Do It Yourself, and You'll Have Food and Clothes Aplenty

(Unbelievable, even this chapter got blocked. Tell me how I'm supposed to revise it???)

Now that Cheng Tian had decided to catch a Pokémon himself, he was incredibly excited.

As the saying went, do it yourself, and you'll have food and clothes aplenty!

But he soon calmed down again. The wilderness was still dangerous. If he really wanted to catch a Pokémon himself, he needed to prepare thoroughly.

Today was Friday. He still had half a day of classes in the afternoon, and his days off began tomorrow.

With two days to spare, Cheng Tian wanted to try his luck in the wilderness. It would be great if he could catch a Pokémon he liked.

Still, he needed to get his supplies ready. Cheng Tian dug a wallet out of the cabinet and opened it to find 3,000 yuan in cash inside.

This was all the New Year's gift money Cheng Tian had saved over the past two years. He also had 500 yuan on his phone, making 3,500 in total.

That money would fund the preparations for this trip.

After arriving at school that afternoon, Cheng Tian found Bai Yun and told him straight out that he wanted to go into the wilderness to catch a Pokémon.

Bai Yun was shocked and initially refused to agree. He insisted on having his father find one for Cheng Tian rather than letting him head into the wilderness himself.

Only after Cheng Tian assured him that he needn't worry about his safety did Bai Yun reluctantly agree.

Cheng Tian asked Bai Yun to help him put on an act. Today, he would first tell his parents that he was taking Yamper to stay at Bai Yun's house for two days.

If Cheng Tian's parents were worried and called to ask, Bai Yun only needed to play along.

If Cheng Tian hadn't returned by Sunday, Bai Yun would tell Cheng Tian's parents that, after hanging out at his house, Cheng Tian had gone out alone with Yamper.

That would cover every base. It wasn't as if Cheng Tian had never stayed at Bai Yun's before; the two of them had grown up together, after all.

The afternoon passed quickly. Instead of heading straight home, Cheng Tian went to the Pokémon shop in the middle of the shopping district to buy some supplies.

Cheng Tian bought ten ordinary Poké Balls and one slightly better Great Ball.

An ordinary Poké Ball cost 200 yuan, while a Great Ball cost 500. In the blink of an eye, Cheng Tian had only 1,000 yuan left.

Having been a working professional in his previous life, he knew all too well how hard money was to earn. Spending so much at once stung a little. But heading out alone this time would be dangerous, so he couldn't be too careful.

With his remaining 1,000 yuan, Cheng Tian bought five Antidotes and five Potions.

There were no Pokémon Centers in the wilderness where he could have a Pokémon treated whenever he wanted. If an injury wasn't dealt with promptly, it could become quite troublesome.

During this time, Bai Yun transferred another 300 yuan to Cheng Tian, telling him to buy a few more Potions and stay safe out there.

Naturally, Cheng Tian was deeply touched. It had been the same in his previous life. Whenever he ran into trouble, Bai Yun, his best buddy, would always lend him a hand. Though Cheng Tian rarely said much about it, words could never adequately express his gratitude.

After thanking Bai Yun, Cheng Tian bought a day's supply of Repellent, spending the entire 300 yuan.

Repel: Repels lower-level Pokémon within a certain radius, with particularly noticeable effects on Bug-type Pokémon.

After spending nearly 4,000 yuan, Cheng Tian was about to head home laden with bags when he suddenly realized how obvious this would look.

With no other choice, he had to ask Bai Yun to hold on to his supplies for now. After hearing the situation, Bai Yun had the driver picking him up take the bags, drop Cheng Tian home, and wait downstairs. That way, Cheng Tian could get straight into the car and head to his house.

Cheng Tian climbed into Bai Yun's black sedan and arrived downstairs at his own building in less than ten minutes.

He took the elevator upstairs and opened the front door. Yamper happily ran over and circled Cheng Tian's feet.

Cheng Tian crouched down and petted Yamper. "I'll be counting on you tomorrow."

Seeing her son return, Cheng Tian's mother asked, "Are you hungry? Your dad's gone out to buy groceries. What would you like for dinner tonight?"

A little sheepishly, Cheng Tian said, "Mom, I want to stay at Bai Yun's for two days on Sunday."

"Little Yun's house?" Cheng Tian's Mother paused. Cheng Tian nodded. "His parents aren't home, and he wants me to bring Yamper over to keep him company."

