It was overwhelming.

Not just the vibrant colors of verdant green and the whole palette of other colors, but the excitement of Pokémon filled the air. Multiple Bulbasaur ran to the gate to greet Kaiy and Jolteon, the last one jumping up and down. The Bulbasaur wrapped their vines around Kaiy’s arms and legs, rendering him unable to move. The cheer kept on going while two elderly people joined in.

Kaiy kissed his grandma on the cheek and received a sturdy pat on the back from his grandpa. Graisey was greeted more formally. She received a warm shoulder-shake from grandma and a smile, playful wink included, from grandpa, she was welcomed at the old timely farm.

“You look skinny, son. Come, I’m making breakfast,” Grandma said, escorting Kaiy through the wooden door of the house adjacent to the farm. Graisey needed a moment to soak it all in. Flowers grew rampant, and bushes sprawled lushly all over the place. The authentic cobblestone path connected the gate to different buildings she could make out. There was a cozy cottage house everyone would be glad to call home. Then there was a huge barn, which Graisey assumed was where the Bulbasaur slept. Next, there were several cabins housing farm equipment. Lastly, a bakery, given away by a scented plume from its chimney. Graisey sighed in relief; this was why she loved Pokémon and people working together. Harmony. It reminded her of home, although you had to trade a salty sea smell for the thick pastry aroma.

“Come now, girl, come inside, so we can meet properly over some food!” Kaiy's grandma cheered, laughing towards Graisey.

“Yes, ma'am!” she replied politely, and joined them as fast and nimble her sore legs allowed her to be.

A kettle was brewing, and a Persian was spinning on the large sofa, fast asleep in the morning sun rays. The kitchen was small, packed with pots and pans, cutlery of different sizes, wooden spoons... if you could name it, Grandma probably had four of them. Grandpa took out cups from a pantry and set a small table, casting the rubbish on it aside. Kaiy was forced to sit down; when did he get the cookie?

“Now,” exclaimed Grandma, clearly out of breath, “what brings you to the farm, and who is this pretty girl?”

Graisey felt her cheeks blush, but no one noticed. Grandpa gave her a cookie as well and a heartfelt wink from his playful eye.

“She is a Trainer I met on Route 29, near the junction to Palm Hills.”

“Ooooooh, where is that fresh starter-Pokémon, love?”

“It fell ill, Grandma.” A palpable silence fell. “It’s going to be okay, though, no worries,” Kaiy tried to salvage the conversation. But the silence remained, only to be broken by Grandpa.

“You look worn. Heavy mission?”

“And famished!” Grandma added.

“Yes, Grandma, I could eat, and so could Graisey.” A chair was empty next to Kaiy. “I’m currently on standby, Grandpa, Marshal's orders.”

“Why, what did you do?” Grandma turned from the stove.

“Nothing! Nothing. I’m on a mission and waiting for more intel. Talonflame is in pursuit.”

“Is that the Fletchling you caught in Kalos with your sister?” Kaiy nodded.

“She is doing great, chasing her studies. Only one more year to go after summer.”

Grandma tried lifting the kettle from the stove, but Grandpa had to help out. They poured delicious soup into the cups. A basket of bread was lifted by a remaining Bulbasaur.

“Is this the newest one?” Kaiy lifted the small Bulbasaur onto his lap, smiling ear to ear.

“This is the newest pup to join the litter. I'm afraid it will be the last one,” Grandpa spoke with an unpleasant tone.

Kaiy looked with an aching heart to his granddad. The Ranger knew the farm keepers were getting older, maybe even willingly ignoring the difficult labor of farm life.

“Come now, eat your soup!” Grandma steered away from the somber mood. They still had a couple of years in them!

While they ate their breakfast, soup and bread, Graisey told Grandma she hailed from Olivine City and grew up in a Pokémon Nursery run by her parents. She told how she excitedly started her Pokémon adventure with the goal of gathering eight Johto badges. But that tragedy took a turn on her Cyndaquil. Luckily Kaiy was there to help. While she told her story, Graisey set the RotomTablet on the table. After breakfast, Kaiy went upstairs to his room; he needed a shower and some rest. Jolteon, Graisey, and Grandpa left the cozy home to work in the field.

It was a busy morning. The Bulbasaur and two Ivysaur were doing chores on the farm. Several Bulbasaur were using Vine Whip to pick Apricorns and place them in baskets. Others were using Razor Leaf to prune branches. Some had tools like brooms to clean debris. Graisey saw the organized Apricorn trees, rows upon rows of colorful trees. Some bore heavy fruit, future Pokéballs she knew. Some trees in the back were still growing, Grandpa explained.

“That boy planted them three summers ago, when he was your age.”

“Did he not go on a journey himself?” Graisey wondered.

“He did. But just as with you, it didn’t start so great. Help me with this, girl.”

Several filled baskets had to be emptied into a larger container, a dryer bin, as Grandpa explained.

“What happened?” she asked the question as gently as possible, trying not to pry.

