"Homesick?" Willy took another puff of his pipe and looked down at Leo's expression. Kids at this age couldn't hide their thoughts; with just a puff of their cheeks, Willy could figure out eight or nine times out of ten what was on their mind. "Or just lonely?"
"Am not!" Leo retorted quickly. "When I was on Ginger Island, every day was like this."
"Like what every day?" Willy asked, signaling Krabby to fetch him a can of beans from the house.
"Waking up alone in the treehouse, patrolling the island alone." Leo rested his chin on his hand, reminiscing.
Strange. On Ginger Island, I wasn't always together with my parrot friends either. How did I get by back then?
While Leo was frowning in thought, Willy had already popped open the can of beans. He then took out his portable stove, added a little water and seasoning to the can, and set it on the fire.
Having this in the summer was a bit out of season. But a warm can of bean soup could always dispel those slightly melancholy feelings whenever Willy felt lonely.
"And now?" Willy set the beans up and put some fresh bait on his hook.
Truth be told, he wasn't really good at helping others untangle their emotions. But sometimes, people just needed a quiet listener rather than a brilliant navigator.
Willy knew clearly that everyone's life was different. Some confusions might seem trivial to others, but to the person experiencing them, it might be a mountain weighing on their shoulders.
"I'm mostly with Linus, and Teacher Penny, Jas, Vincent—" Leo counted on his fingers.
His days were completely filled by everyone, so it was only when he returned to the treehouse at night that he had time to be alone.
Leo rambled on about those novel and strange experiences. Even though they were happy memories for him, the more he talked about them now, the sadder he became.
He couldn't understand why. He was so happy at the time. Back then, lying in bed at night, he only had anticipation for the next day. Why did the exact same memories bring completely different feelings now?
So he suddenly stopped and forcefully changed his tune: "I'm starting to miss life on Ginger Island."
In the meantime, the bean soup was already bubbling inside the can, and the distinct aroma of beans wafted out.
Willy roughly understood Leo's mood right now.
At this moment, rather than missing life on Ginger Island, it was more that he had started to feel afraid—afraid that these people who had barged into his life would leave him one day, and then he wouldn't be able to readapt to being alone.
Willy had felt this too, the day he left his father to sail the sea alone.
After all, no one is accustomed to loneliness right from the start. No matter what, as social creatures, there's always a moment where you need to draw energy from being part of a group.
Maybe it's the moment when a group of people sit around a campfire, drinking and talking about the future.
Maybe it's when you sit next to a gentle teacher, listening to them tell a story.
Or maybe it's when you follow that weird old man to take down plastic bags hanging from tree branches.
This feeling was definitely unfamiliar to Leo, who had lived with birds for years.
Thinking this, Willy poured out half of the bean soup and handed the steaming bowl to Leo.
Although autumn was approaching, the weather was still hot and dry. Leo clumsily took the steaming bowl, holding it as fine beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.
"Who eats this in the middle of summer?" Leo said, getting scalded by the steam. He quickly blew on it and moved the bowl away.
"Sailors drink this when they're homesick," Willy fabricated. "Once you drink it, you won't be homesick anymore."
"Why?" Leo looked at the beans floating in the bowl, not feeling that this thing possessed any magic he hadn't yet seen.
Willy laughed. "Because when you're full, you have the strength to keep moving forward."
Leo looked at him in confusion. Seeing that Willy had no intention of continuing, he stared at the beans in the bowl for a while.
The beans were boiled soft and mushy, releasing their starch and making the soup a bit thick. He blew on it and slowly took a sip.
Drinking this in hot weather felt like suddenly being soaked in hot water. Large drops of sweat rolled down Leo's temples. While wiping his sweat, he struggled valiantly against the soup.
Looking up, he saw Willy holding a cup of Seafoam Pudding in his hand.
"Why aren't you eating?"
"I'm not homesick." Willy grinned. "Or do you want to try some?"
Leo deliberated between the Seafoam Pudding and the piping hot bean soup for a moment, then chose the soup.
Strangely enough, once the soup settled in his stomach, a burst of energy inexplicably surged through his body.
So Leo handed the bowl back to Willy.
"Not homesick anymore?"
"I want to go find Linus!" Leo said, turning around and running off.
He suddenly realized something. This wasn't Ginger Island, and everyone weren't his parrot friends. No one would inexplicably disappear, and no one could fly.
When he felt lonely, he just needed to go find them. He could always find them, just like his parrot friends would always fly back to see him.
Meanwhile, Linus.
Linus was currently busy in the woods with Trubbish.
Aside from his usual foraging and cleaning up trash scattered in the forest, Linus was also planning to whip up something good for Leo. After all, it was his annual birthday.
Truth be told, this was Leo's first birthday spent with him. What other kids had, Leo shouldn't lack either.
Linus truly couldn't remember what kids this age liked either. His memories of his own childhood were incredibly blurry at this point in his life.
He had long forgotten what gifts he received on those birthdays. The only thing he hadn't forgotten was probably the feeling of having family and friends around him in that moment.
Linus's gaze searched around. Thinking about how Leo would look when he got back from school and saw the things he'd prepared, Linus unknowingly started smiling too.
"Trubbish?" Trubbish looked at Linus. Linus casually pulled out a plastic bag half-buried in the dirt and handed it to Trubbish.
"Trubbish!" Linus glanced at Trubbish and continued gathering in the dense forest.
His hands didn't stop moving, and his footsteps quickened considerably. I still need to go back early. Linus thought.
Otherwise, when the kid gets out of school and sees that both the treehouse and the tent are empty, how sad he would be.
Thinking this, Linus finally picked a Berry from a tree, put it in the basket, and turned to lead Trubbish back toward home.
He hadn't gone far when he heard Leo's voice.
"Linus!!"
"Ah—" Linus froze for a moment, watching Leo running toward him.
"No school today?"
"Teacher Penny gave us a day off!" Leo excitedly took the basket from him.
Linus opened his mouth, originally intending to scold him for coming into the dense forest alone without a Pokémon. But remembering that today was Leo's birthday, he swallowed the words before they came out.
Just this once. Linus thought, slowly following the kid as they walked out of the forest.
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