Help in a time of need was always more memorable than an extra touch of luxury.
A bowl of hot soup on a bitter winter night was worth next to nothing, yet impossible to forget. Otherwise, a certain emperor surnamed Zhu would not have kept thinking about that bowl of cabbage soup from his lean years even after dining on every delicacy imaginable.
Meownei still had no idea what Pokémon was inside the trash can. Bringing over some food had been a simple act of kindness, but Litten saw things differently.
To Litten, Meownei was an angel who arrived bathed in holy light,
with a halo flickering behind their head as they walked.
"Meow."
Putting those tangled thoughts aside, Litten began gulping down the food Meownei had brought.
It tasted delicious, but there was no time to savor it.
Living with that group of Meowth had not been entirely fruitless. Litten had learned a few things, at least.
For instance, whenever food was available, eat it as fast as possible. Take too long, and it might be gone.
Nobody knew what the next meal would be. Every extra mouthful now meant lasting a little longer later.
In weather this cold, that new nest would probably help Litten hold on a little longer...
"Meow?!"
Litten had only turned away for a moment, yet suddenly discovered that the new home was gone.
The foam packing sheets inside the box lay scattered across the ground, while someone had stomped the cardboard box flat and carried it off tucked against their waist.
"Meow!!"
Litten tried to snatch back that "home," only to be kicked aside by a pair of padded slippers.
Litten could not understand what that round two-legged creature was saying, but it probably was not anything nice.
In the early days, humans