Pokémon: Starting with a Pokémon Ranch.

Chapter 71 Staying Up Late on New Year's Eve

Put the cleaned prawns into the pot, stir-fry them, and then take them out.

A large plate of braised prawns is now ready. Dozens of prawns neatly arranged on a plate look incredibly appetizing.

The plate of prawns was placed on the living room table. By then, the Alcremie and the others had also cleaned the room.

The living room looks almost the same as when we first moved in. The dust that had settled in the house over the past month has been wiped clean by the Pokémon.

It seems that Growlithe put in the most effort. Using the "Agility" move and with a whisk in its mouth, it quickly finished cleaning the room.

To prevent dust from getting on its face, Growlithe even wore a helmet, which looked quite comical.

— Here they are! Sword and Shield Twin Dogs, in their Eastern Form!

After serving this plate of prawns, the entire New Year's Eve dinner was complete.

Looking at the table full of more than a dozen dishes, the Frost Fairy and the others seemed very curious.

Seeing this, Su Yu explained:

"This is called a reunion dinner. On New Year's Eve, many people who are busy working away from home finally have the opportunity to reunite with their families, so at this time, they should have a good meal together."

"Mama?" Family?

The Frost Milk Fairy asked in confusion, as it was the first time it had ever heard this word.

"Yes, family. Generally speaking, it refers to people who are related by blood or who form a family together."

"Mama?" Then we'll count too?

"Of course," Su Yu nodded in reply.

Family members don't necessarily have to be related by blood. Just like husband and wife, they may not be related by blood, but they still form a family together.

"Mama~!"

Hearing Su Yu's admission, Frost Fairy seemed very happy. "Then, we can call each other 'family' from now on."

The Growlithe, oblivious to all this, climbed onto the dining table, panting. It seemed very hungry after its vigorous cleaning and couldn't wait to eat.

Seeing this, Su Yu called out to the green caterpillar sitting on the floor watching TV not far away:

"Caterpillar, come have your New Year's Eve dinner! And don't sit so close to the TV!"

"That's bad for your eyes."

"Hiss~!" Upon hearing this, the green caterpillar immediately crawled over and sat down on the dining chair.

They ate their New Year's Eve dinner while watching TV.

While eating, Su Yu suddenly said:

"By the way, there's another custom on New Year's Eve called 'staying up all night,' which means not sleeping on New Year's Eve and staying up until midnight."

"Are you guys going to stay up with me to welcome the New Year later?"

Upon hearing this, Alcremie and the others nodded expectantly, while Farfetch'd remained quite calm.

Farfetch'd has experienced the Lunar New Year before. Back then, Farfetch'd was still in the wild, and it had seen the fireworks that lit up human towns at midnight.

……

……

This New Year's Eve dinner lasted until 8 p.m.

When Su Yu finished washing the dishes and went back to the room to write down the accounts, the caterpillars were still watching TV.

Meanwhile, Alcremie, the sheep, and Growlithe had already gathered together on the ground and fallen asleep.

Tropius seemed uninterested in the fireworks and returned to its Poké Ball early, where it went to sleep.

It was already past ten o'clock.

"Fell asleep so quickly? What about staying up all night?" Su Yu said with a smile upon seeing this.

After seeing that Alcremie and the others were asleep, Caterpie had already turned the TV volume down. Seeing this, Su Yu went over and sat on the sofa, lying down to watch TV.

The program on television appeared to be a special New Year's Eve gala. And because this world was dominated by trainers, there were many Pokémon-related elements in the gala.

Because this year is the Year of the Dragon, the organizers even specially invited the Dragon King of Donghuang to perform an impromptu show.

The Dragon-type Elite Four member appeared to be a very serious middle-aged man. Su Yu was curious as to why such a person would think about challenging the Fairy-type Elite Four member every day.

"Next year is the Year of the Snake, so who should we invite, the Snivy trainer?" Su Yu asked, puzzled.

As I watched TV, the time slowly approached past eleven o'clock, getting closer and closer to midnight.

Because the caterpillar usually goes to bed early, it was already getting sleepy. Sitting on the sofa, its head bobbed up and down, and it almost fell asleep leaning against Su Yu several times.

Seeing this, Su Yu smiled and asked:

"Would you like me to make you some milk tea? We still have some black tea from the Sprout Deer plantation at home, and some goat milk from our little lamb."

