"It's really worrying, that child..." As Xiaozhi's back gradually disappeared, most of the people in front of the research institute dispersed, leaving only Chiya, Hanako and Professor Oak still standing there.
"Don't worry too much, Hanako. Although Satoshi is a little reckless, he can still take care of himself." Professor Oak walked forward, patted Hanako's shoulder and comforted her.
"By the way, Qianye, are you here to get a starting partner as well? Unfortunately, I don't have any Pokémon anymore. You'll have to wait until next time..."
"Doctor, I was just out for a walk and stopped by to see you." Qian Ye responded quickly without any restraint due to the identity of the person in front of him.
"Yeah, I almost forgot you said you didn't want to be a trainer." Professor Oak laughed cheerfully, "Although I've always thought it would be a waste for you not to be a trainer with your talent... but after all, everyone has their own aspirations, so I won't try to persuade you any further."
"Hey, isn't Xiao Qianye going to be a trainer?" Unexpectedly, Hanako showed a surprised expression when she heard the conversation between the two, and hurriedly asked:
"Why? Xiao Qianye's love for Pokémon should be no less than anyone else's. Besides, he said it when he was little..."
"Sister Hanako! There's no need to mention that matter!" Qian Ye quickly interrupted the other party while suppressing the stomachache. He even had to use the name of sister. After all, this involved the sad past when he was young and ignorant.
It's very simple. Everyone probably had a time when they needed their parents to tell them stories to put them to sleep when they were young. In Qianye's family, the one who was responsible for this task was his father Yuantai. The story that his father told the most and was the most exciting and vivid was the story about a fox repaying a favor:
Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a scholar who accidentally found a six-tailed fox trapped in a hunter's trap while traveling in the mountains. The man suddenly felt kind and rescued the fox from the pit. He took good care of it for several days to heal its wounds and released it back into the mountains. The fox remembered his kindness, grew nine tails, shed its animal skin, found the scholar and married him, and a beautiful story has been passed down since then.
This story left a deep impression on Qianye at the time, so much so that after all these years, whenever he thought of this past event, he couldn't help but sigh with tears streaming down his face: "I was so stupid...really...why did I believe that old Deng's nonsense in the first place!"
In short, the young Qianye, who regarded the ancient scholar as a role model, volunteered to help the town's Oak Research Institute. Taking this opportunity, he also met Dr. Oak's grandson Xiaomao and Aunt Hanako's son Xiaozhi, who was the doctor's assistant at the time.
Relying on the bonus of faith, the young Qianye endured hardships and toil that many adults found unbearable. In his eyes, those young Pokémon were not masters who only had food and clothing provided for them! They were clearly his future wives!
Qianye's beautiful dream was completely shattered until a small town party. When the boy proudly vowed to find a Pokémon girlfriend in the future in front of countless adults and peers, the cold wind that day, the equally cold crowd, and his father's face that wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, all remained deep in his memory.
No one knows what kind of night Qianye went through after the party that day when Professor Oak used his lifelong knowledge of Pokémon to tell the boy the truth that Pokémon cannot turn into humans. In short, everyone who saw Qianye during the day the next day felt that the boy had grown up several years.
Looking at Chiye, whose face was twisted with pain as he was lost in memories, Professor Oak couldn't help but shake his head. What a good young man, it's such a pity, even though I was smiling happily that day...
Trying hard to suppress the upward curve of his lips, the doctor coughed lightly, took out a red instrument from his pocket, and handed it to Qianye:
"This is the Pokémon Encyclopedia. Although you don't plan to become a trainer, there will always be a time when you need to travel far away in the future, so I'll give this to you first."
"Thank you, Professor Oak." Qianye did not choose to refuse. Although he learned a lot from the doctor, his knowledge reserve was definitely not as good as the Pokémon encyclopedia that collected the knowledge and experience of countless people. When he was away from home, there would always be a time when he needed it.
After chatting for a few more words, the young man said goodbye to the two and returned home.
…
As soon as he reached the door of his house, Qianye saw a middle-aged man walking towards him with a fishing rod on his back and an empty bamboo basket in his hands. It was his father Yuantai.
Before the two people could talk to each other, the door was suddenly pushed open, separating the father and son, and a woman with dark purple hair rushed out.
At this moment, a strand of hair stood up on her head, shaking like some kind of radar. Then she completely ignored her own son and jumped into the arms of the middle-aged man.
"Welcome home, dear!"
Toya kept rubbing Yuanta's cheek with a happy look on his face, not caring at all about his prickly beard.
Seeing the intimate interaction between his parents, Qianye felt goosebumps all over his body. They are already an old couple and still doing these nonsense. It's really... too despicable!
