Night and Morning

That evening, Su Bai washed the dishes while thinking about what Cynthia had told him over dinner.

After carefully studying the materials Su Bai's father had left behind, Cynthia had discovered that the Dragon Nation's historical records of Pokémon were both extensive and rigorous.

The earliest record of Pokémon dated to before King Wu's campaign against Zhou, when Ho-Oh had cried out on Mount Qi in Western Qi.

Could Pokémon have existed in this world that long ago?

He wondered whether Su Bai's father's research had only reached that point, or whether the Dragon Nation's records of Pokémon went no further back.

The original owner of his body had disliked such things, so those documents had been left gathering dust in the study.

Looks like I'll have to study them properly. They'll be a big help in understanding this world.

Su Bai finished washing the dishes, checked the time, and knocked on the study door.

"Cynthia, we need to go out and find you somewhere to stay. Cynthia?"

The study light was still on, but no one answered.

Su Bai gently opened the door a crack and saw that Cynthia had fallen asleep at the desk, sleeping soundly with her head on her arms.

Should I... wake her up?

She's sleeping so soundly. Better not.

She had just arrived in the Dragon Nation from Sinnoh. After such a tiring journey, she really needed a good rest.

Su Bai opened the storage room, found a clean set of new bedding, and glanced at Cynthia's Pokémon.

"Lucario, sorry for the trouble."

Sure enough, he still had to ask Lucario for help. The fellow had been watching him intently from the moment he approached the study. Su Bai had no doubt that the slightest suspicious move would earn him an Aura Sphere.

How is this fair? It's my house, and she's my fiancée, yet I'm the only one being treated like a bad guy.

Lucario sat up on the sofa with arms folded, called Roserade over, and entered the study together.

Su Bai's home had only one bedroom. He took out his own bedding and replaced it with the brand-new set for Cynthia.

A little later, Lucario carried Cynthia in. Thanks to Roserade's Sweet Scent, she was sleeping deeply.

"Good night."

Once Su Bai saw Lucario tuck Cynthia in, he turned and left the bedroom.

"My place is only so big. You'll have to find yourselves somewhere to make do for the night. Is that okay?"

Su Bai finished speaking, and Cynthia's Pokémon nodded.

Glaceon lay elegantly on the sofa, Togekiss found a spacious spot in the living room, and Spiritomb hid in a corner, pretending to be an ornament. Worried about waking Cynthia, Garchomp stayed out of the bedroom and leaned against the wall instead.

Lucario and Roserade stayed in the bedroom, taking turns keeping watch in case Su Bai tried anything.

After tending to these demanding guests, Su Bai returned to the study and sat down at the desk to read.

"Pika!"

Pikachu entered the study, scampered into Su Bai's arms, and curled up on his lap.

"Pikachu, go sleep on the sofa."

Pikachu shook its head and burrowed closer against Su Bai. Fortunately, it was summer, so it wasn't cold at all.

Su Bai stroked Pikachu and began reading.

Pokémon had indeed existed in this world since ancient times.

During the Dragon Nation's Warring States period, there were already bronze objects resembling Pokémon Balls.

Starting in the Tang Dynasty, the craftsmanship of porcelain and jade Pokémon Balls had reached its peak. These were also considered the predecessors of modern Pokémon Balls.

Traces of Pokémon appeared throughout the history books, with countless accounts of divine Pokémon helping virtuous emperors.

For instance, Xiuer of the Old Liu Family had once ridden Rayquaza and used Dragon Ascent to attack an enemy army.

His opponent, A Mang, was believed to have received Celebi's help.

Because the Dragon Nation had always been at the forefront of the world, and the global situation differed somewhat from Earth's, many of the devastating disasters in its history had been reduced.

Unfortunately, the existence of Pokémon meant that many things could simply be explained through them, greatly limiting people's imaginations. Many outstanding works of literature, film, and television either did not exist or had been lost.

[Ding! Current time: 00:00. Your randomization attempts have refreshed. Available attempts: 1.]

[Ding! Issuing the delayed completion reward for the quest-Marital Harmony. You lasted nine minutes against Cynthia and won her favor. Reward: System Shop. Cumulative randomizations +9. Current randomization count: (10/100).]

