The Photographer and the Photographer

"Don't move. Nurse Joy said you can't walk around too much, and you ran such a long distance just now. You can't walk anymore."

Glameow, held in Chen Yan's arms, stared at him curiously, and Chen Yan spoke with a deadpan expression:

"I'm only doing this for your health, not because I want to hold you on purpose."

Glameow's pretty, large eyes blinked, pondered for a moment, and then let Chen Yan hold her.

Seeing the calm-faced Chen Yan, Gengar made a funny face at him.

Chen Yan carried Glameow to Professor Rowan's side, said hello to the Snivy in the tree, and then looked at Professor Rowan:

"Professor, then we'll be heading off."

Professor Rowan nodded. "Alright, I'll walk you out to here."

Chen Yan gave an affirmative hum, then held Glameow and bowed to Professor Rowan once more.

"Goodbye, Professor Rowan."

"Gengar--"

[Blink]

Glameow gazed at Chen Yan, then looked back at Professor Rowan.

"Meow~"

"May fortune favor your journey."

Chen Yan nodded, finally looked at the Snivy in the tree, and said, "Goodbye, Snivy. When I come back, I'll take you to see the sea."

"Snivy--"

Watching Chen Yan's receding back, Professor Rowan turned around and led Snivy toward his research institute.

Held in Chen Yan's arms, Glameow used her paws to constantly tug at the camera hanging around Chen Yan's neck. To avoid pressing against Glameow, Chen Yan had intentionally slung the camera strap off to the side.

"That Trainer." A call stopped Chen Yan in his tracks.

He turned his head curiously to look at a man standing at the entrance of a shop.

Seeing Chen Yan stop, the man hurried over, his eyes lighting up when he saw the Glameow with bandaged paws in Chen Yan's arms.

"Trainer, is this Glameow injured?"

Chen Yan nodded, looking at the man before him with vigilance.

For some reason, he always felt an ominous premonition.

Glameow constantly used its head to dodge Chen Yan's palm.

After dodging it yet again, it stared at Chen Yan, its blue cat pupils filled with bewilderment.

Is this human sick? Why does he always want to touch my head?

With a smile on his face, the man spoke up: "What a coincidence! Our shop happens to have pet carriers for sale, which can relieve the fatigue of your journey."

Chen Yan:...

"No need."

"Don't worry, our material is very good. It won't feel heavy at all when you carry it on your back, and it'll be even more effortless than holding it."

"Thanks, we don't need it."

"Meow?"

Chen Yan lowered his head and found Glameow looking at him.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. You aren't heavy, and it's not tiring for me to hold you."

Seeing this, the man continued: "I'd say you're a photographer, right? If you keep holding Glameow like that, it'll be very hard for you to take pictures."

Glameow:!

"Meow!"

Chen Yan looked at Glameow in his arms and spoke softly:

"It's fine. I can still take pictures, you don't need to worry."

"Meow!"

"..." Chen Yan had no choice but to speak:

"Be a good cat, Glameow. Our budget isn't very plentiful, so we have to save money."

"Meow?"

So that's how it is?

Glameow's spring-like tail wrapped around Chen Yan's wrist, and it gently rubbed its head against his palm.

Chen Yan:!

"Trainer." The voice ringing out beside him sounded to Chen Yan like a call from the depths of hell.

"You don't need to worry. Today is the very first day our shop has opened, so everything is half-off. Seeing as you and Glameow share such a good bond, I'll make the call and slash another twenty percent off for you."

Chen Yan looked at the man beside him, his gaze staring gloomily at him for a long, long time.

The man returned Chen Yan's smile.

He must have been moved by my sincerity, right? Ah, everyone says I'm no good at business, but look-didn't I just make a sale?

The man felt immensely proud in his heart.

"Meow?"

Chen Yan lowered his head to look at Glameow, gazed into its beautiful blue pupils, and finally helplessly compromised.

"Fine, then let's buy one."

"Meow~"

Picking out a pet carrier suited for Glameow, Chen Yan paid the money, then shouldered the carrier and quickly left the shop.

"Welcome back anytime~" The man stood at the shop entrance, waving at Chen Yan's back.

Chen Yan turned his head around. The carrier was strapped across his chest, and Glameow was gracefully resting inside it, its head poked out as it curiously looked around. By the looks of it, it seemed quite interested in this pet carrier.

Chen Yan stared at the man for a moment, then looked at the signboard above his head, turned around and left immediately, picking up his pace as he exited Sandgem Town.

The man was startled by Chen Yan's look, his face full of bewilderment.

