Myra had lived in Azalea Town since the day she was born, for forty-two years now. Her grandparents had brought their family here over eighty years ago, back when it was still just Azalea Village. In that era, finding an untouched paradise isolated from the rest of the world was no easy feat. Azalea Town was surrounded by a forest, and finding it without a map was a matter of pure luck. After Myra's grandparents discovered this place, they had decided on the spot to settle down.
The log cabin she lived in now was the very sa house her grandfather, father, and uncles had built with their own hands. It had weathered so many years of wind and rain, yet it still stood strong.
Inside the cabin, a fire burned in the stone hearth, gray smoke rising up the chimney. Near Azalea Town was an Ilex Forest, and its wood was used to make charcoal, which the townsfolk used for warmth in the cold. The hearth made the cabin incredibly warm, a stark contrast to the normal temperatures of a Johto spring.
Will, Myra, and the Eevee sat around a square tea table for dinner. On the table was a steaming vegetable soup and soft-looking bread. Will and the Eevee were eating with gusto, but Myra couldn't help but keep looking at Sprigatito, who was standing in the corner in ti-out. The little creature was standing on its hind legs with its front paws against the wall, its little tail drooping, its body trembling from ti to ti.
"Big Lizard, why don't you let the little cat co and eat? Look how skinny she is, she's too weak to even stand in the corner properly," Myra said, patting Will's arm. She didn't know what kind of Pokémon he was, so she just nad him based on his appearance.
"She's not eating. She needs to recognize her mistake," Will replied, intentionally raising his voice.
"Oh, look at you. You're such a big Pokémon, and you're picking a fight with a little kitten," Myra said, unable to watch any longer. She got up, walked to the corner, and picked Sprigatito up.
, big? If we're counting by age, I'm probably only half a month older than her, Will thought, pouting, but he didn't stop Myra. He needed a way to let her off the hook anyway, and Myra bringing her over saved him the trouble of finding an excuse.
"Oh, my poor little thing. You've cried your face into a ss," Myra's words caught Will's attention.
He turned his head. Sprigatito was indeed a ss of tears and snot, burrowed into Myra's arms, her big pink eyes, welling with tears, peeking out shyly at Will. That look of wanting to be close but still being worried was just too cute.
"You're still crying? You first—Glk!"
Will, seeing her pitiful expression, was just about to scold her again when he was abruptly cut off.
"You just eat quietly," Myra said, having shoved a large spoonful of soup into Will's mouth. She couldn't understand what he was saying, but judging by his tone, she knew it wasn't anything nice. So it was better left unsaid.
"ow..." Sprigatito looked up at the ceiling and let out a desperate cry, lanting how nobody loved her. This little display just about lted Myra's heart.
"My poor baby. You wait right there. Auntie will go find a bottle for you."
Myra had originally intended to give Sprigatito a spoonful, but her mouth was too small. So, she got up, found the baby bottle she had used for her own child, poured so soup into it, and gave it a shake.
"eo—Glk!"
Sprigatito was still wailing, but two seconds later, she followed in Will's footsteps. Myra checked that the temperature was right, then aid the nipple and stuck it right in. In her mind, there was nothing wrong with this. It was how her own mother had fed her, and how she had fed her own child and her Eevee. Looking at how plump her Eevee was, she knew her thods were flawless.
Will, however, felt a chill run down his spine. A dead mory had suddenly attacked him. He rembered, a thousand years ago, during his ti as a Dratini and Dragonair... normally, when he resisted, Liz would stop feeding him. But if Liz was busy and the task fell to Hestia, it was a disaster. Hestia never cared about his opinion; she only cared if he had eaten the required amount. If he hadn't, she would just keep stuffing food into his mouth until she decided he was full.
Co to think of it, Hestia is probably responsible for at least half of the reason I got so fat.
Will shook his head, not wanting to dwell on the past. He looked back at the Sprigatito in Myra's arms. Cute. Even he had to admit it. As a baby, Sprigatito's cuteness level was amazing, almost on par with his own Dratini stage.
"ow," Sprigatito, seeing Will looking at her, pulled away from the bottle and called out. Her aning was simple: she wanted him to hold her.
"Do you recognize your mistake?"
"ow?" Sprigatito shook her head. She didn't think she had done anything wrong.
"Why did you suddenly attack soone?"
