Kneel Down and Call Me Dad

Back at the villa, Cynthia went straight to her room for a shower while Xu Mu prepared dinner for the Pokémon.

A late-night snack might have been more accurate.

He mashed up fruit, vegetables, and minced meat, added some vitamins, poured the mixture into molds, and dried it in the microwave.

Once the Pokémon's snacks were ready, Xu Mu went to the fridge and took out a tub of ice cream.

He grabbed some noodles too. Tonight, he was making noodles for Cynthia.

"What are we having? I'm starving!"

Cynthia wore a bathrobe and wiped her long blonde hair as she pouted at Xu Mu.

Xu Mu had been about to crack a joke to lighten the mood. Then he turned and saw her, and his mind went blank.

Holy shit!

He lacked the words to describe what he was seeing.

Those curves, those legs, that skin...

Xu Mu's brain nearly shut down. After so many years of being single, when had he ever seen a beauty this stunning fresh from the bath?

A real, live beauty, right in front of me!

Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit...

Xu Mu instantly forgot what he had meant to say. Holy shit was all his brain could manage.

"What are we eating? Just a minute. I'll make you some noodles!"

Forcing himself to calm down, Xu Mu hurriedly turned away to ease the awkwardness.

The air carried her fragrance. Xu Mu made himself leave and headed for the kitchen.

I can't stay here. If this keeps up, something's definitely going to happen!

Xu Mu fled the scene, repeatedly telling himself to calm down.

Once he had, a thought suddenly struck him.

Holy shit, wait. So what if something does happen?

Isn't that what I've been hoping for?

Why did I run?

Xu Mu wanted to slap himself. You hopeless idiot!

You talk a big game all day, but the moment you get a chance, you run?

Pathetic!

Xu Mu dropped the noodles into boiling water, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the kitchen to sneak a look at Cynthia. She was eating ice cream as a sweet little appetizer.

Holy shit, she's beautiful!

Any fancy words would have been empty and useless right then.

She's beautiful. That's all there is to it!

"Are the noodles ready?"

Catching Xu Mu gazing at her from afar, Cynthia called out.

She really was hungry. Ice cream was sweet, but it wasn't filling!

"Not yet. Almost..."

Xu Mu quickly ducked back into the kitchen and pressed a hand to his pounding chest.

Why's my heart beating all over the place?

Before long, Xu Mu finished the noodles and served them each a large bowl.

Then he watched Cynthia eat, utterly spellbound...

That night, Xu Mu lay in his room, gazing through the window at the stars.

What a wonderful world. Flowers, grass, Pokémon, birds, trees, and girls!

If only it didn't have the Damn System...

Dreaming happily of a wonderful future with Cynthia, Xu Mu slowly fell asleep.

The next day, the two arrived at the arena, and Xu Mu learned who his opponent would be.

Chen Yang!

Well, would you look at that? Your luck really is awful. You ran into me already?

Xu Mu was surprised. He almost felt sorry for Chen Yang.

Poor kid. Being an idiot was bad enough, but you're unlucky too.

They say fools have all the luck. What happened to yours? Is this divine punishment?

"Who are you up against?"

After checking her own opponent, Cynthia came over to Xu Mu and asked.

"My son," Xu Mu answered without thinking.

Cynthia froze.

"Isn't he your son?"

She pointed at Arceus, who was playing by himself nearby, looking puzzled.

Your son's right here. How could he be your opponent?

Xu Mu pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. How can she be so adorably clueless when she isn't battling?

She's too cute!

"Yes, he's our son."

Xu Mu shamelessly slipped in our, but Cynthia missed it and nodded along.

"That's right! He was the first little one to call me Mom!"

At her words, Xu Mu thought to himself:

There'll be a second. And a third...

After spending a little more time with Cynthia, Xu Mu headed for the preparation area. He and Chen Yang were in the first match today.

Since they were opening the event, Xu Mu decided to make their match a good one and start things off on a high note!

Though the Little War God Cup was a competition among a small circle of privileged kids, plenty of people were paying attention.

There were Green City locals, the big shots who had entered the tournament, and people connected to those big shots in all sorts of ways.

When Xu Mu heard his name announced, he went out to the arena and saw a sea of spectators.

He was a nobody, but the crowd still cheered him on enthusiastically.

After all, how would the spectators know which competitor was which?

They were just there for the excitement, yelling along with whatever the DJ shouted.

Chen Yang had arrived too. Standing opposite Xu Mu, he was required to shake hands with him as a show of sportsmanship.

Xu Mu stepped forward with a sunny smile.

"Give it your best out there, son!"

Chen Yang glared at him and snorted.

"You'll find out who's the dad and who's the son soon enough!"

Xu Mu put on a look of surprise.

"What do you mean? Who's the dad and who's the son?"

Chen Yang failed to spot the trap. Seeing Xu Mu's puzzled expression, he lifted his chin proudly.

Looking down his nose at Xu Mu, he declared, "I'm the dad, and you're the son!"

Wow!

Even the referee beside them was stunned!

Were young people these days always this forward?

The match hadn't even started, and he'd already made his own dad a grandpa?

Now that was something!

Holding back his laughter, Xu Mu said, "No need. Being your dad is enough for me. Being your grandpa would be too much work. I'd have to look after two idiots: you and your dad."

With that, Xu Mu turned, went to his position, and sent out Greninja.

Across from him, Chen Yang was still muttering. He hadn't understood what Xu Mu meant.

"What? How are you my grandpa?"

"I'm the dad, you're the son... I'm the dad... you're the son... Holy shit!"

After turning it over a few times, Chen Yang finally caught on. He stared at Xu Mu, who had already walked away, and ground his teeth.

That bastard tricked me again!

"Talk is cheap! Let's settle this with strength!"

Having found a rousing line to recover some momentum, Chen Yang bellowed it out.

Xu Mu looked at him with open disdain.

"Talk is cheap? You're still too young!"

He then signaled to the referee that he was ready.

The referee looked at Xu Mu and Chen Yang with a deeply pained expression, then closed his eyes.

Forget it. I'm just the referee, and I can't afford to offend either of them. Better pretend I didn't hear a thing!

"Chen Yang in blue, Xu Mu in red. Each side may use two Pokémon. Begin!"

The referee brought both flags down!

This battle to decide who would call whom Dad was about to begin!

Would Chen Yang kneel and call Xu Mu Dad, or would Chen Yang kneel and call Xu Mu Dad? Stay tuned!