Chapter 601: Parenthood
Chapter 601: Parenthood
In the living room, Shizuru turned to Pappa and Nimo, a smile on his face, and asked, "What are your dreams for the future?"
Pappa hesitated slightly, "Dreams?"
"Yes, what kind of person do you want to be or what do you want to do in the future?" Shizuru nodded.
Upon hearing this, Nimo's eyes lit up, "I want to become a Champion Trainer in the Paldea League and battle with all the amazing Trainers in the world!"
"That's a great dream," Shizuru recalled that in the game, Nimo had achieved this dream, becoming a Champion and making many friends, "You'll have to work hard for it!"
"Yes!" Nimo nodded vigorously.
Shizuru then turned his attention to Pappa.
"Dreams..." Pappa seemed hesitant, and after a long pause, he replied, "I... I don't know."
"What?!" Nimo was surprised, "Does Pappa not have any aspirations?"
"No," Pappa thought for a moment and then added, "I just want to live with the Mastiff Father forever." Just like Mr. Shizuru and his Pokemon.
"That's a good choice too," Shizuru nodded.
Both of them looked up and stared into the distance.
"In this world, there's more to life than just being a Trainer. Beyond that, we can do so much more with our Pokemon," Shizuru said.
"Living together, striving together, traveling, and exploring the world's wonders. When we're tired, we can return to our hometown with our Pokemon and live a peaceful life, growing old together. That's the life I'm living now."
Pappa listened intently, his eyes wide.
Nimo's eyes sparkled, "What an incredible journey!"
Shizuru smiled, "Do you want to give it a try, Nimo?"
"Yes! I want to challenge those powerful Trainers from other places!" Nimo exclaimed with determination.
Shizuru and Pappa: "..."
Nimo never ceases to amaze!
As noon approached, Qi Shu was about to finish work. Shizuru glanced at the time and stood up, addressing the two, "Alright, kids, I'm going to prepare lunch. You can play in the ranch or watch TV for a while."
As he spoke, Shizuru turned on the TV.
Nimo chose to go to the ranch to observe the powerful Pokemon, while Pappa stayed in the living room to watch TV.
Shizuru headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch, glancing at Pappa sitting on the sofa from a distance. He wondered if his words would help Pappa become more optimistic.
Pappa sat on the sofa, watching TV, deeply touched. Being away from his parents for most of the year had made Pappa mature beyond his years. He understood Mr. Shizuru's intentions and knew why he had invited him to the ranch.
Perhaps it was because he had been alone for so long?
With Mr. Shizuru and the chatty Nimo as his friends, his life had indeed become a little brighter.
Just then, a breaking news bulletin interrupted the midday news on TV.
"Crisis! A young boy climbed the tallest building in Miar City, the Prism Tower, at 11:05 a.m. today to save a Croagunk that had lost its mind! How dangerous!"
Pappa's attention was immediately drawn to this news.
Shizuru, in the kitchen, also heard the commotion and instantly pictured the scene in his mind. He walked into the living room.
As expected, the TV was showing footage of a boy climbing the tower with a Pikachu.
It was... Satoshi! Satoshi helped the Croagunk remove its neck restraint, restoring its sanity. However, Pikachu accidentally fell.
Without hesitation, Satoshi jumped from the tower to save Pikachu.
In that critical moment, a fiery figure rushed in from afar, precisely catching the falling Satoshi and Pikachu and setting them down on the ground.
The onlookers and reporters gasped, and the camera focused on the Pokemon.
It was a humanoid Pokemon with white feathers, a V-shaped comb, and a pair of blue eyes. Its claws were wrapped in bandages, its legs were strong and muscular, and it had a horn on its forehead. The shape of its feathers resembled flames, and its arms had four long, fiery ribbons.
Shizuru instantly recognized the Pokemon.
It was the Super Evolution form of Blaziken, Mega Blaziken! Such a cool Pokemon!
"What kind of Pokemon is that?!" Pappa was also captivated by the Pokemon's coolness.
