Beside the farmhouse villa, Chen Shi lounged beneath a large shade tree, letting the warm breeze lull him into leisure.
Next to him stretched the newly built flower garden, where Florges tended her blossoms with meticulous care.
Half a month had passed since he returned home, slipping into a tranquil rhythm.
Every morning he helped his grandparents milk the Miltank, checked on his Pokémon's training, and wandered through the fields.
Every afternoon he studied herbalism and potion-crafting under his grandfather.
Simple. Steady. Fulfilling.
"Now this—this is the correct way to live. Don't you agree, Florges?"
Florges shot him a sideways glare but continued trimming her flowers.
Seeing the seeds gifted from all across Hoenn bloom one after another filled her heart with quiet joy.
Yes.
These days were beautiful indeed.
And his Pokémon had grown remarkably during these two weeks:
Dragapult → Level 56
Swampert → Level 52 (Gym-tier)
Florges → Level 48
Leafeon → Level 43
Togepi → Level 35 (still stubbornly not evolving)
Right now, the troublemaker was upstairs taking a luxurious nap.
Suddenly—
Gardevoir teleported in front of him.
"Sa~nai."
(Shi'er, your grandfather wants to see you.)
Chen Shi blinked.
Grandpa? Looking for him?
"Take me there."
Gardevoir tapped his arm—
—vision blurred—
—and he appeared in the living room.
Inside, his grandparents were hosting a handsome silver-haired young man.
Grandma waved him over.
"Shi'er, come meet him. He's the heir of the Devon Corp's Stone family.
You young people should build strong connections."
Chen Shi's eyes widened.
So this was the legendary walking treasure chest—
Steven Stone.
Steven stood and extended his hand.
"Hello, I'm Steven Stone. You must be the breeder prodigy everyone keeps mentioning—Chen Shi, correct? A pleasure."
Chen Shi shook his hand with a polite smile.
"The rumors exaggerate. I'm not a prodigy."
"But you, Mr. Steven — congratulations on winning the Verdanturf Conference Champion title."
Grandma snorted.
"Enough formalities. Drink tea."
They obeyed.
Steven took a sip, savoring the aroma.
"…Exquisite."
Chen Shi added casually:
"Grandma blended it herself. If you like it, take some home."
Steven chuckled.
"Then I'll happily accept."
His expression shifted to business.
"I'm here to finalize our families' trade."
"We surveyed Rustboro Gorge—your intel was completely accurate."
"For Devon Corp, its value is immeasurable. Thank you."
He lifted a luxury capsule.
"As agreed, I've brought the shiny Beldum, its official training manual, two premium Dawn Stones, and the Togepi egg you asked for."
The capsule opened.
A metallic creature floated out, its polished silver-white surface shimmering like liquid mercury.
"Beldum!"
Data flickered across Chen Shi's vision:
Pokémon: Beldum (Shiny)
Level: 17 (Late Beginner)
Potential: Quasi-Champion
Ability: Clear Body
Moves: Tackle, Take Down, Zen Headbutt
Chen Shi's grin grew.
Quasi-Champion potential from birth.
With proper nurturing, a Champion-tier Metagross was all but guaranteed.
He crouched and smiled warmly.
"Hello, Beldum. I'll be your Trainer from now on."
Beldum floated forward, gently rubbing against his chest.
Steven blinked in surprise.
"Incredible. This is the first time it has accepted someone so quickly."
"Everyone in my family tried to bond with it — it rejected all of them."
Chen Shi shrugged lightly.
"Maybe it's just fate."
Steven handed him the training manual, Dawn Stones, and the egg.
Chen Shi checked the egg:
Pokémon: Togepi (Unhatched)
Potential: King-tier
Inherited Moves: Wish, Heal Bell, Stored Power
Not bad at all — with a premium Shiny Stone, even this Togepi could reach Champion-grade potential.
Grandpa Chen finally spoke.
"You paid quite a price. This must be for your fossil revival project?"
Steven gave a helpless smile.
"Exactly. But we hit a bottleneck."
"With Rustboro Gorge, we may finally achieve a breakthrough."
Chen Shi remembered:
Devon Corp would eventually lean heavily on dream energy from Musharna for fossil revival research.
But that was Steven's problem — Chen Shi had already gotten what he needed.
Just then—
A frantic voice shouted from outside:
"Uncle Chen! Something's wrong!"
"A Pokémon attack—something is attacking Petalburg Woods! Please help!"
Chen Shi froze.
His peaceful days… were ending sooner than expected.
Advance Chapters available on P@treon
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