Walking along the Plate path that I have walked countless times to the end, the two-story building appeared in sight.
The vines on the courtyard wall are thicker than the last time I came back, and there are a few small lavender flowers blooming between the green leaves.
The old tree in the yard is still lush with leaves, and the wooden table and bench under the tree were wiped clean by mother Nami.
Xinhai stood at the door of the courtyard, took a deep breath, and then raised his hand to push open the ajar door.
"Mom, I'm back."
The sound was not loud, but there was a rush of footsteps in the yard.
The door of the house was pushed open from the inside, and mother Nami leaned out half of her body, with her apron still tied around her body.
When she saw Xinhai standing in the yard, a smile suddenly broke out on her face. She walked over in a few steps, looked at Xinhai and said, "You're back! Are you tired from the journey? Are you hungry? Sit down and rest first. I'll prepare dinner soon."
"Mom, I'm not tired." Xinhai looked at his mother and smiled, saying softly.
"Boo!" Eevee jumped down from Xinhai's shoulder, came to her mother's feet, raised her head and let out a soft "Growl".
Hearing Eevee cute Growl, mother Nami looked down at the little guy, with a deeper smile on her face.
She squatted down, gently rubbed Eevee's little head with both hands, and rubbed her thumb on the soft hair behind its ears. "Did Little Eevee miss me?"
"Bu Yi~" Eevee squinted his eyes and rubbed her palm, his tail wagging rapidly behind him.
Mother Nami was amused by its Charm appearance. She rubbed it twice more before standing up. Her eyes moved from Eevee to Xinhai's face and said, "It's a little thinner and a little darker. It's hard work outside in the past two months, right?"
"There is no such thing as hardship. I eat well and sleep well. I just train a little more." Xinhai smiled and shook his head. He followed his mother to the yard and glanced around the familiar yard. "Where is my dad? Why haven't I seen him?"
"Your dad, the soy sauce at home is gone. He bought it and hasn't come back yet." Mom Nami pushed open the door, turned aside to let Xinhai go in first, and muttered,
"I probably started chatting with someone in the market again. It's not like you don't know him. He can chat with someone for a long time just buying vegetables."
Xinhai laughed when he heard this and followed his mother into the living room.
"You sit on the sofa and rest for a while. I'll go to the kitchen to prepare the dishes." Mom Nami pointed in the direction of the kitchen, "Your father will start cooking when he comes back."
"Let me help you do it, Mom." Xinhai did not go to the sofa, but followed her mother into the kitchen.
"Okay, today's dinner will be richer, it may take some time." Mom Nami nodded and looked back at her son.
Before he finished speaking, he saw that Xinhai had taken out a Poké Ball from his waist and pressed the release button.
A red light flashed, and Gardevoir's figure appeared at the kitchen door.
Its red eyes glowed warmly under the warm yellow light, and its skirt floated gently a few inches above the ground.
"Shanai." Gardevoir called softly, as if to say hello.
Mom Nami was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "Gardevoir also want to help?"
Gardevoir nodded and followed his mother Nami and Xinhai into the kitchen to prepare today's dinner.
As the two people and Gardevoir walked into the kitchen, the kitchen quickly became lively.
Mom Nami took the ingredients out of the refrigerator and murmured while taking them, "I knew you were coming back, so I went to the town to buy a lot of things yesterday. Your dad should buy some more today. You guys need to eat more today, otherwise the refrigerator will almost be full."
"Okay, I understand." Xinhai smiled, took the vegetables from his mother, and started washing them at the sink.
Gardevoir stood beside him, using Confusion to sort the washed vegetables into the drain basket, with gentle and neat movements. Occasionally, he also put the side dishes cut by his mother Nami onto the plate.
"Gardevoir's craftsmanship is pretty good." Mom Nami watched Gardevoir arrange the countertop skillfully and praised with a smile.
"Shanai." Gardevoir was a little embarrassed by the praise, and lowered his head slightly, but did not stop working on his hands.
While Xinhai was chopping vegetables, he was chatting with his mother about the special training in the past few months, from the battle with Brawly to Lavaridge Gym's powerful Pokémon, from Mauville City's Gym equipment to Fortree City's flight training. It was the first time that my mother heard these things and was very surprised.
Mom Nami was listening, and occasionally she would interject a word or two and ask questions such as, "The special training is so hard, are you eating well?" "Have you slept well after being in such a Early Bird bed every day?" and so on.
Just as he was talking, there was a sound of footsteps and the sound of keys clinking outside the courtyard door.
Then the door was pushed open, and Dad's voice came from the entrance. "I'm back, has Xinhai arrived?"
"I'm back, helping in the kitchen!" Mom Nami responded outside.
Dad changed his shoes and walked into the kitchen, carrying two bulging bags in his hands, followed by Linoone.
Linoone smelled the aroma of the kitchen as soon as he walked in. His round eyes suddenly lit up. He trotted up to Xinhai's feet and rubbed his calf with his head.
"Dad." Xinhai put down the knife in his hand and smiled at Dad.
Dad put the bag on the counter, patted Xinhai on the shoulder, and glanced around him. "He's strong, not bad."
He didn't say much, but he couldn't hide the happiness on his face, "I bought another fresh Sea Bass, and the Braised Food that your mother has been talking about for several days. I'll add some extra dishes in the evening."
"Your dad can chat with someone for half an hour about buying something." Mom Nami took over the conversation with helplessness in her tone, but there was a smile on her lips.
"That's why Old Chen has to drag me to talk. What can I do." Dad spread his hands with an innocent look on his face, and then exited the kitchen wisely, "Okay, okay, you guys are busy, I'll clear the table."
Linoone walked around the kitchen twice, and was so attracted by the scent that he couldn't stay any longer, so he had to run to the living room to wait.
After working for more than half an hour, the food was finally served on the table.
Steamed Sea Bass, braised pork, stir-fried vegetables, Braised Food platter... and finally there was a big pot of steaming Pork Rib Soup, which filled the table.
The family sat down around the dining table, and the Pokémon people at the other table were all assigned the same dishes, as well as their own Pokémon food and Pokéblock.
Halfway through the meal, Dad put down his chopsticks, picked up the cup and took a sip of water. He looked at Xinhai and asked, "Xinhai, how are you preparing for Ever Grande Conference? Are you sure?"
Xinhai paused while picking up the food, thought about it, and said truthfully, "To be honest, I'm not too sure."
He chewed the rice in his mouth twice, swallowed it, and continued, "After this special training, I have probably figured out the level of the top Gym trainers."
"Gym Mentor's main force, Pokémon, has mostly been in Gym level for a long time, and Ever Grande Conference's opponents in the first few rounds are not much worse than them."
"Although there are four Gym levels in my current team, except for Blaziken and Alolan Golem who have gained a firm foothold in Gym level, Gardevoir and Eevee have just been promoted, and the remaining partners are all stuck at level 49 and have not broken through."
He paused for a moment and said in a calm and serious tone, "With my current overall strength, it will be difficult for me to enter the quarterfinals."