"AAAH—!!!"
"HOLY—AAAH!!!"
The shriek that tore through the Chen family villa early that morning was so tragic it could have awakened ghosts.
"Heh heh heh heh… Gengar~"
"Hehehehehehehe~"
In the corner sat Gengar, rolling on the floor, clutching its stomach in unholy glee.
That's what you get for suggesting I protect that brat.
Behold—Lord Gengar's SUPER LICK!!
On the bed, Chen Shi twitched like a human-shaped electric shaver.
His eyes were rolled so far back they could see last night.
Togekiss and Leafeon had woken up long before the screams stopped.
But neither dared to intervene—
They simply sat at a safe distance like two traumatized witnesses.
Floating above them, Mew—still in its smug, self-satisfied glory—laughed along with Gengar, tail swaying like it was enjoying prime entertainment.
By the time the torture ended, Chen Shi lay limp on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as silent tears dripped sideways from the corners of his eyes.
Last night, Mew had already turned him into a human pretzel for half an hour.
He barely slept.
And just as dawn began breaking—
GENGAR.
WITH A HIGH-VOLTAGE LICK.
Before, Gengar's Lick was mildly spicy.
Annoying. Tingly.
But this time?
This time it was like someone plugged his soul directly into a power generator.
"…Sigh."
He finally exhaled and sat up slowly, glaring coldly at the floating Gengar.
Alright, you gaseous little menace. You want to play?
Just you wait.
But before he could even begin plotting revenge—
Mew drifted over, expression soft and innocent, tapping its belly like a spoiled emperor.
Mew~
Chen Shi swallowed his rage and squeezed out a smile through clenched teeth.
"…I'll prepare your food right away.
As much as you want."
Mew~!!
Instant mood switch.
The pink demon flipped happily in midair, tail wagging like a delighted puppy.
Then it spoke telepathically—
Ice cream.
Chen Shi's eyes lit up.
"ALL of it. Not a single one left."
He turned and shot a smug, icy glare at Togekiss.
That's what you get for watching me suffer last night without helping.
Togekiss blinked in confusion, unaware that her entire future was about to collapse.
Chen Shi grinned.
"Come with me."
He led Mew to the kitchen, opened the freezer—
A glorious mountain of cold desserts greeted them:
Vanilla, strawberry, matcha, oreo swirl, berry dream, lemon freeze—
All stocked because of Togekiss's obsession with ice cream.
"All of these," Chen Shi said calmly.
"Are yours."
Mew~!!!
The pink gremlin nuzzled his cheek in ecstasy.
Chen Shi felt his eyelid twitch.
Goddamn black-hearted cat…
"TOGEKIIII—KISS!!"
A desperate wail exploded behind him.
Togekiss dove like a missile, throwing her whole body in front of the freezer as if shielding a baby from gunfire.
"Toge—Kiss!!!"
Her eyes were full of betrayal.
Chen Shi put on his best tragic face.
"Togekiss… Mew says it wants ice cream.
I can't do anything.
If you want to keep it, negotiate with Mew yourself."
Inside, he was laughing like a villain.
Watch your entire ice cream empire crumble.
Mew floated beside Togekiss expressionlessly.
Togekiss's wings slowly sagged.
She stepped back in agony, heart breaking into forty-two pieces.
"…Toge… kiss…"
Her soul ascended.
Chen Shi hummed happily and went to feed the rest of the team.
"What a beautiful day—
Actually no.
Today is SH—"
"Xiao Shi!"
Grandma's shout came from the living room.
"You got mail! From the Pokémon League! Looks like the invitation for the World Championship!"
Chen Shi froze mid-step.
Invitation?
He walked over and found Grandma holding two golden envelopes with elaborate embossing—
one for him, one for Phoebe.
He opened them.
Inside were:
Floral golden cursive.
A fancy League seal.
A lot of flowery praise.
A date: October 18.
Silver Town — Silver Stadium.
World Championship Main Arena.
Both letters were nearly identical except for the names.
And hideous.
He tossed them onto the table.
October 18…
It was already early October.
He and Phoebe would need to leave around the 15th.
Three days of travel—if everything went smoothly.
Training schedule: must compress. Hard.
Then Grandma suddenly spoke.
"Xiao Shi… have you really decided?"
Chen Shi paused for half a second.
Then nodded.
Firm. Unwavering.
"I've decided, Grandma."
Grandma sighed softly, eyes warm with a worry she didn't voice.
"Well… you young people must walk your own paths.
No matter what happens, your grandparents will always be behind you."
Chen Shi smiled.
"I know, Grandma.
I'm going to train."
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