Hearing that there was a chance to go out and play, Yamper was delighted, that little tail wagging back and forth.

Cheng Tian's Mother thought for a moment. "Go on, then. You two boys had better not get too wild at night." Bai Yun's family was busy with work, and he was often home alone. She also thought it must be boring for him to stay there by himself.

"Then I'll take Yamper and head over now." Cheng Tian's Mother took out a Poké Ball and touched it to Yamper, who turned into a streak of red light and entered the ball.

"Put on the belt and clip the Poké Ball onto it. Don't go taking it off for no reason," Cheng Tian's Mother reminded him.

As someone who had been reincarnated, this was Cheng Tian's first time seeing a Pokémon being recalled into a Poké Ball, and he instinctively wanted to try it himself.

But he quickly stopped himself. After promising Cheng Tian's Mother that he wouldn't lose the Poké Ball, he grabbed the belt hanging on the coat rack and left.

He went downstairs, climbed into the black sedan, and slowly headed toward the villa district.

Though he had been there before, the place still felt luxurious every time he visited.

The sedan drove into a villa's courtyard. Bai Yun was already waiting at the door and hurried over when he saw Cheng Tian arrive.

After they thanked the driver, he slowly drove away. Cheng Tian rested a hand on Bai Yun's shoulder. "Sorry for the trouble."

Bai Yun led Cheng Tian inside, where Cheng Tian took a pair of slippers from the cabinet and changed into them.

Cheng Tian visited Bai Yun's house often. There were even toiletries, sheets, and other things set aside specifically for him.

Bai Yun looked at Cheng Tian with mixed feelings. "A-Tian, there really isn't any need to go into the wilderness. You..."

Cheng Tian waved a hand, making his stance clear. Seeing this, Bai Yun knew he couldn't talk him out of it and sighed helplessly.

Then Bai Yun carried a rolled-up bundle out of the storage room. "This is a sleeping bag made for camping. Don't go sleeping in a tree, you hear? There are other things too-a lighter, a compass, and so on."

The supplies were remarkably thorough, as though Bai Yun were the one heading out.

Cheng Tian looked at Bai Yun gratefully. "Thanks, buddy." Bai Yun copied his gesture and waved a hand. "Enough of that. Go take a bath first. You reek."

"Do I?" Cheng Tian scratched his head. It had only been three days since his last bath.

Still, washing up was a good idea. If he bathed today, he would probably spend the next two days covered in dirt and dust, at least until he returned.

Without thinking further, Cheng Tian went into the bathroom and started filling the tub, then undressed to get ready for his bath.

But after a moment's thought, Cheng Tian took out Yamper's Poké Ball again. It was currently shrunken down. "Tsk, how do I let Yamper out?"

He had watched Pokémon since childhood, but everyone in it simply pulled out a Poké Ball, pressed the button to enlarge it, and threw it.

Cheng Tian tried tapping the button, but nothing happened. After fiddling with it for ages, he tried holding the button down. With a pop, the shrunken Poké Ball expanded.

It fit perfectly in one hand.

Cheng Tian pressed the button again, and the Poké Ball opened. A red light flashed, and Yamper appeared before him, little tail wagging.

"Success!"

"Yam! Yam!" Yamper happily pounced on him and licked his face. Cheng Tian laughed and played with Yamper for a moment before returning to his study of the Poké Ball.

Eventually, Cheng Tian completely figured out how to use it.

When a Poké Ball was normal-sized, holding down the button would shrink it; doing the same while it was small would enlarge it. Once enlarged, a single press of the button would release the Pokémon. There were also specially designed belts for carrying shrunken Poké Balls.

Cheng Tian tested it. As he brought the shrunken Poké Ball close to the belt, its button was drawn neatly into one of the belt's grooves, holding it firmly in place.

"It's this convenient?" Cheng Tian marveled.

"A-Tian, how long are you planning to leave the bathwater running?" Bai Yun walked in just then. The moment Yamper spotted him, an excited bark rang out, followed by a direct leap at him.

"Hahaha, don't lick me, Yamper! That tickles! A-Tian, hurry up and take Yamper away, hahaha..." Bai Yun couldn't stop laughing under the barrage of licks.

Just then, fine threads of electricity suddenly crackled across Yamper's cheeks.

Nuzzle!

