"A Meowth who grew up wandering learned human language for the sake of love. At first glance, it seems absurd. Yet, when it sits alone on a tree gazing at the moon at the end of the story, I can feel its loneliness. Perhaps it was this loneliness and pursuit of love that enabled it to achieve such an unprecedented feat."
"That said, I can somewhat understand how Meowzie the Meowth felt. If I ever met a talking Meowth, I'd probably find it a bit creepy too."
Meowstic looked complicated. The inspirational story of Meowth was indeed moving, but if it actually met a talking Meowth, its first reaction would probably be the same—
…
Meowth, currently plotting to catch Pikachu on the Indigo Plateau: "Achoo, nya!"
…
Lucas: So, even Meowstic, a fellow feline Pokémon, comes to the same conclusion as Meowzie in the anime? As a human, I find Meowth inspiring, but Meowstic finds it... unsettling.
Though Meowstic also used human language to communicate, it was merely tracing out words with psychic power. When it actually spoke, it still meowed in its Pokémon tongue.
Makes sense. If a human crawled on the ground mimicking a Meowth and meowed, that'd be pretty odd too.
Suddenly feeling a bit sorry for Meowth, Lucas tried to change the subject. He glanced around and noticed a small group of Pokémon gathering by the manor's outer wall.
Most were Electric-type Pokémon, fitting for this city known for its electricity.
They were lining up to receive food from a white-haired orangutan Pokémon.
This white-haired orangutan wore a purple cape-like fur and wielded a fan tied with purple fur. Each wave of the fan sent out psychic energy, distributing prepared food to the patiently waiting Electric Pokémon.
Lucas recognized this Pokémon: Oranguru from Alola.
Why was Oranguru feeding the Electric-types? These Pokémon all looked somewhat dirty, clearly wild or abandoned and likely not students of the Pokémon Butler Academy.
Oranguru is considered quite wise among Psychic-types. It typically lives in forests and is gentle to most Pokémon except its own kind. It even seeks out herbs to treat injured Pokémon in the woods.
With its image, it's like a hermit sage of the forest.
Maybe that's why it's feeding the Electric-types?
Before Lucas could ask, Meowstic seemed to sense his thoughts and traced out the words: "Those are wild or abandoned Electric-type Pokémon."
"As for that Oranguru feeding them, well... it's actually one of the graduates you're about to meet. But it's a bit special."
"It's one of the very few students who, for various reasons, have stayed at the Academy for years. Every year, the teachers and principal rack their brains over its employment. Even before I enrolled, Oranguru had already repeated who knows how many years."
Lucas fell silent. The Pokémon Butler Academy had repeat students?
But seeing Meowstic also seemed unsure about Oranguru's past, Lucas dropped the subject. He changed the topic: "You said some of those Electric-types were abandoned?"
"Yes, for example, that Luxio at the end of the line." Meowstic looked at the determined-eyed Luxio quietly waiting its turn.
"Luxio?"
Lucas followed Meowstic's gaze. When he spotted the Luxio, his expression turned nostalgic.
His first Pokémon partner had also been a Luxio.
"Do you know what's on the other side of the wall?"
Meowstic's words floated before Lucas.
He shook his head, so Meowstic continued.
"On the other side is an Electric-type Pokémon vocational school—a human school. That Luxio was abandoned by a student there when it was still a Shinx."
"I see."
Lucas frowned slightly. Maybe because Luxio and Luxray are of the same species, he felt empathetic towards its situation.
Just like Ceruledge and Grafaiai, being abandoned is never a good experience.
As Lucas reflected, Oranguru handed the last portion of food to Luxio and, in the face of Luxio's grateful cry, smiled and gently patted its head before heading toward a distant building.
Luxio watched Oranguru's back for a while before carrying its food over the wall and running toward the Electric-type Pokémon school.
Oranguru's actions reminded Meowstic of the time. "It's about time. Most graduates should be waiting in the hall ahead. We need to hurry."
Lucas quickly turned his attention back and nodded. "Alright."
At the end of the stone path stood a grand hall. A gold-trimmed red carpet ran from the entrance up the steps outside. Walking on it gave Lucas the feeling of attending a banquet.
Near the entrance, two giant pillars stood on either side, intricately carved—a graduation project from a past class, Meowstic explained.
The walls on either side had murals Lucas couldn't understand but looked sophisticated. Vines and flowers adorned the upper areas, adding a dreamlike touch to the graduates' job-hunting journey.
Meowstic led Lucas to two people who seemed to have waited a long time. One was a man in his fifties or sixties, dressed in a proper suit, his most striking feature being his shiny bald head.
The other, a somewhat younger woman in professional attire, looked like a secretary or assistant.
The man smiled. "Hello, Mr. Lucas. I'm Otto, headmaster of the Pokémon Butler Academy. This is my secretary, Marusill."
"Hello."
Lucas responded automatically, mind still reeling that Meowstic's words were true. The principal really was bald—he thought Meowstic had been exaggerating.
"Thank you for the tour, Meowstic. You may rest now," Otto said, then turned to Lucas. "Please follow me. Now you may choose any graduate butler Pokémon you like."