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

"Call me Xia Chen," Xia Chen kindly reminded him.

"Oh, right, that bastard's name is Xia Chen!"

Having finally found a target, Qianli's anger finally found an outlet. "Thanks for reminding me, Xia... Brother Chen."

The air fell silent. Judging from Qianli's final pause and his awkward expression as he dared not meet Xia Chen's gaze, he must have finally realized that the person he was cursing as a bastard was none other than the young friend who had been chatting and laughing with him just a moment before.

Is there anything more embarrassing in the world than having the person you're cursing right in front of you?

If so, it must be because you are about to have dinner with this person.

Or...should we leave first?

Even someone as calm and collected as Qianli was now considering making a hasty retreat.

In a battle between Pokémon, he wouldn't even flinch, no matter how strong the opponent was.

But if it's a scene of social death like this, Senri really can't handle it!

Imagine letting an Aggron with maxed-out physical defense and weak special defense take a hit from a Special Attack move that is four times super effective against it – can it withstand it?

Qianli felt like he was the Aggron on the verge of losing its fighting ability, just waiting for Xia Chen to deliver a simple, sarcastic finishing blow.

However, Xia Chen clearly didn't mean that. He just chuckled and replied, "It's alright, Mr. Qianli. It's perfectly normal to have something you don't like, isn't it, Xiao Xi?"

Higanbana, who was playing carefree with the little Kangaskhan, replied without hesitation, "Yeah, for example, I hate Fairy-type Pokémon the most."

"Buyi!"

"Sana!"

This example angered Sylveon and Gardevoir. Realizing her mistake, Sienna stuck out her tongue and quickly apologized to them.

"Sorry, I wasn't talking about you guys. I was talking about... this attribute, that's right!"

…………

The little incident eased the awkward atmosphere considerably, and just then, Xia Chen finished preparing the last dish: shrimp and scrambled eggs.

The egg is a nutritious egg from a lucky egg, and the shrimp meat is the meat left in the two large claws of the iron-clawed lobster that just caused trouble. Xia Chen is quite looking forward to this dish with special ingredients.

Gardevoir and Sylveon brought the dishes to the table. King of the House, unusually diligent, prepared to help, but was dragged back to his seat by the ear by Blissey, who had seen through his trick of stealing food.

Xia Chen also took this opportunity to release his other Pokémon, "Everyone, get ready to wash your hands and eat!"

Qianli stared in astonishment at the other Pokémon Xia Chen released. They were undoubtedly at the level of a gymnastics leader, and there was even one that he couldn't sense at all.

That must be one of only two known legendary Pokémon to have been captured, namely, Guleton...

Qianli was suddenly filled with emotion, never expecting that his casual trip would lead him to encounter such a legendary figure.

Before I even recognized him, I yelled at him to his face...

Thinking of this, even with a mental fortitude as strong as Qianli's, his toes unconsciously started scratching at the three-bedroom apartment.

Fortunately, good food can heal everything, and it can also heal this tiny, insignificant rift in the relationship.

After the meal, the awkward atmosphere basically disappeared.

Around 1 or 2 pm, which is the hottest time of day, they didn't rush to continue their journey but instead rested for a while.

With the lake water looking beautiful and the weather extremely hot, Milotic led the group of Pokémon to take a dip in the lake to digest their food and escape the heat. Even Slaking, a seasoned backstroke swimmer, floated on the surface of the lake, comfortably enjoying the cool water.

Needless to say, the most playful of all, Xiao Xi, would sometimes lie on the Milos and swim up and down with him, and other times grab the "wings" on Doronchi's head and surf on the lake.

The pure, joyful laughter infected every creature in the water, and even Xia Chen and Qianli, who didn't want to go into the water, smiled knowingly under the shade of the trees on the shore.

"I apologize for what I just said."

Senri is not a stubborn and arrogant old man; he is simply a somewhat traditional trainer who is wholeheartedly devoted to the Pokémon battles he loves.

After careful consideration, he realized that what he had said was a bit too much, so he chose to apologize.

Although he still disliked the Grand Prix and did not want his only son to pursue or set goals for it.

Xia Chen smiled gently, "I don't need your apology, I need your approval, if possible."

The prejudice of a thousand miles is just a microcosm, a microcosm of the fact that even the grand competition has not been accepted by some mainstream voices in society.

As the creator of the Grand Contest, Xia Chen wanted to take her to a higher level and make her leave a lasting mark on this world.

He wanted more recognition, including, naturally, Qianli in front of him.

Qianli remained silent for a long while, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't do it."

Xia Chen certainly didn't expect that saying a few words would change Qianli's opinion.

He shrugged and laughed, "It's alright, maybe your opinion will change after watching this magnificent competition?"

Chapter 316 Why not ask the magical fairy cloth? (6.2k)

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was not so intense anymore. Xia Chen and Xi Jiana, who had rested and recovered well by the nameless lake, resumed their journey.

At the warm invitation, Qianli, who was more than twelve years older than Xia Chen, reluctantly joined the group.

As for why it was "reluctant," it had nothing to do with the previous misunderstanding, but rather because Qianli felt that the two sides had different travel philosophies.

Xia Chen and his friends called their trip a trip, but the "thousand-mile journey" was more like a form of ascetic practice.

