Zen stirred as the soft morning light peeked through his window. He blinked sleepily, stretching his arms before turning to check on Weedle.
But something was wrong.
Weedle lay on the bed, barely moving. Its tiny body looked weaker, its usual bright eyes dull.
Zen's heart pounded.
"Weedle?" he whispered, nudging the little Bug-type gently.
Weedle let out a faint chirp, barely reacting.
Panic surged through Zen. What was wrong? Was it sick? Had he done something wrong?
He didn't know what to do, he wasn't a real Trainer!
Without thinking, he grabbed Weedle in his arms and ran.
Zen burst into the orphanage's main hall, where Miss Clara was tidying up near the dining area. She barely had time to turn around before he skidded to a stop in front of her.
"Miss Clara! Help!" Zen gasped.
Miss Clara frowned. "Zen? What's wrong?"
Then she noticed the small, weak Pokémon in his arms.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Zen. What. Is. That." clearly she angry
Zen flinched. "It's my Weedle! He's not moving much! Please, I don't know what to do!"
Miss Clara let out a long, slow sigh, rubbing her temples. "You brought a Pokémon into the orphanage without telling me?"
Zen hesitated, realizing how bad this looked. "I—I didn't think it was a problem! I caught him last night, and he was fine! But now he's not moving, and I—"
Miss Clara cut him off, her voice sharp but not unkind. "Zen, Pokémon need food to stay strong."
Zen froze.
"…Food?"
Miss Clara pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes. Food. Did you feed him last night?"
Zen swallowed hard. He hadn't. He had been so excited just having Weedle with him that he hadn't even thought about food.
"Oh," he mumbled.
Miss Clara sighed again. "Bug Pokémon like Weedle eat tree leaves. There are plenty outside. You need to—"
She never got to finish.
Because the second Zen heard the word leaves, he bolted toward the door.
Miss Clara's eyes widened. "Zen! I wasn't finished talking!"
But he was already gone.
Zen ran outside, heading toward the bushes behind the orphanage. His stomach growled—he hadn't even eaten his own breakfast yet—but Weedle came first.
"Hang on, buddy. We'll find something," he whispered.
The orphanage was close to a small patch of trees, where bushes and wild plants grew. He hurried over and crouched down, looking for the greenest leaves he could find.
Weedle stirred slightly, his nose twitching.
Zen quickly plucked a few leaves and held them out.
"Weedle, can you eat these?"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, Weedle extended its tiny mouthparts and began nibbling.
Zen sighed in relief.
The little Pokémon ate slowly at first but then faster and faster, its small body regaining some of its energy with each bite.
Zen smiled. "There you go. Eat as much as you want."
He sat beside the bush, watching as Weedle devoured leaf after leaf.
Then his own stomach growled loudly.
Zen winced. Oh. Right.
He hadn't eaten either.
But he ignored the hunger for now, waiting patiently until Weedle finished eating.
Once Weedle seemed full, Zen scooped him up and hurried back inside.
Miss Clara was waiting for him, arms crossed. "You vanished before I finished talking."
Zen grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."
She sighed but gestured toward the dining hall. "Go eat."
Zen didn't need to be told twice. He dashed inside, grabbing a bowl of warm oatmeal and a piece of toast before plopping down at a table.
Weedle sat beside his tray, watching him curiously.
Zen took a big bite of toast and smiled. "Much better."
Weedle chirped in agreement.
As he ate, he looked at his new partner. "You know… we should think about the future."
Weedle tilted its head.
"I mean, I don't wanna stay in the orphanage forever," Zen said between bites. "I wanna be a real Pokémon Trainer someday."
Weedle blinked.
Zen grinned. "Maybe we'll travel together. See the world. What do you think?"
Weedle chirped and gave a small nod… though Zen had no idea if it actually understood him or not.
But that didn't matter.
For now, they had each other.
And that was enough.
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Author note
So far, I've only uploaded three chapters. Tell me how the story is so far—good or not? Give me your opinions.
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