I'm live-streaming Pokémon science popularization on New World.

Chapter 109 Hong Family's Contestant Spots

The old seaside house of the Hong family was now filled with an unreal, dreamlike atmosphere.

The somewhat old computer screen on the table was displaying the exquisite electronic invitation.

Hong You carefully read each word and filled out the form sent by the event organizers on the computer.

Father Hong Hai sat in the rattan chair opposite, slowly sipping his tea; Mother Lin Suzhen sat next to Hong You, knitting, but her eyes kept glancing at the screen; Hong Xiu sat cross-legged on a plastic stool a little further away, with a thick Pokémon move and ability analysis notebook spread on her lap, but her attention was clearly not on the book.

"Contestant Information: Hong You — Pokémon: Gyarados (Xiao Jin) —"

Hong You typed it in as she read it aloud, and then she got to the list of accompanying personnel.

"Dad, Mom, Xiu, and me—that makes four of us."

He stopped what he was doing, looked up at his family, and asked, "The organizers said we can bring a maximum of five people. What do we do with this last spot?"

The parents exchanged a glance but did not respond immediately.

Hong Hai stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray made from an old can, wiped his face with his rough hands, and spoke.

"Ayou, Axiu, you two should go. It's a big event for you young people to compete and broaden your horizons. Your mother and I won't go and join in the fun. It'll be too much trouble for us on the way, and we won't be able to help. It would just be a waste of our spots."

Lin Suzhen also stopped and walked to her son's side, gently placing her hand on Hong You's shoulder.

"Your dad's right. If we go, you'll have to divide your attention and take care of her. Why don't we—why don't we—cash out the extra spot? I heard a lot of people are willing to pay a high price for it. With the money, you can better nurture Xiao Jin, and her future prospects will be brighter."

Her voice was gentle, yet it carried the simple wisdom of working-class families who always plan for the long term of their children.

Hong You choked up, about to speak, but Hong Xiu spoke first, her voice clear and firm.

"don't want."

He looked at his parents with clear eyes.

"Dad, Mom, we're going. The funding from the Taiwanese government is more than enough for Xiao Jin's current education. Teacher Lin also said that some opportunities are more important than money."

He paused, looked out the window at the deep sea, and spoke with a clarity beyond his years.

"I don't want you to end up like your grandparents, who, by the time they have the chance to go out and see the world, are too old and unable to go anywhere. This time, our whole family is going to Xinyuan. We'll go see my brother's competition, see that tower, and visit Teacher Lin's city."

Hong You nodded emphatically, picking up where her brother left off: "Xiu is right. Dad, Mom, you've worked hard for most of your lives, it's time for you to go out and see the world. We won't sell the spots, the whole family will go together."

The parents' insistence gradually softened in the face of their sons' consistent and clear stance.

Hong Hai lit another cigarette and smoked it silently, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Lin Suzhen wiped her eyes and smiled as she gently patted her two sons on the back.

"Okay, okay, everyone go, everyone go—then, who gets this last spot?"

The question was thrown back, and the living room fell silent.

There were five spots available, and with a family of four, there was one spot left.

That remaining spot, on today's "black market," represents a huge fortune that their impoverished fishing family might not earn in several years.

But neither Hong You nor Hong Xiu thought about "selling".

Hong You's mind flashed through the faces of several relatives and friends, but she rejected them one by one.

Just then, Hong Xiu spoke softly, her voice not loud, but it made Hong You's face instantly turn red to her ears.

"Give it to Sister Mingming."

Dai Mingming. This name was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples in Hong You's heart.

She was his high school classmate, and also the "young boss" of the fast food restaurant where he used to work part-time. She was a girl with delicate features and a cheerful personality.

When they were in school, Hong Xiu was bullied because of her introverted personality. Dai Mingming was the first to discover this and secretly told Hong You.

With his family's fishing business suffering a setback, Hong You urgently needed to find a part-time job to supplement the family income. It was Dai Mingming who took the initiative to plead with his parents and gave him a job as a deliveryman and general laborer at a fast food restaurant, which at the time did not lack manpower.

In her daily work, she always quietly takes care of others and never acts like the boss's daughter.

Dai Mingming's parents had a very good impression of her.

Lin Suzhen immediately nodded: "Mingming is a good child; he has helped us a lot. We should thank him."

Hong Hai hummed in agreement.

Hong You's face turned even redder, and her heart pounded in her chest.

He stood up awkwardly, his eyes darting around: "Then—then I'll go tell her."

After saying that, he forgot his phone was on the table, turned around and walked out, his hurried steps almost tripping over the threshold.

"Brother, your phone!" Hong Xiu reminded him from behind.

Hong You didn't turn her head, her voice drifting over.

"I—I'll tell them in person!"

The figure quickly disappeared into the dimly lit alley outside the door.

Lin Suzhen watched her eldest son's flustered figure disappear into the distance, exchanged a glance with her husband, and both saw a knowing smile in each other's eyes.

Hong Xiuye ​​slightly curled the corners of her lips, but said nothing more.

He stood up, picked up the Green Ball containing Gyarados Gold from the table, and said to his parents, "Dad, Mom, I'm going to the Pokémon Center to do some pre-match training with Gold. I'll be back before dinner."

"Come back early, be careful on the road," the parents habitually reminded them.

Regarding their youngest son training with powerful Pokémon on his own, their initial worries have gradually given way to acceptance, replaced by trust and support.

Hong Xiu nodded, carefully put the Poké Ball away, and left the house.

Instead of heading immediately to the newly established Pokémon Center in town, Hong Xiu walked along the familiar coastal path toward the secret rocky beach that once belonged to him and Xiao Jin.

The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was rhythmic and powerful, and the setting sun cast a long shadow of him.

He found a flat rock to sit on, took out the jade ball, and gently stroked its cool, metallic surface.

The sphere trembled slightly, emitting a familiar, powerful pulse.

More than a month ago, he and his brother Hong You never imagined that they would embark on this path.

When the Pokémon Pokédex "Battle Matchmaking" feature was first launched, the two brothers had no intention of participating at all.

Hong You felt that he was only benefiting from his younger brother and Gyarados, and that his skills were not real; Hong Xiu, on the other hand, felt that he was too young and far from being a true trainer, and only wanted to learn quietly to be worthy of Xiao Jin's trust.

The unexpected happened on an ordinary afternoon.

Two local trainers, who had just successfully caught a Pokémon, each with their newly caught Tentacruel, found a quiet, secluded spot on the beach and excitedly began their first "official" battle.

The makeshift referee was a friend of one of them, along with a few neighbors who had come to watch the spectacle.

Two agate jellyfish clumsily sprayed each other with stingers and foam in the shallow water. The battle was not intense, but it was full of the excitement and seriousness of novices.

However, the location of this battle, coincidentally, was right on the edge of the sea area where Xiao Jin usually operates.

The familiar skill fluctuations and aura belonging to the agate jellyfish were like sparks thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the furious memories of something deep in the sea.