Whimsicott finally got her wish and managed to strike up a conversation with Silver and the others.
Thinking back on everything she'd gone through over the past half day, she felt like she'd just completed an entire training journey. Still, it had been worth it.
This time, Houndoom didn't stop Silver from sticking her head out to greet Whimsicott. Instead, he watched the whole thing with quiet satisfaction.
Whimsicott had gotten stubborn and decided she absolutely had to introduce herself to the Pokémon she'd be living with from now on. She hadn't expected Silver and the others to be so ridiculously welcoming.
Before long, they were chatting away, and Silver was already nudging Whimsicott into the group with her wing. It was as if Whimsicott had belonged there all along.
Clamperl was even more confused. She was supposed to be the victim of one of Silver's impulsive pranks, yet somehow she'd ended up dragged into a spontaneous celebration with a whole crowd of Pokémon, singing, dancing, and sharing the snacks Mai had sent over with Gengar.
The situation was far too complicated for Clamperl to process, so all she could do was blankly follow everyone else.
By sunset, the spontaneous celebration was finally winding down.
Chansey, who had left midway through, came marching back while banging a frying pan with a loud 'clang-clang-clang', reminding all the Pokémon still fooling around that it was time to go home.
Slowking, who had been strolling through the woods with his hands behind his back, Gengar keeping watch from the shadows, and all the Pokémon playing along the beach and in the forest heard the signal and began heading back.
Before leaving, Silver gave Clamperl one of the Pokéblocks Mai had specially made for her, then waved a wing in farewell.
Clamperl stared at the pale blue Pokéblock resting inside her shell. Her mouth opened slightly, as though she wanted to say something, but Silver and the others were already disappearing into the distance.
Everything that had happened felt like a dream. She'd been dragged ashore in the middle of a nap, and everything afterward had been so strange and magical that it almost felt like something out of a Mew tale.
The beach that had been so lively moments ago was left with nothing but the sound of the rolling tide. Carrying her Pokéblock with her, Clamperl slowly made her way back into the sea, looking back toward the direction Silver and the others had gone with clear reluctance.
Back at camp, Luther was helping Mai prepare dinner for the Pokémon when something large and fluffy pressed against him. Apparently worried about making Luther spill the food in his hands, Arcanine waited until Luther had a hand free before gently nudging his chest with his huge head.
Luther ran his hands through Arcanine's thick fur, squeezed his cheeks, and carefully felt the warmth beneath his palms.
What Luther had said before hadn't just been an attempt to comfort Arcanine, he genuinely liked coming home to a giant dog greeting him like this. That huge body combined with such a gentle expression gave him an incredible sense of comfort.
Ever since Luther had invited Joy to dinner that one time, she had started showing up at the camp every evening around mealtime to help out and eat with everyone. Mira, meanwhile, was still always the last one back, and she was just as exhausted every time.
After hurriedly washing her hands, Mira was about to start shoveling food into her mouth when Luther tapped her hand with his chopsticks.
"Come back earlier next time. Investigating the nearby Pokémon groups isn't that urgent. There's no need to work yourself this hard."
"Oh."
Luther had no idea whether she'd actually listened. Mira raised her chopsticks again, waited to make sure Luther wasn't about to continue lecturing her, then immediately started wolfing down her food.
As Mai had once joked, Mira was such a beautiful woman, yet her table manners completely ruined the image.
This was Meowth's first time eating with so many Pokémon. When Luther formally introduced him to everyone and explained that Meowth could communicate with humans, the Pokémon around them all let out impressed sounds of surprise.
Being treated like someone special was a feeling Meowth had almost never experienced before. For once, he actually got embarrassed and scratched the back of his head.
Darkrai, Silver, and the collection of Psychic- and Ghost-type Pokémon finished expressing their admiration, then casually lowered their heads and went right back to eating.
As long as their strength kept growing, those Pokémon could use their psychic power to directly convey images and thoughts. Compared to translating everything into words, that was far more vivid.
Houndoom had been staring intently at Meowth the entire meal. Only after Meowth finished eating did he finally approach and quietly make a request.
Meowth paused in surprise, then walked over to Luther with Houndoom.
"Houndoom says... he thinks he's gotten younger."
Luther's hand froze in the middle of picking up food. He looked at Meowth, then at Houndoom, trying to figure out whether there was some hidden meaning behind those words or if Houndoom literally meant exactly what he said.
"He thinks it was caused by Ho-Oh's flames that night," Meowth continued translating, looking shocked once Ho-Oh's name came up.
Back in Ecruteak City, Meowth, Jessie, and James had once come up with the outrageous plan of luring Ho-Oh out and capturing it. Unfortunately for them, Ho-Oh had never even appeared.
Now, after retiring from that life, hearing the name again stirred no greedy thoughts in Meowth whatsoever. Whatever else could be said about the trio, they kept their word. They had promised Luther that they wouldn't return to their old ways, and they intended to stick to it.
Instead, Meowth was now staring at Luther with something close to awe. Ho-Oh had used its own power to make Houndoom younger? Just what had happened for Ho-Oh to give Luther that kind of help?
Mira, who had been about to get another serving of food, froze as well. She hadn't realized that her death that night had led to something like this.
She remembered the light and warmth she'd sensed through the haze, that overwhelming power that had slowly brought warmth back into her frozen body and driven away the darkness.
Thinking about it now filled Mira with gratitude toward both Ho-Oh and Luther. She had never properly thanked Luther for what happened, but some debts were too great for words, and this had been a literal life-saving debt.
Ever since arriving on the island, she'd poured all her energy into the work Luther had given her. Leaving early, returning late, exhausting herself day after day, it was all because she wanted to help Luther and Mai as much as possible and repay them in whatever way she could.
Chansey stepped forward to test Houndoom.
Every Pokémon immediately crowded around. The news was so shocking that none of them dared celebrate yet. They anxiously waited to see what Houndoom could actually do before deciding whether they should cheer... or cry.
Chansey blocked Flamethrower. She took Fire Blast. Then Inferno. She endured a bite from Fire Fang, took Dark Pulse straight to the face, and finally weathered an Overheat.
Six moves, and Houndoom was still full of energy.
To prove it further, he immediately started leaping across the stacks of construction materials, showing off an entire round of improvised parkour. By the time he finished, a thin layer of sweat had appeared on his body, but he was only breathing slightly harder than normal.
There was no way to fake this. His movements, his stamina after using all those moves, and even the power behind his attacks, one of them had nearly broken through Chansey's defense. It was real.
Luther suddenly wrapped both arms around Houndoom's neck and vigorously rubbed his fur, not caring in the slightest about the sweat.
"I used to be terrified that one day I'd find you lying under the shade of a tree, or curled up beside my feet..." Luther's voice grew softer. "That you'd know I would be heartbroken, so you'd quietly fall asleep without making a fuss... and then one day, you just wouldn't wake up again."
He tightened his embrace and pressed his face against Houndoom's cheek.
"I'm so glad..."
(End of Chapter)
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