[Detected that you have acquired a skill through reading: Mythological History (beginner). Randomize?]

"Randomize."

Su Bai chose to randomize it. With Ancient Script Mastery and his foreknowledge as a transmigrator, beginner-level Mythological History wasn't particularly useful.

[Ding! Randomization successful. Skill acquired: Simple Sketching (mastery).]

[Current randomization count: (11/100). Please keep randomizing. My fate lies with heaven, not with me.]

Not a bad trade.

Su Bai felt a wealth of drawing knowledge appear in his mind. Although it only covered simple sketches, it was still a pretty good skill.

He casually picked up a sheet of paper and took a pencil from the pen holder. In less than five minutes, an adorable Pikachu came to life on the page.

"Pikachu, do you like it?"

"Pika!"

Seeing that Su Bai had drawn it-and drawn it so well-Pikachu cried out happily, climbing all over him and playing with him.

"That tickles, Pikachu! You're really happy, aren't you?"

Su Bai hugged Pikachu, buried his face in its belly, and took a deep sniff.

Bliss! My life is complete.

"System, open the shop."

The System Shop opened, displaying all kinds of household goods, Pokémon items, TMs, Berries, and other products.

Household goods cost roughly eighty percent of their market price. He wondered how the Pokémon items were priced.

For now, though, only Berries and household goods were unlocked for purchase.

His system balance was empty. Su Bai could deposit cash into it, but the greedy system charged a twenty-percent processing fee.

That meant purchases still worked out to their original price. Only money awarded by the system or obtained through randomization could be deposited in full.

In effect, Su Bai had gained an online shopping platform with instant delivery and no delivery fees.

Su Bai deposited three yuan, bought a bottle of Iced Black Tea priced at two yuan forty, and continued reading.

The next day, Cynthia woke up in Su Bai's room, rubbed her head, and spotted Lucario beside her.

"Lucario, where am I? Where's everyone else?"

With the help of Lucario's Aura, Cynthia recalled the general events of the previous night.

"I really put him to a lot of trouble."

Cynthia folded the bedding, tidied herself up, and left the room.

Seeing the dark circles under the eyes of both Su Bai and the Pikachu in his arms, Cynthia felt a little embarrassed.

"Sorry. I took over your room last night and kept you from getting a good rest."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I just got caught up in reading and stayed up late."

Su Bai wasn't really much of a reader. He had simply just arrived in this world and needed to learn more about it from the materials his inherited father had left behind.

He had gradually lost track of time and slept for only three hours that night.

But Cynthia heard a different meaning in Su Bai's words.

He stayed up late reading. No wonder he's accomplished so much. He really is hardworking.

"Are you hungry? I'll go downstairs to the convenience store and buy a couple of sandwiches. I noticed one downstairs yesterday."

"Absolutely not. How could I treat you to something so half-hearted? Besides, I never cut corners when it comes to food."

Su Bai went to wash up first. He had already bought Cynthia new toiletries the day before.

After washing up, Su Bai prepared noodle soup with fried eggs for breakfast, a very typical Dragon Nation meal with an emphasis on light flavors. He also had Japanese-style Sukiyaki and Teriyaki seasonings at home, so he wasn't worried about Cynthia finding the food unfamiliar.

The hearty breakfast immediately made the whole house feel warmer and more welcoming. Even Garchomp looked less fierce.

The Pokémon had sweet Berry soup for breakfast.

Pikachu loved the dish, and Garchomp and the others ate with relish too.

"I didn't expect you to be such a good cook and so skilled at raising Pokémon."

Cynthia looked fondly at the Pokémon.

"They're very picky eaters. I've never seen them eat Pokémon food prepared by anyone else before."

"Oh, not at all."

Su Bai had simply mastered the essence of throwing everything into a stew.

As long as I use enough different ingredients and it doesn't taste bad, you're bound to find something you like in there.

Fortunately, thanks to the System Shop his wonderful system had unlocked, Su Bai had been able to find so many varieties of Berries.

"Shall we go to the Origin Temple after breakfast?"

"Sure!"