Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

"Also, although I have superpowers, I don't have abilities like mind reading. It's just simple micro-expression analysis. Besides, I have no interest in understanding your thoughts."

Xia Chen's lips twitched, and he nodded politely. Only after turning away did he dare to mutter something under his breath...

Tsk, this woman is not cute at all.

…………

The first meal after returning home should be a bit more elaborate, especially since we have guests coming over.

Well... although this is Cynthia's home, for Xia Chen, who only has himself to feed and no one else to worry about, home is wherever he and the elves are.

Therefore, Cynthia's house = my house, the equation is true!

After Xia Chen went into the kitchen to cook for a while, Xilona slowly came out of the bathroom in her slippers.

Zhu Lan's face was flushed after taking a bath. She dried her long, smooth, golden hair with a towel as she walked downstairs, asking the question that concerned her most right now.

"Xia Chen, what are we having for lunch today?"

Although she doesn't have many material desires, Shirona feels that eating Xia Chen's cooking has been elevated to a spiritual enjoyment.

Asking her a question before each meal has gradually become a new habit she has developed.

She loved eating whatever Xia Chen made.

Xia Chen, who was already cooking in the kitchen, didn't hear Cynthia's question, but Gadriya, who was sitting in the living room, heard it clearly.

She silently gazed at Cynthia at the top of the stairs, the hint of resentment hidden in her eyes like that of a child whose beloved toy had been taken away.

The sight of a grown person sitting on the sofa was bound to attract Cynthia's attention. Upon recognizing the person, she exclaimed in surprise, "Cattleya? What brings you here?"

Cattleya lowered her eyes and hummed softly, "Looks like I've come at the wrong time?"

My tone just now clearly expressed surprise, right...?

Perhaps infected by Xia Chen, when faced with Cattleya's unreasonable behavior, Cynthia silently complained in her heart before comforting her, "No, you came at just the right time."

Having known Gadriya for almost ten years, Cynthia knows her best friend's sharp tongue and unpredictable temper all too well.

Just like the man in a couple arguing, in this situation, the gentle Zhu Lan would definitely take the first step back.

I don't know who upset Cattleya, but I've been caught in this mess the moment I came down...

Listening to the aroma of cooking coming from the kitchen, Cynthia had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

…………

Sitting on the sofa, Cynthia teased the long-unseen Dream Eater and chatted with Cattleya.

"I've been exploring some ruins in Tianguan Mountain for a while now, and you just got back today. What a coincidence. How about staying with me for a while? I've just finished exploring the ruins and am taking a break."

In fact, Cynthia hasn't seen Gadria for quite some time now, either because she's been busy preparing for the Sinnoh Regional Championship or the World Championship's Masters Tournament.

She was very happy that her best friend had taken the initiative to visit her.

Cattleya, however, astutely noticed that Cynthia's words made no mention of the man who was cooking in the kitchen at that moment.

Having some knowledge of psychology, she understood that in people's subconscious, the more they want to hide something, the more they pretend not to care.

"Well, yes."

Gadriya nodded slightly in agreement to Cynthia's invitation, then casually asked, "By the way, who is that boy?"

In fact, Jia Deli had known about Xia Chen before. Her best friend paid so much attention to him, and Xia Chen had indeed done a few things that were sensational around the world, so she would have some impression of him.

However, her question was definitely not as simple as "Who is he?" It was more like, "What is your relationship with him?"

Cynthia certainly understood the deeper meaning of this question, but she didn't have a precise definition of their relationship.

Speaking of netizens, right?

There are no online friends who are so close that they've even moved into each other's homes.

So, are they partners exploring the ruins together?

This is closer to the truth, since that was Xia Chen's original purpose in coming to Sinnoh.

But for some reason, Shirona didn't want to define her relationship with Xia Chen so purely.

…………

After thinking for a while, Cynthia tidied the strands of hair covering her eyes and replied, "Um... his name is Xia Chen. He's a friend of mine, a trainer I have high hopes for, and also a very skilled chef."

Although the term "friendship" is broad and somewhat perfunctory, it is the best answer at this moment.

However, the answer itself is no longer important.

Caldelia understood immediately. If she was thinking about such a simple question for so long, she must be hiding something!

Just as she was about to press for more information, Cynthia's next words shut her up.

"Oh, by the way, he's a superhuman, just like you."

Gadriya was stunned. A superpowered person?

We're in the same industry!

Although there are more than just Gadria and Sabrina in this world, there are definitely at least hundreds or thousands of superpowered individuals.

However, given the vast total population, this small group is insignificant.

Therefore, it is quite rare to encounter a human who is also a superpowered being. Cynthia's words immediately piqued Gadria's curiosity.

"What are his superpowers like? Are they powerful?"

