Spring, League Calendar Year 112, May 18. Clear skies.
Two days after Tong Hua announced the end of the limited-time sale, he opened his eyes early that morning.
Steady breathing sounded beside his ears. Out of habit, Tong Hua shifted a little before carefully sitting up.
Looking back, he found Purrloin lying on his pillow as expected, while Minccino had rolled to the foot of the bed as usual.
The two Pokémon flanked Tong Hua on either side, restricting him to an extremely awkward sleeping position. No wonder he had felt a little stiff all over when he woke.
He could not help chuckling. He gently carried Minccino back from the foot of the bed to the pillow, then tucked the blanket around Purrloin.
Snuggled together, the two little ones rubbed against each other unconsciously in their sleep, purring contentedly without waking.
Below the bed, the floor had already been warm and crowded, and it had become even more crowded since Ampharos, Riolu, and the others arrived a few weeks earlier.
To help them settle in, Tong Hua had made them a little hay bed on the floor by the door, where Ampharos, Riolu, the two Celebi, and Grovyle all slept together.
Fortunately, Lucario did not need to sleep, though she still sat inside meditating every night. Thankfully, she and Grovyle's group generally woke even earlier than Tong Hua.
Morning sunlight streamed through the Wooden Cabin's window, scattering warm patches of light.
Riolu, Grovyle, and Lucario had already gone out for their morning training.
Tong Hua climbed out of bed quietly, afraid of disturbing his companions' sweet dreams. He walked to the window and took a deep breath of fresh air scented with grass and desserts.
Delibird was sleeping standing up on the table beside the window, while Steenee's little