“Sigh…
You’re truly a child who is impossible to understand.”
After another stretch of silence, Grandma Agatha released a quiet sigh.
Her thoughts drifted back to the day Wally had first arrived at Verdanturf House.
Wally had been born in Cerulean City, Kanto Region.
When he was only six years old, tragedy struck.
His parents died in an accident, leaving him alone in the world.
He was far too young to live independently, and before long, he became one of the many children who had no family left to depend upon.
Even with financial assistance from the Pokémon League, it was difficult for him to live a normal life.
At the time, Agatha happened to be passing through Kanto.
After obtaining Wally’s consent, she applied to the League for the necessary procedures and adopted him, bringing him under the care of this orphanage.
A child like Wally was neither the first nor the last to come to Verdanturf House.
But Wally was certainly the most unusual child Agatha had ever encountered.
From his initial silence and withdrawn nature to the mature, composed, and considerate person he eventually became, it was difficult to imagine that he was only six years old.
What surprised Agatha even more was his almost obsessive passion for books.
When it came to dry, complicated knowledge that no child his age would willingly touch, Wally could become completely absorbed.
He could even analyze it thoroughly and discuss it with genuine interest.
Serious, meticulous, mature…
Sometimes, Agatha nearly forgot that Wally was also an orphan she had taken in.
Reality was that Wally was the one helping her take care of the other children.
“Meeting you really was a stroke of luck for all of us.”
Looking at Wally’s bright, focused eyes, Grandma Agatha was both amused and helpless.
She had no idea what this child was thinking about all day long.
Where was the innocence that should belong to a child his age?
Sometimes, when she saw the intensity of Wally’s concentration, Agatha even felt a faint sense of unease.
This child was simply too unusual.
He gave her an almost unreal feeling.
“I’m sorry…”
Wally murmured the words quietly, not knowing how else to continue the conversation.
Regardless, he would not change his decision to leave Verdanturf House.
After a long silence, Grandma Agatha turned her attention toward Beautifly.
“The reason I came here is to tell you that you should take this child with you.”
She gazed gently at Beautifly and sighed.
“It’s grown up, too.”
Wally suddenly froze when he heard this.
Take Beautifly with him?
It wasn’t as though the thought had never crossed Wally’s mind.
But Beautifly was also a member of Verdanturf House.
Although Wally was primarily responsible for taking care of it, everyone here had invested their own time and affection into the Pokémon.
In other words, Beautifly wasn’t Wally’s Pokémon.
In fact, it had never been caught by anyone at all.
Even the money for Beautifly’s food had always been paid by Grandma Agatha.
“Let it stay here and keep the children company.”
Wally shook his head and refused.
Taking Beautifly with him would certainly give him an advantage on his upcoming journey, but doing so would feel irresponsible.
After all, Beautifly was not his personal possession.
Every member of Verdanturf House had contributed to its growth in their own way.
“I knew you’d say that.
But the children have all agreed.
They hope Beautifly can go with you and see the world outside, too.”
Grandma Agatha spoke as though she had anticipated Wally’s answer long ago.
“Take this.”
Grandma Agatha patted Wally on the shoulder and handed him something.
“This is…”
Wally stared at it.
“A Premier Ball?”
The Poké Ball was pure white.
Wally examined it carefully, his fingers unconsciously tightening around it.
The names of all the children had been messily written across its pristine white surface.
“I received it as a prize at a Pokémon Contest when I was young.
It’s a Premier Ball.
Its function is the same as an ordinary Poké Ball, but now it carries the support of all the children.”
She smiled gently.
“Come on, child.
Use it to catch Beautifly.
The two of you can go out and make your way in the world together.
That way, we’ll feel much more at ease.”
Wally stared at the Premier Ball.
His lips parted slightly, as though he wanted to say something.
But in the end, he remained silent.
Holding the Premier Ball in his hand, Wally could feel the weight of what it represented, as well as the warmth behind it.
His silence did not last long.
Finally, Wally looked toward Grandma Agatha.
“I understand.”
He nodded firmly.
“Leave this child to me.
If it agrees to become my Pokémon, I’ll take it with me and fulfill the dreams of all the children.”
Wally then turned his gaze toward Beautifly circling through the air.
He watched it quietly.
It was more like a question than a declaration.
“Beautifly~”
At that moment, Beautifly seemed to understand everything that was happening.
When Wally extended the invitation, it did not hesitate in the slightest.
It cried out happily.
How could it forget the meticulous care and companionship Wally had given it?
How could it forget how he had remained by its side and carefully looked after it every time it evolved?
How could it forget the difficult training they had endured together?
Wally had been strict and demanding, but how could Beautifly forget all the sweat they had shed together?
Becoming Wally’s Pokémon had always been one of Beautifly’s wishes.
“Congratulations.”
Grandma Agatha smiled warmly.
At her age, even she could not help feeling emotional at a moment like this.
“Thank you.”
Wally spoke in a somewhat lonely voice as he tightened his grip around the Premier Ball.
Grandma Agatha’s smile remained as she looked at Wally.
She could not help but find him amusing.
“What a strange child.”
The pure white color of the Premier Ball marked the beginning of Wally’s dream.
Feeling the gentle breeze coming through the window, Wally looked at Beautifly, and his thoughts suddenly drifted back into the past.
Back then, Wally and Beautifly had welcomed the morning light together as they trained their moves.
Beautifly’s String Shot glittered beneath the sunlight, spreading out like a vast sea of silk before forming a gigantic web.
Electricity coursed across the web with crackling sounds.
This was the result of Wally and Beautifly’s painstaking efforts to develop String Shot into Electroweb under Grandma Agatha’s guidance.
The special training had taken Wally an enormous amount of effort.
Ever since Beautifly was still a Wurmple, Wally had deliberately trained it to make sure it never neglected String Shot.
In Wally’s view, if used properly, String Shot could be an extremely useful move.
Therefore, in addition to special training, Wally had also worked hard to supplement Wurmple’s diet with protein.
He would frequently venture alone into the forest to gather Oran Berry, which could increase the amount of silk a Bug-type Pokémon produced and improve the toughness of its silk.
The flesh and leaves of Oran Berry were among the favorite foods of Bug-type Pokémon.
After Wally carefully prepared them, they could also provide Beautifly with better nutrition.
After several months of effort from Wally and Beautifly, its String Shot had improved tremendously and acquired a useful degree of electrical conductivity.
Finally, with the help of Persim Berries, Beautifly was able to use its unique Bug-type scales to comprehend the move Electroweb.
This was the greatest achievement Wally and Beautifly had accomplished during their year together.
That wasn’t all.
Beautifly’s excellent ability to sense air currents, its precise control over wind speed, and the silver-colored whirlwinds filled with countless scales were all results of the hard work Wally and Beautifly had put in together.
It could be said that although Beautifly might not have outstanding battle strength, it was an exceptional user of moves.
It was a little Pokémon seemingly born for the Pokémon Contest stage.
After all, it carried the dreams of every child at Verdanturf House.
Grandma Agatha’s experience had also been one of the greatest forces behind its growth.
The breeze blew once more.
It immediately brought Wally back to his senses.
He knew it.
This was the wind that had come to send him on his way.