New Life

Before he knew it, Zeno had already been living at Littleroot Research Lab for a week. At first, he had not been used to it, but he gradually settled in.

Everyone at the research lab treated Zeno very well, and he liked the atmosphere there.

Zeno and Sapphire got along well and quickly became good friends. At first, Zeno had thought his senior brother would be difficult to get along with, but he later discovered that Gu Yan was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Zeno had received a great deal of care from him during this time.

Today, three children were coming to Littleroot Research Lab to receive their starter Pokémon. Professor Birch asked the three of them to bring over the Pokémon that had been reserved for the children to choose from.

Both Zeno and Sapphire were curious, as it was their first time doing something like this. In comparison, Gu Yan was much calmer.

"I'll take you to find them. Hold on to these three Poké Balls."

Gu Yan had a cold personality and only ordinary colleague relationships with most people at the research lab. He had always been closer to Professor Birch and Sapphire, and now there was Zeno as well.

"Okay, Senior Brother," Zeno and Sapphire said in unison. In front of their senior brother, both of them were especially well-behaved.

The three of them first went to the marsh area to look for Mudkip. Zeno saw the little Mudkip he had seen last time again. They were quite close and often met up to swim together.

"You still remember them! They're still young, so reservations won't open until next month."

"I know." Zeno glanced at them a few times before looking away.

"Look over there. That's the one being picked up today."

Gu Yan pointed out a Mudkip to them. It was slightly larger than the ones swimming around, and it seemed more composed as well. It was leaning against a large rock, basking in the sun, obedient and adorable.

When it saw Gu Yan in his research uniform, Mudkip trotted toward them on tiny steps.

"Mudkip, your Trainer has come to pick you up. Are you ready?" Gu Yan gently stroked its head and asked softly.

It was Zeno's first time seeing his senior brother act so gently, and he found it rather unbelievable.

"Mudkip~" Mudkip narrowed its eyes and nodded.

"Alright, then come with us!"

Gu Yan took the Poké Ball Zeno handed him and recalled Mudkip.

Next was Torchic. It lived in a valley. To help them adapt to the temperature there, Professor Birch had buried quite a few Heat Rocks and Fire Stones beneath the valley, making it much hotter than the surrounding areas.

Unlike the steady Mudkip, Torchic was extremely lively. Before Zeno and the others had even arrived, it had already been waiting on a rock for quite some time. The moment it spotted them in the distance, it ran over excitedly.

"Haha, Torchic, you really can't wait, can you?"

"Chamo! Chamo!"

Only Treecko remained. It lived in the nearby forest, not far from the valley. When the three found it, it was lying on a tall tree with a thin twig in its mouth.

"Treecko, come down. Your Trainer is here to pick you up."

Treecko was a little tsundere. Although it wanted to come down right away, it hesitated without moving.

Thinking it did not want to leave, Gu Yan immediately asked, "Didn't we agree on this beforehand? Come down!"

Treecko slowly climbed down and awkwardly shuffled over. Gu Yan understood its personality and knew that it was a little shy. Seeing Treecko like this made him want to laugh.

The three children who had come to receive Pokémon had already arrived: two girls and one boy. They had all decided on their targets, so there would be no conflict. Sitting on the sofa, they were all extremely curious about the Pokémon they were about to receive.

Gu Yan released the three Pokémon, and the children immediately rushed over to hug their own Pokémon. One of the girls chose Treecko, the other chose Mudkip, and the remaining boy chose Torchic. They were all very satisfied with the Pokémon they had received, and the three little ones also liked their new young Trainers.

Every day of Zeno's life at Littleroot Research Lab was fulfilling. Professor Birch was a very generous man and never held anything back when teaching his students. Senior Brother Gu Yan was also very kind and often battled with him. Under Gu Yan's guidance, Carvanha had recently learned a new move, Ice Fang.

Professor Birch had not assigned him much coursework, so Zeno had plenty of free time every day. Sapphire often dragged him to play in the ecological garden, and after several days, he had become very close with some of the Pokémon living there.

Zeno loved this new life, but he could not help thinking of the people from Big Shell Village: Uncle Kam, Xiao Hai, Teacher Zhihe... They often appeared in his dreams. But Big Shell Village had no communication devices, so it was not easy for Zeno to contact them even once.

During this time, Zeno had learned a great deal. He had gained a general understanding of all the Pokémon in the Hoenn Region, and the books in his room had increased considerably. For convenience, Professor Birch had even custom-made a bookshelf for him.

Zeno's interests were broad. Whether it was breeding, training, food, medicine, or even Pokémon Contests, he dabbled in all of them.

Professor Birch was delighted to see this. At first, he had been somewhat opposed to it, since learning too many things at once made it difficult to master any of them. But Zeno was simply too smart. He could understand everything he read and speak about it with great clarity. Moreover, Zeno knew his limits and planned his time well, taking things step by step with steady progress. Although Professor Birch had been proven wrong, he was very happy about it.

Carvanha had also been doing well lately. After consulting with it and using the custom deluxe Pokémon food they had won before as a reference, Zeno made it an entirely new meal.

Because its owner had made it himself, Carvanha loved it. On top of that, it truly suited its tastes, so it no longer wanted even the custom deluxe food. Over the past half month, Carvanha had put on some weight, and Zeno was nearly unable to hold it anymore.

With Zeno as an additional playmate, Sapphire had also been very happy lately. This greatly comforted Professor Birch. When Sapphire was five, she had been frightened by a Salamence and left with a scar on her forehead. After that, her personality had changed considerably.

Over the past half month, she had restrained herself quite a bit and become much quieter. She no longer acted like such a tomboy. Sure enough, children still needed a few compatible friends by their side.

Today, Zeno and Sapphire followed Gu Yan into town to have some fun. They were going to buy some Berries. Although the research lab grew them as well, there were simply too many Pokémon living in the ecological garden.

The three of them carried bags of all sizes as they happily headed back toward Littleroot Research Lab. They had not needed to come themselves, but the two younger ones were too restless, so Professor Birch had no choice but to have Gu Yan take them out for some fun.