The car drove along the slightly bumpy country road.
Kyosuke held the palm-sized electronic pet, his small feet dangling back and forth.
He had read the instruction manual over and over again, memorizing the function of every icon and every button.
On the screen, a pixelated bird tilted its head, emitting "Bo bo!" electronic sounds.
It was a Pidgey.
Although it wasn't the Pikachu he had been longing for, Kyosuke was indeed a tiny bit disappointed at first.
But when he pressed the button, fed the pixelated bird a berry, and watched it happily flap its wings a few times, that disappointment was quickly washed away by novelty and joy.
Every ten minutes or so, the electronic pet would emit a notification sound, reminding its owner to interact with it.
Kyosuke was tireless, feeding it one moment, helping it clean up "poop" on the screen the next, and then trying to play mini-games with it.
The car ride, which had seemed somewhat long because he was going to his grandmother's house, now felt exceptionally short.
"Kyosuke, don't just play, look at the scenery outside the window," his mother reminded him, turning her head.
"Mm!" Kyosuke responded, but his gaze couldn't leave the screen.
Pidgey was running in circles on the screen, its pixelated wings flapping up and down, looking adorably clumsy, just like a walking chicken.
"Pidgey is exercising!" Kyosuke excitedly shouted, "Mom, look! It's going to get stronger!"
His father glanced at his son in the rearview mirror, smiling and shaking his head.
"Don't just play with your electronic pet when we get to Grandma's, okay?"
"I know!" Kyosuke replied perfunctorily.
It was almost noon when they arrived at his grandmother's house in Qingmei City.
The warm sunlight spilled into the small courtyard paved with bluestone slabs.
As soon as Kyosuke got out of the car, he saw his cousin, Yoko.
She was sitting alone on the edge of the wooden veranda in the corner of the courtyard, her small feet dangling, lost in thought as she watched several ants moving house.
Kyosuke cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound calm, but his steps showed a hint of eagerness.
"Yoko, Yoko! Look at the treasure I brought!"
He held up the Poké Ball in his hand.
Yoko was startled by the sudden voice and slowly turned her head.
When she clearly saw the small red and white spherical object in Kyosuke's hand, her eyes immediately widened.
Kyosuke proudly brought the electronic pet closer to her eyes, gently pressed it, opened the Poké Ball, and revealed the buttons and LCD screen inside.
On the screen, the pixelated bird Pidgey just happened to flap its wings a few times, emitting "Bo! Bo bo!" electronic sounds, looking incredibly lifelike.
"Wow—!"
Yoko let out a small gasp, and her small body immediately leaned closer, curiously reaching out a finger and gently tapping the screen.
"What is this? A little bird?"
Her big eyes sparkled, full of novelty.
Kyosuke's small chest unconsciously puffed out.
"This is called an electronic pet, it's a pokémon! The one that was just broadcast this morning!"
To demonstrate, he even operated it with great seriousness.
He pressed the feed button, and a small berry icon appeared on the screen.
Pidgey chirped happily, hopped over, and quickly pecked clean the berry.
After eating, it even contentedly spun around in place and flapped its wings.
Yoko puffed out her cheeks, pretending to be angry: "You never told me there was something so fun!"
"Because I only bought it this morning!" Kyosuke defended, then quickly changed the subject: "Do you... do you want to try? It's very obedient!"
Yoko watched intently, her small mouth slightly open, not closing for a long time.
"It really eats! Kyosuke brother, it's so smart!"
She watched with longing, wanting to reach out and press it too.
Kyosuke pretended to be generous and handed the electronic pet over a little.
"Here, you try it, but be careful, don't break it."
Yoko carefully took it, and under Kyosuke's "remote guidance," clumsily pressed the buttons.
The Pidgey on the screen jumped around with her operations, making all sorts of interesting sounds.
Yoko giggled with delight, completely forgetting the ants she had been watching earlier.
"Kyosuke brother, this is so much fun!"
She tugged at Kyosuke's sleeve, her voice becoming soft and small.
"Kyosuke brother, this... where did you buy this? I really want one too..."
