The road ahead

After a nice, comfortable bath, Chen Shi lay on his bed with a blissful look on his face.

"Chakki-tooi~"

"Vee~"

Togepi and Leafeon were lying beside him.

As for Florges, she was a little bigger, so he had arranged for her to stay in the next room.

Chen Shi said softly, "You can't slack off just because we're home. You still have to finish your training on time every day."

Neither the Eevee nor the little egg had any objections. They were both wild Pokémon and knew how important strength was.

They had no complaints about their Pokémon Trainer's arrangements.

Just then, Togepi gently poked Chen Shi's cheek with her little hand.

"Cha~ Chakki-tooi?"

(Can I really evolve too?)

Chen Shi rubbed her little head and said softly, "Of course you can."

"Besides, when have I ever lied to you?"

Togepi thought back carefully. Her Pokémon Trainer was sometimes unreliable, sometimes goofy, and always saying things she couldn't understand.

But he really didn't seem to have ever lied to her.

With that thought, Togepi felt reassured.

As long as she could evolve and grow stronger, she wouldn't hold everyone back.

With a thought, Chen Shi brought up Togepi's and Leafeon's stats before his eyes.

Pokémon: Leafeon

Level: 39 (peak advanced)

Potential: near-Champion

Ability: Chlorophyll

Gender: female

Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Double-Edge, Razor Leaf, Swift, Bite, Growl, Copycat, Leech Seed, Magical Leaf, Synthesis, Sunny Day, Protect, Giga Drain, Leaf Blade, Grass Knot, Bullet Seed.

Pokémon: Togepi

Level: 28 (intermediate)

Potential: Elite Four

Ability: Serene Grace

Gender: female

Moves: Growl, Pound, Yawn, Metronome, Ancient Power, Life Dew, Last Resort, Charm.

Nothing much had changed with Leafeon. She was still stuck at the peak of the advanced level.

As for Togepi...

Chen Shi immediately grew excited when he saw the last move.

Charm was a status move that lowered the opponent's Attack.

Of course, that wasn't the important part. The important part was that it was a Fairy-type move.

When Chen Shi first met Flabébé, he had started making Fairy-type Pokéblocks based on his memories of the games from his previous life.

After all, Chen Shi knew that Flabébé wasn't a Grass-type Pokémon, but a Fairy-type Pokémon.

Because Xerneas, that great antlered deer, was asleep, there was no Fairy-type energy left in the world, and these Fairy-type Pokémon had all been classified as other types.

Chen Shi had been trying a shortcut, hoping to see whether Pokéblocks could awaken their Fairy typing.

But Flabébé had eaten them for over half a year and even evolved into Florges without showing any signs of it.

Chen Shi had thought they were useless, or perhaps he had made the Pokéblocks wrong, and hadn't paid it much attention.

Besides, both Florges and Togepi liked those Pokéblocks quite a bit, so he hadn't switched them out.

He hadn't expected Togepi to give him such a huge surprise today.

It looked like the name "Togekiss Air" was destined to resound throughout the world.

"Chakki~ Chakki-tooi~"

Seeing Chen Shi staring intently at her, Togepi bashfully covered her face with her stubby little hands.

The corner of Chen Shi's mouth twitched.

What the hell are you blushing for? You think I've got some kind of inappropriate interest in you?

Shaking his head, Chen Shi remained lying down and considered the road ahead.

First, he needed to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

If he wasn't strong enough in the future, he wouldn't even be able to protect his family's farm.

After all, his grandparents' farm was something special, with all sorts of rare Berries growing there.

They even had things like Liechi Berries and Petaya Berries.

The Chen family's ancestors had gradually transplanted them there over generations.

The mountain behind the farm was even more unusual, with a medium-sized Water Stone deposit.

According to his grandfather, the legendary Pokémon Suicune had once lived in the pool on that mountain for a long time.

Infused with Suicune's presence, the water there could even purify filth.

A large patch of rare medicinal herbs grew nearby, the most famous of which were three Revival Herbs.

His grandparents' powerful Pokémon, including Garchomp, Salamence, and Sceptile, all lived there, guarding the herb garden.

It was easy to imagine just how important that herb garden was.

After all, even the Berry grove had only a single Venusaur guarding it.

Next was his path as a researcher.

Chen Shi intended to keep pursuing it.

His researcher status would give him access to plenty of resources he normally couldn't obtain.

Besides, researchers held quite a high standing in this world.

The professors of each region were practically the faces of their regions.

For example, whenever Kanto came up, Professor Oak was the first person everyone thought of.

Now that was prestige turned up to the max.

Although Chen Shi certainly couldn't compare to him, with his memories from his previous life, he could surely manage to become a top researcher, even if he never became a professor.

The benefits that would bring Chen Shi were considerable. The annual research funding alone was substantial.

Even if you didn't produce any results that year, the League still had to keep giving you money the next year.

His grandfather had told him that Professor Birch of the Hoenn Region received an astronomical amount of research funding every year.

Just hearing about it made Chen Shi itch with desire.

Chen Shi sighed. "Why is it so hard just to live a quiet life?"

"Vee~"

"Chakki-tooi~"

As if sensing their Pokémon Trainer's frustration, the two little cuties, Leafeon and Togepi, came over and nuzzled him.

Seeing the concern in their eyes touched a soft spot in Chen Shi's heart.

"But with you by my side, I'm not afraid of whatever the future holds!"

"Vee~"

"Chakki-tooi~"

The two little cuties exchanged a look, then happily jumped into their Pokémon Trainer's arms.

After playing around with the two of them for a while, Chen Shi stretched, walked over to his computer, and sat down.

As soon as he logged into the Researcher Forum, a flood of private messages greeted him.

He was the one who had published the papers on Leafeon and Glaceon a while back.

However, Chen Shi hadn't used his real name. He had published them under an online handle.

"What should I publish next?"

A string of Pokémon names flashed through Chen Shi's mind.

Steelix, Scizor, Weavile, Rhyperior, Electivire...

The evolution methods for these Pokémon had yet to be discovered.

However, the first two required a Metal Coat as well as a trade, while the last three also needed special items.

The items were actually easy enough to get, but where was he supposed to find the Pokémon?

Chen Shi scratched his head, feeling rather helpless. Unfortunately, Espeon and Umbreon weren't easy options either.

Unlike Leafeon's evolution, those two needed to reach a certain friendship level and level up at a specific time of day to evolve.

Friendship was a tricky thing to deal with. Proving that it even existed would be a huge headache.

If he relied on conjecture alone, those old fossils who lorded their seniority over everyone would never accept it. He would only end up bringing trouble down on himself.

After thinking for ages without coming up with anything, Chen Shi simply shut down the computer and flopped onto his bed.

"Screw it. I'm done trying."

Tomorrow, I'm starting my idyllic country life.

Scizor