Chapter 33: Let's Go Play!

In the afternoon, Andrew was, as usual, enjoying a laid-back day, without a care for work or making a living. He lounged on a recliner under the porch, gently rocking back and forth, while Munchlax, with a look of concentration, softly massaged his shoulders from behind.

"How does that feel, Master?" Munchlax asked, "Is it comfortable?"

"Very comfortable," Andrew replied, with a contented sigh.

Hearing this, Munchlax massaged with even more enthusiasm. Its hands, well-trained from kneading dough every day, moved with practiced skill.

"With your talent, Munchlax, you could open your own massage parlor and have a steady stream of customers," Andrew said, his eyes closed, relishing the massage.

"Thank you, Master," Munchlax responded, buzzing with happiness. "But I don't want to open a massage parlor. I only want to take care of you!"

After a while, Andrew felt his entire body relax, a warm sense of comfort spreading through him. He beckoned Munchlax closer and said, "Come, let's take a nap together."

"Gladly, Master!"

Munchlax happily moved another recliner next to Andrew's and settled down into it.

Andrew handed Munchlax a blanket. "Here, cover yourself up. It might not be cold now, but you could catch a chill if you fall asleep without it."

"Thank you, Master," Munchlax said, taking the blanket and snuggling under it, basking in Andrew's care.

The two recliners creaked softly as they rocked, the occasional chirp of Swablu and Fletchling echoing from the sky above. Soon, both Andrew and Munchlax were sound asleep.

When Diancie came out of the house, she found them peacefully resting, their expressions calm and serene.

"Those two..." She smiled and shook her head, quietly pulling their blankets up a bit higher before heading back inside.

It wasn't until late afternoon that Andrew slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the clear blue sky, which made him think of the saying "a crisp autumn day."

"Swablu~ Swablu~ Andrew, good afternoon!"

Just then, Swablu fluttered down from the sky, landing on Andrew's leg.

Andrew gently stroked its back. "Good afternoon, Swablu!"

"Swablu~ Swablu~"

"Fletchling~ ling~ Andrew, here I come too!"

Fletchling and Spritzee also fluttered down, joining Swablu on Andrew's lap. Before long, the three little Pokémon were playfully rolling around on his lap, making cheerful noises.

Andrew chuckled as he played with the three Pokémon. This was the life he had dreamed of when he first arrived in the Pokémon world. Unfortunately, his poor health had often prevented him from enjoying such moments freely until now.

After a while, Fletchling perched on Andrew's palm. "Fletch~~ling~ Fletch~ Andrew, let's go out and play!"

Andrew couldn't quite understand Fletchling's words, so Fletchling flapped its wings and chirped more insistently.

It took a moment, but Andrew eventually guessed, "Do you want to go out and play?"

Finally, you understood! Andrew, you can be slow sometimes! Fletchling sighed dramatically, spreading its wings to show its exasperation.

Andrew laughed at its antics.

"Alright, let's go out and have some fun."

Andrew stood up, and the three little Pokémon quickly flew off his lap.

"Munchlax, wake up," Andrew gently nudged Munchlax.

"Munch? Munch?"

Munchlax, startled, jumped up from the recliner, looking around in a panic until it saw Andrew. It immediately relaxed and buried its head into Andrew's chest, nuzzling his belly affectionately.

"Master, you scared me," Munchlax murmured. "I thought you had left without me."

Andrew patted its back gently. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Munchlax nodded.

"Don't worry," Andrew reassured. "As long as I'm here, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Once Munchlax had calmed down, Andrew asked, "Do you want to come along and play?"

"Yes, let's go play!" Munchlax replied, nodding enthusiastically, then grabbed Andrew's hand.

"Diancie, Munchlax and I are heading out for a while," Andrew called into the house.

"Okay, just don't stay out too late," Diancie responded from inside, reminding them.

With that, Andrew, Munchlax, Swablu, Spritzee, and Fletchling set out together.

Munchlax dashed around, trying to catch Fletchling and the others, but they playfully dodged, always staying just out of reach. Munchlax's joyful shouts and the birds' chirping filled the air, blending with the gentle breeze.

What a carefree spirit, Andrew thought. Munchlax had been so scared by its dream earlier, yet now it was happily running around, without a worry in the world.

As they walked, Andrew encountered two Skiddo grazing nearby. They seemed ready to flee, but then suddenly stopped and looked at him curiously.

"Skiddo~do~"

"Skiddo~do~"

They called out to Andrew as if greeting him.

Andrew was surprised. He had seen these Skiddo before, but they had always run away when they saw him.

Had something changed?

He decided to try greeting them, "Good afternoon!"

The two Skiddo nodded back at him, leaving Andrew pleasantly surprised.

After bidding farewell to the Skiddo, Andrew continued walking and soon encountered a Hippopotas and a Hippowdon. To his amazement, they treated him the same way the Skiddo had.

Not only that, but Andrew also crossed paths with Baltoy, Aron, Deerling, Drilbur, and Patrat... All these Pokémon, who used to flee at the sight of him, now greeted him warmly.

As Andrew pondered this, he realized that he had finally gained the recognition of the Pokémon on Nebel Plateau and had truly become a part of their world.

Indeed, that was the case.

Andrew's aid to Gardevoir had spread across the plateau. The Pokémon of Nebel Plateau were close-knit, and helping Gardevoir was like helping one of their own. They had accepted Andrew as a true resident of Nebel Plateau, treating him as part of their extended family.

Before long, Andrew and the others arrived at Nebel Lake.