Kyosuke looked at his cousin's bright, longing eyes, and that tiny bit of regret he had felt earlier about not getting Pikachu had long since vanished without a trace.
After lunch, the family gathered in the living room.
Kyosuke became the absolute center of attention, demonstrating to his grandmother, uncle, aunt, and Yoko how to interact with Pidgey.
"It can learn skills!" Kyosuke pressed the training button, and Pidgey immediately struck a pose, its small wings flapping as if practicing a peck.
His uncle observed with interest: "This little toy is quite interesting, very cleverly designed."
His aunt said with a smile: "Children nowadays are so lucky, we didn't have such fun things when we were little."
His grandmother, curious, asked: "Does this little bird get hungry? Does it sleep?"
"Yes, it does!" Kyosuke explained animatedly, "It can also get sick, and you have to take care of it. If you don't take good care of it, it will get angry or weaker."
He pressed a button, and the Pidgey on the screen performed a bowing motion.
He pressed another button, and Pidgey jumped in place, making "Bo bo!" sounds.
The lifelike reactions of the pixelated bird brought interested expressions to his grandmother, uncle, and aunt.
Just then, the electronic pet emitted a different notification sound than usual.
A line of Japanese text appeared on the screen: "Intimacy increased! You can now name your Pokémon!"
"Wow! It likes us!" Kyosuke cheered.
A name?
Kyosuke tilted his small head, deep in thought.
He suddenly remembered something, and his eyes lit up.
Last summer, his grandmother had rescued a magpie with an injured wing in the courtyard.
His grandmother bandaged its wound and fed it every day, and Kyosuke and Yoko also often came to see it, naming it "Miyuki."
Miyuki stayed at his grandmother's house for nearly a month, and flew away after its injury healed.
For the first few days, his grandmother would subconsciously look for Miyuki in the courtyard, looking a bit lost.
Later, Miyuki actually flew back once, staying on the persimmon tree in the courtyard for a long time, chirping incessantly, as if saying goodbye to his grandmother.
After that, his grandmother's spirits improved greatly, but she would occasionally still mention Miyuki.
"Grandma," Kyosuke looked up at his grandmother, his eyes clear and serious.
"How about we call this Pidgey 'Miyuki'?"
He paused, a shy smile on his small face.
"From now on, let this 'Miyuki' keep you company."
His grandmother was slightly startled, and then a hint of moist luster appeared in the corners of her wrinkled eyes.
"Good child..."
Her voice carried a barely perceptible catch.
"Okay, we'll listen to Kyosuke, we'll call it Miyuki." Kyosuke put his grandmother's reading glasses on her, pointed to the LCD screen, and guided her step by step to input Miyuki's hiragana "みゆき" into the Poké Ball.
Kyosuke's parents looked at their son, so sensible and filial, with smiles of relief and pride.
In the evening, as they left his grandmother's house, his mother quietly said to his father: "Let's take Kyosuke to buy another one tomorrow, this child was so well-behaved today, he deserves a reward."
His father smiled and nodded.
"I saw the store had a lot of stock this morning, so they should still have some tomorrow."
"That child is so willing to give away his beloved things," his mother sighed.
"Yes, it's rare for Kyosuke to be so sensible, it's not easy," his father said with a smile.
Sunday, the sun was just right.
Kyosuke clutched the pocket money his father had given him, his palms sweaty.
He stood once again in front of the dazzling toy store.
His father followed behind him, a gentle smile on his face.
This time, Kyosuke didn't rush to the electronic pet shelf like last time.
He first took a deep breath, as if performing some sacred ritual.
Then, he walked to the shelf, his gaze scanning the rows of Poké Balls.
He picked one up, then put it down.
He picked up another, weighed it in his hand, as if he could sense whether the one he longed for was sleeping inside.
His father watched from the side, not urging him, but with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
Finally, Kyosuke chose one.
After paying, he couldn't wait to open it on the spot.
The packaging was torn open, and the small Poké Ball lay quietly in his palm.
Kyosuke's heart was pounding like a rabbit was trapped inside.
He closed his eyes, silently mumbled something, and then, he suddenly pressed the switch.