At the entrance of the cave, Natsu and Zorua watched as Ogerpon reluctantly shuffled out of the dark depths step by step.
Its unwillingness was written all over its face.
"Am I that hard to deal with?"
Sharing a glance with Zorua, Natsu, who already understood the situation, feigned a hurt expression.
Though he pretended to be upset, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up slightly.
“Mmmhm!”
Hearing this, Ogerpon, who had been hanging its head low, imdiately perked up and frantically tried to explain to Natsu.
It wasn’t that it didn’t want to see him—absolutely not! It was sothing else entirely. It definitely wasn’t because it disliked Natsu.
In its anxious state, Ogerpon didn’t notice the faint smile on Natsu’s lips or the mischievous glint in Zorua’s eyes.
Seeing Ogerpon’s panicked look gave Natsu a slight pang of guilt—like teasing a curious child during the holidays by asking endless questions just to see their flustered reactions.
"Alright, alright, I know you don’t dislike ."
Noticing how close Ogerpon was to tears, Natsu quickly tried to comfort it.
Although Zorua had ntioned that Ogerpon wasn’t in a great ntal state lately, Natsu hadn’t expected it to be this sensitive.
A single sentence nearly brought it to tears.
Feeling the warmth of Natsu's hand on its head, Ogerpon sniffled and forced its emotions back down.
Then, as if embarrassed by its behavior, it tilted its head away, refusing to et Natsu’s eyes.
It didn’t want anyone, especially soone it cared about, to see such a vulnerable side of itself.
After all, crying in front of soone you hold dear feels deeply embarrassing, regardless of age, gender, or species.
Ogerpon cared too.
"Alright, don’t be mad now."
“Here, I brought you a gift.”
After calming Ogerpon down, Natsu reached into the small satchel he carried and pulled out a large gift box.
Inside was a gift he had prepared especially for Ogerpon.
Holding the box, which was almost bigger than itself, Ogerpon hesitated, unsure of what to say.
It glanced at the box in its arms and then at Natsu.
Suddenly, it felt its tears welling up again, barely under control.
For a child accustod to being alone, the smallest acts of care could unravel them.
They might normally be calm, even indifferent in the face of adversity, but when soone extended genuine kindness, it was overwhelming.
“Do you want to open it and take a look?”
Noticing how Ogerpon used the gift box to hide its face, Natsu’s voice instinctively softened.
It was hard to be stern with such an endearing Pokémon.
If it were Corviknight, Natsu would’ve probably just given it a swift kick to make it act normal.
(Corviknight: “Why am I always the target?!”)
“Mmmhm!”
Nodding enthusiastically, Ogerpon set the gift box on the ground and quickly unwrapped it.
Inside the large box were two separated compartnts. One contained two stacked masks, and the other held an ornate incense burner.
As Ogerpon examined the masks, Natsu explained:
“These two masks are sothing I found online.
“They’re not the ones you lost originally, but their designs are quite similar. I thought you might like them, so I bought them for you.”
“And the other item is a Rose Incense. It not only enhances Grass-type moves but also slls great.”
The masks had been an unexpected find when Natsu was shopping for gifts.
Of course, they weren’t the original masks Ogerpon had lost.
But in the age of the internet, anything was possible.
These masks were advertised as replicas of the ones Ogerpon had supposedly lost, and their designs were strikingly similar.
As for the Rose Incense, it was exactly as Natsu said—pleasant and functional.
Among the many items that boosted Grass-type moves, this one stood out for its aesthetic appeal.
After all, a gift should be presentable.
It wouldn’t make sense to say, “Here’s a gift,” and then pull out sothing unrecognizable from your pocket.
That would be downright bizarre.
“Do you like it?”
Watching Ogerpon, who seed lost in thought, Natsu asked nervously.
The truth was, he wasn’t very experienced with gift-giving.
Back in school, his classmates often seed to form inexplicably close bonds—suddenly staying over at each other’s houses, becoming best friends, and then just as suddenly drifting apart.
Natsu had never really understood those dynamics.
Birthday parties? Holiday gifts? Those weren’t part of his world.
He didn’t even celebrate his own birthday.
Humans were complicated. Compared to them, interacting with Pokémon was much simpler.
“Mhhmmh!”
Ogerpon hastily wiped at its face, grabbed one of the masks, and placed it over its own, hiding its current expression. Then it nodded firmly.
It loved the gift.
As long as it was from Natsu, it would love it.
“That’s great.”
Seeing Ogerpon’s face obscured by the mask, Natsu didn’t press further about why it hadn’t visited the farm lately.
Instead, he started chatting about recent events on the farm.
The storage shed where Ogerpon used to play hide-and-seek with Shiny Furret had been renovated.
Flowers had been planted around the lake, though it wasn’t clear if they’d survive.
Sandslash had bought a pack of giant pumpkin seeds online and was eager to plant them.
Togepi had gotten itself covered in mud yesterday, leaving footprints all over the house, and ended up being chased down by Minccino.
In the end, Minccino had dragged Togepi into the bathroom for a real cleaning session—with a showerhead and a scrub brush.
True combat bathing.
As for why Ogerpon hadn’t visited, Zorua had already explained—it had been obsessing over creating the perfect gift for Natsu, only to end up stuck in an endless loop of self-doubt and frustration.
Sitting on the ground with Natsu’s gift in its arms, Ogerpon quietly listened to his stories.
It nodded vigorously and let out little sounds of agreent, showing its complete support for everything Natsu said.
No matter what Natsu said, Ogerpon wholeheartedly agreed.
“So, Ogerpon.”
“Would you like to be my partner?”
Suddenly, Natsu extended his hand toward Ogerpon and asked.
“Mhhmm… mah?!”
Ogerpon, who had been nodding absentmindedly, froze in shock.
What was going on?
It felt like a casual conversation about dinner had suddenly veered into, “I want to beco a magical girl.”
This was completely unexpected!
“Well? What do you say?”
“Would you like to be my partner?”
Natsu repeated the question, watching the stunned Ogerpon intently.
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