Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

"Buyi."

Beside him, a cute pink and white elf shook its head helplessly, thinking how childish it was.

Isn't it common sense that summer arrives in Zhejiang in May?

The two people, Xia Chen and Xianbu, had just returned to Donghuang from Carlos.

Xia Chen, unaware that Xianbu was secretly criticizing him again, patted the little gray fox perched on his shoulder and said, "This will be your home from now on, Zoroya~"

"Yo~"

Soroya squinted and nuzzled Xia Chen's cheek. Wherever he was, that was home.

“Qiru.”

Kirullian followed closely behind, clutching Xia Chen's clothes.

When she's in crowded places, she becomes very timid because she can sense people's good or bad intentions, and she still habitually stays by Xia Chen's side.

She used to be held in Xia Chen's arms or on his shoulder, but now that she's grown into a young woman, Xia Chen rarely holds her anymore.

However, this is not bad either. Kirullian secretly compared her height to Xia Chen beside her.

It's already past Xia Chen's waist; it just needs one more evolution.

Thinking of this, Kirullian suddenly blushed.

…………

"Xia Chen! Ibrahimovic! Larchurian! Zoroya! Over here!"

Not far away, a beautiful young girl stood on tiptoe and waved in this direction, her delicate face full of collagen and a smile brighter than the sun.

Even in the noisy airport, the clear, bell-like sound was highly recognizable and easily reached Xia Chen's ears.

Hearing the cheerful, familiar voice, Xia Chen's mood inexplicably improved. He turned around with a smile and, sure enough, saw Mingyi in the crowd, along with Qing Teng, who had come to pick her up. No, it seemed to have evolved into Serperior.

But that doesn't matter. Over there, Mingyi was already skipping and hopping towards Xia Chen.

Of course, "bouncing and hopping" doesn't refer to Mingyi's running style, but rather to something described as something that would negatively impact her hometown's image.

In short, Xia Chen received a warm hug from Ming Yi as soon as he returned to his hometown.

However, after the initial enthusiasm subsided, she let out a soft snort and complained, "You idiot, you've been gone for so long and you never call home!"

Xia Chen didn't understand why not doing this would be considered stupid, but with his high emotional intelligence, he knew that he should never argue with a girl at a time like this.

"I'm sorry, because I wanted to relax completely, I rarely contacted the outside world. It was always other people who called me first."

First, find a reasonable excuse to show that it's not targeting you, but treating everyone equally.

Mingyi's expression softened slightly, but she still seemed a little angry.

No problem, there's always a second trick to follow.

"And I've prepared a gift for you," Xia Chen said with a smile, taking out a beautiful photo album from her backpack.

This is a collection of scenic photos he took along his journey through the Carlos region, snapshots of the elves' daily lives, and memorable images such as winning the Grand Contest and reaching the top of Dragon Leap Falls.

As expected, Mingyi's expression brightened after this move.

She happily accepted it, a sweet smile spreading across her face, and held it carefully in her arms.

But he kept muttering and stubbornly insisting, "Who cares!"

Xia Chen muttered softly, "Ma Xiu, Korni and Karuni like it quite a bit."

Fortunately, Mingyi was already humming a cheerful tune and didn't hear those words, otherwise it would have been another bloody battle.

Only the keen-eared Senbu rolled his eyes.

Indeed, no matter how many times the world starts over, some people's nature will never change.

…………

Perhaps it was the life energy bestowed by Xerneas that left Xia Chen physically and mentally exhausted during the more than ten-hour journey to Carlos.

The journey back was the same, and Xia Chen was still full of energy.

So he planned to have a casual meal outside with Mingyi and the elves, and then go home to clean.

But in the end, Mingyi still dragged me back to her house for dinner.

Mingyi's parents had obviously already learned about Xia Chen's return from Mingyi, and prepared a large table of delicious dishes.

This wasn't the first time Xia Chen had gone to her house for a meal since he transmigrated, but he felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange today.

It didn't seem like a simple welcome party for Xia Chen.

After a few rounds of drinks, Mingyi's father, who was chatting enthusiastically, finally brought up another matter: Mingyi would be going to the Orange Academy in the Padia region for a long time to come.

"The Parthian region?" Xia Chen was slightly lost in thought.

"It's okay, I will definitely come back to participate in the Donghuang Tournament in two years and defeat you to win the championship!" Mingyi said confidently.

