A warm afternoon sun blanketed the Chen Family Farm.
Chen Shi and Floss (a.k.a. Phoebe) lounged side-by-side on reclining chairs, soaking in the light like two lazy Slowpokes.
Chen Shi stretched.
"Now this is how life should be."
Floss tilted her face toward the sky, squinting.
"Chen Shi-ge… that bright glowing thing up there—is that what you call a sun?"
"I've only seen moonlight in the Ghost Secret Realm. This is so warm… it feels like a big comfy blanket…"
Chen Shi turned his head slowly.
"…Why are you following me around?"
"Shouldn't you be training your Pokémon?"
Floss waved a hand dismissively.
"Aiya, they're all Elite-tier or close to it. They'll be fine. Grandpa and Grandma already made their training schedules."
"…Fine."
There was no arguing with a Ghost-type girl who embodied chaos itself.
With peace and quiet finally settling in, Chen Shi cracked his knuckles.
Time to plan his next research paper.
Which Pokémon should he publish evolution data on next?
He had options:
King's Rock → Slowking / Politoed
Razor Claw → Sneasel (but too niche)
Metal Coat → Scizor / Steelix
He thought it over.
Onix was common.
Granite Cave practically overflowed with them.
Easy to test, safe to verify.
Perfect for a paper.
Decision: Onix evolution → Steelix.
He jabbed Floss with an elbow.
"I have a task for you."
Floss sat up instantly.
"Yes? Yes?? What task?!"
"Go to Granite Cave and bring me an Onix. Advanced-stage is fine. Don't care about potential. Your whole team is Ghost-type—Onix can't even touch you. Should be fast."
Floss blinked.
"Chen Shi-ge… are you gonna train an Onix?"
He sighed.
"No. I just need to… demonstrate something."
Floss immediately pouted.
"Then I don't wanna go. I wanna stay here and sunbathe."
Ah.
So she wasn't stupid—she just refused to run errands for free.
"One hundred thousand PokéYen."
Floss froze.
She'd been properly educated about money yesterday.
Warm sun… or money?
She squirmed.
"Two hundred thousand."
Floss shot upright.
"Chen Shi-ge, leave it to me!! I'll bring you an Onix right away!!"
And she bolted toward the villa like a fired Drifloon rocket, no doubt rushing to grab her ghostly strike team.
Chen Shi smirked proudly.
"Hmph. Thought you could resist me?"
His gaze drifted toward the flower garden.
Florges was practicing moves while tending blossoms, wearing gravity wristbands and a weighted belt.
He checked her Fairy-energy progress.
"Floette—how many times can you use Disarming Voice now?"
"Flo… flo."
Still once. But she no longer collapsed afterward.
Good.
Her internal Fairy reserves were expanding.
"One day soon, you'll unlock real Fairy moves. Tell me when it happens."
"Flo~."
She waved him off elegantly without turning around.
He didn't disturb her gardening zen and headed inside.
The Living Room
Grandpa and Grandma Chen lounged peacefully, sipping tea.
Chen Shi greeted them and was halfway up the stairs when Grandpa called:
"Phoebe rushed out just now. Something about you giving her a task. What are you making her do?"
"Oh—just catching an Onix."
Grandpa blinked.
"Onix? Why?"
"For a video."
"…A video?"
Chen Shi nodded innocently.
"Oh, and Grandpa—do we have a Pokémon transfer machine at home?"
"In my lab. Why?"
"I'll need it later to trade the Onix."
Grandpa squinted.
"And do we have any Metal Coats? Even low-grade ones."
Now Grandpa was completely lost.
"What in the world are you doing?"
Chen Shi grinned smugly.
"I figured out how Onix evolves into Steelix."
Silence.
"If an Onix holds a Metal Coat and undergoes a trade, it'll evolve."
Grandpa froze mid-blink.
Grandma lowered her teacup very… very slowly.
Chen Shi added casually:
"I'll film it and publish the paper later."
Grandma finally found her voice.
"Chen Shi… are you planning to become a researcher?"
"No, no. Just a side job."
"Just a hobby."
Both elders stared at him.
You call solving an evolution mystery the entire world has failed to uncover… a hobby?
Grandma sighed deeply.
"Hobbies are good. But if you want to be a Trainer, we support you."
"If you want to be a Breeder, we support you."
"But the Researcher path is difficult. Full of pressure."
Chen Shi plopped down beside her.
"Grandma, relax. I'm keeping my priorities straight."
"I'm only researching casually!"
Grandpa narrowed his eyes.
"Casually, you say."
"Didn't you also casually discover Leafeon and Glaceon's evolution methods?"
Chen Shi shrugged.
"I told you—I'm already an entry-level researcher."
Grandpa's eye twitched.
"You're the anonymous researcher the entire League is talking about?"
"The one whose publications made three regions panic for a week?"
Chen Shi blinked innocently.
"Oh yeah. Didn't I tell you?"
The two elders simply stared at him.
This child…
This unreasonable, abnormal, effortless genius of a child…
Grandma finally sighed and gave up.
"Forget it. You'll do whatever you want anyway."
Grandpa nodded helplessly.
Some geniuses were just built different.
And Chen Shi… was the worst kind.
A genius who didn't even try—
and still solved world-class problems while sunbathing.
Advance Chapters available on P@treon
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