Meria House

Misty Mountain, the small house on the summit.

For Dragon-type Pokémon, Dragon Scales were nothing special. They shed their own.

Their scales fell off naturally at regular intervals.

But Dragapult could clearly sense the fluctuations coming from this black Dragon Scale.

They even frightened Dragapult!

Dragapult, who had been wary of Li Wei, instantly appeared before him.

"Grr! Grr?"

Lucario translated: (She's asking where this came from and whose it is.)

"A Dragon Scale from a black Rayquaza. As for where I got it, I can't tell you."

"Grr..."

At the name Rayquaza, a serpentine figure soaring through the sky involuntarily surfaced in Dragapult's mind.

As a Dragon-type Pokémon, Dragapult knew exactly how powerful Rayquaza was.

A Dragon Scale from Rayquaza-

Why did this human have it?

Dragapult looked at Li Wei in confusion.

By human standards, he was probably very handsome, and he seemed to have a lot of Affinity, too.

But did being handsome mean he could do whatever he wanted?

Well... perhaps it wasn't entirely out of the question.

Drakloak and Dreepy clearly liked him.

And looking at Lucario, Arcanine, and the silver Metagross, they were all powerful Pokémon.

Dragapult could also sense the emotional bonds between Li Wei and them.

When Metagross smashed the television, Lucario had immediately protected Li Wei.

Arcanine had subtly positioned itself in front of Li Wei, though Metagross had actually blocked all the fragments.

Dragapult had witnessed all of that herself.

Then she looked at Drakloak, happily squinting and nuzzling Li Wei with its head while munching on Pokéblocks...

Dragapult made her decision. Going with Li Wei would give Drakloak a better future.

"Grr..."

Lucario said excitedly, "She wants you to take Drakloak with you!"

Drakloak was still absorbed in eating the Pokéblocks Li Wei had brought out, unaware that it had already been given away.

Rather than getting especially excited, Li Wei asked, "Aren't you coming with me?"

Dragapult shook her head. "Grr."

(She doesn't want to leave.)

"Why?"

"Grr..."

Dragapult's voice grew a little subdued.

(She's still waiting for someone.)

Li Wei frowned thoughtfully. "Waiting for someone... Can you tell me your story? Maybe I can help you."

Dragapult nodded. "Grr..."

Twenty years earlier...

The stove was on in the kitchen, but the young woman, around thirty years old, moved unusually slowly.

"Cough, cough." The woman covered her mouth as she suddenly coughed, her face turning pale in an instant.

"Grr?"

Sensing Dragapult's concern, the woman smiled gently. "I'm fine."

While Dragapult's eyes were narrowed, the woman quietly turned on the faucet and washed the blood from her palm.

Perhaps because she was in a good mood, the woman softly hummed as she cooked.

Dragapult sang along with her, and the Dreepy in her launchers joined in with little cries of "Dree, dree."

It brought a little life to the dreary house.

For the first time since learning she was seriously ill, Meria felt that she wanted to live.

Meria simply made chicken noodle soup, one bowl for herself and one for Dragapult.

"Here, this one's yours."

Meria set the portion with more meat in front of Dragapult.

Dragapult didn't eat, merely nudging it back with her head. "Grr."

"I can't eat that much."

"Grr, grr!"

Dragapult simply urged her to eat.

"All right, all right. I'll eat."

Perhaps it was the steam from the chicken noodle soup that made Meria's eyes redden before she knew it.

"Grr..."

Noticing Dragapult's low spirits, Meria discreetly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"My cooking is so delicious, it moved me to tears!"

"Grr!!!"

(It's the best!)

Good times never lasted long.

Meria hired workers to cover everything in the house and packed her luggage. She had to leave for treatment.

Before leaving, Meria released Dragapult. "From today on, you're free, Dragapult."

"Grr?"

Dragapult was still bewildered.

Though she was no longer bound to a Poké Ball, she still considered herself Meria's Pokémon.

Before she left, Meria hugged Dragapult's head and whispered:

"If I manage to come back... would you forgive me and be my Pokémon again...?"

"I'm leaving now. Don't follow me, all right?"

Meria left.

"Awoooo..."

Arcanine burst into sobs.

"Metang..." Metagross looked ashamed, deeply regretting having destroyed the television.

Lucario's eyes reddened, too.

Drakloak stopped focusing on the Pokéblocks and went to its mother's side, gently nuzzling her with its head.

Li Wei could guess that Meria had died of her illness.

Perhaps Dragapult knew, too.

Li Wei took a deep breath to steady his emotions, then pulled out his phone and called Zoro.

The call connected quickly.

"Li Wei, is something wrong?"

"Mr. Zoro, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"Go ahead. Anything I can help with."

"Please help me find a woman named Meria. She was probably hospitalized, and she had a house on Misty Mountain, beyond Jubilife City's eastern suburbs. This is very important. Please."

Zoro sighed on the other end of the line.

"Meria, huh? There's no need to search. Go to Meria House downtown, near Central Hospital."

Zoro gave Li Wei a brief explanation of Meria's story.

Letting out a soft breath, Li Wei turned to Dragapult. "Dragapult, do you want to see Meria?"

"Grr!"

The look in Dragapult's eyes said it all.

"Okay, come with me!"

"Arcanine, Lucario, return for now."

"Arf!"

"Luca!"

After returning Lucario and Arcanine to their Poké Balls,

Li Wei climbed onto Metagross, with Drakloak and Dragapult flying on either side of him.

"Metagross, full speed ahead. Downtown."

Li Wei first sent his dad a message: [I'm heading downtown. I probably won't be home for dinner.]

Dad: [Sure thing.]

With his dad replying so quickly, Li Wei suspected he was slacking off at work. Oh well, he wouldn't call him out.

Then Li Wei looked up directions to Meria House on his phone.

Traveling at full speed, Metagross and Dragapult reached Meria House, not far from Central Hospital downtown, about half an hour later.

[Meria House.]

Li Wei looked up at the sign over the entrance.

It was an orphanage whose construction and operation had been funded by the late Meria.

She had died, yet she lived on forever.

"We're here. Let's go see her."