along with some Potions I bought this morning and some bug repellent spray."
Looking at the plain, unassuming backpack, Chen Yan felt warmth spread through his heart.
"Oh, and I bought you some clothes, too. They're all for winter."
Chen Yan looked at the pile of winter clothes nearby. Hoodies, knitted shirts, sweaters, down jackets-it had everything.
Chen Yan's head spun. "Grandmother, I can't take all that with me. I can't carry that much."
"Isn't Gengar here?"
"Gengar can't carry that much either, can it?"
"Gengar," Grandmother called.
Gengar, who had been playing fetch with Growlithe in the yard, floated back through the wall.
Seeing Grandmother point at the pile of clothes on the floor, Gengar nodded, went over, and stuffed every piece into its mouth for storage.
Chen Yan was speechless.
A fourth-dimensional storage space?
"You can do that, too?"
Gengar gave him a trademark Gengar grin.
Growlithe ran in just then and sat beside Grandmother, watching everything curiously.
Under Grandmother's direction, Gengar put away the sleeping bag, tent, and everything else in its fourth-dimensional storage space. Once it had finished, Chen Yan reached down and pressed one of the Poké Balls on his belt. It detached, dropped into his palm, and began to expand.
"Gengar."
Gengar turned to find Chen Yan smiling as he held out a Poké Ball.
With a knowing smile, Gengar floated over and gently pressed the button. The Poké Ball opened, and Gengar turned into red light and was drawn inside.
Ding~ dong!
A perfect catch!
Looking at the Poké Ball in his palm, Chen Yan felt an irrepressible surge of excitement.
So this was... what catching a Pokémon felt like?
This was seriously... awesome!
Chen Yan raised the Poké Ball high and struck an outrageously over-the-top pose.
"Gengar, I caught you!"
"Geng~"
Gengar jumped out of the Poké Ball and struck an equally over-the-top pose alongside him.
Growlithe had no idea what was going on, but it never missed a chance to join the fun, so it ran over to take part.
Grandmother watched them with a kindly expression, while Dragonite looked utterly unimpressed.
Once everything was ready and lunch was over, Grandmother, Dragonite, and Growlithe saw Chen Yan and Gengar to the door.
Looking at Grandmother, Chen Yan suddenly felt reluctant to leave.
Grandmother read his expression. Taking his hand, she smiled and said, "It's not as if you're never coming back. Eat properly while you're away, get plenty of rest, and stay safe. Especially when you spend the night outdoors, make sure you check your surroundings..."
Grandmother kept reminding him of things. Chen Yan didn't interrupt, only nodded again and again.
Finally, Grandmother wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said to Chen Yan and Gengar, "Off you go. If you get tired, come home."
Chen Yan and Gengar nodded to show they understood.
Chen Yan glanced down at Growlithe, who was sitting on the ground with its tongue out. He crouched and vigorously ruffled its head. "While Gengar and I are away, make sure you protect Grandmother, okay?"
Growlithe grinned and nodded eagerly.
"Awooo~"
Chen Yan smiled fondly at the Growlithe before him.
Growlithe still seemed to prefer staying with Grandmother. That was good, too. It could keep her company.
Chen Yan stood and hugged Grandmother, then reached out while Dragonite wasn't paying attention and patted its big belly.
So bouncy.
It felt great.
With that done, Chen Yan slung on his backpack and took off running, shouting, "Sinnoh Region, here we come!"
Gengar followed close behind, diving into his shadow.
Watching Chen Yan and Gengar run off, Dragonite flared its nostrils, then let out a low growl.
"Roar."
This guy...
Grandmother patted its big belly, too, and smiled. "Right? He hasn't changed a bit, has he?"
Once Chen Yan disappeared from sight, Grandmother turned and headed back into the house.
Growlithe stared blankly after Chen Yan and Gengar as an unfamiliar emotion welled up inside it. It didn't know what this feeling was; after all, it was only three months old. When Grandmother turned to go home, it got up and followed her.
"Awooo~"
When will they come back from playing?
Will they bring me something tasty?
Aren't they coming home tonight? Why did they take so much stuff with them?
Growlithe lay silently beside the swing, holding the cloth ball Chen Yan usually played with it in its mouth. Earlier, it had wanted to find Chen Yan to play, only to remember that he seemed to have gone out. So it had run to the door to wait, but even by dinnertime, neither Chen Yan nor Gengar had returned. After dinner, it carried the cloth ball over to the swing where Chen Yan most often sat after eating and lay there quietly.
Grandmother, sitting on the stone stool, noticed and called its name. It immediately ran over with the ball in its mouth, sat in front of her, and blinked with its tongue hanging out.
"Awooo~"
Grandmother reached out, cradled its head, and gently stroked it before saying softly:
"Oh, you silly child..."
Grandmother looked at Growlithe in her arms, then at the cloth ball. "How about I play with you?"
Growlithe instantly forgot its earlier feelings and wagged its tail happily.
Grandmother picked up the cloth ball and threw it into the distance. Growlithe immediately raced after it, fetched it, and placed it back in her hand.
Soon, the yard was filled with Growlithe's happy cries again.
Dragonite sat beneath the eaves nearby, holding a Berry it had just borrowed from Pachirisu. It took a bite, sending juice splashing, and shook its head as it watched Growlithe having the time of its life.
Its mood changed so quickly.
Watching Growlithe run toward her with the cloth ball in its mouth, Grandmother clapped for it and praised it for doing so well.
Children's feelings came quickly and faded just as fast.
That was nice. Not a care in the world.
Before you continue