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

"Yesterday, Xia Chen, a renowned Pokémon researcher and young trainer from our city, defeated Red with a score of 3:0 in the final of the 73rd Donghuang Young Trainer Competition held in Funan City, winning the championship. It is reported that he is the youngest champion in the competition, at the age of 17 years and 9 months, leaving the second place a full year and a half behind."

Uncle Tai pressed the switch, and the sound stopped abruptly.

Xia Chen clicked his tongue in slight regret; he hadn't heard enough yet.

"They've been playing this news non-stop since last night, I'm so tired of hearing it!"

Uncle Tai stood up, stretched, and asked, "Just got back? Come over for lunch?"

Putting down the elegant cat, Xia Chen smiled and nodded, then pointed to Cynthia, who was quietly observing the pink walls and black tiles of the street scene beside him, and said, "My friend is coming to Zhijiang to play. There are two of us and ten elves. You and Mr. Mime can cook four or five dishes, and make some more braised dishes."

Uncle Tai nodded without hesitation, then suddenly asked meaningfully, "Oh, by the way, isn't Mingyi studying at something called Padia? Is she coming back for the New Year?"

Xia Chen coughed lightly and replied, "I asked her yesterday, and she said that her studies there are heavy and she won't be back until after the New Year."

"Oh--"

Uncle Tai dragged out the "oh" sound, then waved his hand and said, "I understand. You and your friend go into the private room first. I'll go cook."

After giving Xia Chen a heavy pat on the shoulder, Uncle Tai went into the kitchen.

…………

Cynthia scooped up a whole spoonful of glistening, translucent shrimp with a faint tea aroma and put it in her mouth, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Mmm, these shrimp are delicious."

Xia Chen smiled and said, "Uncle Tai was the head chef of Hesonglou before he retired. This is his specialty. I learned all my Zhijiang cuisine from him. Try this. It won't taste good when it's cold."

He pointed to the stir-fried eel strips, which hadn't been touched by Cynthia since it was served because of its somewhat unappealing appearance.

Cynthia picked up her chopsticks, looking at the dark brown, glossy dish made of some kind of stir-fried stuff, and wondering if it could even be called a dish. Her expression was somewhat hesitant.

After thinking for a moment, Cynthia decided to let the Pokémon try it first. She looked at Roseradore and asked, "Why don't you try it first?"

Roserade shook her head frantically, "Rade. (I'm a Grass-type Pokémon, I don't eat meat.)"

As she spoke, she reached out a vine, picked up a piece of frozen mutton cake, dipped it in vinegar, and put it in her mouth to calm her nerves.

Xia Chen rolled his eyes. Was it really necessary?

He scooped a spoonful into his bowl and ate it, explaining, "This is eel floss. Oh, I don't think this is a common ingredient in the Sinnoh region, but it's really edible."

Seeing Xia Chen enjoying his food so much, Xilona wavered. When it came to food, Xia Chen was still trustworthy.

So she tried picking up a small piece of eel and putting it in her mouth. Instantly, a rich, salty-sweet flavor exploded on her taste buds along with the tender eel meat. The oily but not greasy texture made Cynthia subconsciously swallow the eel.

"It's okay."

Cynthia made this insincere comment, but couldn't help scooping up a spoonful and putting it in her mouth, then making strange noises.

Looking at Cynthia's slightly flushed face, Xia Chen chuckled to himself.

Arrogance has become obsolete!

However, if it's Sister Zhulan...

…………

At 2 PM, the first lunch back in Zhijiang came to a satisfactory end. Actually, Xia Chen himself didn't care, as long as the guests were satisfied.

Amid greetings from neighbors, Xia Chen and Xilona walked slowly down the not-so-wide street.

Walking along the old path paved with blue bricks, Cynthia held a bowl of sweet fermented rice balls in her hands and exclaimed, "This place is really strange. When I left the airport, I thought Zhijiang was a completely developed and advanced modern city."

Xia Chen shrugged. "Exploring new avenues while staying true to our roots is a characteristic of Zhijiang. You see, if you just stroll around the city like a tourist, you definitely wouldn't have such a profound understanding, right?"

"makes sense"

Cynthia swallowed a mouthful of meatball, then suddenly turned to look at Xia Chen, "If I'm not a tourist, then what am I?"

Xia Chen paused, then scratched his head awkwardly. "You've come to visit my good friend?"

Cynthia wiped the wine residue from her lips with a tissue and nodded with a light laugh.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward. Xia Chen's eyes darted around, and he pointed to a corner of the alley.

"Xianbu, is this where I found you?"

"Buy?"

While dealing with the curious wild cats that had gathered around, Xianbu squinted back at Xia Chen and then used me to change the subject.

Oh man.

Although the method was crude, the topic did indeed pique Miss Cynthia's curiosity. She asked in surprise, "You and Sylvanas know each other like this?"

Xia Chen's lips curled into a slight, triumphant smile, then he spoke nostalgically about the past, "I never imagined that I would meet my starter Pokémon under such circumstances; it was a clear morning after the rain."

Xianbu, standing nearby, also quietly pricked up his ears, listening to Xia Chen recount this story that belonged only to the two of them, as a firsthand witness. However, he occasionally argued back, attempting to rewrite history.

"Buyi! (You were the one who begged me to be your starter Pokémon!)"

"Buyi! (You're the weak and pitiful one who can eat a lot!)"

"..."

…………

As expected, the house was overrun with Pokémon and weeds, and the training equipment that I had bought for Sylveon at a high price had become a den for wild Pokémon.

As for why Xia Chen could tell that grass could grow on a device made of plastic and metal, that was the reason.

Moreover, it was dry and soft hay.

I, the little mouse, have already taken over Xia Chen's house!

It's unclear whether this place is occupied by Rattata or other rat-like Pokémon.

Xia Chen wasn't too angry. He enjoyed the fun that the vibrant and infinitely possible world of elves brought him, but he also had to endure the occasional little troubles.

For example, in this situation now.

Cynthia, standing nearby, surveyed the desolate courtyard and asked, "Didn't you leave any elves to guard the house?"

Cynthia, who spends most of her time digging, competing, or handling league affairs, often experiences this situation as well.

However, her house is much bigger, and she always leaves two elves to guard the house when she goes out, so wild elves certainly wouldn't dare to build nests next to the house.

Xia Chen was speechless. "I only have five... no, six Pokémon so far. I can't even form a full team. Who's going to guard the house?"

Although he said that, Xia Chen thought the suggestion was not bad.

Looking at the cozy little nest among the training equipment, he came up with a solution that would satisfy both sides.

Xia Chen said calmly, "Xianbu, go and find them."

“Bu-i!” Senbu responded.

This was no challenge for the scouting expert, Fairy Cloth. The yard wasn't big, and she quickly found four trembling white mice—two large and two small—in a patch of grass.

"Huh, it's a family of rats?"

Xia Chen was quite surprised by the unexpected situation.

A family rat is a very common Pokémon in the Padilla region, probably as common as Pikachu in the Kanto countryside.

However, the Padia region is quite far from the Eastern Region, and he rarely encounters Pokémon from the Padia region even during battles, let alone wild Pokémon.

However, fewer doesn't mean none. In this era of convenient transportation and increasingly frequent exchanges, it's quite reasonable for a few mice to travel across the ocean.

The rats must have been hiding here when Xia Chen entered the yard; they seemed to know they were taking over the place.

Perhaps it was out of a lingering sense of moral conscience, or perhaps it was because they sensed the imposing presence of Lucario beside Cynthia.

In short, they hurriedly hid in the bushes before Xia Chen came in, and were then caught by Xianbu.

…………

"You've got some nerve, daring to occupy my house."

Xia Chen squatted on the ground, interrogating these audacious rats.

The two larger hamsters, presumably the parents, bravely stood in front of the smaller hamster, seemingly unfazed by Lucario's intimidating presence, as if to say, "Do whatever you want with me."

However, the large, round ears on their heads trembling slightly betrayed their fear and anxiety.

Xia Chen snorted and said, "What are we going to do? Are you leaving or am I leaving?"

Two large rats in the same family looked at each other and saw the gloom and frustration in each other's eyes.

It took them so long to find this place, and they even went through a lot of trouble to defeat countless local Radas.

They had just built their nest, and hadn't even had a few days of good life before they were being driven away by their original owner.

I, a little mouse, am so unwilling to accept this!

But what can you do if you're unwilling? This is indeed someone else's home, and more importantly...

Looking around at the elves beside the human, the mouse knew that none of them were people it could afford to mess with.

That Lucario, with its sheer aura, could make me lose the will to fight.

They didn't rush up and chase me away; instead, they spoke to me politely for a while, which was already very considerate.

After thinking it over, I realized that life was more important than the newly built nest.

The two mice had no choice but to turn around, shoulder their packs, and prepare to leave their home again.

"However, if you are willing to cooperate with me, staying here is not out of the question."

Before they could even step out of the yard gate, they heard the man's devilishly seductive voice behind them.

"squeak?"

The mice's dejected eyes regained their hope, and the feeling of seeing a glimmer of hope rekindled their spirits.

Little did they know that Xia Chen had already completely manipulated the mice's hearts.

Cynthia, who was standing to the side, watched Xia Chen manipulate the mouse's heart the whole time, and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face.

She felt she needed to re-evaluate this seemingly sunny and cheerful young man.

…………

After some communication (or rather, persuasion), Xia Chen signed an unequal rental agreement with a family of rats.

Party A, Xia Chen, needs to provide a place for Party B's family of rats to live, which is where they are currently located.