Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Pallet Town slowly awoke in the morning glow. Inside the research institute, Dr. Oak, still hungover, rubbed his temples and got out of bed. Looking out the window, he slowly drifted into memories. What was I doing yesterday?

Meanwhile, a completely different scenario was unfolding in Zhang Jianying's family.

Kirlia was the first to wake up. She sat in a chair, her fair face flushed, lost in deep self-doubt.

As the fragments of last night's memories pieced together, its body visibly stiffened. The images of teasing the trainer, the flippant words, made the usually elegant creature wish it could disappear into the ground.

Good morning, Kirlia.

Zhang Jianying greeted it cautiously, afraid of touching its sensitive nerves.

Kirlia merely nodded slightly, her crimson eyes lowered, deliberately avoiding eye contact with her trainer. However, the psychic field around her was more solid than usual, as if constructing an invisible barrier.

Just then, Gastly floated in. It had been savoring its "masterpiece" all night and could no longer contain its desire to show it off.

"Hehehe~ Good morning, dear boss~"

Gastly circled Kirlia in a teasing tone, "How did you sleep last night? Did you have any... unusual dreams?"

Kirullian frowned slightly, but ignored it.

Seeing that its leader didn't react, Gastly intensified its performance. It condensed mist into a small crown and deliberately waved it in front of Kirlia: "Look, this is a crown specially prepared for you, Your Majesty~"

"Shut up." Kirlia's telepathic communication was so cold it felt like ice shards could fall from it.

But Gastly was completely absorbed in the pleasure of courting death and didn't notice the eerie atmosphere at all.

It then conjured two small dolls, making them perform a clumsy dance in the air: "The moonlight was so beautiful last night, how about we dance? Hehehe~"

Zhang Jianying and Turtle Turtle exchanged a terrified look and simultaneously took a step back. Baby Dragon, however, stood to the side, its scarlet eyes gleaming with schadenfreude.

Kirullian's small hands clenched slightly, and the surrounding air began to ripple.

"Hehehe, oh my, such a wonderful performance, I wish I could have recorded it~" Gastly blurted out in a moment of smug satisfaction, "Luckily I already..."

It suddenly realized it had let something slip and quickly covered its mouth, which was already stretched almost to its back, but it was too late.

The air froze instantly...

Kirlia slowly raised its head, its crimson eyes burning with shame and indignation. It finally understood why Gastly had been behaving so strangely today.

"You...recorded it?"

The telepathic voice was very soft, yet it sent a shiver down Gastly's spine.

"Heh, heh heh... I was just kidding..."

Gastly slowly sank, trying to hide in the shadows and get away with it, but Kirlia had already raised her hand.

A powerful psychic force instantly bound Gastly, slamming it to the ground. The Pokédex fell out of its shadow with a thud, and the screen was still looping the "highlights" from last night.

"Heh! Wait! Boss, I was wrong!"

Gastly screamed in terror, "I'll delete it right now!"

But Kirlia didn't want to hear its explanation anymore. For the next ten minutes, Haunter experienced what true "psychic attack" really meant.

Gastly was flung into the air and spun around, compressed into various shapes, and bounced around in the yard like a ball.

"Hey—help, Brother Turtle! Boss, save me!"

Gastly screamed, but Zhang Jianying and the Forest Turtle simply took a few more steps back in silence.

The baby dragon, far from being frightened by this scene, was instead eager to try. It let out a defiant growl at Kirlia: "Woohoo! What's so great about you! When I get stronger, I'll teach you a lesson too!"

Kirlia merely glanced at it indifferently, then casually used her telekinesis to slam it to the ground as well. Thus, two unfortunate companions appeared in the yard, both ravaged by telekinesis.

When Professor Oak arrived at the scene, this was what he saw: Gastly was twisted into a pretzel shape, Beast was planted headfirst in the ground, and Kirlia, the culprit, was elegantly adjusting her skirt, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with her.

"Youth is wonderful." The professor smiled and shook his head, then noticed Zhang Jianying's hesitant expression. "Don't worry, they know what they're doing. But..." he lowered his voice, "it's best to keep Kirlia away from last night's juice in the future."

Zhang Jianying, Professor Oak, and Tortoise exchanged a silent glance. Then they nodded knowingly.

……

In the warm afternoon sun, Zhang Jianying sat in the shade of a tree, studying the notes on energy channeling that Dr. Oak had given him.

Baby Dragon lay at his feet, seemingly a little tired from the morning's "special training," and dozed off while holding the Everstone, its little head nodding.

Kirlia chose a sunny spot on the lawn to begin its deep meditation. A pale blue aura surrounded it, its psychic field gently rippling as it sensed its surroundings.

An ignorant green caterpillar, oblivious to its surroundings, slowly crawled toward Kirlia, seemingly drawn by its tranquil aura.

The baby dragon twitched unconsciously in its sleep, probably dreaming of something unpleasant. A wisp of chaotic energy uncontrollably dissipated.

This energy was extremely weak and had almost no effect on humans or other types of Pokémon, but for Kirlia, who was in deep meditation, it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

Kirlia's long eyelashes trembled slightly, her meditation interrupted.

It opened its eyes, its crimson pupils looking at the green caterpillar that was still crawling around in a daze, and then at the baby dragon sleeping restlessly beside it, its energy faintly stirring.

Kirullian wasn't angry; she simply raised her hand slightly.

The green caterpillar suddenly found itself floating! It frantically waved its legs, but was enveloped by a gentle psychic force and steadily transported to a tender leaf in the distance.

As the mental energy dissipated, the green caterpillar landed on the leaf, momentarily stunned, before being drawn by the delicious food and happily began to nibble away.

After dealing with the external interference, Kirlia's gaze fell on the Beast Dragon.

In its eyes, the chaotic energy was like tiny thorns, stirring within the baby dragon's body, preventing it from finding peace even in its sleep.

Kirlia was silent for a moment. Then, it raised its hand again, a very soft, pale blue aura swirling around its fingertips. Unlike the powerful Nen it usually used, this aura carried a sense of soothing and calming.

The halo, like a light veil, covered the areas of the baby dragon where the energy was severely blocked.

Kirullian did not forcefully break through the blockage, but gently massaged the congested energy nodes, guiding them to slowly return to their original positions along the peaceful fluctuations emanating from the Everstone.

The baby dragon, fast asleep, gradually relaxed its furrowed brows, its breathing became steady and long, its body completely relaxed, and it even let out a satisfied snore.

Having done all this, Kirlia withdrew its psychic powers as if nothing had happened. It closed its eyes again and entered a meditative state once more.

Although Zhang Jianying was reading, he kept an eye on the area out of the corner of his eye. He took in all of Kirulian's actions, his mind filled with complex emotions.

"So, you're clearly concerned, but you have to put on that aloof and disdainful act?" He couldn't help but tease Kirlia, looking at her still cool and perfect profile. "Where did you learn this 'tsundere' habit from...?"

As evening fell, the setting sun cast a lazy golden cloak over Pallet Town. However, this tranquility and beauty seemed to be out of reach for a certain little blue fellow.

The baby dragon, clutching the Everstone, squatted by the pond in the backyard of the research institute, watching the shimmering water reflect the sunset, and... its own reflection with blood-red patterns.

The training was largely ineffective; energy blockages persisted, and emotions remained easily out of control.

Thinking of how easily Kirlia had subdued him that morning, a deep sense of frustration welled up inside him.

It felt useless, a burden who only caused trouble. Unlike the reliable Torterra, unlike the lively Gastly, and unlike... that white guy, who was always so elegant, powerful, and at ease.

Just then, a Patchlet hopped by.

It saw the baby dragon crouching alone and tilted its head. This Patchlitz was known for its carefree and oblivious nature.

It felt that the baby dragon looked a little lonely, so it kindly took a cherry from its cheek pouch and carefully rolled it to the baby dragon's feet.

"Splat." Sakura stopped beside the baby dragon claw.

This act of kindness, however, acted like a mirror, reflecting the weakness that the baby dragon least wanted to face. It didn't need pity, nor did it need charity! What it wanted was power—the power to control its own destiny!

"Whoa—!!!"

The baby dragon abruptly raised its head, a flicker of pain and struggle in its eyes. Instead of roaring at Patchlitz, it vented all its anger and frustration on itself. It slammed its head against the ground, letting out a roar filled with pain.

Patchlitz was so startled by the sudden noise that his fur stood on end. He let out a squeak and scrambled away, not even bothering to pick up the cherry.

"Baby Dragon!"

Zhang Jianying strode over, his voice filled with concern rather than reproach. He had witnessed everything that had just happened; the baby dragon was clearly furious, yet it chose to harm itself instead of attacking the Patchles. This was already a significant improvement.

"I know you're hurting," he crouched down to be at eye level with the baby dragon, "but don't hurt yourself like this."

Looking into those concerned eyes, the baby dragon was overwhelmed with even greater resentment. The trainer's words only made it feel more guilty. Why couldn't it control its power? Why did it always cause worry to those who cared about it?

It suddenly turned around and, with all its might, rammed its head into the weathered training stake next to it!

"Thump!!"

A dull thud, heavier than ever before, resounded! The wooden stake shook violently, and a deep crack appeared on it. The baby dragon itself was thrown back several steps by the recoil, a sharp pain shooting through its head, but it stubbornly endured it, only giving Zhang Jianying a complicated look with its watery, scarlet eyes.

Then it ran away without looking back and went back into what it considered the safest place.

Zhang Jianying watched the baby dragon run away, then looked at the lonely cherry on the ground and sighed softly.

He didn't chase after him immediately, knowing that his precious dragon needed some time to calm down on its own, and any lecturing would only backfire.

Zhang Jianying walked to the forest tortoise, who looked at him gently, her eyes full of understanding. She shifted her body slightly, making more space for the little guy hiding below, sulking.

Zhang Jianying sat down next to the forest tortoise, leaning against its warm and solid shell, feeling its silent support.

After a while, he spoke softly to the shadows, "I know you're not feeling well. You're not a burden, you never have been. You just... need some time to learn how to make peace with your own power and with this world."

There was no response from the shadows. But the forest tortoise could feel the small body nestled against the inside of its shell tremble slightly.

The sun completely sank below the horizon, and night began to fall. Zhang Jianying didn't leave; he just stayed quietly by her side.

It wasn't until night had completely fallen and the stars began to twinkle in the dark blue sky that he felt a hard, cold little head peek out from under the forest tortoise and tentatively rest against his knee.

Zhang Jianying's heart softened, and she reached out to gently stroke the hard, cold crown of the precious dragon, as always.

This time, the baby dragon neither dodged nor roared, but quietly endured the caress, making a soft, almost inaudible whimper in its throat, like a small beast that had finally put away all its sharp quills and revealed its soft belly.

He didn't mention the events of the day again, but as usual, he softly hummed that unknown lullaby, the song drifting in the quiet night.

The tortoise remained silent, like a completely at ease background figure. Gastly had also quietly followed, transforming into a blurry purple halo that floated quietly in the distance.

Kirlia appeared on Zhang Jianying's other side. She didn't speak or use her superpowers, but simply sat there quietly. Her crimson eyes looked much gentler than usual under the starlight.

At this moment, there was no training, no arguments, no chaos. Only starlight, the evening breeze, lullabies, and family members snuggling together.

In the distant research institute, Professor Oak stood quietly by the window, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

He held a cup of hot tea in his hand, looking out through the glass at the backyard. Moonlight poured down like mercury, casting a soft silver rim over the small family home.

Professor Oak gently put down his teacup, picked up the Pokédex from the table, and recorded the scene. He turned and went back into the house, deciding to have an extra bowl of noodles that night to fully savor the emotion brought by the Pokémon.

……

Late at night, after finally calming down, the baby dragon was settled at the foot of the bed, but it still insisted on sleeping there, hugging the Everstone.

After seeing that his other partners had also gone to rest, Zhang Jianying quietly turned on his computer and connected to his regular communication with Cynthia.

On the screen, Cynthia's blonde hair shimmered like honey under the light as she listened to Zhang Jianying's summary report over the past two weeks, mainly about the progress of Baby Dragon and some "significant achievements" in team cohesion.

When he heard about Gastly triggering Mareep's Electric Shock, and the daily "love-hate relationship" between Bellatrix and Kirlia, the Sinnoh Champion couldn't help but chuckle, his gray eyes sparkling with interest.

"It sounds like you're having a very fulfilling time in Pallet Town." Her words were as elegant and subtle as ever.

"It's more than just fulfilling..." Zhang Jianying rubbed his temples with a wry smile. "It's practically a test of my physical and mental endurance. However, Baby Dragon is indeed much more stable than before. Now it remembers to hold onto the Everstone before it loses control."

"That's good."

Cynthia nodded. "I've already communicated your situation to Master Gustav. He believes that you have completed the initial theoretical work and the most basic adaptive adjustments."

Zhang Jianying's expression hardened, and he sat up straight.

Cynthia continued, "He has prepared a temporary training ground for you, located near an ancient ruin on the eastern slope of the Crown Mountain Range. The environment there is relatively secluded, with an active and unique energy field, making it very suitable for some training that requires concentration and endurance."

Training that requires a high level of focus and endurance... Zhang Jianying could almost picture Gustav's expressionless yet imposing demeanor when he said those words.

"I will arrange for a reliable flying mount to pick you up at the entrance to Pallet Town three days from now," Cynthia made the arrangements.

"I understand, thank you very much, Miss Cynthia!"

Zhang Jianying expressed his sincere gratitude. He knew that this chaotic yet heartwarming family life in Zhenxin Town was about to come to an end, and the real challenges and trials were just around the corner.

After ending the call, Zhang Jianying leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. He walked to the window and looked out at the tranquil night view of Zhenxin Town and the dazzling starry sky.

At the foot of the bed, Baby Dragon cuddled an Everstone, fast asleep, occasionally smacking its lips as if dreaming of something. Kirlia meditated in a chair, its psychic field serene and distant. Gastly curled up in a corner, sleeping like a quiet purple cloud. Torterra slept in the yard, its massive body reflected in the window.

So much has happened in the past two weeks.

They are all growing up, in ways that may be unconventional but are full of their own distinct personalities.

"Three days later... Tianguan Mountain Range..."

Zhang Jianying repeated the place name in a low voice, his expression expectant.

"Master Gustav," he gazed at the distant mountain range, its silhouette winding like the spine of a giant beast in the night, a flame of fighting spirit burning in his eyes, "I come with a family that is always in trouble but irreplaceable. Please take care of me."

Behind him, the seemingly sleeping baby dragon at the foot of the bed twitched its nose and unconsciously tightened its grip on the Everstone in its dream.

Special training... to become stronger...

Just wait... you green tea bitch... the reliable eldest brother... the mischievous second brother...

And... Ah Jian...

I will become stronger than anyone else! Strong enough to protect all of this!

The starlight in Pallet Town, gentle and silent, witnesses the little moments this family accumulates amidst chaos and warmth, and foreshadows the beginning of the next journey filled with sweat, roars, pranks, and many more unknown "surprises."