Aier pulled something familiar out from beneath her skirt and showed it to Chu Xin.
A Poké Ball! That was definitely a Poké Ball!
Sure enough, Aier pressed the button in the center of the Poké Ball. What had been only the size of a thumb instantly expanded to the size of a fist. Then, with a crisp sound, a flash of light shot out of the Poké Ball and landed on the ground nearby, revealing a black Pokémon.
"Wow, it's Garchomp! So cool!"
Before Aier could react, an excited Chu Xin had already thrown himself onto Garchomp's wing. Caught completely off guard just after emerging, Garchomp glared fiercely at Chu Xin.
┗|｀O′|┛ "Roooar~~" (Kid, what do you think you're doing?)
Huh? What was going on? How could I understand Garchomp? Had I awakened some kind of cheat ability?
"Garchomp, behave. This is our young master."
Although Chu Xin was surprised that he could understand Garchomp, he immediately came to the Pokémon's defense when Aier scolded Garchomp.
"It's fine, Aier. I was just playing with Garchomp."
Upon hearing Aier's reprimand, the pseudo-legendary Pokémon actually shuddered in fear. Seeing Chu Xin stand up for Garchomp, Garchomp hurriedly smiled and hugged him.
"Roar, roar." (Exactly, exactly. How could I possibly bully the young master?)
With Chu Xin and Garchomp both playing along, Aier finally put her doubts to rest. It seemed her monster and the young master were getting along quite well.
But Chu Xin's mind was anything but calm as Garchomp held him.
He really could understand Garchomp! He could hardly believe those humble words had actually come from the mouth of a pseudo-legendary Garchomp!
Why was he thinking about that? Shouldn't Chu Xin have been more surprised that he could understand Pokémon?
According to the Pokémon setting, Pokémon and humans originally had no way to communicate. That was how the first Pokémon series had established things, though the creators soon retconned it. After all, how could anyone be a Trainer if they didn't even understand their own Pokémon?
Although Trainers could understand their Pokémon, that understanding came from spending every day together. It was like keeping a cat at home: one meow, and you knew it wanted food. The cat couldn't actually understand human language; it was simply the rapport between the two.
But Trainers and Pokémon couldn't communicate directly like this unless the Trainer had a psychic ability such as Telepathy.
Could I have some kind of psychic power?
I'm a transmigrator, after all. It would be downright embarrassing not to have a cheat ability. Now I've finally found mine!
Delighted as he was, Chu Xin still eagerly examined the Garchomp in front of him. Before long, however, Aier recalled her Pokémon.
"Monsters are dangerous creatures. Normally, we only let them out for battle, so it's best not to leave Garchomp out for too long."
Garchomp really was impressive, far better than his Dratini. Still, Chu Xin was excited about his first Pokémon. Having one was better than having none.
"Aier, when do you think my Pokémon Egg will hatch? I can't wait!"
"Young master, that isn't a Pokémon Egg. It's a Monster Egg."
Aier reminded Chu Xin rather helplessly, but he was clearly too excited to listen.
Oh, well. He is my young master, after all.
Aier, the maid, sighed helplessly, then took the Pokémon Egg from Chu Xin.
"There's an Egg Incubator in the villa. It can help the monster hatch faster, but I still don't know exactly how long it will take."
An Egg Incubator? That would make things much easier.
"Then hurry up and use it! I really want to find out what my Pokémon is as soon as possible."
Although Chu Xin didn't dare use the word "Pokémon" around his parents for fear of confusing them, he wasn't nearly so concerned when speaking to his own maid.
Aier could only look helplessly at her young master.
Fine, Pokémon it is. He's my young master, anyway. He can call them whatever he likes.
But what does Pokémon even mean?
Once the maid had carried the Pokémon Egg away and placed it in the incubator, Zhao Ge finally had time to learn about this world.
For that purpose, Zhao Ge made a special trip to the villa's library and carefully searched for relevant information.
Sure enough, Pokémon did exist in this world. But without a Pokémon League, Pokémon and humans were still hostile toward each other. Humans called Pokémon "monsters," and those who tamed monsters for battle were called Monster Tamers.
After looking through the materials, Chu Xin discovered that this could be considered a Pokémon world, but it was more of a parallel world, with significant differences from the original.
Oh, well. I'm already happy just to be able to become a Trainer. Why ask for more?
Apart from that question, Chu Xin also looked up a great deal of information about special abilities.
Humans could have psychic powers in the Pokémon world, too. The one who had left the deepest impression on Chu Xin was Sabrina of the Saffron Gym. Besides being a Gym Leader, she was also a Psychic-and an exceptionally powerful one. Using her psychic powers alone, Sabrina could defeat some weaker Pokémon.
So when Chu Xin discovered that he could understand Pokémon, his first thought was psychic powers. But after searching through a great deal of material, he ruled that possibility out.
It seemed his ability really wasn't a psychic power. Beyond understanding Pokémon, it did nothing else. He couldn't even bend a spoon with his mind.
Oh, well. I can still become an excellent Trainer without psychic powers. They're only a tool on my path to becoming a Champion. I can do it without that tool, too!
Indeed, this world also had Champion Monster Tamers. Although there was no Pokémon League to bring the regions closer together, each region had overcome countless difficulties to establish its own government. The country Chu Xin lived in was the Ancient Donghuang Kingdom, the country most familiar to him.
So that's why everyone here speaks Mandarin. They're all my fellow countrymen! Thank goodness I didn't end up in another country. With my talent for languages, I'd have had to spend years unable to say a word.
The Ancient Donghuang Kingdom had already produced four Champion Monster Tamers, all of whom had fought their way to the top through competitions similar to Pokémon League tournaments. Each region's Champion was its greatest fighting force and the goal of every Monster Tamer. Naturally, Chu Xin was no exception.
A Trainer who doesn't want to be Champion isn't a good Trainer. Let's start with one little goal: become this year's Champion!
Before you continue