Recalling the expression Chen Yan wore when paying just now, the man felt somewhat puzzled.

Clearly he had given a rock-bottom discount, so why did this Trainer still look somewhat unhappy?

Ah, today's Trainers are truly impossible to figure out.

Only after walking briskly out of Sandgem Town and stepping onto the dirt path leading from Sandgem Town to Lake Verity did Chen Yan finally let out a sigh of relief.

If he had known, he would have left Sandgem Town earlier!

Gazing at Glameow, whose body rested inside the pet carrier with its head poked out to look around everywhere, Chen Yan reached out and stroked its head.

"Meow."

Glameow turned its head back to hiss at him, then retracted its head back into the pet carrier.

Chen Yan:...

With a heartbroken sigh, Chen Yan looked at the endless dirt path before him, grabbed his camera, and snapped a photo of the road ahead.

"Everyone, please take good care of us from here on out, too."

"Gengar--"

[Blinking]

"Meow~"

"Let's get moving!"

Thus, after bidding farewell to Sandgem Town, Chen Yan's group hurried all the way toward Lake Verity with the exact purpose of witnessing the once-in-a-decade Night of Evolution. So this time they... ahem, sorry, wrong script.

Gengar carried Kakuna on top of its head, wore a backpack holding a drone and a gaming console on its back, and waved a thin bamboo staff in its hand. Wherever it passed, not a single blade of grass remained.

"Gengar~"

The sun shines bright in the sky~ Bellossom smiles at me~ Staravia says~ early early early~ what are you going off to do~

Even I don't know~

Listening to Gengar's touching voice and its thoroughly mangled lyrics, Chen Yan felt utterly dead inside.

The midday sun was so hot it made one want to die. Exhausted from walking, Chen Yan simply found a shaded tree and began making lunch.

After lunch, Gengar went to wash the tableware, while Chen Yan sat under the tree with Glameow and Kakuna to enjoy the shade.

Gengar finished washing the tableware, put it away, sat down beside Chen Yan, and pulled out some post-meal snacks to eat.

Feeling the sudden drop in temperature, Chen Yan let out a comfortable yawn.

You have to admit, having a Gengar while traveling outside is truly wonderful. The Four-Dimensional Pocket can carry a lot of things for you, and it can also lower the temperature around you during the hot summer-it's simply a great helper for travel.

Everyone who wants to go traveling must catch a Gengar; it definitely won't let you down.

Glameow had already fallen into a comfortable, sound sleep.

"Gengar--"

A small, chubby hand stretched out in front of Chen Yan, holding peeled walnut kernels.

"Thanks." Chen Yan took the walnut kernels, using one hand to quietly stroke Glameow while continuously feeding walnut kernels to his mouth with the other.

These walnut kernels... why does the taste seem somewhat familiar?

Chen Yan looked at Gengar and found that Gengar was cracking open walnuts by using Kakuna.

That bag of walnuts... why is it so familiar?

"Gengar?"

Do you want some more? Here you go.

Gengar generously handed the walnut kernels to Chen Yan, who accepted them. After saying thank you once again, he asked in confusion:

"Gui-gui, where did you get these walnuts... from? I remember I didn't buy any walnuts?"

Gengar cracked a walnut with brute strength, tossed the kernels into its mouth, and chewed.

"Gengar--"

Got them from the research institute~

Chen Yan:"..."

"Professor Rowan gave them to you?" Chen Yan let out a sigh of relief.

Gengar shook its head and looked at Chen Yan.

"Gengar."

I saw them placed on the table and thought nobody wanted them, so I took them.

"..."

Chen Yan opened his mouth wide and stared at Gengar. After a while, he finally spoke:

"What do you mean by 'placed on the table and you thought nobody wanted them so you took them'? Turns out you just took them yourself?"

Gengar nodded matter-of-factly.

Chen Yan closed his eyes, and after a long while, he spoke:

"You're simply a bandit..."

"Gengar?"

What's a bandit? Are they like me, too?

"That's..." Before Chen Yan could finish his sentence, he suddenly sensed something and looked up at the sky.

A giant bird Pokémon was flying right past above their heads, its colorful feathers gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight.

That's... a Shiny Fearow?!

Bah... Ho-Oh?!

The true photographer of the Pokémon world?

Chen Yan didn't have time to speak; he shoved all the walnut kernels into his mouth, picked up his camera, scooped up Glameow, and bolted in the direction Ho-Oh had flown off to.

Glameow:???

Gengar also quickly packed up its things, hugged Kakuna, and hurried to follow.

Today, they absolutely had to photograph this "photographer" to prove that he himself was the real photographer!