The Real World

The next day.

Bright sunlight woke the sleeping Xia Yan.

After a good night's sleep, he felt much better, and his body showed no discomfort. Yesterday's rain had not given him a cold. That was a good start.

"Wuu."

At his feet, the Weedle that had woken earlier had somehow dragged over a bundle of branches. The rain-washed green leaves gave off a fresh fragrance.

Weedle nudged Xia Yan's pant leg, indicating that he should not stand on ceremony.

There were also scraps of chewed leaves at his feet.

Xia Yan smiled.

"Thank you." He picked up a branch, tore off a few leaves, and put them into his mouth beneath Weedle's eager little eyes.

He chewed.

A bitter freshness spread through his mouth, stimulating both his taste buds and his empty stomach.

Weedle smiled until its eyes narrowed into slits, raising its head high as it waited for Xia Yan's praise.

Xia Yan did not disappoint it. After swallowing with difficulty, he smiled and stroked Weedle's back.

"Thank you, Weedle. It's delicious."

"Wuu." Weedle nodded its little head happily.

Yesterday, Xia Yan had shared his food with Weedle. In return, Weedle had gone looking for food early in the morning.

It had eaten these leaves before. They were fresh and tasty.

So it had deliberately saved some.

Good things were meant to be shared.

Even if those leaves probably did not taste very good in Xia Yan's mouth.

Still, it was a good start. It showed that Weedle had accepted Xia Yan's presence and shared food that was precious to it.

And Xia Yan warmly chose not to expose that fact. He did not tell Weedle that humans and Pokémon ate different things.

To him, getting along with a simple Pokémon felt far better than dealing with those people in his previous life's office, who only knew how to scheme against one another.

"A new day, a new beginning. Weedle, we need to work hard." Xia Yan stood up and patted the dust and grass clippings from his clothes.

"Wuu!" Weedle nodded its little head in agreement.

He placed it on his shoulder.

Then he left the ruined house and headed toward the center of Goldenrod City.

The sunlight was just right.

But Xia Yan's mood was nowhere near as pleasant as it had been that morning.

"I'm sorry, sir. After review, you do not meet the minimum requirements for a Pokémon League Trainer. Please contribute more to the Pokémon League and become a Registered Trainer as soon as possible."

Inside the Pokémon Trainer Building, the oddly dressed Xia Yan was not being rejected by the smiling but mechanical staff member for the first time.

After confirming his identity and carefully looking over his clothes and appearance, the staff member had given him only that one response.

He did not meet the requirements. He needed to contribute more to the Pokémon League.

It was more rigid and formulaic than the voice of a customer service girl on an unanswered call.

"So what counts as meeting the requirements?" Xia Yan still could not quite give up.

But the people waiting behind him had run out of patience.

"That's enough, isn't it? You're dressed like a beggar, and you want to apply as a Registered Trainer with a Weedle that's everywhere. Did you take the wrong medicine?"

Xia Yan turned around. Behind him stood a social "elite" in a black suit, with his hair slicked back like a proper gentleman. He looked at Xia Yan with disdain, while a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old child stood beside him, idly playing with a Poké Ball.

When he met Xia Yan's cold gaze, the man's contempt only deepened.

"What are you looking at?"

Xia Yan stood up expressionlessly and gave up his seat.

The man curled his lip, disgustedly patted the chair, then took out a handkerchief and laid it on the seat before pulling his child down to sit.

"Hello, miss. My child is applying to become a Pokémon Trainer. These are his two Pokémon, a Mankey and a Machop. Here are my bank statements for the last five years, his donation certificate, and most importantly, ten full years of Pokémon reserve funds. There are also some less important things—"

The man took out a large stack of neatly prepared documents from his briefcase.

At last, some expression other than a formulaic smile appeared on the staff member's face.

"Please wait a moment."

Xia Yan watched for a moment, his expression unchanged. But the Weedle on his shoulder sensed the suppressed anger in his heart, as well as his mockery of the Pokémon League's system.

Weedle gently rubbed against his neck.

Xia Yan exhaled and said flatly, "I'm fine."

Then he turned and left.

Behind him, he could vaguely still hear, "Brat, you'll be a Pokémon Trainer from now on. Tomorrow, I'll send you to Pokémon School. Watch carefully and study hard, or you'll grow up to be like that person just now."

He walked out of the Pokémon Trainer Building.

Warm sunlight fell on his body, but it could not reach his chilled heart.

Two Pokémon were the foundation. Bank statements proved financial means. Donations showed contribution to the Pokémon League. Ten full years of Pokémon reserve funds granted the right to receive an initial Pokémon.

A faintly mocking smile appeared on his face.

"Another world where you win by having a rich father."

"Wuu?"

Weedle tilted its head, its little eyes filled with confusion. It had no idea what Xia Yan meant.

"It's nothing. I didn't have much hope to begin with, but reality still slapped me hard across the face."

He started walking.

The Pokémon League's system was even more realistic than he had imagined.

This trip to the Pokémon Trainer Building had only been an attempt in the first place.

After all, if he could obtain an officially recognized Registered Trainer identity, the path of becoming a Pokémon Trainer would be much easier for him.

At the very least, he could use the Pokémon Center for free, and free lodging was included as well.

He could only say that the result had not been unexpected.

He arrived at a grocery store.

He spent twenty dollars on some food.

Most of it was food that could be stored easily and fill his stomach, mainly bread.

It tasted awful, but it should last him two or three days.

What he needed to do was find a job that could earn money within those two or three days.

Not wanting to waste time, Xia Yan painfully spent two dollars on a bus ride back to his remote, shabby home in the suburbs.

Looking at the few coins left in his pocket—eleven dollars in total—he had already begun considering whether he should find a few opportunities and excuses to "borrow" a little more from Scarface and the others.

"Forget it. Don't waste time."

Time was not only extremely important to him. It was even more important to Weedle, whose growth period was naturally very short.

He walked straight into the small forest behind his home.

To ensure the safety of Goldenrod City's residents, the Goldenrod City Gym and several major companies in Goldenrod City regularly cleared out the surrounding forests.

So the woods were relatively safe.

He entered the forest.

Then he placed Weedle on the ground.

Every step on the soft pile of dead leaves made a rustling sound. Weedle found it novel, constantly wriggling its body with obvious delight.

Watching Weedle try to see whether its mouth could bite its own tail, Xia Yan's smile gradually faded, and his expression turned serious.

"Weedle, I'm going to train you for three days. This will determine whether we can find a suitable job three days from now."

Hearing his voice turn serious, Weedle stopped moving and looked up at him.

Its eyes were a little lost.

Xia Yan crouched down and said solemnly, "It'll be tiring and difficult. You may want to give up at any time, but I'll train with you. So you have to take this seriously, all right?"

Weedle nodded its little head instinctively.

"Good. Now, do you see that tree? We're doing shuttle runs. Our initial goal is twenty round trips!"