I run an orphanage in the Pokémon world.

This isn't to say that Tengshu is engaging in any kind of Pokémon racial discrimination, but rather that he genuinely can't keep up with the demand, literally.

Magikarp, this clumsy Pokémon with little strength, has become so rampant because of its super reproductive ability and its not-so-tasty meat.

This has led to Magikarp being found in almost every region of the League's waters, and its catch rate is ridiculously high.

During peak breeding seasons, people say that throwing a stone into the water can kill a whole group of carp kings, and this is no joke.

The league even regularly cleans up Magikarp every year to prevent it from becoming too numerous and causing a plague.

For these reasons, Magikarp is widely recognized as the easiest Pokémon to get started with in the league. No matter what kind of family you are, as long as you know how to fish, you can get your child a Pokémon as a pet, and that is Magikarp.

However, even if you own one, you usually can't keep it for long.

After all, while Magikarp's strength skyrockets and it gains considerable power once it evolves into Gyarados, the evolution of Magikarp into Gyarados is a low-probability event. According to the official survey by the League, only one out of 300,000 Magikarp will produce a Gyarados.

This has led some families who are not well-off, or who really have no spare money, to choose to catch a Magikarp so that their children can experience being a trainer.

Magikarp is not very useful and is abandoned after a while. Over time, in the League's statistics of abandoned Pokémon, Magikarp ranks first with the most data, becoming the most abandoned Pokémon.

"Little guy, whether you survive or not depends on yourself." Teng Shu picked up Magikarp, which kept jumping around with its mouth open.

Tengshu couldn't take Magikarp back. The League has a specific procedure for dealing with abandoned Magikarp; abandoned Magikarp are thrown into the river to return to nature.

If we don't do this, every welfare home will probably become a settlement for Magikarp every year.

Tengshu put the Magikarp in the cart basket, took it to a nearby river, and then threw it in.

The Magikarp, which was like a salted fish on the shore, was like a fish in water in the water and quickly disappeared into the river.

Watching Magikarp disappear into the river, Tengshu was quite satisfied. Although he didn't know if Magikarp would survive, it was at least better than leaving it on land to die.

After releasing the Magikarp, Teng Shu rode his bicycle towards the Changqing City vegetable market.

As we passed through the woods where Pikachu lived, the vines rang their bicycle bells a few times, and soon Pikachu's head popped out of the grass.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu was delighted to see the vine and rushed over excitedly at a very fast speed.

Pikachu rushed to the bicycle and naturally jumped into the basket. But then it smelled the scent inside the basket and looked at the vine with some curiosity.

“An abandoned Magikarp,” Teng Shu explained simply. These little guys are very intelligent and can understand their trainers’ words. Some of the smarter ones can even communicate directly with their trainers.

"Pika~" Pikachu called out again. Sensing Pikachu's excitement, Tengshu rode his bike and took Pikachu to the market.

"What do you want to eat today?" Teng Shu asked as he rode his bike. Pikachu had been working with him for so long; Pikachu provided labor, and Teng Shu provided food as payment—it was only fair.

Tengshu has gained some understanding of Pikachu.

This little guy has rather peculiar tastes; he eats everything and has no obvious dietary restrictions. Sometimes he can be quite capricious, eating whatever he wants.

After it finishes eating, it won't come to the vine tree to buy vegetables. If the vine tree doesn't come to it, it will stay in the forest like a wild Pikachu.

"Pikachu." Pikachu called out, then turned its head and looked around, seemingly looking at something. Tengshu wasn't riding fast either; there wasn't anything too urgent going on at the orphanage today, so it wouldn't bother him to wander around at his own pace.

"Roasted sweet potatoes! Roasted sweet potatoes! Fragrant and sweet roasted sweet potatoes! Big and plentiful, look for Wu-style roasted sweet potatoes!" A unique little truck drove up from afar, but before it even reached Tengshu, he heard the advertisement on the truck.

Pikachu's ears perked up instantly, staring longingly at the little truck in front of it.

Teng Shu glanced at Pikachu's ears and knew that Pikachu was interested in roasted sweet potatoes, so he slowly rode over and stopped when he got close, waving.

"Dean?" The sweet potato truck stopped, and a boy in work clothes jumped off the truck. He looked surprised when he saw Teng Shu.

Teng Shu was also stunned for a moment; he really didn't expect to see Xiao Wu in this place.

However, Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, Wu-style sweet potato, do seem to have some connection.

"Xiao Wu? Is this yours?" Teng Shu was quite happy to see Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu was hardworking and a good person. He often did heavy work and often helped others. Teng Shu had a deep impression of him.

Of course, it's also related to the relationship between Xiaoguang and himself.

Looking at these two people, Teng Shu felt like he was watching a romance anime in real life, which was quite a unique feeling.

"Well, I'm selling some sweet potatoes for my family... Dean, would you like to buy some?" Xiao Wu said with a smile.