"ow! (I don't want anyone else getting close to you!)" Sprigatito replied, full of self-righteousness.
"So you're just a little jealousy-jar," Will said. Only now did he understand why she had attacked the innocent Eevee. The little creature wasn't just targeting Eevee; she was targeting anyone who tried to get affectionate with him.
"You can't just attack other people in the future. It's very rude. Also, who I associate with is my business. I don't interfere with who you make friends with, so you are not allowed to interfere in my affairs," Will said, taking her from Myra's arms and tapping her little nose.
This cat was clearly developing in the sa direction as Ash's Chikorita. Even a dense guy like Ash eventually got annoyed by Chikorita's possessiveness, let alone Will. Besides, he considered himself her "Master." He had to stop her from developing any strange, pathological psychology. Raising his apprentice into a physically and ntally sound Pokémon was the duty of a qualified master.
"ow..." Sprigatito nodded沮喪ly, indicating she would be good.
"Now, eat."
Will gave her little tail a suspicious tug, then dropped her back in Myra's lap. He couldn't tell how much she had actually taken to heart, but at least her attitude was good for now.
"ow~" But Sprigatito didn't want Myra to feed her. She struggled, took the bottle, and pushed it towards Will, demanding that he feed her.
Will let the little one lie flat in the crook of his arm. He held the bottle with one hand so she could eat, and ate bread dipped in sauce with the other.
"You two made up pretty quickly," Myra said, staring wistfully at Sprigatito. It was clear she really wanted to be the one feeding the kitten.
"Eevee~" The Eevee across from Will, having apparently finished eating, stood up to leave. But Myra was not about to let her go so easily.
"Hey? Eevee, are you full already?" Myra's hand shot out at lightning speed and grabbed the Eevee's hind leg. "Look how skinny you are! Eat more. My neighbor's 'Iron Chunk's' Slowpoke is bigger than you."
She gave a tug, pulled the Eevee into her lap, and began stuffing another piece of bread into its mouth.
"Ee-vee~" The Eevee, long used to this, simply opened its mouth and continued to eat.
Will and Sprigatito ate silently at the side, not daring to make a sound.
After dinner, Will took a napkin and wiped the milk from Sprigatito's fur. They were all stuffed and not in a hurry to go to the Pokémon Center. Will opened the green box Director Valen had given him. Sprigatito and Eevee imdiately ran over, stretching their necks to see.
The box wasn't big, but it was packed: a scratching post, a feather wand, a cat brush, nail clippers, a ball of yarn, a small water bottle for a collar, and several cans of Orange Academy brand cat food, so Silvervine sticks, and a catnip ball.
"Wow, it's got everything," Will noted.
He hadn't even finished cataloging the items when Sprigatito impatiently grabbed the catnip ball and began to inhale it. After just a couple of sniffs, the little cat was rolling on the floor as if drunk, kicking her legs and accidentally booting the Eevee who was watching.
"Get out of here! Are you having a seizure? Go play with the ball," Will said, taking the catnip away. He took the ball of yarn from the box and tossed it.
"ow!" The hyped-up Sprigatito imdiately chased after it. Eevee, clearly wanting to play too, trotted after her. When Will thought Sprigatito wouldn't share, she generously started batting the ball around with Eevee.
"Good. She's an obedient baby," Will nodded with satisfaction.
The box was too cumberso to carry, so he packed all the small items into his backpack. The Silvervine and catnip, which made her go crazy, were put in a separate pocket. As for the canned food, he'd finish it in the next few days, leaving it on Myra's table for now.
"Lizard, co and help Auntie with sothing."
"Oh~" Will got up to find Myra. He was eating her food and living in her house; it was only right that he help out.
"See this big box? Grab it and follow ," Myra said, standing by two half-ter-high wooden chests in the corner of the room. They looked heavy. Will picked one up; it was about twenty kilograms, and from the sound, it was filled with so kind of spheres.
"I didn't think you were so strong for being so skinny. Good thing that height isn't just for show," Myra said.
Will didn't know how to respond. Myra picked up the other box and led him out of the house to a neighboring cabin.
Knock, knock.
In less than ten seconds, a middle-aged, black-haired man with a fierce face and a body full of muscles opened the door.
"What's this?"
"Don't you rember that Poké Ball order from the League? Get to work. I've already picked the Apricorns for you."
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