Cynthia shrugged and replied, "Compared to you, he's definitely not that strong. If we're talking about Pokémon strength levels, he's about amateur level, considering his psychic abilities haven't been awakened for very long..."

Cattleya suddenly interrupted, "What do you mean by 'not long after awakening'?"

Cynthia replied matter-of-factly, "That means he probably awakened his superpowers about four months ago."

"How is this possible?" A ripple appeared on Cattleya's usually calm and delicate face.

She said incredulously, "All superpowered individuals are born with their abilities, which generally manifest in infancy. I've never heard of anyone suddenly awakening superpowers in their teens! If this is true..."

Cattleya suddenly fell into deep thought.

Cynthia was stunned by Gadriya's confident tone. Although she was a master in Pokémon battles, she only knew a little about the unfamiliar field of psychic powers.

This little bit of information was something I learned through subtle influence from my close relationship with Cattleya.

It can be said that Gadriya is a towering figure in the field of superpowers, and her words are practically authoritative.

On the other hand, she had also truly witnessed Xia Chen's superpowers...

This conflicting issue left Cynthia somewhat bewildered.

…………

Cattleya didn't let Cynthia dwell on it any longer. She waved her hand and said, "It's alright, I'll find out after I test her."

Hirona quickly dissuaded her best friend from the idea, saying rather speechlessly, "No, I'm perfectly happy in my current house, and I don't want to move."

Who is Gadriya?

That's the kind of person who, when they were kids, would get so angry after losing a match that they smashed the entire battlefield.

Of course, that was definitely not her intention; it was a loss of control of her superpowers due to emotional instability.

Because of her uncontrollable superpowers, she has harmed many innocent people and spirits.

As a result, her childhood and adolescence were spent in pain and self-blame.

Cattleya's current aloofness is almost entirely due to that painful past.

On the other hand, now that superpowers can be controlled and trained through some kind of cultivation method, Cattleya's destructive power is probably even greater.

When it comes to her, the phrase "the trainer is warming up" is not necessarily a joke.

Therefore, Cynthia dared not let her run wild in her house. It would be a small matter if she destroyed the house, but it would be bad if she really hurt Xia Chen.

Caldelia was rather speechless and could only say, "Alright, then I can talk to her after I finish eating, okay?"

A superpowered individual, especially one who awakened their superpowers after birth—this was something that greatly intrigued Gadria.

Compared to this, the gossip between Xia Chen and Xilona seems rather insignificant.

Having said all that, Cynthia had no choice but to agree.

…………

With one more person and three more sprites today, Xia Chen's workload has increased again.

Fortunately, the three Pokémon that Gadria brought were all Pokémon with relatively small appetites: Dream Eater, Artificial Cell Egg, and Gothic Lady.

So after a slight delay, at exactly 12 o'clock, the first meal after returning from the ruins officially began.

At the dinner table, the middleman, Shirona, introduced Xia Chen and Gadria to each other.

After exchanging greetings and pleasantries, Xia Chen officially became acquainted with this superpowered young lady.

A three-person dinner party is the most awkward situation, especially for people who have just met. If two people are chatting enthusiastically, one person will inevitably be left out.

However, this rule did not apply to the people at this table. Gadriya was quite interested in Xia Chen, and Xia Chen also wanted to learn about superpower cultivation from her. With Cynthia's help, the atmosphere at the table was quite harmonious.

Cynthia snatched the last piece of sweet and sour pork ribs from Lucario's chopsticks, then asked, "By the way, Cattleya, why did you suddenly come back to Sinnoh? How long are you going to stay here?"

"I'll be on vacation for about a month, but I can only stay here for half a month. I need to go home for the second half of the month, and then I'll rejoin the crowd to prepare for the championship challenge."

As she spoke, Gadriya didn't forget to use her superpowers to snatch the shrimp and scrambled eggs from Mengmeng's plate.

Mengmeng stuck out her little elephant trunk, daring to be angry but not daring to speak out.

"Championship Challenge?"

Cynthia raised an eyebrow in surprise, "When did the Unova region's championship challenge start?"

After finishing the shrimp and scrambled eggs in her mouth, Cattleya elegantly wiped her mouth before answering slowly, "About a month after the Higanbana Tournament, probably around March next year."

Xia Chen suddenly interjected, "Excuse me, Miss Cattleya, have you ever heard of a girl named Iris? She's a Dragon-type trainer, and she might even be connected to the Twin Dragons Gym."

"Alice?"

Caldelia searched her memory and quickly gave an answer: "Hmm, I remember her, a very talented girl who is two years older than you and has already reached near-gym level strength. But why are you asking about her?"

"Ah, it's nothing. I just heard about her from a friend who also specializes in dragons, so I was just asking."

After saying that, Xia Chen buried his head in his food and fell into thought.