It's strange to say, but my parents' relationship is so good that it's a bit scary. It's okay that they are always in love with each other, but in the past ten years, I have never even seen them quarrel. I should say... they haven't even had a quarrel.
My mother is clumsy and can't do anything well, so both housework and work have to be left to my father, so that Yuantai is almost half white haired in middle age (although Qianye always feels that is not the main reason)... Could this be the result of the combination of a hardworking and capable honest man and a stupid beauty?
Damn it, if my future girlfriend could be as pretty as my mom and let me do all the work, I would be happy, but no girl of the same age would approach me because of the bold words I said when I was young...
Qianye had a reason to say that. He inherited his mother's looks and his father's black hair. His conditions were excellent. It was all because of his bastard father. Now the girls in the same town regarded him as a weirdo.
Noticing his son's vicious gaze, Yuan Tai calmly loosened his arms and invited them to walk into the house together.
…
"What?! You said you don't want to be a trainer! Are you serious?"
In the living room, Yuan Tai with his eyes wide open was confronting Qian Ye who was lazily lying on the sofa. On the side, Shi Ye was leaning against the wall and eating fruit quietly - weak and powerless but a big eater.
"Even the little girl next door is leaving for trainer training today. You've already lost at the starting line, you know that?"
However, looking at his father whose beard was about to fly off in anger, Qianye just shook his finger and began to analyze seriously:
"Dad, I need to correct a misconception of yours. Trainer is not a career with a bright future. Do you know how many new trainers come out of our town of Pallet? There are so many towns, and every year there are countless children in their teens who become trainers. They have to go through various tournaments and competitions before they can finally get the qualification to challenge the Pokémon League."
"Let alone becoming the League Champion or the Elite Four, positions that may not change for decades. Even becoming a gym leader, there are only a few positions. Just imagine how fierce the competition is. Pokémon battles are not games where you can win by remembering attribute restraints and skills. If you want to train an excellent Pokémon, you need to invest unimaginable resources. And an outstanding trainer must have at least one team of such Pokémon, right?"
Qianye didn't say anything else, but the expression of "You know what our family's conditions are, you can decide for yourself" made Yuantai immediately understand what he meant.
"If you don't want to be a trainer, what do you want to be?"
"Pokémon breeder or researcher." Qianye answered without hesitation, "Not only is the competition not that fierce, I also worked at the Oak Research Institute. I have the knowledge and interpersonal resources in this area. It can be said that I am close to the water and get the moon first."
"You little bastard, you always have a lot of crooked ideas..." After exhaling heavily and being silent for a moment, Yuan Tai walked back to the room, and soon came out with a few red and white balls and threw them into Qianye's hands.
"Here, five Poké Balls, that should be enough for you."
"Wait, didn't I say..." Qianye wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Yuan Tai:
"You don't want to be a trainer, but even if you want to be a researcher or breeder, you can't just stay at home and talk about it on paper."
Then, he took out a map and a letter and said, "I have an old friend in Honglian Town. Please help me deliver this letter to him. The map contains the route I have planned."
That's good. If he didn't have to be a trainer, Qianye wouldn't mind going on a long journey. Taking the map and the envelope, the moment he opened the map, the boy subconsciously frowned.
Well... the route planned by Dad perfectly passes through every town with a Pokémon Gym, so there is no need to guess what the purpose is.
But Qianye was too lazy to complain anymore. Just because I passed by the gym ≠ I want to challenge the gym. Will you be able to control me at that time?
"As for your initial partner, there is no need to trouble Professor Oak." He waved his hand, and Kuroko immediately trotted over, but his four legs were still a little shaky, and it was obvious that he had not recovered from the incident in the morning. Yuan Tai rubbed the gray hair on its head, and said with a hint of reluctance in his eyes:
"Let Kuroko go with you, and save the time of getting used to each other. I have packed my travel gear, it's in my room, if you make sure there's nothing missing, then let's go."
With a hum, Qian Ye walked into his father's bedroom. After confirming everything, it was time to say goodbye.
As the sun sets, its afterglow shines on the backs of a man and a dog. The shadows of the boy carrying a huge backpack and the gray-black puppy gradually disappear at the end of the field of vision, but the man's gaze has not shifted for a long time.
"Don't worry, dear. Didn't Qianye promise to send us a message every time he arrived in a town? I believe we will meet soon." Shiye comforted her, although her fluctuating eyes proved that she was not at peace either.
"Yeah, you're right..." Yuan Tai sighed, straightened his collar and turned around, "Let's go back. Let's let that brat do whatever he wants! Humph, a Pokémon researcher? What's so good about that..."