My thoughts returned to the present.
"Could it be the gift he mentioned back then?" Yusheng Yun thought of the conversation he had with his father in the office a while ago, and his expression suddenly became a little strange.
A gift prepared by Dad, hmm... a small guess, is it a fishing rod?
Or perhaps a figurine?
He wouldn't send me Professor Oak's haiku collection, would he?
Ew, who wants that kind of thing?
I can't understand it at all, but I could consider selling it; many people should like it.
"Alright, stop thinking about it. The gift is already with your dad; he should bring it back soon."
Lina reminded Yusheng Yun, then tied on her apron to prepare dinner.
"Mom, why are you back from the breeding house so early today?"
Yusheng Yun changed into his slippers and asked Lina, who was preparing to wash vegetables, out of curiosity.
"Not many Trainers came to store their Pokémon at the breeding house today; most of them were Pokémon that had been left here before."
"Just leave the daily routine to Xiaoya and the others. The energy cubes and Pokémon food are sufficient; they just need to feed them at the scheduled times. So, I came back early to prepare dinner for you."
Lina replied to Yusheng Yun while washing vegetables.
"I see. Then I'll go back to the second floor first!" Yusheng Yun replied.
"Go ahead. Dinner will be a while. I'll call you when it's ready." Lina also responded with a smile.
"Pat pat pat, Skitty, you're here too. Why did you run onto my bed again?"
Yusheng Yun came to the side of the living room, where there was a wooden staircase leading to the second floor.
The layout of the second floor was somewhat different from the first. There was no living room or kitchen; the center was a hallway. To the left of the hallway were all his rooms. The bedroom and study were connected because Yusheng Yun preferred to lie down on the bed and sleep directly after reading.
The room's decor was no different from ordinary Japanese decor, the only difference being a large bed placed in the center of the room.
Yes, that's right, it was a bed.
The main reason was that he really couldn't get used to Japanese tatami mats; no matter how he slept, it was uncomfortable. So, he asked Yuusheng Qing'an to put a double bed in his room.
And at this moment, a cute pink kitten, Skitty, was lying on the bed.
Skitty was his mother Lina's Pokémon. Because it didn't like battling, she simply didn't let it evolve into Delcatty, and it had been kept at home as a mascot ever since.
And this little fellow liked to lie on his bed whenever it had nothing to do. Sometimes, if he wasn't careful and just flopped down.
Heh, guess what?
Next, Skitty would let you know how stimulating its claws felt scratching across your face.
"Meow~"
Skitty, upon seeing him return, had no intention of getting off his bed, merely letting out a lazy meow.
"Alright, alright, then you can lie here, but don't mess up my bed, okay?"
"Meow."
Yusheng Yun simply ignored it, but still gave a command not to drag his blanket everywhere while playing.
"Let's see what's good... 'Pokémon Habits and Habitats,' 'Pokémon Type Advantage Battle Chart,' 'Several Dangerous Places in the Sinnoh Region.'"
Yusheng Yun randomly picked up a book on Pokémon habits from the bookshelf, lay on the bed, and started reading while stroking Skitty's chin.
"Meow~"
Skitty, too, purred contentedly under its human's touch, closing its eyes in enjoyment.
"Lina, Yusheng Yun, I'm home!"
An hour later.
With the sound of the door opening, Yusheng Yun knew his unreliable father was back.
"Yusheng Yun, come down for dinner."
Hearing Lina call him for dinner from the hallway, Yusheng Yun placed the book he was holding on the bed, hugged Skitty, who had fallen asleep in his arms, and went downstairs.
"Welcome home, Dad."
Yusheng Yun came downstairs and saw Lina, who had already set the table, and greeted his father, who was sitting at the dining table.
"Yusheng Yun, your mother must have told you already, right? How is it, aren't you curious?"
Yuusheng Qing'an held up a gift box and asked his son.
"Actually, I'm not very curious."
"No, you are curious."
"I'm not curious."
"You are curious!!!"
"Well, maybe just a little." Seeing his father's flustered expression, Yusheng Yun decided not to tease him anymore and replied with a smile.
"Open it and see; it's definitely what you're most looking forward to."
"Alright."
Yusheng Yun placed Skitty from his arms onto the floor, took the gift box from his father, and opened it.
"A Poké Ball?"
After Yusheng Yun opened the box, a Poké Ball with black and yellow connected colors lay inside.
"Oh, it's an Ultra Ball. What kind of Pokémon is inside?" This time, even Yusheng Yun couldn't help but become curious and cast his gaze towards his father.
"You'll know once you open it."
Yuusheng Qing'an saw his child's expression begin to change and knew that it was settled; the matter was settled.
"I'll try."
"Come out."
Yusheng Yun was indeed curious about what Pokémon would require an Ultra Ball. He opened the Poké Ball's release mechanism, and the Pokémon inside flew out as a white light.
Bang!!
"Cha-ba."
Then, a lizard-like Pokémon, with its arms crossed and a small twig in its mouth, emerged. After coming out, it looked at Yusheng Yun with a pair of large, yellow, Kasilan-like eyes, looking quite smug.
"Oh my, a Treecko."
Yusheng Yun's expression management failed after seeing the Pokémon's appearance, and he happily exclaimed.
He had always been envious when he saw Ash's Sceptile battling Darkrai in the anime, but that Pikachu Trainer actually left it at home to collect dust. It only appeared once in the recent Journey arc; what a waste!
"I knew you'd like it. Your dad had to ask someone to find Professor Birch to get this one." Yuusheng Qing'an replied with a smile.
"You, child, when I asked you what Pokémon you wanted most, didn't you say Treecko? Your father always remembered." Lina also interjected at this moment.
Although Yuusheng Qing'an said it so easily, Yusheng Yun knew that this was the Sinnoh region. Getting a Hoenn region starter would likely involve a lot of effort.
After much thought, a thousand words could only be condensed into one sentence: "Thank you, Dad."
"Oh, don't be so polite with your dad, but Yusheng Yun, let me tell you, I got you the Pokémon, but capturing it is up to you."
Yuusheng Qing'an seemed to sense the emotion in Yusheng Yun's tone and said with some relief.
"Of course, if I can't even get the Pokémon's recognition, how can I become a Trainer and challenge the League competition in the future?" Yusheng Yun replied seriously.
"Cha-ba, cha-ba."
Treecko looked at the people in the room at that moment, finally turning its gaze to Yusheng Yun. It knew that, if nothing unexpected happened, this young man in front of it should be its Trainer.
"Hello, Treecko. Nice to meet you for the first time. My name is Yusheng Yun, you can also call me Yusheng Yun. My hobby is watching Pokémon battles, and my dream is to stand at the center of the world and let everyone witness our strength."
"Are you willing to become my Pokémon and help me?"
Yusheng Yun also looked at Treecko, quietly waiting for its answer.
"Cha-ba."
Treecko didn't speak, just quietly looked into his eyes. They say eyes are the windows to the soul; it probably hoped to discern the truth through his eyes.
"Cha-ba, cha-ba." (This human looks much more reliable than those new Trainers who came to choose before. He should be qualified to be my Trainer. If he's too weak, I'll just ditch him.)
Yusheng Yun: "???"
One person and one Pokémon looked at each other for a long time. Looking into Yusheng Yun's eyes, Treecko seemed to have found its answer, then extended its small, round hand, indicating its temporary approval.
"Then please take care of me from now on, my partner." Yusheng Yun held Treecko's outstretched paw, feeling it was a bit soft, and replied with a serious expression.
"Cha-ba." (Please take care, Yusheng Yun.)
Treecko felt the seriousness in Yusheng Yun's words and nodded affirmatively, saying.