The moon back home

In the backyard, the setting sunlight swept swiftly over the grass, the lake, and the meadow, heading into the distance.

They gathered around a round table and began enjoying the day's feast. Around them, a group of Pokémon were likewise enjoying the Pokéblocks Fang Yan had carefully prepared for them.

After diligently studying the Pokéblock manual from his great-aunt's unnamed friend, Fang Yan had greatly improved his Pokéblock-making skills.

A cool breeze stirred, and one sip of Fang Yan's handmade, refreshingly fizzy soda with added Honey washed away all the day's worries.

"Fang Yan's cooking really is amazing."

The others said nothing, only nodding away.

Seeing everyone enjoying the food so much filled Fang Yan with satisfaction.

Nothing was more satisfying to a cook than seeing others enjoy the food he made.

Following Shauna's directions, Fang Yan picked up a cola chicken wing for her.

Xia Lan swallowed the food in her mouth and raised her glass.

"According to your Donghuang traditions, should we clink glasses and say 'Happy Mid-Autumn Festival'?"

Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny nodded in agreement and raised their glasses. Shauna raised her little cup too.

Fang Yan smiled knowingly at the sight and raised his glass.

"Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to us all~"

Clink~

"Gengar~"

As always, a little chubby hand had slipped into the mix.

"Gengar, if you steal my pig's trotters again while I'm not looking, believe me, I'll smack your bottom."

While chatting with Xia Lan and the others, Fang Yan glanced down at his plate and discovered that his pig's trotter had vanished again, while a certain little fatty beside him was holding one and happily gnawing away.

"Gengar."

Hmph.

Gengar simply turned away, leaving his back to Fang Yan as though refusing to acknowledge him.

The others burst out laughing at the sight.

Shauna did not understand why. Holding her cola chicken wing and gnawing on it, she glanced around with her little eyes and joined in the laughter.

During the meal, everyone also took a big group photo with the Pokémon.

The meal ended amid everyone's and the Pokémon's cheerful laughter. After tidying up, Fang Yan packed two boxes of mooncakes each for Xia Lan and the others to take home, and two boxes for Shauna too.

After entrusting Shauna to Officer Jenny and the others and asking them to take her home, Fang Yan stood at the entrance and patted her little head.

Shauna thoroughly enjoyed this. She held the Pokémon Egg in her arms, and whenever Fang Yan patted her little head, her eyes would narrow contentedly.

He waved goodbye and watched them leave, then closed the Pokémon Day Care's door and returned to the backyard with Gengar.

The backyard table had not yet been cleared. Fang Yan brought out the Gengar cake he had made that afternoon from the kitchen.

"Gengar, come blow out the candles."

Fang Yan set the cake on the table, picked up Petilil, and called to Gengar.

"Gengar-"

Coming!

Once Gengar, Dali, and the others had gathered around him, Fang Yan put candles on the cake.

"This is our first Mid-Autumn Festival together. It's an honor to have become a family with you."

Fang Yan had Gengar light the candles, glanced at Gengar and the others, and spoke sincerely.

Because of you, this place feels more like a home.

"Gengar."

"Ni-ke."

"Laji~"

The Pokémon were moved to tears, and Gengar leaned straight in to lick Fang Yan.

"All right, all right, I know. Enough getting sentimental. Hurry up and blow out the candles together."

Fang Yan did his best to push Gengar away as he spoke helplessly.

"Gengar-"

You too, Fang Yan.

Gengar tugged at Fang Yan's shoulder.

Overhead, the moon resembled a gleaming white jade platter, with a Gengar cake sitting right beneath its light.

Fang Yan put Petilil on the table. Petilil, who had once feared the night, was no longer afraid of it now.

Holding Petilil's and Gengar's hands, Fang Yan took a deep breath.

"I'll count to three, and we'll blow together. Three."

"Gengar?! Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾉ)ﾉ"

Caught off guard by Fang Yan, Gengar hurriedly drew a deep breath and blew out the candles.

