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Chapter 99 Magical Magikarp

Taiwan, a small town on the southwest coast, where the sea breeze blows year-round.

Night had fallen, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty and damp scent, seeped through the not-so-firm window cracks.

In a slightly old but fairly tidy seaside house, seventeen or eighteen-year-old Hong You stared blankly at the black screen of a computer live stream, his face filled with disappointment.

The family originally made a living by fishing in the near sea, and the father was once the most capable helmsman on the small fishing boat.

However, after Pokémon arrived, the near-shore ecosystem changed, and the activity areas of some Aquatic Pokémon overlapped with traditional fishing grounds. In order to ensure safety and ecological balance, the authorities have introduced strict fishing restrictions and time periods.

Despite the subsidies, in the early stages when everything was still unclear, it was an undeniable fact that families like Hong Youjia, who relied on traditional near-shore fishing, experienced a sharp decline in income.

My father had to find a night shift at the processing plant in town with my mother, so he could catch up on sleep during the day.

Hong You himself had average grades in school and started helping his family at a young age. Now that fishing is restricted, he works as a waiter at a fast food restaurant in town during the day and comes home at night to look after his younger brother Hong Xiu.

But that kid— Hong You frowned as she looked at her younger brother's tightly closed door; the room was empty.

That kid must have sneaked out again to go to the edge of the nearby mountains or even more remote beaches to look for wild tree fruits.

This wasn't the first time. Every time, Hongyou had to cover for him, finding a way to get his younger brother back before their parents returned in the early hours of the morning, and making up reasons to explain that his brother might have dirt and grass on him.

Hongyou's parents are too tired, and she doesn't want them to worry about her younger brother's "adventurous" behavior anymore. She might even forbid Hongxiu from going out, which would make her brother even more upset.

His gaze involuntarily shifted to the dark sea outside the window, his thoughts drifting back to a month ago.

He got off work early that day and found that Hong Xiu was not at home, so he searched along the beach.

In the most remote part of the town, there is a desolate rocky beach that almost no one goes to.

He saw his younger brother, Hong Xiu, squatting beside a large rock smoothed by the waves, carefully feeding a crushed basic energy cube into a faint golden shadow in the water.

It was a Magikarp, but its scales shimmered with a rare, pure golden luster in the setting sun, rather than the usual orange-red.

It looked to be in very bad condition, its body twitching spasmodically from time to time, rubbing its head against the rough rocks, and its eyes showing obvious pain.

While feeding it energy cube fragments, Hong Xiu whispered something and gently stroked its dorsal fin.

The Magikarp didn't dodge; instead, it obediently accepted the situation.

Hong You panicked and rushed out to try and pull her younger brother away.

The golden carp is too conspicuous. What if someone with ill intentions sees it? Hong Xiu was startled by her brother's sudden appearance and slipped, falling into the sea!

At the critical moment, the golden carp king suddenly leaped out of the water and used its head to stop Hong Xiu's falling body, pushing him back to the shore.

At that moment, Hong You swallowed back the blame that was on the tip of her tongue.

He crouched down and, together with his still-shaken brother, watched the golden carp swimming slowly in the water, looking somewhat pained.

"Brother—what's wrong with you—"

"What happened?" Hong You tried to keep his voice calm, but his gaze was serious.

Hong Xiu knew she couldn't hide it anymore, so she lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, and told the reason in a broken voice.

About two months ago, Hong Xiu was feeling down because of some unpleasant things that happened at school (Hong You knew that his younger brother was bullied by some bad kids since he was a child because he was too handsome and good at studying and had a quiet personality. Even though Hong You had beaten up many people before, his brother was still targeted after he left school). He went to this deserted beach to clear his mind.

Right there, he witnessed several purple-blue, jellyfish-like Pokémon (he later learned from research that they were called Tentacruel) attacking a golden Magikarp.

Magikarp was already injured, but it showed no sign of giving up. It desperately splashed water with its water splash and rammed its body into the surface. Although the effect was weak, its spirit of never admitting defeat struck Hong Xiu, who was feeling helpless and aggrieved at the time.

He seemed to see another version of himself, a version of himself that was no longer willing to suffer in silence.

The agate jellyfish seemed to find it boring and eventually dispersed.

The injured Magikarp leaned against a rock in the shallow water, exhausted.

Hong Xiu remembered the newly opened "Pokémon Supplies Store" next to the health clinic in town. The news had mentioned that it sold medicine to treat Pokémon injuries.

He was usually very frugal, saving most of the pocket money his parents gave him. He immediately ran back to town, used his savings to buy a bottle of the most basic wound medicine, and gritted his teeth to buy some of the cheapest energy cubes.

Back at the seaside, Magikarp was still there.

Hong Xiu first used an energy cube to gain the trust of Magikarp, and then carefully sprayed its wounds with healing medicine.

Perhaps the medicine worked, or perhaps it sensed the unreserved kindness, but Magikarp accepted him.

Hong Xiu named it "Xiao Jin", and from then on, they became each other's secret friends.

Since then, this place has become Hong Xiu and Xiao Jin's secret base.

Whenever Hongxiu was in a bad mood or had been wronged outside, she would come to Xiaojin to confide in her.

Little Gold, the Magikarp that once fought back against the bullying, would always listen quietly. Sometimes it would gently slap the surface of the water with its tail, and sometimes it would even spray tiny water droplets in Hongxiu's face, as if to say, "Don't be afraid, fight back like I did!"

And indeed, after spending time with Xiao Jin, Hong Xiu's personality gradually became more daring to say "no" to bullying.

Their bond grew stronger.

Hong Xiu even told Xiao Jin that when conditions allowed in the future, he wanted to become a real Pokémon Trainer and take Xiao Jin to see a wider world.

But the good times didn't last long. Soon after, Hong Xiu noticed that Xiao Jin was starting to act strangely.

It was no longer as energetic as before, often appearing restless and frequently rubbing its body against the hard rocks, as if something inside it was hurting. Yet, there were no new wounds on its body.

Hong Xiu panicked. He remembered seeing online that some tree fruits could improve the health of Pokémon.

So he began to use his spare time to secretly go to the edge of the mountains and the wild to look for potentially beneficial tree fruits and bring them back to feed Xiao Jin.

Some of the tree fruits seemed to make Xiao Jin feel a little better, but the effect was short-lived, and the pain still frequently recurred.

Hong You remained silent for a long time after listening to her younger brother's account.

Looking at the genuine worry and dependence on Xiao Jin in his younger brother's eyes, and thinking about the "trouble" and "attention" that the golden Magikarp might mean, he finally just sighed and ruffled his brother's soft hair.

"You must be more careful when going out at night from now on, and you must tell me first," Hong You said. "We'll figure something out together. But remember, don't tell Mom and Dad, so they won't worry."