"Buy, buy..." Teng Shu glanced at the sweet potatoes in the back of the car. Indeed, each one was quite large, and a rich aroma of roasted sweet potatoes filled the air, making one's mouth water.

However, this sweet potato is really too big for Pikachu. How many could Pikachu fit in?

Tengshu turned to look at Pikachu, and Pikachu waved its paw and looked at Tengshu cautiously. Tengshu paused for a moment.

Having worked with Pikachu for so long, he naturally knew that Pikachu raising its paw meant it wanted more.

But normally, I would need at most six or seven Pikachu, and that was only if the creature was relatively small.

If the potatoes are the size of sweet potatoes, Pikachu only wants one or two each time.

But this time...

"Ten," Teng Shu said to Xiao Wu with a smile. Xiao Wu was a little surprised. His family's sweet potatoes were very big. It was a bit of a struggle for a normal adult to eat one, and half a sweet potato would be enough for someone with an average appetite.

However, considering that Teng Shu was the director and there were little ones from the welfare home behind him, Xiao Wu understood. He guessed it was for those little ones to eat.

Thinking of this, Xiao Wu personally selected ten of the biggest and best sweet potatoes for Teng Shu, and then rounded them down by a zero.

Chapter 42? You had a child so quickly?

When Tengshu stuffed the bag full of sweet potatoes into Pikachu's hand, Pikachu lowered its head and didn't dare to look at Tengshu at all.

Teng Shu's lips curled up in a smile.

However, he didn't say anything, but put the sweet potatoes in the bicycle basket and tied the bag closed.

There was no other way; there were too many sweet potatoes, and if they weren't tied up, they might fall down.

Tengshu continued riding his bike. Pikachu was too embarrassed to look up at Tengshu the whole way. When Tengshu was almost at the market, Pikachu cautiously raised his head and glanced at Tengshu. After finding that Tengshu's expression was very gentle, Pikachu breathed a sigh of relief.

When they arrived at the market, Pikachu was very attentive, running back and forth to select the best and freshest vegetables for Tengshu. Tengshu watched and became increasingly curious about why Pikachu was doing this.

After all, in Tengshu's mind, Pikachu is a rather carefree Pokémon, with a kind of "live for today, for tomorrow we die" attitude.

But now they've become so attentive...

Teng Shu glanced at Pikachu. If he wasn't mistaken, this little guy must have something to shoulder, and it might even be a Pokémon. With the added burden of supporting the family, it naturally became more diligent and its demand for food increased.

But for now, let's buy groceries first.

"Brother Tengshu, you're here to buy groceries so early again today?" An uncle said with a smile to Tengshu. The man was dressed in a smart outfit, and his muscular physique was clearly visible even through his clothes.

"Brother Ma Tian, ​​do you have any good ingredients today?" Teng Shu recognized the uncle in front of him, after all, the man's physique was very distinctive.

Teng Shu heard that a gym once offered Ma Tian a high salary to become a fitness instructor, but Ma Tian refused, saying he only wanted to be a farmer.

"Of course, there must be! Look, pea shoots! The freshest ones, I grew them myself!" Ma Tian proudly brought out a basket of pea shoots. Pikachu ran over, sniffed them, and then flicked its tail.

However, Tengshu didn't need Pikachu to help him identify the ingredients. Uncle Matian was in great shape and a good farmer, so the ingredients he served were generally quite good. It was just that Tengshu arrived relatively early today, otherwise they would have been all snatched up long ago.

The so-called cowpeas are actually cowpeas. Tengshu eats them occasionally. This ingredient is quite nutritious and tastes pretty good. After looking at them, Tengshu simply bought half a basket.

"Anything else?" Teng Shu calculated the food reserves in the orphanage and then asked another question.

"Yes, of course! This is houttuynia cordata. Only those who know their stuff would eat it!" Ma Tian brought out another basket. Teng Shu's eyebrows twitched when he saw what was inside, while Pikachu had already run to the side to hide.

Teng Shu's expression was somewhat subtle.

Houttuynia cordata doesn't smell very pleasant, and its texture is quite unique, with a fishy taste. However, for those who know how to appreciate food, it's a delicacy.

Tengshu himself knows how to eat it; houttuynia cordata is quite crisp and delicious when washed and eaten cold, but Tengshu only bought a small amount.

The reason is also very simple.

The little ones don't really like to eat this.

Pokémon often have a more refined sense of smell and taste, so the smell of houttuynia cordata is more pronounced and overpowering for them, and is not something that most Pokémon can tolerate.

Tengshu once bought some and cooked it for himself, but his curious little black dog took a bite and then spat it out. The other little guys also kept their distance, so Tengshu rarely bought houttuynia cordata after that.

Then, the enthusiastic Uncle Ma Tian recommended some ingredients to Teng Shu, and Teng Shu picked out some to buy. As usual, he also ate some meat, which marked the end of today's grocery shopping.