Xia Chen suddenly felt that these words sounded familiar. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that Chi Hong had said the same thing.

That tone is exactly like Chi Hong's.

Perhaps they are all people who crave victory and championships?

But aren't I the same now?

Xia Chen smiled and replied, "I'll wait for you."

…………

The meal ended with everyone enjoying themselves.

After dinner, Mingyi accompanied Xia Chen towards his home, taking a walk and helping him clean up.

I haven't been back for five months, so the house definitely needs a thorough cleaning.

Halfway there, Xia Chen suddenly said, "Oh, right, I also prepared a gift for you, but it's still on its way by air and will arrive in two days."

Mingyi asked curiously, "You're only telling me now? It's so mysterious! What is it?"

Xia Chen explained, "It's a Pokémon egg, a reward from the Kalos League to recognize my contributions. The parents are Elite Four level Pokémon, and it's highly likely to be one of the top-tier Kalos starter Pokémon. You can choose whichever you like."

He hadn't originally wanted the Carlos Alliance reward, since he didn't plan on having a "fifth child" for the time being.

But after learning that Mingyi was going to study in the Padia region, Xia Chen suddenly thought, why not give this elf egg to Mingyi?

Mingyi hurriedly waved her hand, "This is too precious, I can't accept it. Besides, I've already caught a Scorbunny with the [Free Spirit] ability, and Greninja is a bit too heavy. I don't want to raise the other two."

With the existence of breeding bases, the current starter Pokémon are not particularly rare; you can buy a starter Pokémon with average or above-average stats for a few hundred thousand.

However, if the parents are Elite Three starter Pokémon, the price will be more than ten times higher, not to mention Froakie, which is one of the more sought-after ones.

A gift worth tens of millions is indeed a bit too expensive.

Xia Chen joked, "Didn't we tease each other back then, saying 'If we become rich, let's not forget each other'? My buddy made a fortune in Carlos, a croaking frog is nothing."

While it may be a bit of an exaggeration, that's really the case.

The prize money from Dr. Blatano's initial mission, the parting gift from Vladari, the proceeds from the Grand Contest, the millions of dollars included with the Luminous Medal, and Xerneas's blessing upon Sylvanas and Kirlia.

Compared to all the gains along the way, a single croaking frog is really just the tip of the iceberg.

…………

Mingyi was still a little hesitant.

Xia Chen shrugged. "It's not appropriate to sell this reward. Since you don't want it, I can only return the Pokémon egg. I only recently caught Zoroa and don't have any plans to raise new Pokémon, let alone a Froakie."

Frog Bro is handsome, but ever since Xia Chen found out that the scarf around his neck is actually his tongue, he can no longer bear to look at him.

As for the other two of Carlos's three main families

Hmm. Do you have these two Pokémon?

Actually, Xia Chen had asked if it could be replaced with Carlos the Quasi-God Goober, as he had a pretty good impression of Goober.

The wet, sticky, and docile dragon still really appealed to Xia Chen.

It's a pity that it can't be replaced.

Seeing Mingyi's still conflicted expression, Xia Chen said softly, "Take it. Consider it as accompanying you on your adventure in Padia on my behalf."

Hey, wait a minute

Does this sound familiar?

It looks crimson again.

However, this time it was when I gave him a multi-functional bicycle before we parted that I said those words.

Xianbu, who was following behind, shook his head. They all said the same thing: "What an old scumbag."

After some hesitation, Mingyi seemed to have made up her mind, nodded emphatically, and accepted this special gift.

Xia Chen was somewhat amused and exasperated. Those who knew the situation would think he was receiving a gift, while those who didn't would think he was accepting some life-or-death mission.

…………

As they spoke, the two had already arrived in front of the old house.

Xia Chen scratched the chin of the little fox in his arms. "This will be our home from now on."

"Yo~"

Zorua excitedly climbed over the wall and rushed inside, looking very curious about his future home.

Xia Chen smiled, opened the door, and went inside.

After five months of neglect, the yard was overgrown with weeds, and two wild grasses, seemingly out of nowhere, were shamelessly reproducing under the cover of night.

Hearing the door open, they hurriedly separated and then rushed away.

Xia Chen: "."

So you think my house is deserted?

Xia Chen looked at the yard full of weeds and released all the fairies, "Everyone, come out and get to work!"

Mingyi also summoned Serperior and Saurami to help.

Three hours later.