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Liam sat on the couch, feeling awkward under Aunt Fumiko's amused gaze. But there was nothing he could do about it.
Looking down at Delia, who was still clinging to his waist, unwilling to let go, Liam could only hold her tightly in return. What else could he do?
"Ahem, Auntie Fumiko, is Professor Oak still at the lab?"
Liam couldn't stand her teasing expression anymore. Delia probably wasn't getting up because Aunt Fumiko was watching them. Too embarrassed to face her, she had chosen to bury her head in Liam's chest like an ostrich.
"Oh-hoho~ Liam, are you getting shy? And Delia too, so thin-skinned! Alright, alright, I won't tease you two lovebirds anymore. I need to start making lunch. Samuel is still at the lab—he's such a busy man, working from morning till night. But I'll call him later and make sure he comes back today, no matter what! Hehe, you two take your time chatting. Auntie will leave you alone now~"
Laughing mischievously, Auntie Fumiko sauntered into the kitchen, leaving Liam and Delia alone in the living room.
"Pii? Pii! Pii!"
Just then, a cute Cleffa suddenly bounced into the room from who-knows-where. Its large eyes scanned the living room until they landed on its trainer, who was currently nestled in someone's arms.
Startled, it quickly hopped onto the couch, trying to see who this person was. Then, recognizing the one who had taken it out of Mt. Moon, Cleffa's face lit up with joy, and it leaped excitedly at Liam.
"Ah! Cleffa! Haha, how have you been?"
With one arm still wrapped around Delia, Liam extended his free hand just in time to catch Cleffa. He held it in his palm, smiling warmly.
"Pi!"
At that moment, Delia's muffled voice suddenly came from Liam's chest.
"Huh? Delia, what did you say?"
Liam lowered his head to look at her, confused.
"Hmph! I said, this little one's name is Pi!"
Delia abruptly lifted her head, scooped Cleffa into her arms, and sat up properly. Her eyes were red, and her face was flushed. Turning away, she kept her head down, refusing to speak.
Liam was speechless. He had no idea what to do. He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn't come out. In the end, he could only reach out and grab the Squirtle sitting on his shoulder, placing it on his lap.
Caught off guard, Squirtle flailed its limbs in protest. But it was futile—Liam had a firm grip on both sides of its shell. Unable to exert any force, Squirtle finally gave up, drooped its head in defeat, and then swiftly retracted all its limbs and head into its shell as a final act of defiance.
Liam: "..."
"Pfft! Hahaha! This little guy is so cute! What's its name?"
Although Squirtle's reaction made Liam feel a bit helpless—after all, he had fed it so much Moomoo Milk—it successfully made Delia laugh. Hugging Cleffa with one arm, she covered her mouth with the other, laughing so hard she trembled.
Seeing Delia's reaction, Liam immediately took advantage of the situation and shamelessly sold out Squirtle, beaming as he said,
"This little guy is Squirtle. I caught it on my way back, but I haven't named it yet. Delia, why don't you give it a name?"
Delia reached out to hold Squirtle, lowering her head to peer into its dark shell. Inside, two bright eyes stared back at her. Smiling gently, she spoke softly.
"Hello, Squirtle. I'm Delia. It's nice to meet you! You don't have a name yet? Then let me give you a nice one. Hmm… Oh! Got it! Let's call you Squirtle-Squirtle!"
Thud!
Liam instantly fell off the couch. Squirtle's head popped out of its shell, eyes brimming with tears as it turned to Liam for help.
"Ahem, Delia… that name lacks creativity. How about something else? Maybe 'Little Jet'? Or just 'Lil' Turtle'? Those all sound better, don't you think?"
Liam quickly got up and scooted closer to Delia, trying to negotiate.
"Squirtle! Squirtle!"
For once, Squirtle agreed with Liam, nodding furiously with its teary eyes.
"Hmph…"
Delia side-eyed Liam, her recently recovered face blushing once again. After a brief moment of thought, she let out a soft hum and said,
"Alright, then, as per the team's tradition, your ceremonial name will be Little Jet. What do you think, Squirtle?"
"Squirtle…"
Squirtle hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. The name was plain, but at least it was better than 'Squirtle-Squirtle.' It would tolerate this.
"Haha! Delia, actually, I have another gift for you. Look at this."
Liam discreetly wiped the sweat from his forehead before pulling something from his backpack.
"Huh? Another gift? So Little Jet isn't for me?"
Delia turned to him in surprise, eyes full of expectation.
Sigh.... What else can I do?
Under Delia's expectant gaze, Liam froze. Then, turning to Squirtle—whose expression had already shifted to one of horror—he patted its shell and spoke with deep sincerity.
"Little Squirtle, for now, you'll be with Delia. You must listen to her and take good care of her, alright?"
"Squirtle! Squirtle Squirtle! (No! I don't want to be separated from you, Master!)"
"Ahem, Delia can cook lots of delicious food. If you follow her, you'll get to eat tasty meals all the time."
"…Squirtle?"
The teary-eyed Squirtle suddenly calmed down. Its eyes sparkled as it turned to Delia. Then, as if making a solemn vow, it puffed out its chest and patted its shell several times, making a thud thud sound—an obvious declaration of loyalty to Delia.
"Hahaha! Little guy, you're so cute! Thank you, Liam!"
Delia was overjoyed, hugging Squirtle tightly. Then, slipping her arm through Liam's, she rested her head on his shoulder and gazed up at him with gratitude.
"Ahem, as long as you like it, Delia, that's all that matters. But the real gift is this. Here, take a look."
Liam grinned brightly, clearly enjoying the moment, before taking out a PokeBall and placing it on the table. With a gentle press, a beam of light flashed, and a blue-and-white Dratini with tiny wing-like fins on its head appeared, coiled on the table.
"Dra!"
Dratini briefly glanced at Liam before closing its eyes again.
Liam sighed and said, "This little one is Dratini. Honestly, it's my fault. I caught it without its consent, so it hasn't listened to me at all. It barely eats, and I'm worried about its health. I think it's still mad at me. But if you take care of it, Delia, it might be willing to open up to me. So… I'm counting on you."
With the Indigo League coming up and with him already having a trained team, he didn't have much time to train these two Pokemon who were still in their young phase, especially Dratini, who refused to listen to him, so he thought it would be best to leave them with Delia who could look after them. This way, Delia would also have companions who could accompany her when he had to leave again.
Hearing the guilt in Liam's voice, Delia gently caressed his face. Then, setting Squirtle aside, she knelt beside the table, resting her head on her arms. With a warm, sunshine-like smile, she softly spoke to Dratini.
"Dratini, on behalf of my big idiot, I apologize. Will you forgive his recklessness? Will you let me take care of you?"
Dratini opened its eyes, gazing at Delia with deep contemplation. After a long silence, it finally gave a small nod and let out a crisp cry.
"Dra!"