The Trait [Hangry]

Somewhere in the Holy Land, there was an arena.

Slaves fought desperately for their masters' wagers, hacking with blades and tearing with their teeth. Blood splattered, staining the sand below a deep red, and piercing screams rang out without end.

Viewed from the lavishly decorated private stands, the slaves looked like some kind of uncivilized beasts.

"Doffy, I heard you and Rosy beat up your little brother?"

A voice full of mockery rang out from a private stand.

"What's it to you, bastard Charlos?"

Doffy leaned over the railing and glanced at Charlos with an indifferent expression.

He was only five, yet he already liked women. How low-class!

"Hee hee hee hee... can't friends show a little concern for each other? Did you beat him badly?"

Charlos was holding a scantily clad young woman, intent on wiping his snot on her.

Doffy pursed his lips and said coolly, "He won't be getting out of bed for at least three days!"

Charlos looked suspiciously at the injuries on Doffy's and Rosy's faces, sniffled, and suddenly burst out laughing:

"Hey, hey... don't tell me you two got beaten up by Little Sneaky?"

Rosy sucked on his finger, shivered, and said timidly, "Longinus is really strong..."

A vein bulged on Doffy's forehead. He glared at Rosy, then grabbed Charlos by the collar and said fiercely:

"Idiot, Longinus wasn't our only opponent. Rosy and I got these injuries fighting the agents!"

"Huh? That's amazing, Doffy!"

Charlos raised both hands, a nasty expression on his face. "You can already fight agents. How about trying your hand against my slaves too?"

The bedchamber.

By the time Homing woke up, a whole day and night had passed.

Bright sunlight streamed through the window and fell across the bed.

Homing sat up and stretched mightily, feeling especially content.

A nobleman without the burdens of life had few worries and almost always slept until he woke naturally.

Homing tapped his still-throbbing head. He didn't know why, but it seemed this wonderful life had nearly slipped away from him forever.

"Ooh hoo hoo hoo hoo... seems I had a nightmare?"

When he opened his eyes again, he suddenly saw a little baby at the foot of the bed, his back to him, drinking milk while quietly reading a book.

Homing sucked in a sharp breath and nearly passed out.

He frantically gestured for Sullivan, who stood by his side, to be quiet. Then he quietly lay back down and pulled the blanket up to cover his entire face.

"Little Lu Ye, your blond Pops is awake, but you seem to have scared him witless..."

Jinbao reminded him with ill intent.

"Yeah, I noticed. He's shaking so hard he's practically on vibration mode."

Lu Ye calmly tapped the page. "Let him prepare himself mentally a little longer. He can't keep it up for long anyway. No carbon-based life-form can stay in bed forever in the morning."

That was indeed what happened. Homing only lasted half an hour before the protests of both his stomach and bladder forced him to crawl out reluctantly. He gave Lu Ye an awkward smile and greeted him:

"Little Longinus, good morning!"

Lu Ye turned around and tilted his head to look at him. With his delicate pink face and soft, light blond baby hair, he looked like a little angel-if he had no mouth.

The little angel picked up his bottle, took a sip of milk, and tilted his head back to wet his throat.

Homing's face turned grim, his heart already resisting in anticipation. He curled up into a ball and retreated across the bed.

Sure enough, the next second, he heard a terrifying shriek that pierced his eardrums!

"Help... help!"

Homing covered his ears and fled the bedchamber barefoot, scrambling and tumbling along the way.

As soon as he came out, he ran into Lady Daisy leisurely drinking tea.

"Too... too scary, Liana! Longinus, he... he was actually lying in wait for me!"

Liana had never seen her husband so flustered and couldn't help smiling. "Aren't you a little too anxious, Homing?"

Liana reached out to feel Homing's forehead and smoothed his disheveled hair:

"You slept for a whole day and night. Longinus only came over this morning, and he's been playing by himself the whole time. He hasn't bothered you at all."

"This morning?" Homing was still shaken, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Liana smiled gently. "Yes. This child is especially well-behaved; he doesn't cry or make a fuss. This morning, he seemed to know you were about to wake up, so he asked to come see you."

"Liana, did he sleep at all during that time?"

"No, but I found a doctor in the Holy Land. Although Longinus doesn't sleep, he's very healthy."

Homing held Liana's hand, concern and a trace of hope in his eyes, and asked cautiously, "Then... did he make you tell him stories nonstop?"

Liana pouted, showing an adorable expression of envy and jealousy. "No, he didn't. He really does like his daddy more. He's not clingy with me at all."

Homing felt as if dark clouds had gathered over his head. His eyes instantly reddened, and tears rolled back and forth in them.

"You don't have to be so touched, Homing. You'll only make me more jealous!"

