"Indeed."
Indeedee nodded, but then thought about the whole servant situation and slowly shook its head.
Jodi didn't quite catch what Indeedee was thinking, but seeing as it was almost lunchtime, she thought for a moment and asked, "Would you like to come over to our place for lunch today?"
"In-deed..."
Seeing Indeedee hesitate, Jodi quickly added, "I don't mean for you to come over and help out, um, just to treat you as a guest. We're having Fish Casserole today."
Fish Casserole was Jodi's specialty. Since Kent had some free time these past couple of days, Jodi had asked him to catch a few Largemouth Bass so she could make it for lunch.
"Indeed!"
Indeedee nodded. It couldn't help but think a little spitefully that if life at Jodi's house was good enough, it would actually move in with them! If the farm didn't need it, there were plenty of places that did!
Hearing this, Jodi shifted her grocery basket to her other arm and reached a hand out toward Indeedee.
As they walked, she said with a touch of emotion, "Sam ran away from home once, too. Sneaked out all by himself without bringing a thing... Gus ended up taking him in for dinner, and then Sam cried and asked Gus to bring him back."
"In-deed?"
Indeedee looked up at Jodi. The story sounded like a complaint, but Jodi actually looked rather fond and happy as she recalled it.
"That's just how family is." Jodi looked down at Indeedee. "What family doesn't argue?"
They soon arrived at Jodi's house. When Jodi pushed the door open, she saw Sam and Kent processing the Largemouth Bass together. The father and son were standing quietly in the kitchen, and they both turned their heads at the sound of the door.
"You're back?"
"Mhm," Jodi replied, then added, "This little one will be joining us for Fish Casserole today."
"Indee!" Indeedee waved at the two inside.
"I see." Sam glanced at Indeedee, then remembered the Pokémon Egg. "By the way, how's that Egg doing now?"
"Miss Joy is looking after it." Jodi set the grocery basket on the table as she spoke. "I guess you could say it's a Pokémon care class for Vincent?" she added uncertainly.
Still, with Miss Joy around, they weren't too worried about any accidents happening to the Egg while it was in the three kids' hands.
"They should be back for lunch, but if they aren't, I'll take some Fish Casserole over to them," Jodi continued. "It's a good chance to let Miss Joy have a taste, too, considering how much she helped us out last year."
If it weren't for Joy and the farm, she couldn't imagine how tight their finances would be right now. But there was no need to mention that to Kent.
She had a pretty good idea that Kent hadn't had an easy time during his disappearance either, to the point where he would curl up in a stress response if he suddenly heard a loud noise. As much as she wanted to care for him and learn what he had been through, because they were family, she chose not to tear open his wounds.
As long as he was alive... being alive was enough. As long as they were alive, life would eventually get better.
Indeedee looked up at Jodi and chimed, "Indeed!"
"Hm?" Jodi looked over at Indeedee, only to see the vegetables from the grocery basket floating out, lifted by Indeedee's psychic powers, and making their way into the kitchen.
"Whoa, is this the power of Pokémon?" Sam's jaw dropped as he watched the vegetables floating in mid-air, automatically prepping themselves.
"That's really convenient..." Jodi murmured, but upon realizing how that sounded, she quickly explained to Indeedee, "I didn't mean it like that—I was just genuinely amazed."
"Indeedee~"
Indeedee waved a paw dismissively, not bothered at all.
The house wasn't big, and the kitchen was rather cramped. With Indeedee and Jodi stepping in, it became surprisingly crowded, yet unexpectedly cozy.
It wasn't long before the prepped ingredients were simmering in the pot. In no time, the aroma of fish, mingled with the rich scent of the stew, filled the entire house.
Indeedee took a deep breath and contentedly narrowed its eyes.
"Indee."
"How is it? My mom's Fish Casserole is definitely the best in town!" Sam said from the sofa as he handed a glass of juice to Indeedee. "Want some?"
"Indee!" Indeedee took the juice and took a sip.
"Did you have a fight with Ron?" Sam asked.
"In-dee..."
Indeedee wasn't sure if it really counted as a fight. After all, Ron hadn't said anything mean, and that Magearna really was given to him by the Adventurer's Guild—it knew that much.
But it still bothered Indeedee. It couldn't help much in battles, it wasn't very strong, and realistically, its daily contributions to the farm were limited.
Fortunately, thanks to its instincts, it had a way to coordinate the other Pokémon, and it found its place on the farm where everyone had their own roles—living there as the steward.
But that Magearna was just way out of its league. Just from overhearing a little bit, it knew there was absolutely no comparison.
Magearna was an incredibly sophisticated machine. It could organize all kinds of resources in the blink of an eye and make the optimal decisions. That was something Indeedee simply could never do.
Thinking of this, Indeedee let out a long breath.
"I ran away from home once, too," Sam said suddenly.
"Indeedee."
Indeedee turned its head to look at Sam.
"Back then, Dad was only home occasionally. Mom was busy with chores and part-time jobs every day..." Sam rested his chin on his hand. "And that was right around the time Vincent unexpectedly came along."
That had given Sam a bit of a panic. The family already felt like a single-parent household; adding another kid made him feel like the attention he relied on was about to be stolen away by the newborn.
But it didn't. Jodi still loved him. No matter how busy or tired she was, or how much trouble it was to take care of Vincent, she always made time to listen to Sam's thoughts, and went out of her way to make his favorite foods.
"Indee."
Indeedee paused, then downed the rest of its juice in one gulp.
Before long, the Fish Casserole was ready. Jodi brought the clay pot to the table and called everyone over to eat.
Indeedee sat on Vincent's little chair, quietly eating the Fish Casserole Jodi had served it. Its gaze flitted between Jodi's and Sam's faces.
Soon, the meal was over. Jodi looked at the thoughtful Indeedee and asked, "So, what are you going to do now? Do you want to spend the night here?"
Indeedee shook its head.
"Indeedee!" I'm going home!
With that, it hopped off the chair. It trotted over to the door and was just about to open it when it heard Ron's voice from outside.
"Is Indeedee really at her house?" Ron asked skeptically. "Are you sure it didn't just smell the food and come over to mooch a meal?"
"Rattata?!" Sailor yelled in sheer disbelief. "Rattata?!" (You really think that little of me?!)
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