Chapter 112: Home
Tranquility Daycare, in the courtyard.
"Mmm... I slept for so long. It's already dark."
Granny Sola opened her eyes groggily and was surprised to see a small blanket draped over her. It was the Skitty's blanket. Logically, the one who would do something like this should have been the Treecko.
"Meow," a voice sounded.
Sola felt a tickle at her ankle. She looked down and saw the Skitty on the ground, rubbing its cheek against her pant leg.
"Oh my, Skitty. Are you hungry?"
"Meow~" the Skitty shook its head.
"Not hungry? But it feels like it's about time for dinner."
Sola looked around, trying to find her cane. A few seconds later, she saw the Skitty dragging it over to her.
"Good girl~" Sola smiled. She immediately realized that the Treecko must have said something to the Skitty this afternoon. Otherwise, with its personality, why would it ever do something like this?
"Meow," the Skitty purred comfortably. Ever since hearing Will's words, it had begun to cherish these small gestures that it had never cared about before.
"Skitty, where is the Treecko?" Sola asked.
"Meow," the Skitty said, walking into the house as if to lead the way. It had never noticed before how slowly Sola walked, and it deliberately slowed its own pace.
When Sola followed the Skitty into the living room, she noticed Will holding a book.
"Treecko, what are you reading?" Sola walked over and took a look. It was a world history book, chronicling major events from various regions. The part Will was looking at was about the Johto region. He couldn't read the words, but he could guess from the illustrations that these pages were about the Dragonite Kingdom.
"Hm? Are you interested in this, Treecko? Let me tell you about it. This happened a thousand years ago," Sola said, sitting down beside him. She took the book from his hands, looked at it for a moment, and then began.
"A thousand years ago, the Johto region was ruled by a woman from the Dragonite Clan, who established a nation called the Dragonite Kingdom..."
And from her mouth, Will learned what had happened after he died. He had never imagined that Liz, in her thirty-eighth year, would voluntarily abdicate and leave the kingdom she had worked so hard to build. Recalling it now, he suddenly remembered a certain night in the past, when Liz had summoned Iris's mother to the palace to discuss something. From that day on, Iris had been allowed to live in the palace. It seemed that Liz had already told her mother about her intention to pass the throne to Iris and had begun to personally train her from then on.
"Hmm, I wonder where the founding queen went during the sixty years she was missing," Sola wondered aloud. The world of a thousand years ago was extremely harsh. Even decades ago, she hadn't dared to wander around alone, let alone a millennium ago. Sola couldn't help but admire the queen's courage.
"The Dragonite Clan must have a record of it," Will muttered. He could roughly guess what Liz had gone to do.
"Why are you looking at this, Treecko?" Sola asked. She felt that Will was very different from other Pokémon. At an age when other Pokémon were still eating, sleeping, and playing, he was cleaning, reading books, and teaching children. Are there really Pokémon that are so mature and steady from birth? He was as mature as an adult.
"Granny, I want to go here," Will said, pointing a finger at an illustration in the book. The picture was a rough depiction of the Dragonite capital from a thousand years ago.
"Emm... the Dragonite capital? You want to go there?"
"Yes!" Will nodded eagerly, seeing that she understood.
"Hiss... where is the Dragonite capital of a thousand years ago now?" Sola asked, getting a bit of a headache. She didn't know what he wanted to do there, but she still wanted to help him.
A thousand years. So much can change. "Let me see... don't be anxious," Sola said, flipping to the first few pages of the book, which had a modern map of the Johto region.
"The plain where the Dragonite capital once stood has now basically become mountains and forests. The capital is gone, but the descendants of the people who lived there have moved to Blackthorn City," Sola said, pointing to a city surrounded by mountains in the upper right of the map.
Will looked at the map and nodded, not very surprised. He imprinted it in his mind. The western half of the Mt. Silver Road had become a mountain? The question had just appeared in his mind when Sola answered it.
"Look here. This used to be a mountain road connecting Kanto and Johto. But later, during the Three Kingdoms War, a Tyranitar dozens of meters tall came out of Mt. Silver. With just one Earthquake, it caused a massive landslide that sealed the road. To this day, it's become a mountain." Sola looked at the map and couldn't help but sigh at the power of Pokémon. "They say that Queen Liz's Pokémon, Lan, was a Dragonite even more powerful than that Tyranitar. He had the great title of 'Guardian Dragon of the Nation.'"
