Since telling his mother about the new type of Tree Fruit, Lin Zhiqiu had been busy with related matters these past few days, often disappearing and reappearing unpredictably.
Jiang Mo, on the other hand, continued his usual school routine, training Pikachu and Gastly whenever he had time after returning home, and extracting a few Dragon Fruits daily to nourish the two little Pokémon.
However, the cost was that Jiang Mo looked sickly all day, which prompted Lin Zhiqiu to urge him to strengthen his exercise, asking how a tokiwa child could have such a weak physique.
Jiang Mo had his grievances but couldn't express them, yet at the same time, he discovered a benefit: whenever he extracted Tree Fruit and felt his body empty, he would use Tokiwa Power to restore his stamina, and during this process, he actually found his Tokiwa Power slowly increasing!
As the saying goes, blessings and misfortunes are intertwined, so this could be considered an unexpected surprise.
These past few days, the school organized Pokémon battle assessments, mainly to prepare students for the upcoming joint examination.
Today's assessment was grouped by program, and Jiang Mo naturally battled against students from the Pokémon Breeder Program.
Those students aspiring to become Pokémon Breeders generally didn't focus much on Pokémon training; they had just registered as Trainers and were all low-level Pokémon, mostly under level 20, so Pikachu usually finished the battle with a single Thunder Shock.
Due to the school's battle assessment, Jiang Mo returned later than usual that day, and by the time he got home, it was already completely dark.
As soon as he entered, Jiang Mo saw his mother sitting with a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit with a black cape draped over his shoulders.
This man was Jiang Mo's biological father—Jiang Yutian.
As soon as Jiang Yutian heard the movement outside, he quickly stood up and calmly straightened the tie that had come loose on his chest.
Lin Zhiqiu also blushed and buttoned up her shirt.
"Xiao Mo, why are you home so late today?"
"Oh, the school held a battle assessment today, so it delayed me for a while."
Jiang Mo pretended not to see anything and casually responded to Lin Zhiqiu.
"Xiao Mo, long time no see, you've grown taller again."
Jiang Yutian was very handsome, with piercing eyes, giving off a very domineering aura from a distance, but at this moment, he looked at Jiang Mo with the clear expression of a loving father.
"Yes, it's been three or four years, of course I've grown taller."
Jiang Mo was speechless; his adoptive father, as a wanted criminal of the Alliance, had been hiding out for years, and sometimes he even forgot he had a father.
Back then, his mother was almost caught by the Alliance because of him; if Lin Zhiqiu hadn't possessed Tokiwa Power and the Lin family's connections, this family of three might not be standing together today.
Also, the discrimination and targeting Jiang Mo faced as a child were greatly related to his unreliable father, Jiang Yutian, and because they saw each other so rarely, Jiang Mo was not as close to Jiang Yutian as he was to Lin Zhiqiu.
"Is there something you came back for this time, or are you saying you don't want to hide anymore and are going to surrender to the Alliance?"
"You brat, can't I come back and see you two without a reason? And surrender? The person who can catch your old man hasn't been born yet, of course, your mother is an exception."
Jiang Yutian was very embarrassed; he also understood that he had indeed not fulfilled his responsibilities as a husband and father, but it was truly unavoidable; when one is in the world, one is not one's own master.
"Alright, Xiao Mo, your father rarely comes back, so don't tease him anymore. He mainly came back this time for the new type of Tree Fruit you told me about a few days ago."
"Your mother alone can't handle this matter, so I called your father back."
Lin Zhiqiu took Jiang Mo's schoolbag and then pulled the father and son to sit together.
Pikachu also jumped onto the nearby sofa.
"Oh? You can handle it?"
Jiang Mo was very surprised; his unreliable father could actually handle something even his mother couldn't.
"You brat, who are you looking down on! Don't worry, with your old man here, no one dares to touch you. Focus on researching this thing, and tell your old man if you need anything."
After speaking, Jiang Yutian picked up a box from a nearby table and handed it to Jiang Mo.
Opening it, he saw a Light Ball and ten perfectly-graded Ghost Gems inside!
"Pika!"
Pikachu, seeing the Light Ball, immediately bounced over and hugged it, unwilling to let go.
And Gastly in the Poké Ball, feeling the Ghost-type energy contained within the Ghost Gems, was also very excited, wishing it could jump out immediately.
"Your mother told me your initial Pokémon was a Pikachu, and then you also caught a Shiny Gastly. These things should be enough for you for now."
Jiang Mo was instantly stunned by Jiang Yutian's generosity; perfectly-graded Ghost Gems cost at least one million Pokémon coins each on the market, and they were the kind that were priceless and unavailable!
These ten alone were ten million!
Completely enough for Gastly to use until it reached Gym Leader Class.
And the Light Ball was Pikachu's exclusive item; unlike common Pikachu, the Light Ball was extremely rare, impossible to find on the market if you wanted to buy it. This thing was truly rare.
Was this still the father he knew?
Could he be some hidden rich second generation? Dad, you've kept me in the dark for so long!
After a simple dinner, the family of three, Jiang Yutian prepared to leave; after all, as a wanted criminal of the Alliance, staying here for too long was still a bit unsafe.
After Jiang Mo and Lin Zhiqiu saw him to the door, Jiang Yutian casually tossed out an Ultra Ball.
A white light flashed, and a Salamence with an incredibly powerful aura instantly appeared before Jiang Mo.
"Pokémon: Salamence"
"Gender: Male"
"Attribute: Dragon type, Flying type"
"Level: Level 81 (Champion Initial)"
"Ability: Intimidate"
"Held Item: Dragon Fang"
"Skills: Roost, Dragon Breath, Dragon Tail, Spark, Dual Wingbeat, Glare, Bite, Crunch, Protect, Headbutt, Scary Face, Dragon Claw, Zen Headbutt, Focus Energy, Flamethrower, Double-Edge, Aerial Ace, Air Cutter, Brick Break, Stomping Tantrum, Dragon Dance, Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Cheer, Earthquake, Fire Blast, Fire Fang, Flame Vortex, Heat Wave, Hurricane, Boomburst, Outrage, Stone Edge, Hydro Pump, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam..."
"Hereditary Skills: Dragon Rush, Outrage, Twister"
"Evaluation: This is an incredibly powerful Salamence, possessing pure Dragon type bloodline."
Jiang Mo's eyes instantly widened, "Holy moly, what kind of heaven-defying Champion Pseudo-Legendary Salamence is this!"
Look at this luxurious skill list; he never expected his adoptive father to be a hidden master, whose status within Dawn must not be low, at least above Zhen Yu.
Looking at it this way, it made sense that he could produce a Light Ball and perfectly-graded Ghost Gems.
Not long ago, he envied Lu Jiyin for having an Elite father, but he never expected himself to be a powerful second generation as well.
For a moment, Jiang Mo also wanted to take a few bodyguards out for a stroll, but then he remembered his father was a wanted criminal of the Alliance, and he instantly dismissed the idea.
Hmm, it's better to be low-key.