Upon hearing this, the caterpillar nodded.

So Su Yu got up and went to the kitchen, and soon the aroma of milk tea wafted out.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Su Yu came out carrying a tray of milk tea, opened the door, and saw Yang Hao.

"What are you doing here?" Su Yu asked, puzzled.

"I was worried you'd be bored spending the New Year alone, so I came to keep you company," Yang Hao said with a smile.

Alone? Where am I alone? I have many Pokémon with me, okay?

Su Yu's eyes conveyed a very clear meaning. Yang Hao, as his childhood friend, naturally understood. However, his smile became even brighter at this moment.

Yang Hao said with a smile:

"I was just video chatting with my sister on my phone, that's why I'm late. Don't you feel lonely all by yourself?"

"..." So you just came here to show off this, right?

You little brat!

Upon hearing this, Su Yu wanted to close the door immediately, but seeing this, Yang Hao quickly braced one foot against the door and said with a smile:

"Hey, no, no, I really came to keep you company. You can't just leave me out in the cold wind by myself, can you?"

"Da na~"

At that moment, a Bulbasaur poked its head out from behind the door, indicating that it also wanted to go in.

"...Alright, for Bulbasaur's sake." Su Yu released his hand from the door, sat down on the sofa with the tray, and distributed the milk tea on it to Caterpie and the others.

Seeing this, Yang Hao sniffed the sweet scent in the air and said:

"Mmm...it smells so good! Do you still have milk tea?"

"Go get it from the kitchen yourself," Su Yu said succinctly.

Upon hearing this, Yang Hao pursed his lips and went to the kitchen. After fiddling around for a while, he and Bulbasaur each came out with a cup of milk tea.

Holding the milk tea in my hand, I waited patiently. Before long, it was 11:59.

"Let's go outside so we can see the whole fireworks display." Seeing that it was almost time, Su Yu called out to the Pokémon.

Upon hearing this, all the Pokémon followed Su Yu's lead, but two of the Wooloos did not.

After finishing their milk tea, they felt a little hungry and suddenly wanted to eat something.

"Meow~" After exchanging glances, the woofers decided to sneak into the kitchen to find something to eat.

They went to the kitchen with practiced ease and found a large piece of grass cake in the refrigerator.

At this moment, Su Yu and the others had just arrived outside. It wasn't time to set off the fireworks yet.

Looking at the clear sky, Yang Hao suddenly asked:

"How's it going? The New Year is almost here, what are your New Year's wishes?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yu glanced at Yang Hao with a puzzled expression and said:

"What? How old are you? Still believe in this?"

If my New Year's wish could come true, Jirachi could come to my house, okay?

Yang Hao then said with a smile:

"I'm just asking, what if it comes true?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yu pondered what his wish was.

It seems... there's really nothing to it.

Having suffered a miserable life as a mortal in his previous life, Su Yu is already very content to have been able to transmigrate to the elven world and live the life he has now.

If I really had to say what my wish was... maybe it would be to build a big house and encounter more Pokémon?

"That's it?" Yang Hao asked in surprise after hearing Su Yu's words.

Upon hearing this, Su Yu curled his lip:

"Come on, a big house starts at least at 400,000 Alliance Coins. And what I want to build is even better than that."

"If you're capable, why don't you do it?"

"Ah...that's true." Yang Hao nodded. A house like that would probably cost at least six or seven hundred thousand Alliance Coins.

"And what about you?" Su Yu asked.

"Me? As for me, I'd probably try to get into a good university, preferably Shanghai University."

"Hey...right, that online friend you met before named Xiaogang, I remember he's a gym leader, right? I think gym leaders can write recommendation letters for Shanghai University, so I can try applying there."

Yang Hao suddenly remembered that there seemed to be another way to get into Shanghai University.

Normally, Yang Hao's grades in class are quite good. If he works hard, he might actually be able to get into a university in Shanghai.

"I'll ask around for you later," Su Yu said, nodding in response.

Suddenly, neither of them spoke, because at that moment, the hands of the clock gradually moved toward twelve, and New Year's Eve was drawing to a close.

After the two fell silent, all was quiet.

The caterpillar was currently perched on Su Yu's shoulder, its head bobbing up and down. Seeing the sudden silence between the two, it also looked up at the sky.

This glance revealed a scene that would be unforgettable for it in its lifetime.

……

……

(End of this chapter)