This perfectly aligns with his personality, which is driven by a strong desire for power.

Nevertheless, after Xia Chen's reminder, he finally realized that traveling in this way would mean that by the time he arrived in Liuli City, the Grand Contest would be in its third year.

“I can cultivate myself anytime, but I only have one son.”

Xia Chen presented him with a multiple-choice question.

After careful consideration, Ruby, unaware of the situation, won the contest.

Therefore, Qianli decided to activate [Speedrun Mode] and fly directly from Zijing City to Liuli City, the venue for this year's World Grand Contest, with Xia Chen.

From his own perspective, traveling together also provides an opportunity to explore a question that has troubled him for a long time through Xia Chen, the "father of the Grand Contest"—

What is the magic of the Grand Contest that makes his son so fascinated?

Through conversations along the way, Xia Chen learned some basic information about Qianli in this world, some of which differed from those in the game and comics.

Just like in the game, Senri was originally from Johto. Perhaps due to the high employment pressure in Johto, he brought his family to the Hoenn region to become a Gym Leader, and it has been seven years since then.

Qianli had children early; his son Lubi is already seventeen this year, while he is only thirty-four.

In other words, at Xia Chen's age, Qian Li was already a father, but Xia Chen didn't even have a girlfriend.

What a sad story...

Xia Chen suddenly felt a little melancholy.

Qianli comforted her, saying, "It's not bad for you to be like this. Establish your career first, then start a family. If it weren't for Ruby's sudden arrival..."

Xia Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise. Qianli, this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, looked quite honest. So he got pregnant before marriage and got married because of the pregnancy?

That's a big game.

…………

Realizing he had misspoke, Qianli coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness and changed the subject, saying, "Speaking of which, I was very busy during the years Ruby grew up. I was busy with gym assessments, the World Gym Leader Tournament, the Attribute Specialization Tournament... I was so busy that I didn't pay much attention to him, which may have led to the current situation."

The current situation he's referring to is probably something like Lubi being rebellious and disobedient.

Xia Chen, unaware of the full picture, refrained from commenting, but suggested, "He's seventeen now, and it's too late to manage him now. Why don't you and your sister-in-law create another account while you're still young?"

Xia Chen's relationship with Lu Bi progressed very quickly. In just half an afternoon, Lu Bi, who was about the same age as him, had already been demoted a generation and become his nephew.

Although he wasn't very familiar with the internet slang popular among young people, Qianli understood the meaning. His reply was tinged with joy: "Actually, your sister-in-law Mitsuko is already three months pregnant. I hope it's a well-behaved girl like Xiaoxi."

Hmm... Higanbana is well-behaved; you should be the first person to describe her like that.

After a moment of surprise, Xia Chen said, "Congratulations."

This situation, so different from the game, surprised him. Would the second child be Haruka? Or Yuuki?

The conversation about family ended there. It has to be said that such private topics are very effective in bringing people closer. By evening, Qianli had already started talking to Xia Chen about topics that only friends would discuss.

During their conversation, Xia Chen also talked to Qianli about himself and Xijiana. In one afternoon, they went from being strangers to becoming friends.

Time passed by in a fairly pleasant journey and during our conversations.

Hoenn is located in the subtropics, and in summer the nights fall very late, with signs of darkness not appearing until six o'clock.

Senri, who was very familiar with the Orange Blossom Forest, assessed their current location and said, "At our current speed, we should be able to leave the Orange Blossom Forest by tomorrow morning."

Xia Chen suggested, "Let's find a place to rest nearby now and set off again tomorrow?"

Qianli nodded in agreement, and Xijiana, the little tagalong, had no objections either.

Luck wasn't so good that evening; there weren't any small lakes or other water sources nearby that could provide coolness on a hot summer day.

But it doesn't matter, since the temperature is much lower at night than during the day anyway.

As for the water source, if one can overcome psychological barriers, the water created by Milas using water-based energy will be the purest water.

Xia Chen had already overcome his inhibitions and was unconcerned about trivial matters. Xijiana, on the other hand, really liked this pure-blooded dragon-type water-type spirit, and the other spirits didn't mind at all.

So, Milotic once again acted as the tap for tonight.

…………

The only Pokémon that Qianli brought out were the four he saw at noon: Slaking, Blissey, Kangaskhan, and Swellow.

His other two main Pokémon in his team, one of which was a Snorlax, was left at the gym because it ate too much.

Another one is a pregnant bear, currently resting at the dojo.

So dinner was joined by one more person and four half-elf creatures—half-elf creatures being small kangaroos in a kangaroo's pouch.

Although there was more food to cook, with the help of the new helper, Chef Lucky Egg, the cooking process wasn't any more tiring.

After setting up camp and having dinner, it was completely dark.

The soft moonlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, spilling into this tranquil grove. While it couldn't fully serve its purpose of illumination, it added a touch of charm.

A cool, refreshing breeze swept through the woods—not a natural breeze, since there's hardly any wind at this time of year; it was all the wind from Milotic, the frozen wind.

Thanks to Milotic's selfless dedication, Xia Chen and the elves are able to enjoy the comforts of an air-conditioned room in this wilderness.

After several days of sweltering heat, Qianli couldn't help but complain, "This summer is really abnormal. It's unusually hot on the mainland, but it's rainy and cool in the archipelago."