Chapter 413:
Noon.
With the Distortion World, the return journey became incredibly fast.
Around 11 AM, they were still in Kanto. By noon, they had already arrived back in Eastova.
The exit point was the reservoir on his family's property. As they emerged, Milotic was nearby, watering the plants. The sudden appearance of the dark, mirror-like surface on the water and the strange energy fluctuation, despite having seen it several times before, still gave it a start.
But upon seeing Kaede step out, Milotic's initial surprise instantly transformed into joy. It swam swiftly to his side.
"Oh? Milotic's doing the watering? Hah, long time no see~"
Stepping out of the Distortion World and back into the familiar Berry Plantation, seeing his Pokémon again, Kaede's mood immediately brightened.
"Milotic, Milotic~!"
Clear, melodic cries came from Milotic. It swam right up to Kaede, lifted its head, and nudged him onto its back. Then, overjoyed, it began happily shaking its head from side to side right there in the water.
"Hey... hey, easy now, easy."
Kaede almost lost his balance, having to hold onto Milotic's neck for support.
From the portal behind them, Salamence, Dragonite, Gardevoir, and Mewtwo emerged one after another.
"Milotic~ Milotic~"
ヾ(≧▽≦*)o: "Miloootic...."
The comfort didn't calm Milotic down; it only made it even more excited.
Thinking about it, he had left on March 16th and returned on March 24th. That meant he'd been gone for a full eight days.
This was the longest he'd been away from home since deciding to become a Breeder and inherit the family Breeding House. No wonder Milotic was so thrilled.
"Alright, alright, settle down now."
Helpless, Kaede could only soothe Milotic while turning to wave at Giratina behind him. "Thank you, Giratina. Later, I'll bring some tasty treats to you."
The large head peeking from the portal regarded Milotic and Kaede with its red eyes for a silent moment before sinking back beneath the water's surface.
"Huff..."
Salamence flapped its wings, and Dragonite took a deep, cleansing breath. After so many days away, taking a deep breath of home felt the best, sweeping away the lingering gloom from its venting in Kanto.
Gardevoir floated in the air, closing its eyes. After sensing the surroundings and confirming nothing was amiss, it drifted to Kaede's side.
"Milotic..."
The joyful cries quickly reached the other Pokémon in the plantation.
First was Pidgeot. The large bird landed on a perch high above, letting out a sharp cry that made Kaede instinctively look up. Seeing Pidgeot in the sky, his eyelids twitched slightly.
*Has it... gotten a bit bigger again?*
The cry acted like a signal. One, two, three—suddenly many Pokémon were heading their way.
First was Serperior, gliding elegantly from the gardens. Seeing Kaede, a weight was lifted from its heart.
*it had been Eight days. Gone for eight days.* Before leaving, he'd mentioned there might be danger. For Serperior, these eight days had been an ordeal. The first day was manageable. The second day was just wondering when he'd return. But by the third and fourth days, worries about whether something had happened began to creep in. By the fifth, sixth, seventh day... that anxiety had grown immensely.
It wanted to go find Kaede but had no idea where he'd gone, couldn't get there itself, and had to face the daily inquiries from Alolan Ninetales and Eeveelutions and the others. Telling them not to worry. Reassuring them everything was fine, everything was fine. While inside, it was worried sick.
Now, seeing Kaede standing completely unharmed in the plantation, Serperior's heart finally settled.
Kaede naturally saw Serperior too. His face instantly lit up even more.
"Hahaha, here it is Serperior!"
But before he could step forward, a snow-white blur shot down the path from that direction at an astonishing speed, arriving right in front of him before he could react.
Fortunately, Kaede was currently on Milotic's back, separated from the shore by the natural water barrier. The white blur had to skid to a halt at the water's edge, stomping its little paws impatiently. It cried out at Kaede, even extending a foreleg into the water as if ready to plunge in and swim to him.
And in fact, that's exactly what it did.
"Hey, hey, wait..."
Before Kaede could finish his sentence to stop it, it leaped into the water and clambered onto Milotic's back.
"No, Ninetales... you're all wet..."
Before the words were out, Alolan Ninetales, its fur dripping, had already jumped into his arms.
Kaede: "(;´д｀)ゞ"
"Ninetales~ Ninetales~"
Alolan Ninetales paid no mind, nuzzling vigorously into Kaede's embrace.
*Well, the clothes are already wet anyway...* Kaede didn't bother scolding it further. Instead, he crouched down, holding Alolan Ninetales. "Alright, alright, I'm back now, aren't I?"
╥﹏╥: "Ninetales~ Ninetales~" (*You were gone for so long...*)
Seeing Alolan Ninetales blinking up at him like a child, Kaede felt both amused and touched.
He had only been gone a week, but for the Pokémon at home, it felt like a very long time. Perhaps it was because he rarely left home. Or perhaps, for Pokémon, the simple expectation of daily companionship was already everything they needed for happiness...
But thinking about it this way... every time Ash set off on a new journey, how did the Pokémon left in Professor Oak's care feel?
Kaede shook his head, not dwelling on the thought too much.
Holding Alolan Ninetales, he let Milotic carry him to the shore.
The shore was already crowded with many, many Pokémon.
Tsareena, Steenee, Indeedee, Blaziken, Butterfree...
Even Primarina, hearing the commotion, swam over from the water channel.
Kaede greeted them all one by one.
He was about to head back inside to change his wet clothes, but before he could move, a loud, rumbling sound cut through the air.
Following the sound, Kaede saw Blaziken looking rather embarrassed.
Hmm.
It wasn't just his gaze that landed on Blaziken. Most of the other Pokémon had also turned to look.
"Blaziken..."
Blaziken, under the collective stare, looked even more awkward. Getting hungry right now seemed rather... ill-timed, given Kaede had just returned.
But then again, it was lunchtime.
Seeing this familiar scene, Kaede burst out laughing. "Alright, alright, let's go! Gardevoir, Indeedee~! Time to make lunch for everyone!"
These past few days must have been exhausting for Indeedee brother and sister. Even with the two big eaters, Salamence and Dragonite, gone, there were still two other bottomless pits at home: Goodra and Blaziken. And that wasn't even counting them—Milotic and Serperior had substantial appetites too. Plus, with him away, they'd occasionally had to manage the Breeding House duties as well. It must have been a lot of work.