"That's the evolved form of Blaziken," Shizuru explained, "Dr. Bradano from the Carlos Region recently discovered a phenomenon where fully evolved Pokemon can surpass their limits and undergo Super Evolution.
"That Pokemon is what a Flame Chicken evolves into; it's called a Super Flame Chicken."
At this moment, Serena should also be watching this news.
Later, she will embark on a journey, reunite with Ash, and travel with him again.
"Super Flame Chicken..." Pappa repeated softly.
Shizuru didn't explain further but turned around to continue preparing lunch.
As noon approached, Qi Shu returned to the ranch after work.
Seeing Qi Shu, Nimo and Pappa both stood up to greet her: "Miss Qi Shu, hello!"
"You're here?" Qi Shu smiled and replied, "Then relax a bit at the ranch!"
Just as Shizuru was bringing the food to the table, the baby's cry echoed from the room, and Qi Shu quickly put down her bag to go feed the baby.
Shizuru was already used to this and said to the two of them, "It's fine, you can eat first!"
"The baby is crying!" Nimo said.
"Every baby is like that," Shizuru smiled. "She's probably hungry. Once she's full, she'll go back to bed and sleep. Newborns sleep a lot!"
Sure enough, the baby's crying stopped after a while.
Qi Shu came out of the room, and Shizuru asked, "Did she fall asleep?"
Qi Shu nodded, "Yes, finally... The baby has been crying more frequently lately."
Shizuru said, "I looked it up online. At two months old, babies often feel insecure and will cry if they can't see anyone."
Luckily, the Flame Caterpillar and Little Attendant are usually with the baby. This time, it was probably because Little Attendant came to the living room to help prepare lunch, and when the baby woke up and didn't see anyone in the room, she started crying.
"That sounds tough!" Nimo couldn't help but say.
Shizuru nodded with a smile, "That's true. Since the baby is so young, they need to be carefully watched and cared for."
"Was I like that when I was little?" Nimo asked curiously.
"Of course, it's a stage every child goes through," Shizuru nodded.
"Wow!" Nimo couldn't help but ask, "Does Mr. Shizuru find it tiring?"
"Tiring? It can be a bit, but watching your child grow up is a very happy thing for parents. It's like watching a Pokemon evolve from its initial stage to its final form. So, that bit of tiredness isn't really a big deal," Shizuru said.
"I see!" Nimo exclaimed, suddenly understanding.
She turned to Pappa and said, "Pappa, don't worry. Even though Dr. Aulin and Dr. Forte aren't with you now, as Mr. Shizuru said, they must love you very much! Maybe once they finish their work, they'll come back to be with you!"
Hearing this, Pappa's body stiffened.
Shizuru was also slightly taken aback, not expecting Nimo, who seemed so carefree, to have such a sensitive heart...
Pappa looked up at everyone and saw the concerned looks on their faces.
This made Pappa, who had been living alone for a long time and hadn't felt such care in a while, feel deeply moved.
"Thank you," Pappa said softly.
In the afternoon, Nimo and Pappa left the ranch and returned to the Padiya Academy to continue their studies.
Shizuru and his wife stood in the ranch to see them off.
Looking at the two children's figures, Qi Shu couldn't help but ask, "Dr. Aulin and Dr. Forte are often not with Pappa, right?"
"Right," Shizuru nodded. "They are currently conducting a secret research project below the Padiya Crater. They are very busy and don't have time to come up to the land."
Hearing this, Qi Shu's eyes widened in surprise.
"The Padiya Crater? I heard it's very dangerous, and the League has long forbidden outsiders from entering!"
"It's not that dangerous," Shizuru thought. "Gogoat can break through it, but the Pokemon ecosystem there is very brutal, with Paradox Pokemon hunting each other and fighting over territory."
After a moment's thought, Shizuru said, "I was once invited by the two doctors and went there. Gogoat and Noivern came from the Padiya Crater to the ranch. The two doctors entrusted them to me to take care of."
Qi Shu finally understood something, "So, that's why you take such good care of Pappa?"
"That's one reason. I've known the two doctors for five years, but more importantly, Pappa is such a pitiful child."