“That is a story best told by him. Hand me that paddle, please.” With the oar-like paddle, Grandpa poked in the pit below the large dryer bin.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Wake up, sleepy!” Graisey saw, in the coal darkness of the pit, something moving about. It was a Pokémon she had never seen before.

“That’s Big Roo down there. I traded that Carkol for an Ivysaur. She wanted to travel anyway, not a farmer.” Carkol inhaled and then ignited. The coal beneath got an eerie red glow, and Graisey felt the radiating heat.

Kaiy dropped his pack in his room and set his computer on the windowsill. His bed was made; he needed to thank Grandma later. He checked once again for an update on Talonflame, still nothing. He had been checking every two hours since she left, then every hour, and now he couldn't take his mind off her. He removed his Pokébelt; the different colored Pokéballs somehow didn’t feel the same. Kaiy hated to split up. What if something went wrong? This is why most Rangers don’t have a Pokémon team. They rely on their gut and the help they can get while on the journey with their RangerGear.

As he was safe on the farm, he removed the black and orange wristband, his RangerGear. The battery was healthy; it only missed one out of ten tracker chips. Talonflame had it on. The tiny gadgets pinpointed where it was and when. To preserve energy, the standard trackers didn’t ping their location while on stealth mode. Then, they could only do so when the button was pressed, a feat Talonflame couldn’t pull off. Unless the tracker would detach. Then it would drain its battery for a powerful location beacon once. That ping would be picked up by the Rangers in Headquarters and, depending on the mission, a team would be dispatched. In this case, a surveillance mission without any current threat, the ping would be given to Kaiy for his own retrieval.

He tried not to linger on it and proceeded to take a shower in the bathroom so he could take a nap afterward.

The doorbell woke Kaiy in a shock, instinctively grasping his wrist to activate the RangerGear. He wasn’t wearing it; it lay next to the silent computer. The gate opened with its familiar scratching sound. Kaiy decided he had slept enough.

Downstairs he met a glowing Graisey. She held a big white box with the official Pokémon League Liga logo. The heavy Mareep-socks gave away grandma had tended her wounds. Grandpa stood next to Graisey, probably equally excited to unpack it.

“Have you heard from the PokéCenter yet?” Graisey shook her head upon Kaiy’s question and gestured towards the RotomTablet on the table.

“How do we open this?” She took her time to examine the box.

“Oh, you have to press the logo for two seconds.” And she did as Kaiy instructed. One. Two. The box came to life with a slim white ringlight that decorated it. Startled, she placed the box on the table and watched what happened. The lid of the box opened a little and... that’s it.

Graisey looked bewildered. “Well? Do something!” Kaiy laughed, not to laugh at her, but by how she was reacting to all of this.

“Get your League Card.” And with an "OH," she frantically found it in her PokéCenter bag. Next, she inserted the card and the box swallowed it. The white light danced along the edges and finally turned green. Grandpa almost cheered as the lid now completely opened.

Graisey immediately dug into the box. “You can also keep the box as a safe to store memorabilia. I think you can turn the bottom plate over to show Championship Cup holders, and you can use the lid to display badges you earned.” Kaiy was not sure she heard him. Head over heels, she dug through the gift box.

Grandpa noticed a card had fallen to the ground.

“Dear Trainer Graisey, Olivine City.” He read and continued, “We heard your story and we hope Cyndaquil and you can pursue your wildest dreams again. In this box, you’ll find the outfits requested. We also took the liberty to add a shirt. We hope you like it. See you in your first official match. Signed - Dardua.”

Graisey screamed silently, eyes widened like never before when she pulled out the custom shirt. It had the colors and the artwork of the Cyndaquil evolution line. She danced a little while holding it close.

“The girl seemed happy.”

“She did, Grandpa.”

“I hope she can resume her journey soon. You guys can stay the night.” Doctor Petal had finally contacted Graisey. Cyndaquil was kept under, and they would awaken him later in the afternoon. They ran a few more tests, and everything was back to normal. He even made some flames, which Munna didn't appreciate.

“She’ll be alright, no doubt. I was thinking. Grandpa, can I use the field to give her some instructions?” Grandpa knew what he was referring to.

“As long as I don’t have to watch.” He patted his grandson's back. “Kaiy,” he stopped walking. “I see now Graisey will continue her journey. You helped her a great deal.”

“Well, I just did my duty and booked the room, and asked for Doctor Petal before I arranged the transport to get to this place where she could rest and meet the Pokémon.”

“And the box.” Kaiy waved it off; it’s all fine. “Kaiy, are you picking up your life again?”

He didn’t expect this direct question from Grandpa. They were watching Graisey run with the Bulbasaur, wearing the Cyndaquil shirt. The midday sun stood high, and some shy clouds cast a few spots of delightful shade. Summer is coming soon.

“I still miss him, you know. Think about him every day.” Grandpa took his boy close and hugged him.

“We all know, son.”

“But yes, joining the Rangers was a first step. The right step, now that I can see again how much I can be for others.”

“Good, good. Then teach that Trainer what she needs to know.”