Liana kissed Homing on the cheek, her eyes sparkling:

"Homing, we already have three children, and you've finally experienced what it's like for an ordinary man to be a father."

Homing stared blankly. "Ordinary people... is this how ordinary people are fathers?"

Liana nodded vigorously, her eyes full of longing. "Yes. I read in a book that little children often cry and fuss at night, and their parents are kept up all night taking care of them."

Ah!

It all matched!

So Longinus was an ordinary child!

That meant Doffy and Rosy were the abnormal ones...

"Liana, please make sure you find that book for me to read too."

Everything suddenly became clear to Homing, and he abruptly pulled himself together. "Because of Sullivan's help, we missed out on Doffy and Rosy, but I won't miss out on Longinus."

Liana sighed with feeling. "Yes, ordinary families don't have butlers. Taking care of children must always be this hard for them."

Homing clenched his fist and cheered himself on inwardly.

"That's right. Since we've decided to live like ordinary people, I'll overcome the difficulties and take good care of Longinus.

"It's just reading, isn't it? Just going without sleep, isn't it? Ooh hoo hoo hoo... what, could it actually kill me?"

Homing turned and started back toward the bedchamber.

"Silly, have breakfast first! You've slept so long, you must be hungry."

Liana stopped Homing with a gentle smile.

The next two days were spent reading around the clock.

Homing also found a balance:

The little brat was quite well-behaved with Liana, but whenever he saw Homing, he wanted to hear stories.

So the two simply took turns. Homing slipped away to sleep under the pretext of going to the bathroom, while Liana accompanied Lu Ye around the castle to look for his daddy.

Catching only a few hours of sleep each day in various corners, Homing's dark circles grew worse by the day, but at least he stayed alive.

"Little Lu Ye, are you planning to let him off?" Jinbao asked.

"No rush. I'm just letting him experience the suffering of ordinary people, not trying to kill him. A father I got for free is still a father."

That was how the exceptionally filial son Lu Ye answered.

On the seventh day, Lu Ye was leisurely drinking milk and listening to a story.

Jinbao suddenly began jumping up and down as if he had caught the rat plague.

Lu Ye irritably grabbed his tail. "Why are you flying all over the place? You're making me dizzy. If you're sick, I'll find you some rat poison!"

"No, Little Lu Ye..."

Jinbao rubbed his paws and said dejectedly, "The people behind the scenes found out I drew the prize for you last time. They marked it as a violation."

"Will that affect you becoming a regular employee?"

Lu Ye did care quite a bit about this proletarian rat brother of his.

"Just a little, I guess..."

Jinbao was terribly conflicted, his paws clasped together. "Whether I become a regular employee mainly depends on the final evaluation you give me."

"Then what the hell are you worried about? I worship Guan Yu. Loyalty matters most to me."

Lu Ye didn't care in the least. He finished the last of his milk and shook the bottle to signal Sullivan to fetch a fresh supply.

Jinbao chuckled. "But we can't cheat anymore from now on..."

Lu Ye rubbed the top of his head. "I, Sir Lu, have always been upright and honorable. I hate cheaters most of all."

Jinbao didn't quite agree with his self-assessment, but he breathed a long sigh of relief and said timidly, "Then you'll have to be careful. Some Pokémon traits have negative effects."

Lu Ye rolled his eyes. "Are you stupid? If it's negative, I just won't eat it."

"That's good, then. There happens to be another prize draw today."

Jinbao pulled the lottery box from behind his waist. Its appearance had indeed changed. The opening, once large enough to fit a fist through, was now just a small hole barely big enough to shake a trait ball out of.

Lu Ye casually kicked it, and a black-and-white ball rolled onto the bed. Written on it was "Hangry."

Lu Ye picked up the ball. "Is this effect positive or negative?"

Jinbao thought back to the games and anime, then scratched his head in confusion. "Hard to say. In the games, it allows for a type change, adding flexibility in battle, but in the anime's plot... well, it seems to be quite a test of willpower."

"Perfect. This one walked right into my sights. Sixth Master has the strongest willpower of all!"

Full of confidence, Lu Ye tossed it straight into his mouth as though eating a roasted pea.

A panel appeared before his eyes:

[Monster's trait]: "Hangry"

[Footnote to the blessing]: "Hunger is evil. From today onward, you too are a Dark-type Pokémon. Pay attention to the sound of your stomach."

[Mysterious message]: "I eat eat eat eat eat eat eat! What the hell are you looking at? Hurry up and eat!

"Hm? Wait... you don't have any food on hand, do you?"

"What does that mean? Hunger is evil-is that a pun?"

Lu Ye watched the light screen shatter on its own and rubbed his chin in confusion. Then he suddenly noticed that both his hands had turned black.