Chapter 111: Out of Infancy
For five straight days, Will loafed around at Granny Sola's house. He would wake up every morning for some exercise, help her clean the house and yard, go for a walk with her in the afternoon, and then play with the Pokémon in the backyard in the evening.
The days were peaceful, but they brought a sense of tranquility to Will's heart that he had never felt in the Dragonite Kingdom. Here, he didn't have to endure the strange looks of other humans, nor did he have to worry about a war breaking out one day.
In the courtyard one day, Will and Sola were relaxing on a rocking chair, sunbathing. Several Pokémon were napping around them, enjoying the quiet afternoon. With Will around these past few days, the Skitty had been much more restrained. Even Sola remarked on how much better-behaved it had become. But Will knew it was only temporary. The moment he left, the Skitty would likely revert to its old ways.
If I stay here any longer, I don't think I'll want to leave, Will murmured to himself, turning to look at Sola, who had fallen asleep while holding him.
There were a few drops of sweat on Sola's face. They certainly weren't from the spring sun; they were from him pressing down on her. Will had now left his infant stage, and his height and weight were greater than that of an average Pokémon. Having him sleep on her stomach must have been quite uncomfortable. But even so, Sola had never asked him to move.
Will shifted slightly, slipping out of her embrace and leaping lightly onto the grass without a sound.
"Personal status."
An ordinary Pokémon needs a week to reach Lv. 5 and mature out of its infant stage. But Will had only taken five days, and he had grown even more robust. He knew it wasn't because he had been sunbathing a little extra. Without a doubt, it was Celebi that had enhanced this body's growth rate. He could feel that he hadn't reached his limit yet; there was still room to grow. If he kept going, he would probably reach the standards of the Era of Primal Beasts.
As for the two new moves, Take Down and Slam, Will had simply "recalled" them from his past life's memory. He found that he had a deep impression of any move he had mastered in a past life that his current Treecko body was also capable of learning. It was just like when he had evolved into a Dragonite and had recalled Wrap and the others; it was quite easy. Normal-type moves were very easy to recall. However, moves of other types, like Psychic and Dragon, were a bit more difficult. His body was so full of Grass-type energy that he couldn't find the other energy types for the time being.
Alright, it's about time I properly educated this Skitty.
Thinking of this, Will looked up at the Skitty, who was napping under the rocking chair. That spot in Sola's arms had originally been its place, but Will had stolen it these past few days. He wanted to make the Skitty experience the feeling of losing these things.
"Hey, get up."
Will walked over to the Skitty and patted its head.
"Meow?"
The Skitty woke up groggily. Seeing Will in front of it, it shrank back and instinctively looked up at Sola. But this time, Sola was fast asleep and couldn't save it.
"Come with me."
"Meow..."
The Skitty instinctively shook its head in refusal. It didn't dare to go out alone with Will.
"If you don't come with me, I'll beat you up," Will said, turning to intimidate it. He was no longer the tiny baby from before. He was now a little taller than the Skitty.
Hearing this, the Skitty's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and it reluctantly followed behind him. It had never been so wronged in its entire life. Since Will had arrived, it hadn't had a single good day. Thinking about the future, it felt a sense of despair.
Will glanced back at it, said nothing, and led it out the door. Although the Skitty was curious as to why he was taking it out, it didn't dare to ask and just followed carefully behind him. Will led it on a stroll near the daycare; he was afraid that if they went too far, Sola would worry.
"Found them."
At a certain point, Will stopped and looked at a trash can on the side of the street. "Look over there," he said, patting the Skitty beside him and pointing. The Skitty followed his gaze.
The trash can had been knocked over, and three dirty Meowth were gathered around it, picking through the trash for food. The Skitty immediately showed a disgusted expression.
"You look down on them?"
"Meow," the Skitty nodded without any hesitation.
"Is that so? Come with me," Will said, grabbing one of its small ears and walking over.
The three Meowth, seeing Will and the Skitty approach, showed no hostility. Instead, they kindly made room for them, as if wanting to share their "gourmet meal" with the two strangers.
"...Thank you," Will said, a little surprised. Although he had no intention of eating, he still had to thank them for their kindness. The Era of Leagues was great; even wild Pokémon could treat other species so friendly. In the Era of Primal Beasts, it was a good day if they weren't eating each other.