Bai Yun was instantly paralyzed. Amused by the familiar scene before him, Cheng Tian pulled a Cheri Berry from his pocket and had Bai Yun eat it. "Looks like Yamper really likes you too, Bai Yun," Cheng Tian said with a laugh.

Once the paralysis wore off, Bai Yun's face darkened, and he shoved Yamper into Cheng Tian's arms. "This happens every time we meet. Who could put up with that?" Cheng Tian nodded sympathetically and comforted him. "It's fine. Just get used to it like I did."

"I'm never getting used to that. Go take your bath. I'm going to catch up on anime." With that, Bai Yun fled as though making an escape.

Holding Yamper, whose little tongue was sticking out, Cheng Tian watched Bai Yun's retreating back. "Come on, let's have our bath too." "Yam! Yam!"

After entering the bathroom, Cheng Tian first tested the water. Finding the temperature tolerable, he held Yamper and slowly lowered himself into the tub.

"Phew... Nothing beats a bath for relaxing." Cheng Tian let out a long breath, feeling his whole body unwind. Not only was it comfortable, he even felt like having an ice-cold cola.

"Yam, yam~" Yamper was enjoying the bath too, swimming back and forth with a textbook doggy paddle while releasing fine threads of electricity.

But they didn't cause paralysis. The electricity dispersed through the water, making it feel more like an electric foot spa-the kind with a pleasantly tingling massage.

About an hour later, Cheng Tian and Yamper finished their bath.

Cheng Tian dried his hair first. Once it stopped dripping, he crouched down to towel off Yamper, who closed those eyes and let Cheng Tian rub that canine head.

After plenty of rubbing, he finally got Yamper dry, though the fur was still a little damp. Then Yamper released a few electrical sparks, and soon every last droplet had dried away. With that little tongue sticking out, Yamper looked quite proud.

Cheng Tian smiled and patted Yamper's head. "I'll be counting on you tomorrow, Yamper."

If he wanted to catch a Pokémon he liked tomorrow, Yamper would be his main source of firepower.

After blow-drying his hair and changing into pajamas, Cheng Tian carried Yamper into the living room. Bai Yun was sitting on a round, anime-themed rug featuring Rem, his eyes fixed on the large television in front of him.

Cheng Tian looked at the screen. A yellow-haired man reached toward his chest, pulled out a long black cord, and yanked it hard. Blood splattered everywhere.

A layer of yellow armor suddenly covered the man's head. A long chainsaw sprouted from his forehead, and the middle finger of each hand also transformed into a long chainsaw.

Cheng Tian recognized the anime at once. "Chainsaw Man?"

Seeing Cheng Tian approach, Bai Yun patted the rug. "Come watch with me. Episode seven just came out."

An anime fan himself, Cheng Tian sat down and watched with Bai Yun. When the protagonist had his mouth filled with vomit during a French kiss, then hunched over a toilet and threw up violently, the two burst out laughing.

Even Yamper joined in with a couple of barks.

After finishing the episode, the two decided to go to bed. They switched on the bedroom light, revealing walls plastered with all kinds of Japanese anime posters and anime-themed sheets and bedding. More outrageously still, even the curtains had Mai Sakurajima printed on them...

Cheng Tian fell silent for a long time before saying slowly, "As your best buddy, I have to remind you that people could easily take you for a pervert because of this."

Bai Yun rolled his eyes. "You say that like you don't like anime yourself."

Cheng Tian froze. Come to think of it, his room was plastered with Pokémon posters too.

So I'm a shut-in otaku too???

The moment that horrifying thought entered his mind, Cheng Tian snuffed it out. Impossible. Pokémon are real in this life, so I don't count as a shut-in otaku.

Sure, I like other anime too, but that still doesn't make me a shut-in otaku.

Bai Yun leaped through the air and landed directly on the soft bed. "All right, you're heading into the wilderness tomorrow. Get a good night's sleep first."

Cheng Tian flopped onto it too. "Mmm, so soft."

Just as the two were ready to settle down and sleep, they suddenly realized a serious problem. Cheng Tian said, "Turn off the light."

Bai Yun said, "No. I'm already nice and warm. You do it."

Cheng Tian rolled over to face him and pleaded pitifully, "I'll be sleeping out in the wilderness tomorrow. Can you really bear to make me get up and turn off the light now?"

Without so much as a change in expression, Bai Yun said, "Yes."

Cheng Tian: "..."

New author, new book. Please recommend and bookmark it.