At the back of the mountain, Mew wiped imaginary sweat from its forehead and looked at the newly relocated secret-realm entrance. Only then did it let out a relieved sigh.
"Mew~"
(Don't forget my ice cream.)
Chen Shi glanced at it, speechless. "Alright, alright. I won't forget. Relax."
Satisfied, Mew nodded, transformed into an Eevee, and hopped onto Chen Shi's shoulder.
"So… what's it like inside? Can we go in yet?" Chen Shi asked.
"Mew~"
(The secret realm hasn't fully stabilized. It's still dangerous inside. You'll have to wait until it finishes forming.)
Chen Shi nodded. That was about what he expected. A secret realm didn't form overnight—this kind of thing took time. He wasn't in a rush anyway.
With that settled, he headed back toward the house with Mew.
But when he reached the villa, he froze.
Out front, several Pokémon were already gathered—his grandparents' Salamence, Garchomp, Sceptile, Gengar, Venusaur, and others. A long table had been set up outside, and Gardevoir kept teleporting back and forth, bringing dishes out from the kitchen.
His grandfather had even set up a large grill, brushing oil onto slabs of meat with practiced motions.
Cynthia and Phoebe were helping out as well.
The whole scene looked warm and lively.
Then Chen Shi noticed something… odd.
His grandmother's Garchomp was holding a bottle of alcohol, taking occasional swigs—while repeatedly sneaking glances at Cynthia's Garchomp.
Chen Shi's expression turned strange.
…Was Garchomp checking out another Garchomp?
The Salamence beside it clearly noticed too—and instantly exploded.
I'm still right here, you jerk, and you're already looking at another dragon?!
With a furious beat of its crimson wings, Salamence slammed Garchomp away. The poor dragon went flying and crashed into the ground in the distance, leaving behind a deep crater.
Everyone—humans and Pokémon alike—froze, staring in shock.
Salamence snorted, twin streams of white vapor blasting from its nostrils, clearly uninterested in explaining itself.
Chen Shi barely managed to hold back his laughter as Garchomp sheepishly flew back, desperately trying to ingratiate itself. Salamence ignored it completely and answered with an angry roar.
Not long after, Chen Shi sat at the table and watched as Garchomp was sent flying several more times by an increasingly irritated Salamence.
In the end, realizing there was no salvaging the situation, Garchomp gave up. It picked up its bottle, trudged off to a corner, and sat there alone—gazing mournfully at the moon.
"Bro Shark, what happened to you?" Chen Shi walked over, grinning as he teased.
Garchomp glanced at him, then turned back to the moon.
"Garchomp~"
(You're here, buddy.)
"So… you pissed Dragon Sis off?" Chen Shi asked, pretending not to know.
Garchomp let out a dramatic sigh.
"Garchomp~"
(I just made the same mistake every dragon makes at least once. Why does she have to make such a big deal out of it?)
Chen Shi: "..."
"Bro Shark, you're something else."
He gave a thumbs-up.
Who would've thought—this hard-drinking Garchomp was actually a seasoned scumbag dragon. No wonder Salamence was furious.
Garchomp sighed again, looking utterly dejected.
Chen Shi didn't bother with him anymore and went back to his grandfather's side to help grill meat.
Before long, Gardevoir finished bringing out all the dishes, and his grandmother stepped out of the house.
"Alright, everyone! Dinner's ready!"
"Coming, coming," his grandfather said with a laugh, loading the grilled meat onto a large platter and setting it on the table.
Chen Shi poured drinks for everyone and filled the Pokémon's cups with plenty of Combee Honey.
Once everyone had taken their seats, his grandfather raised his glass.
"This meal is to celebrate Chen Shi, Cynthia, and Phoebe for achieving such outstanding results in the World Championships."
"Cheers!"
Chen Shi, Cynthia, and Phoebe all smiled and clinked glasses with the two elders.
The Pokémon were even happier—good food and sweet honey. One by one, they dug in like there was no tomorrow.
Only his grandmother's Garchomp sat alone in the corner, quietly drinking.
After a glass, his grandfather asked about their plans going forward.
Chen Shi shrugged. "I'll be staying home for a while to write my papers. After that, I still need to attend the Devon Company auction."
"And after that… I'm not really sure yet."
His grandmother seemed to recall something. "Oh right—someone from Devon Company came by earlier. Said they were here to build you a research lab, and that you'd already agreed."
"We let them survey the back mountain. They said they needed to gather manpower and prepare materials, but there hasn't been any news since."
Chen Shi nodded. "Yeah, I agreed to that. You don't need to worry."
Seeing that he didn't deny it, his grandparents relaxed.
Then his grandmother turned to Cynthia. "And you, dear? What are your plans?"
Cynthia thought for a moment. "I plan to stay in Hoenn for a while. Take some time to properly relax."
Before she could finish, Phoebe immediately raised her hand like an attention-grabbing mascot.
"Me too, me too! I'm sticking with Brother Chen Shi to sunbathe!"
Chen Shi's mouth twitched. "What do you mean with me? You're the one who's been sunbathing all day. Don't drag me into this."
Phoebe stuck out her tongue. "Doesn't matter—I'm still following you!"
"Alright, enough," his grandfather cut in with a smile, then spoke more seriously. "If you have things you want to do, do them soon. You might not have the time later."
Chen Shi frowned. "Grandpa? What do you mean?"
"The World Championships just ended. Why wouldn't we have time?"
His grandfather took a sip of wine and explained, "Recently, the Hoenn League discovered a top-tier secret realm. Even the preliminary survey turned up rare resources, medicinal plants, and all kinds of uncommon Pokémon."
"The League has decided to use it as a trial ground for the younger generation. Given your performances, they'll definitely invite you."
Chen Shi waved it off. "Just because the League invites me doesn't mean I have to go."
"Top-tier secret realm or not, I'm not interested. Staying home is way more comfortable."
...
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