Huh? Will was stunned, scratching his head. Since when was he stronger than a Tyranitar?
"Do you want to go to Blackthorn City, Treecko? If so, grandma can take you for a visit in a few days."
"No, I can go by myself," Will shook his head, refusing her kind offer and patting his chest. Sola was too old for long boat or plane rides.
"You want to go by yourself? That's too dangerous!"
"I have to go!" Will's tone and expression were firm. Even if she couldn't understand his words, she understood his meaning.
"When do you plan to leave?" Sola, seeing his resolve, didn't try to persuade him further.
"Now," Will said, standing up. He wasn't actually in a hurry, but staying longer would only make the parting harder.
"Leave tomorrow. Tomorrow, grandma will take you to the port," Sola said, not leaving any room for refusal.
"Meow~" The Skitty, who had been listening quietly, came forward. She had thought Will would stay here forever. She hadn't wanted him to stay before, but now that he was leaving, she felt uneasy. What if she couldn't take good care of Granny Sola?
"You can do it. Believe in yourself," Will said, reaching out to stroke the Skitty's head. It was the first time he had been so gentle with her. So fluffy... the texture is so nice. No wonder this Pokémon is so popular, Will thought. He couldn't resist giving it a big hug, which took the Skitty by surprise.
...
The final meal.
Sola had put a lot of heart into it; it was a sumptuous feast. "I have a friend who's a captain at the port. I've asked him to take you to Cherrygrove City in the Johto region. You don't have to worry," Sola said.
"Thank you, grandma," Will replied. Hearing this, one of his worries was lifted. At the same time, he thought to himself, Cherrygrove City. A thousand years ago, that place was still called Jubilance Town. He wondered what had become of the isolated island, and if it had become a desolate wasteland like in the games.
"Eat more. You might be on a boat for a few days," Sola nagged. "You won't get much good food at sea, so you'll have to endure it. When you get to the Johto region, see if any kind people are willing to give you something good to eat for the road. If it rains, remember to take shelter. You're still so small, what will you do if you run into bad people...?"
As she spoke, Sola looked like she was about to cry. The Skitty, hearing how miserable Will's future life was going to be, also lost its appetite and offered him its own food.
"...Don't worry, grandma. I can survive," Will waved a hand, comforting her. He had survived in Mt. Silver in the Era of Primal Beasts; how could he not survive in the Era of Leagues? At worst, his life would just be a little tougher. But it certainly wouldn't be as tough as it was back then.
...
That evening, Sola went into the courtyard alone and then returned to her room, not coming out again.
The next morning, she led Will and the Skitty to the seaport. At the port, they waited for Sola to bring over a sturdy-looking middle-aged man.
"Treecko, this is Tom. He'll be the one to take you to Cherrygrove City."
"Well now, this Treecko is a pretty big fella, isn't he? You're as good as they say, Auntie Sola. Your Pokémon care is first-rate," said Tom, a very energetic-looking man. His boat was a medium-sized speedboat that looked very new. Beside his leg was an equally energetic Corphish, waving its pincers in greeting.
"Go on now," Sola said, handing Will a small backpack.
"Okay!" Will stepped forward and gave both Sola and the Skitty a hug, then took the backpack and jumped onto the speedboat.
"Alright, we're off," Tom said, heading to the front of the boat.
"You're not going to look inside the backpack? Now's the time to say what you want to say, you know. A real man says a proper goodbye!" Tom said without turning back.
Will knew he was talking to him. Hearing this, he opened the backpack. He was indeed a little curious what Sola had prepared. What would a Pokémon need to bring? Food?
Inside were a few small sets of children's clothes, a box of colorful macarons, and a small glass frame with a letter. Inside the frame was a pressed white flower, one of the ones Sola cherished.
These were things Sola must have stayed up all night to make.
In that moment, Will's eyes and nose began to sting. He looked up, towards the shore. Sola and the Skitty had not yet disappeared.
Will bowed deeply in her direction.
"Treecko~ you be safe now~ If you're ever unhappy out there, you come back, you hear? Tranquility Daycare in Ever Grande City... this will always be your home~"
Granny Sola's gentle voice carried across the sea breeze and into his ears.
In this strange era, he had finally found his home.
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