"Meow~" one of the Meowth waved a paw magnanimously, like a rich man. In its eyes, to have a whole trash can was a great fortune.
"Meow," the Skitty pursed its lips, annoyed by the Meowth's boorishness.
"Meow?" The Meowth seemed to have taken a liking to the Skitty and even proactively offered it a half-eaten fish to get closer. The Skitty, however, wouldn't even look at it.
"Eat," Will said, poking its ear.
"Meow!" the Skitty shook its head firmly. Even if it was afraid of Will, it would not eat. It would absolutely not eat such dirty things!
"You don't want to eat? When Granny Sola doesn't want you anymore, you'll have to eat this. Might as well get used to it now."
"Meow-meow!" the Skitty smacked Will with its tail. It was really angry this time! Granny Sola would never abandon it!
"Tch."
[Slam].
Will took two steps to the side, then grabbed the Skitty's neck and threw it over his shoulder. Against a domesticated Pokémon with no real battle experience and no significant level advantage, if he couldn't dominate it, he might as well just reincarnate for a fourth life.
Thump.
The Skitty was slammed hard onto the ground and was in so much pain that it curled up and didn't dare to move. The three Meowth were startled and quickly rushed to stand in front of Will, not to fight him, but to try and break up the fight.
Will was a little surprised by this. The three Meowth hadn't been scared away; they had actually come to mediate. This behavior reflected the good-natured environment of this era.
"Meow~" The Skitty looked at the three Meowth, its eyes trembling, a look of guilt in its pupils.
Seeing this, Will felt it was an unexpected gain. If he could change the Skitty's view of these Meowth and make them friends, that would be a good thing. In the future, if the Skitty ran away again, with these street-smart Meowth looking out for it, it probably wouldn't get into too much trouble.
"Come on. We're going home," Will said to the Skitty, then turned and walked away.
"Meow," the Skitty lowered its head in fear and followed him.
On the way back.
"You don't want to eat that garbage, do you?"
"Meow," the Skitty nodded vigorously.
"If one day, grandma is gone, with your skill level, that's all you'll be able to eat."
"Meow-meow?" the Skitty didn't understand. It didn't understand why Will kept making such assumptions. How could grandma ever leave it?
"You run around all day, make trouble, and cause problems for the family. Do you know how worried that makes her?"
"Meow..." the Skitty lowered its head in shame, but its voice was a little defiant. Clearly, it knew very well what it did on a daily basis.
"Do you know what a human's lifespan is?"
"Meow?"
"Don't let their tall appearance fool you. They're lucky if they live for a hundred years. Do you know how old Granny Sola is this year?"
"Meow," the Skitty shook its head.
"Granny Sola is at least eighty years old this year. That means she'll be lucky to live for another twenty years. And after that, she'll be gone."
"Meow?" The Skitty couldn't clearly understand the concept of death.
"It means she'll disappear from your life forever. Just like your mother and father, who you've never seen. Completely gone!"
"MEOW!!" the Skitty's fur stood on end. It was an expression of terror. It couldn't even imagine how horrible it would be for Granny Sola to disappear from its life forever.
"Meow?" Now, without Will having to say anything more, the Skitty asked the question itself.
"If you make her less angry, she'll live a little longer."
"Meow."
"Did you see what I was doing these past few days? Learn from what I did. Even if you don't do it perfectly, Granny Sola will be happy with your intentions."
Will had said all he needed to say. He knew Sola had never told the Skitty these things. But if she wouldn't say it, he had to.
All living things in this world share a common trait, and Pokémon are no exception. You have to lose something to truly understand. Will, who had just experienced death, knew this deeply. With the Skitty's original personality, it would probably only have had this realization on the day Sola died. And at that time, all that would be left for it would be regret. Regret that it hadn't been more obedient while she was alive, that it hadn't made her last days a little easier.
Ordinary beings cannot turn back time. So, the only thing you can do is cherish the present. At least that way, you can make time feel like it's passing a little slower. And the memories you have in the end will be a little more beautiful.
"Meow~ (I'll do my best~)" the Skitty said, following behind Will and looking up at the back of his head.
~~~
Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 1 extra chapters
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter