She Was Too Good at This!

Eevee looked at Snivy, who lay limply sprawled across the floor, and gave a soft huff.

In her previous life, this tsundere snake had relied on being older than her. Her strength had always been just a little greater, and even worse, every time they met, she treated Eevee like a little sister.

Could she still act so arrogant now?

Seeing the stubborn defiance still in Snivy's eyes, Eevee understood that this had only dulled her edge a little.

No matter. There was plenty of time. If I don't settle all the grudges I've built up, then I, Eevee, will have been reborn for nothing!

At the same time, the kitchen door finally opened, and the rich aroma of food instantly drifted through the living room.

Xia Chen and Marnie carried out several dishes and called to the two little ones, "Dinner's ready!"

Catching that familiar scent, Eevee leisurely padded over and hopped onto a chair.

Snivy also forced herself upright, but after being toyed with repeatedly by Eevee, she had expended a great deal of energy and moved far more slowly than usual.

"Hey, Xiaoqing, what's wrong?" Marnie immediately noticed something was off with her Pokémon and asked.

Snivy was not the kind of snake who tattled just because she had lost. She shook her head to indicate that she was fine, then sat down beside the table as well.

Eevee had barely made a move, and Snivy had no obvious injuries. Marnie guessed the two Pokémon, having just met, had merely roughhoused a little, so she did not think much of it.

Although Xia Chen's videos were mainly meant to teach viewers how to cook, the final presentation of the dishes was equally important for a food show.

Some viewers simply enjoyed watching diners' reactions as they tasted delicious food.

In Xia Chen's previous videos, neither he nor Marnie appeared on camera. The only diner shown to the audience was Snivy.

Though the tsundere snake often wore an impatient look, whenever the camera turned toward her, she paid special attention to her expressions and movements.

Thanks to the snake girl's cooperation, this part of the videos had always turned out rather well.

But viewers were always chasing novelty. Snivy was quite good-looking, but anyone would eventually grow tired of seeing her all the time.

That made Eevee's arrival as fresh blood especially important. After obtaining her consent, Xia Chen set up another phone and aimed it at Eevee.

On the screen, Eevee stood with her hind paws on a specially made Pokémon chair and her front paws resting on the table. Her pink, fluffy, soft paw pads faced directly toward the camera.

The creamy-white fur around her neck was soft and puffy, making the little Eevee look adorable, well-behaved, and exceptionally camera-friendly.

Xia Chen nodded in satisfaction. With an Eevee this cute, who knew how many "awsl" comments she would make the tough guys send?

She was too good at this!

With everything ready, the two humans and two Pokémon officially began their meal.

There was no need for Xia Chen to talk so much during the eating segment. Going on and on would only annoy viewers. Simply showing Eevee and Snivy's reactions naturally was enough.

As usual, Snivy elegantly prepared to eat with her nimble vines.

Though this was not her first time eating at Xia Chen's home, the plate of Pineapple Berry Sweet-and-Sour Pork before her—something she had never even heard of—still made her swallow involuntarily.

Large chunks of golden Pineapple Berry flesh sat alongside distinct pieces of pork fried until crisp on the outside, all covered in an appetizing red sauce. Its sweet-and-sour fragrance wafted straight into her nose.

"Snivy!"

After politely thanking the chef, Snivy impatiently extended her vines. Two vines got to work at once, one wrapping around Pineapple Berry flesh and the other around a piece of sweet-and-sour pork.

The richly layered flavors instantly exploded in her mouth, bombarding Snivy's taste buds.

At that moment, she no longer cared about elegance or manners. Her two vines flicked rapidly; before she had even swallowed what was in her mouth, they had already hooked more food from the plate.

Her ravenous eating made it impossible to connect her with her usual proud, aloof appearance.

In less than ten minutes, Snivy had wiped out the large plate of Pineapple Berry Sweet-and-Sour Pork completely.

The tsundere snake licked her lips with lingering longing. Looking at the remaining sauce on the plate, she actually felt the urge to lick it clean.

Startled, she hurriedly restrained herself.

If she did something so embarrassing in front of Eevee, wouldn't her Pokémon career be over?

Snivy guiltily glanced at Eevee beside her, then froze.

Because Eevee was acting even more dramatically than she had!

Those clear tears at the corners of her eyes—she was clearly crying!

No, it was delicious, sure, but did she really need to be this dramatic?

Snivy was dumbfounded. She even suspected that Xia Chen had added some sort of tear gas powder to Eevee's bowl.

How else could this be explained?

Xia Chen was also stunned. Had his cooking improved again?

Or did he actually have some kind of cheat, like Liu Maoxing, Little Fugui, or Soma Yukihira—something that could make his dishes special?

"Ah, little Eevee is so pitiful. She probably never had a proper full meal while she was wandering around before, right?"

Marnie's words made Xia Chen nod in sudden realization.

Right, Eevee had been wandering around before she met him. She had never even eaten a proper meal, so it was no wonder she was reacting like this.

Xia Chen could not help feeling even more affection for his starter Pokémon. Even after growing up in such difficult circumstances, she had not lost her kind nature. It truly had not been easy for her.

He walked over and rubbed the little Eevee's fluffy head, comforting her. "Don't worry, Eevee. I'll make food for you every day from now on."

"Eevee!"

Tears clung to the corners of Eevee's eyes as she nodded firmly, secretly making up her mind. In this life, I will definitely stay by your side until the very end!

After the meal, Marnie needed to return to her family's clinic to continue her shift. Once Xia Chen had washed the dishes, he returned to his room to edit the video.

In his previous life, he had also worked part-time as an uploader on a certain video site, and he had kept at it right until he transmigrated.

Though by then, the creative incentives Uncle gave out had already become pitifully low.

However, the economy and standard of living in this Pokémon world were much higher, and people had more spare money and free time as well.

As a result, video apps like PiliPili had a broader audience in this world. Being an uploader was actually quite a promising career.

At Xia Chen's current scale, supporting himself and Eevee was more than enough, but if his goal was to become a professional Trainer, he was still far from it.

Professional Trainers were elite Trainers who competed in various Pokémon battle events, represented by the League Conference.

Without question, in a world where Pokémon existed, Pokémon battles were the most popular competitive sport.

Even if all the sports competitions from Xia Chen's previous life were added together, their influence would still be nowhere close.

Those powerful Trainers admired by the public could earn tens of millions just from appearance fees and endorsements.

Many Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, and even League Champions had their own side careers.

For example, the famous actress Diantha, world-renowned model Nessa, and fashion icon Elesa.

It could be said that in this world, where governmental organizations did not have much of a presence, they were the brightest stars on the planet.

Honestly, saying he did not want to become one of them would definitely be a lie. But when Xia Chen thought of his meager savings...

Xia Chen pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a light breath. If he wanted to become the laid-back Gym Leader he dreamed of being, he could not stop moving forward for even a moment.

Fortunately, he had saved the money he would have spent buying Eevee, so his start had gone a little more smoothly than expected.

He now had a stable monthly income, and together with the money he had saved, he could barely afford to raise Eevee with relatively good resources.

But one Pokémon was definitely not enough if he wanted to become a professional Trainer. A second, a third...

And even more Pokémon in the future—raising them all would cost money.

As Xia Chen sat before the computer, lost in thought about his future prospects, he suddenly felt a tuft of soft fur brush against his arm.

Looking down, he saw Eevee curled obediently in his lap, rubbing against him with her fluffy fur.

She lazily yawned, adjusted her position, leaned against Xia Chen's stomach, closed her eyes, and slowly fell asleep.

It seemed that even while sleeping, she did not want to leave her Trainer.

Looking at the healing scene before him, all his worries seemed to vanish into thin air.

Xia Chen smiled faintly and stroked her slightly twitching little ears. Putting an end to his wild thoughts, he continued working on the video.

Rather than fantasizing, it was better to work hard.

As long as he followed the right path he had envisioned together with Eevee, they would surely reach the shore they longed for.