The first to ask was Gardevoir.
She wanted to know why Lin Feng was traveling.
"It's nothing too serious. I'm going to visit a friend whose mother is sick. While I'm there, I also want to buy a large house so that when winter comes, we can all stay there instead of freezing back home. I'll probably be back in two or three days."
After hearing the explanation, Gardevoir nodded, then gently shook her head.
She made it clear that she wouldn't be going this time.
It wasn't the weekend, so the ranch still needed to operate as usual. If she left, the breeding ranch would have to close for several days if anything unexpected happened.
Just because Gardevoir wasn't going didn't mean the others had no interest.
The moment they saw that Alolan Ninetales had been given permission, the three Eevee immediately ran over and tugged at Lin Feng's pant legs.
Serperior also looked at him expectantly.
Meowscarada had already appeared behind him, casually resting both hands on his shoulders.
Lin Feng smiled.
"It's fine. Anyone who wants to come is welcome."
Milotic seemed tempted as well. She slowly raised her head from the reservoir, her beautiful eyes blinking hopefully.
Primarina swam beside her, curiosity shining in her eyes.
Alola was her home, too.
It had been a very long time since she'd gone back, and she wanted to see it again.
"Puri...?"
"In that case, Milotic and Primarina can come too."
Lin Feng then turned toward Steenee and Vespiquen, the mother and daughter pair.
"Would you two like to go back and visit as well?"
"Steenee..."
"Vespi..."
Steenee exchanged a glance with Gardevoir before nodding.
As for the others...
Arcanine barely reacted.
Since Lin Feng had only said he'd be gone for two or three days, Arcanine didn't seem concerned in the slightest.
Blaziken struggled with the decision for quite a while before ultimately deciding to stay home.
If he followed Lin Feng around while Lin Feng was busy, he'd only become another thing Lin Feng had to worry about.
Especially when it came to feeding him.
So he chose not to go.
Butterfree, meanwhile, had gradually become something of a homebody.
Aside from eating, she either slept or followed the three Combee around gathering nectar every day, living an exceptionally comfortable life.
Logically speaking, spring was the season when flowers bloomed everywhere and Butterfree normally searched for a mate.
Not long ago, Lin Feng had even carefully asked whether she had any thoughts about that.
Butterfree had simply flapped her wings and flown away.
She had absolutely no interest.
Her reasoning was simple.
Life at home was already perfect.
Why would she leave?
After deciding who would accompany him, Lin Feng recalled each Pokémon into their Poké Balls one by one.
He then told Gardevoir,
"If Mew comes back, let it know about the World Tree."
With that, he walked straight toward Dragonite.
"Let's go."
"Roooo!"
...
...
Alola Region
Inside a hospital room.
The warm orange glow of the setting sun poured through the windows.
Mallow had been sitting beside the bed all afternoon, refusing to sleep.
A gentle breeze drifted through the open window, waking her from an accidental nap.
She blinked in surprise before quickly checking the time.
4:15 PM.
She let out a sigh of relief.
It wasn't dinner time yet.
"You're awake, Mallow."
Her mother's gentle voice came from the hospital bed.
"Yeah... Sorry, Mom. I accidentally fell asleep."
Mallow rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.
"You've been here with me all day. Of course you're tired."
Her mother slowly sat up and smiled reassuringly.
She actually didn't feel particularly ill at the moment.
But she understood what the doctors had explained.
It was only because the disease had been discovered early that her condition remained stable.
Had they waited another two or three months, the chances of successful treatment would have been incredibly slim.
For that...
She owed everything to her daughter.
It was Mallow who had repeatedly urged her to get a medical examination, leading to the illness being discovered in time.
And ever since the diagnosis, Mallow had devoted herself completely to taking care of her.
Just then, the ward door opened.
Lillie walked in carrying a fruit platter, with Lana following behind.
"Auntie, we brought some fruit."
The two girls exchanged a glance before entering with serious expressions.
Mallow's mother had only recently fallen ill.
They didn't know the full details, but they did know it had been a serious condition.
Had it not been detected early, it might even have become life-threatening.
Fortunately...
It had been caught in time.
"Alola."
"You all came."
"Thank you so much."
"Mallow is truly fortunate to have friends like you."
The woman smiled warmly at everyone gathered around her.
Patients like her needed family members to stay with them during the day.
But Mallow's father still had to run the family restaurant, and Mallow herself couldn't stay in the hospital every minute of every day.
Whenever she had to leave to deliver meals or help at the restaurant, her classmates, Lillie, Lana, Kiawe, and Sophocles, would take turns watching over her mother.
As a parent...
Nothing was more comforting than knowing your child had such dependable friends.
"Alola."
"Alola..."
"It's nothing, Auntie."
"Mallow has always looked after me at school."
Lillie placed the fruit platter on the table as she spoke sincerely.
"That's right, Auntie."
"The most important thing right now is focusing on your recovery."
"Once you're healthy again, Mallow will be happy too."
Lana sat beside the bed with a cheerful smile.
"Yes."
"It's all thanks to Mallow."
"If I'd ignored it any longer, things would've become very serious."
"When I think about it now..."
"It really feels like I narrowly escaped disaster."
The woman smiled optimistically.
"Come to think of it, I remember wondering why Mallow kept insisting that I go for a checkup."
"No, Mom."
"It wasn't me who discovered it."
Mallow interrupted her and shook her head.
"Someone reminded me that I should bring you in for an examination."
"Hmm?"
Her mother blinked in surprise.
"Who?"
"He isn't from the Alola Region."
"He only visited our restaurant once."
Mallow tried to explain, but that only left her mother even more confused.
After all...
The restaurant served countless customers every day.
How could anyone possibly remember all of them?
Seeing that her explanation wasn't working, Mallow turned toward the equally puzzled Lillie and Lana before quickly changing her approach.
"You both know him too."
"It's Mr. Lin Feng from the Eastern Region."
"Oh, right!"
"He also has an enormous Dragonite!"
"The one with the Dragonite?"
The moment the words Dragonite were spoken...
Everyone in the hospital room immediately knew exactly who she was talking about.
------------------------------
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