Shizuru slowly recounted, "Pappa has been living alone since he was young, without his parents around. These experiences have made him very mature for his age, but he lacks care."
"Sigh," Shizuru sighed, "We can't treat Little Tree like that in the future."
"Mhm!" EQi Shu nodded repeatedly.
Fortunately, their jobs as a rancher and a Gym Leader allowed them to stay by their daughter's side for 24 hours a day if they didn't have to go out.
As soon as Mega Evolution was introduced, it immediately sparked a frenzy in the Trainer world.
The once ordinary-priced Keystones and Mega Stones now soared in price alongside the rising tide.
The craze wasn't limited to Trainers; it swept through various fields related to Pokemon.
The next day, Shizuru, having some free time, moved the computer from his home into Little Tree's room. He browsed the web for information while keeping his daughter company.
The Litwick beside the crib had outgrown its drowsiness, having matured much faster than humans. In just a few days, it had grown over a meter tall, covered in fine white fluff, looking adorably fuzzy.
The tiny crib could no longer accommodate it, so Litwick had to move to the side of the bed, where it kept its Trainer company.
"Mega Evolution... Some Pokemon... Various Leagues are introducing Mega Evolution in battles..."
Shizuru browsed online content while searching for products related to Keystones and Mega Stones.
He planned to buy a few, as he might encounter Pokemon capable of Mega Evolution in the future.
Unlike the Dynamax of the Paldea League, the Mega Stones and Super Stones required for Mega Evolution didn't need to be specially crafted; they were hidden in the corners of caves and ruins.
This very reason led Shizuru to witness a surge in mountain climbing and cave exploration across various regions.
Soon, Shizuru stumbled upon a forum post selling Mega Stones.
The poster, going by the name Mountain Man, was a mountain enthusiast who claimed to have collected numerous stones during his travels, including Mega Stones that could Mega Evolve Pokemon.
However, these Mega Stones hadn't been appraised, and they were mixed with other stones, making it impossible for ordinary people to identify them.
Mountain Man stated that he was willing to sell these stones but not directly; instead, he offered them in a "blind box" format.
This meant placing a pile of stones together, letting customers identify the Mega Stones by sight, and allowing them to choose, entirely relying on luck.
Moreover, each stone was priced at 40,000 League Dollars, equivalent to the cost of a Great Golden Orb.
The post included several images, each showing a different room filled with cabinets on all four walls, brimming with stones, clearly numbering over a thousand.
Additionally, Mountain Man mentioned that buyers could visit in person to inspect and choose their preferred stones.
After reading this, Shizuru was a bit bewildered.
Wasn't this gambling with stones?
Everything depended on luck; a European might find their desired Mega Stone in one go, while an African might search an entire wall without success.
Trainers dreamed of Mega Evolving their Pokemon, transforming them into more formidable, cooler, and powerful beings.
Even Shizuru wasn't exempt from this desire, though it might be more challenging for ordinary people.
However, he had made a fortune selling Life Goat Milk, crops, apples, and wool, and his golden touch could also be used to appraise "ingredients."
At this thought, Shizuru's heart raced with excitement.
Perhaps this was his chance to strike it rich!
Moreover, even if he couldn't find Pokemon to use these rare Mega Stones with, acquiring them for his collection would be a great investment.
Shizuru realized he shared a similar trait with Bear Baby; they both had a collecting obsession for rare and unique items.
And this time, it was a perfect opportunity!
Furthermore, the Carlos Region was very close to the Paldea Region, located in the northern part of Paldea, connected to the Rampage Waterfall.
The connection was to South Carlos, while the game's stage was in Northern Carlos.
But it didn't matter; both were part of the Carlos Region, and riding a Gogoat, he could reach there in about an hour.
Shizuru immediately checked the address Mountain Man provided for his customers.
Miar City, Autumn Avenue, No. 203.
That afternoon, taking advantage of the Nangguang Gym's holiday, Shizuru informed EQi Shu about his plan, leaving the ranch and the baby in her care while he set off for the Carlos Region with his Gogoat.
(End of Chapter)
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