Chapter Text
The path was quiet.
They had spent the entire morning walking without incident, enjoying the sun, the soft breeze, and each other’s company. They had left the village early, just the way he liked it, carrying nothing more than necessary in his backpack. As they did every day.
By the time the sun stood high in the sky, Kaleb decided to look for a place to rest. It didn’t take long to find a clearing, and as always, he spread a blanket over the grass, set his backpack down on it, and sat, already rummaging through it for lunch. A gentle breeze drifted around them, and the sunlight was warm without being overwhelming—that kind of midday that already felt like summer, but without its suffocating heat.
Phantump floated closer. Kaleb, who knew her so well by now, could tell she was impatient, even if the way she showed it was quiet and subtle. The boy smiled and unwrapped the sandwich he had prepared for her that morning.
“Here you go. Hungry?” he asked, handing it to her.
She nodded softly before taking the sandwich in her little hands and sitting beside him. That morning, Kaleb hadn’t had time to cut the crust off. Or maybe he’d forgotten, or perhaps he simply liked watching her do it, judging by the fond look he had fixed on her as the small Phantump carefully peeled the crust away with her usual patience.
“It’s just a habit,” he commented. “You can barely tell the difference. I’ve tried it both ways—it’s basically the same. One of these days, you could just…” Kaleb made a vague gesture with his hand. “…eat it as it is.”
Phantump looked up at him and gave a small shake of her head. No, that was not an option.
Kaleb sighed, amused, and took out his own food while Phantump took a small bite of her sandwich, now properly adjusted for her—as it should be. Her bites were tiny little motions he found adorable. He had never seen whether Phantump had teeth, but he assumed she did, judging by the faint marks she left on the bread.
“The next town is famous for its sweets,” Kaleb began, mostly to fill the silence—though it never felt uncomfortable with her. “I want to try the honey one, it looks really good. I read that some have Mago Berries. I’ll get you one, and a few more for the road if you like them.”
Phantump paused mid-bite to look at him and nodded, as if there had never been any doubt that yes, that was exactly what he would do. Kaleb had already talked about that town and those sweets before, and as always, Phantump had listened. He did that sometimes—repeat himself, bring up things he had already mentioned on other days—but she never seemed to mind. And anyway, who decided a person could only talk about something once?
He kept talking about the next town, the previous one, or the path they had taken that morning. Phantump nodded from time to time, and between bites, her eyes would lift toward him, but as usual, that was her way of showing she was listening.
When Phantump finished her sandwich—while the boy was still talking about the small lake they had passed a couple of hours earlier, and the Surskit that lived there)—she held out her little hands toward him. Kaleb barely paused his monologue. He already knew what she wanted: a napkin.
“…And the Tynamo—I didn’t know they’d be around here,” he said, handing it to her.
Phantump took it and gently wiped her hands. She never liked getting dirty, but it was unavoidable during their travels. Still, every time it happened, she would stop Kaleb, point out the spot—which, he sometimes swore, wasn’t even there—and wait until he gave her something to clean it with, or did it himself. Now Kaleb noticed a few crumbs on her chest, so he took the napkin and brushed them away.
“…A neighbor had an Eelektross. Back when I was little, before we moved. Remember I told you we used to live in a different house, and we moved when my mom changed jobs?”
Phantump nodded silently, letting him keep cleaning her absentmindedly, even though there was nothing left to clean. She floated up, just enough to move closer, and settled on his thigh. He adjusted her without thinking.
“So yeah, we had this neighbor with an Eelektross. I don’t know, I thought they didn’t have those in Kalos.” Kaleb took another bite of his sandwich, still only halfway through. Phantump never minded waiting for him. “But now there’s this really popular streamer who has one. Maybe they do have in the capital, but where I grew up? Definitely not.”
Phantump rested her little hands on her lap. Her gaze never left him—those big, deep eyes, more innocent than one might expect from a Ghost-type Pokémon.
“Anyway, the capital’s kind of strange right now. A lot’s been going on. I’ve seen bits of the news, but I haven’t really looked into it. You know I’m not much of a reader, I prefer being outdoors. But mom said they’re all fine and nothing has reached the village, remember?” Phantump nodded again. “So yeah, no need to worry.”
Phantump let Kaleb ramble on for a few more minutes, between slow bites of the sandwich he never quite seemed to finish. But after a while, she floated up again, this time toward the backpack, and pointed at it silently. Kaleb stopped talking.
“Hm? Oh, fruit?” Phantump gave a small nod. Yes, fruit. “Right, sorry, sorry, I’m on it,” he said with a soft laugh, setting his half-eaten sandwich aside.
Kaleb pulled out an apple he had packed for her. He himself wasn’t much of a fan, but Phantump liked them, so over time he had gotten used to buying one whenever he found good ones at a market.
Phantump drifted closer, watching as he peeled the apple with practiced hands. The way she focused on his movements was almost funny—as if it were some complicated magic trick instead of a scene that repeated itself nearly every day.
Once the peel was gone, Kaleb began cutting the fruit into small pieces for her.
“You know I’m not great at making shapes,” he said, handing her a piece that vaguely resembled a cube, if you were being generous.
Phantump took it and nibbled at it, content in her quiet way, while he kept cutting more pieces—some uneven, others outright abstract. But despite his lack of skill when it came to artistic fruit cutting, there was something pleasant about doing it for someone who appreciated it.
The breeze picked up slightly, though not enough to be bothersome, while the sunlight invited them to enjoy the afternoon. And that was something Kaleb, and now Phantump too, did every day.
Now the boy started talking about what he used to do when summer approached, before he decided to travel to another region. And Phantump, as always, listened in silence, eating her uneven apple pieces while he stole bites from his sandwich, then from a couple of bananas between anecdotes, until he finished as well.
“Feeling good?” he asked.
Phantump nodded, satisfied, and used the napkin from before to wipe the sticky apple juice from her hands. Then she floated up and settled into the crook of his arm, the place he assumed was her favorite. She had the decency not to do it while they were eating, but once they were done, nothing stopped her from curling up against him.
Kaleb laughed and lay back on the blanket, on his back, looking up at the bright blue sky.
“Comfortable?”
Another nod from Phantump. Even though her way of communicating often came down to small gestures and quiet movements, Kaleb understood her perfectly. She didn’t need big responses to make herself clear.
He adjusted his arm, drawing Phantump closer to his chest, while the small Pokémon settled in, curling up with her head resting against his arm.
“Are you gonna fall asleep?” he asked without even looking at her. A faint movement told him that yes, that was exactly the plan. “I might too.”
Kaleb adjusted her once more, even though he didn’t need to, and one of his hands rested gently against Phantump’s ghostly tail.
“But just for a bit, alright? We’ve still got to keep going later.”
Another small movement. Another nod.
Kaleb allowed himself to close his eyes as well, relaxed. Phantump didn’t need more than her trainer’s arm and a belly full of simple food to be completely at peace.
And honestly, he wouldn’t want to ask for anything more.