On the way back, Pikachu was holding a sweet potato, looking a little preoccupied. Tengshu wanted to laugh, but didn't say anything.

When we arrived at the forest where Pikachu was, and we picked Pikachu up, Pikachu twitched its ears and barked a few times.

The vine could sense Pikachu's guilty feeling, after all, it had asked for a whole ten sweet potatoes this time.

Although Tengshu didn't think it was a big deal, Pikachu obviously didn't think so; it was practically dying of guilt.

"Eat without worry, after all, you picked out so many good ingredients for me, didn't you?" Teng Shu gently rubbed Pikachu's head.

Then, with a twitch of his face, he withdrew his hand.

Pikachu is great in every way, except for its strong static electricity, which is probably a common problem for Electric-type Pokémon.

Pikachu called out, then grabbed the sweet potato and disappeared into the woods, calling out as it ran. Although Tengshu couldn't understand, it roughly knew that Pikachu was telling it to wait.

Tengshu was a little curious, so he stood there watching. Soon, Pikachu popped out again, followed by another Pikachu and a Pichu.

The Pikachu in the lead was the one that cooperated with Tengshu, and Tengshu remembered it. The one behind it was an unfamiliar Pikachu. When it saw Tengshu, it became wary, and electricity crackled across its cheeks.

The Pichu hid behind the two Pikachu, cautiously watching the vine.

Teng Shu looked at Pikachu with some surprise.

Goodness, I didn't expect you to have a child in just a few days? Does that make sense?

While it's true that Pokémon breeding isn't limited to Pokémon of the same species, and different Pokémon can also breed, in the real Pokémon world, most Pokémon follow the principle of breeding within their own species.

Cross-species mating and egg incubation are rare.

"You...you already have a child?" Teng Shu pinched his brow, still feeling that this was a bit outrageous.

It's only been less than a week since I last saw Pikachu, and in such a short time, Pikachu has already completed a series of operations, including finding a mate and having children, which is truly amazing.

But then he thought about it again. Pokémon don't need to date or get married, or buy a house and hold a wedding. Everything is very simple, so Tengshu felt relieved.

If we apply this to humans, and if someone has a wife and children after a week of not seeing them, Teng Shu thinks it's either a shotgun wedding or someone taking over a shady business.

"Pika~" Pikachu called out, its tone filled with joy.

Looking at the three little guys in front of him, Teng Shu realized that making a living was no easy task. No wonder Pikachu wanted ten sweet potatoes from him.

It seems I'll have to prepare food for this family of three in advance when I go grocery shopping in the future.

Chapter 43 An Unpleasant Guy

"Hey kid, when were you born?" Teng Shu asked, looking at the Pikachu in front of him.

At the same time, Teng Shu also glanced at the Pichu behind him. This little guy was quite bold. When it saw Teng Shu, it stuck out its tongue at him, looking rather mischievous.

Teng Shu's eyelids twitched; this little guy didn't seem like an honest and well-behaved person either.

"Pika~" Pikachu called out in a silly voice, and Tengshu pinched his brow, not knowing whether it understood him or not.

"Alright, take them back. I'll keep calling you next time." Teng Shu wanted to pat Pikachu's head, but remembering the static electricity from earlier, he withdrew his hand.

Pikachu is cute, but you shouldn't touch it too much.

Seeing this, Pikachu let out a cry, then led Sweet Potato and its wife and children back into the forest.

Teng Shu stood up and stretched.

Tengshu wasn't too worried about whether Pikachu could support a family.

Firstly, wild Pokémon can live normally without human care, but they follow a rather cruel natural law.

Having lived in the wild for so long, Tengshu felt that Pikachu's survival was definitely not a problem, and although it had a child with it, it obviously wouldn't be too difficult for two Pikachu to make a living together.

Moreover, the vines occasionally hire it to help pick vegetables, so it's not a big problem for Pikachu to support a family of three.

Thinking of this, Teng Shu happily rode his bicycle toward the orphanage. When he was almost there, he saw the man he had met yesterday peeking out and looking at the orphanage again.

"This guy..." Teng Shu looked at the man in front of him. Two days in a row, and in the same spot...

"Sir, what can I do for you?" Teng Shu asked directly. The man was startled and turned around to see that it was Teng Shu. He then tugged at Teng Shu's tie in an annoyed manner.

Teng Shu then noticed that the other person was wearing a black suit today, looking every bit the businessman.

However, Teng Shu always felt that if the other party crossed their arms and showed a confident smile, they would be no different from those salespeople on WeChat.

"Ahem... What I'm looking at... is none of your business, is it?" The man still carried a hint of arrogance, just like yesterday.

Teng Shu squinted at the guy, too lazy to argue with him, and simply got on his bicycle and headed back.

But before the car could move, the man blocked Teng Shu's path.

"Well... I'm quite interested in your orphanage. How about I go in and take a look?" The man still had that arrogant attitude, but his tone carried a hint of nervousness.