Fang Yan laughed happily, then picked up a knife and began dividing the cake. While Gengar's attention was drawn to the cake, he smeared cream on Gengar's face at lightning speed.

Petilil, Dali, and the others got some too.

This brought retaliation from Gengar and Dali. Dali held Fang Yan tight, letting Gengar smear cream all over his face.

After all their horseplay, everyone's face was covered in cream.

Fang Yan tried a bite of cake, left the rest for Gengar and the others to finish, and returned to his room to shower.

After his shower, he returned to the backyard to find that Gengar and the others had cleaned everything up.

Stretching, Fang Yan walked over to the lake, found an open patch of grass, and lay down.

The fragrance of grass and the earthy smell of soil reached his nose as Fang Yan quietly watched the moon overhead.

Stars filled the sky, twinkling around that full moon.

He had forgotten how long it had been since he had properly looked at the stars. He vaguely remembered a Mid-Autumn Festival in his childhood in his previous life, when he and his family had rolled up a sleeping mat and taken it to the rooftop to spread out. The whole family had sat on it and chatted, and he had liked listening to his parents talk while counting stars with his older sister and pestering her to tell him stories.

He just did not know when it had begun, but later, whenever he looked up while walking at night, there had been only a scattering of stars, never again a sky full of them like in his childhood.

Today, however, he saw a sky full of stars again, and for a moment he was lost in a daze.

Movement came from beside him. Gengar lay down next to him, as did Petilil.

Dali sat a short distance away with Er Li and San Li, holding mooncakes and quietly watching the stars and moon.

In the sky nearby, several Illumise danced through the night, tracing geometric patterns.

"Gengar, did you know? Tonight's moon isn't at its fullest. Tomorrow's will be."

Fang Yan suddenly spoke, resting his hands behind his head.

"Gengar?"

"The moon of the fifteenth is fullest on the sixteenth."

Fang Yan murmured to himself.

Perhaps sensing that something was off with Fang Yan's mood, Gengar nestled closer to him.

Glancing at Gengar shuffling closer, Fang Yan could not help laughing.

"Did you know? Where we come from, there's a legend. In the legend, there was a married couple... and in the end, his wife flew to the moon."

Fang Yan spoke softly, while Gengar and the others listened quietly.

"Though here, she'd probably ride Rayquaza up there."

Fang Yan smiled, reached out to gather Petilil into his arms, and rubbed Petilil's little head.

"Laji~"

A sweet little cry rang out, and Petilil narrowed her eyes.

"Thank you."

Fang Yan spoke softly, then fell silent and quietly counted the stars.

Gengar stole a glance at Fang Yan, felt that his mood had improved, and looked up at the moon overhead.

"Gengar ٩(º﹃º٩)"

Looks so tasty...

Then Gengar pulled out a fairly large mooncake and compared them. It was round too.

Then Gengar bit into it.

"Gengar-"

Meanwhile, Fang Yan held Petilil in his arms, experiencing a tranquility he had never known in his previous life. His eyes blinked along with the twinkling stars.

At last, he closed his eyes and fell fast asleep.

Nights in Sinnoh were rather cold. A gust of wind swept past, and Fang Yan could not help curling up a little.

Gengar tossed the rest of the mooncake into his mouth and finished it, floated up, gently lifted Fang Yan with psychic power, and slowly drifted toward his room.

Finally, Gengar laid him on the bed and tucked him in, then went to replace the soil in the flowerpot on the balcony with fresh soil, brought it back inside, and set it on the bedside table. Then Gengar gently pried Fang Yan's arms apart and placed the sleeping Petilil in the flowerpot.

"Laji..."

"Gengar-"

After soothing Petilil, Gengar changed the room's lighting to a warm tone, then returned to the ceiling.

Gengar did not need to train tonight, because Ninetales had said yesterday that the training was over.

Deep within the forest, a Ninetales was also quietly gazing up at the moon overhead.

Only when dark clouds obscured the moon did Ninetales withdraw from those thoughts, take one last look toward the Pokémon Day Care, and walk off in the other direction without looking back.