Spritzee, ever the playful one, quickly landed on a large lily pad floating on the water. It stomped hard, causing the lily pad to dip slightly into the water. The water flowed toward the center, and Spritzee squealed with delight as it flew away just before getting wet.

"Spritzee~zee~"

Spritzee, finding it great fun, laughed heartily in the air and tried again.

Seeing this, Fletchling and Swablu, not wanting to be left out, began imitating Spritzee, hopping on the lily pads one after another.

"Swablu~blu~"

"Fletchling~ling~"

The three little birds were having a blast.

Seeing how much fun Spritzee and the others were having, Munchlax immediately wanted to rush into the water and join them, hopping on the lily pads.

"Hey, hey, hey~ What are you doing?" Andrew grabbed Munchlax by the back of its neck, pulling it back.

"Munch~ munch~"

Munchlax indicated that it wanted to play with Spritzee and the others.

Andrew sighed, "They're small, and you're big. The lily pads won't hold you."

"Munch~ munch~"

Munchlax looked at Spritzee and the others with envy, wanting to join in.

Andrew glanced around and suddenly spotted Marill and its friends by the lake shore. His eyes lit up. "By the way, don't you and Diancie like Watercress? Let's ask Marill where we can find some."

Upon hearing something about food, Munchlax perked up and immediately forgot about the lily pads.

"Munch~ munch~"

Munchlax grabbed Andrew's hand and ran towards Marill, waving excitedly.

Marill and a few Azurill were playing in the water. When they saw Andrew and Munchlax, they jumped out of the water and bounced over to greet them.

"Marill, Azurill, good afternoon."

"Azurill~ Azurill~" Good afternoon, Andrew.

Andrew greeted Marill and Azurill.

"Azurill~ Azurill~" Munchlax, come play with us.

Azurill gathered around Munchlax, bouncing up and down like balls with their springy tails.

"Munch~ munch~" Sure, sure.

Andrew watched as Munchlax happily played with the Azurill and then turned to Marill. "Marill, I want to ask where you collected the Watercress you gave me before?"

"Marill~ Marill~"

Marill gestured and pointed in another direction.

Following the direction Marill pointed to, Andrew saw that Spritzee and the others had started a playful battle with a group of Poliwag.

"Whoosh~ whoosh~ whoosh~~"

The Poliwag were spraying "water" (Water Gun) at Spritzee, Fletchling, and Swablu, while the birds retaliated with Ember, Fairy Wind, and Disarming Voice.

Andrew quickly ran over to intervene but soon realized it was just a playful game. The Poliwag and the birds were happily battling, with laughter and cheers all around.

The lily pads were originally the Poliwag's sunbathing spot. The birds hopping on them had disturbed the Poliwag hiding beneath.

After Marill's explanation, Andrew understood that the Watercress had been a gift from the Poliwag, and Marill was just passing it along.

So if Andrew wanted more Watercress, he would need to ask the Poliwag.

Seeing how much fun the Poliwag were having, Andrew didn't want to disturb them. Instead, he sat down with Munchlax, Marill, and Azurill on a soft, grassy patch to watch the game.

With their numbers, the Poliwag quickly overwhelmed the three birds, forcing them to retreat.

"Swablu ~ Swablu~"

"Spritzee ~ Spritzee~"

"Fletchling ~ Fletchling~"

The three birds, panting heavily, collapsed next to Andrew, lying flat on the grass and catching their breath.

The Poliwag were also tired, resting on the lily pads.

Andrew smiled and asked the birds, "Did you have fun?"

The birds jumped up excitedly, animatedly telling Andrew about their "victories," despite having clearly lost.

Unfortunately, Andrew didn't understand a word.

After the Poliwag rested for a while, Andrew approached them to ask about the Watercress.

Usually, the Poliwag would jump into the water to hide when Andrew came near, but this time they didn't.

When they learned that Andrew wanted Watercress, they didn't refuse.

One Poliwag jumped into the water and signaled Andrew to follow.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Andrew asked.

The Poliwag nodded and called to the others on the lily pads. Soon, all the Poliwag lined up and jumped into the water, swimming away with the lead Poliwag.

Though they enjoyed sunbathing there, it wasn't their main habit.

Watching the Poliwag swim away, Andrew wondered if he was supposed to swim after them. It wasn't feasible—this was Nebel Lake, not a small pond.

"Marill~ Marill~~"

Marill came over and tugged on Andrew's pants.

"Marill, are you going to help me?" Andrew asked.

"Marill~ Marill~"

Marill nodded and jumped into the water with a splash, followed by the other Marill and Azurill. They soon disappeared below the surface.

After waiting by the shore for a while, Andrew saw Marill and the others returning with another Pokémon.

"It's you, Lapras." Andrew greeted the Pokémon in surprise.

"Lapras~"

Lapras greeted Andrew with a warm smile.

Knowing that Marill had brought Lapras to help, Andrew sincerely thanked it. "Thank you, Marill."

"Marill~ Marill~" You're welcome.

Marill waved its hands dismissively.

"Lapras, thank you too." Andrew said to Lapras.

"Lapras~~"

Lapras nodded and motioned for Andrew and Munchlax to climb onto its back.

So, Andrew and Munchlax rode on Lapras as it swam towards the Poliwag's habitat, with the birds chirping excitedly overhead.

Since Lapras and Marill knew where the Poliwag lived, it wasn't long before Andrew reached a lush area filled with aquatic plants.

Amid the dense vegetation, Andrew saw the Poliwag, Poliwhirl, and other Pokémon like Masquerain playing, and saw some Surskit resting on the plants.

(End of chapter)