"Grotle!"
Tong Hua rushed forward and hugged Grotle, barely able to contain his excitement.
Compared to when he had been a Turtwig, Grotle had grown several times larger. If Tong Hua had to describe him, he now looked like a big table with potted plants on top.
Of course, a cooler comparison would be an ankylosaurus. Either way, there was no chance he would ever be climbing onto Tong Hua's bed or shoulders again...
"Min, min!" Minccino ran over to celebrate too, happily scrambling up the little tree on Grotle's back. Now he had one less rival competing for his exclusive perch.
Grotle shook the trees on his back helplessly and let out a low rumble, but he did not actually shake Minccino off. Instead, he carefully steadied himself, afraid the little fellow might fall.
Tong Hua could not help laughing. He reached out to rub Grotle's head. "Looks like I'll have to get you a bigger bed."
"Gro..." Grotle immediately looked hurt. He did not want to leave Tong Hua's side, even when sleeping at night.
"Congratulations."
Hayato walked over with his camera. "That was quite a spectacle. Thanks to you, I got plenty of great shots."
"Viral! Viral!" The Chatot on his shoulder kept repeating the words.
"Your name's Tong Hua, right? You really surprised me several times. First you hooked a Dondozo weighing hundreds of pounds, and then you actually beat it head-on.
"The power you unleashed was practically superhuman. And that ringing sound that came from who knows where during the fight-that was incredible!
"I have plenty of questions for you, but first... would you mind exchanging contact details?"
"Uh..." Tong Hua was just about to explain that he had no means of communication when Hayato spoke again.
"It's fine if you'd rather not, but I