Chapter 4 I suspect you are in puppy love but I have no proof
---
Despite the cost, Lu Cheng still longed to become a trainer. After all, it had been his childhood dream.
To get into the Pokémon Trainer program at Jiangnan University, Lu Cheng had been studying extra hard these past few weeks. His parents noticed and wanted to ease some of the pressure on their son.
"Dear, don't you think Xiao Cheng has been acting a bit strange these past few days?" his mom asked.
"Studying too hard, huh? It's okay, I went through the same thing back then," his dad replied.
"No, he's been sitting in front of the computer desk for three hours, not moving at all."
"Probably engrossed in something. Young people, you know, it's understandable."
Lu Cheng's dad peeked through the door while his mom rested her chin on his head. They both spied on Lu Cheng through the crack, whispering to each other.
Suddenly, Lu Cheng let out a deep breath, stretched, turned off the computer, and came out of his room. His parents were caught off guard and awkwardly bumped into him.
"Dad, Mom?" Lu Cheng asked in surprise.
"What are you two doing at the door?"
His mom glanced at the ceiling and subtly nudged his dad. He nervously laughed saying,
"Dinner is ready. We've been calling you for a while without any response, so we came up to get you."
He couldn't possibly say they were worried about his college entrance exam stress and afraid he might be overwhelmed.
"Oh, it's that late already? I'll come down right away."
Lu Cheng didn't suspect anything and, after checking the time, headed downstairs to eat. His parents followed, exchanging glances.
Mom: You ask!
Dad: Again, me?
Mom:?
Dad: I'll ask.
The three sat at the table, with one seat reserved for the Magmar, who was still in the kitchen making chicken soup. Over the past month, Magmar had put a lot of effort into Lu Cheng's meals.
Faced with a table of delicate dishes, Lu Cheng was eager to dig in, unaware of his parents' unusual expressions. Nudged by his mother's gaze, his father finally coughed and began,
"Xiao Cheng, is there something on your mind lately?"
"No," Lu Cheng said, still chewing with rice on his lips, looking bewildered.
"Xiao Cheng, I understand the awakening of young love, but you can't neglect your studies for it. You know your college entrance exams are the most important thing right now..." his dad started to lecture.
"What?" Lu Cheng was confused again.
What was this about?
His mom coughed heavily, glared at his dad, and then with a kind smile, served Lu Cheng some food.
"Xiao Cheng, don't listen to your dad's nonsense. He just likes to overthink things!"
Knowing he had achieved his goal, his dad quickly shoveled food into his mouth and said no more.
Lu Cheng was stunned for a moment before realizing his parents thought he was in an early romance and had come to test him!
What a pair of silly parents!
Laughing, Lu Cheng remembered he did have something to discuss with his parents.
"By the way, Dad, in a week, I'll be an adult and can get a Poké Ball from the local office. But I haven't decided on my starter Pokémon yet."
"Oh right, Xiao Cheng is almost an adult," his parents exclaimed in unison, as if they just realized it.
In their eyes, Lu Cheng was still a child who hadn't grown up.
"I was just researching suitable starter Pokémon for beginner trainers," Lu Cheng continued helplessly.
"For beginners, Grass-type Pokémon are quite suitable. I think Oddish is a good choice. It's easy to breed and care for," his dad said, trying to be serious for once.
His mom rolled her eyes at him, saying, "Our son is going to be a trainer, and you want him to raise an Oddish? Do you know how weak they are? People will laugh at him!"
His dad sheepishly replied, "But it can evolve..."
His mom retorted, "You buying the Evolution Stones?"
The price of any Evolution Stone in the market was at least five or six hundred thousand, and often they were priceless. That's why his mom disliked Oddish, even though it could evolve into Bellossom or Vileplume. If it only evolved into Gloom, they'd rather raise a Raticate.
Lu Cheng had considered Oddish, but the strange creature in the video and the expensive Evolution Stones made him give up on the idea. Besides, Gloom had a notorious smell, and people generally avoided trainers who used it.
Silenced by his wife's glare, his dad focused on eating.
His mom then said, "For a starter Pokémon, we'll go to the breeding house this weekend and see if we can find a suitable one. If not, we'll figure something out with your grandpa in the countryside."
Breeding houses, affiliated with the Pokémon Association, were specialized in hatching and selling Pokémon eggs. New trainers usually went there to adopt Pokémon eggs. These hatched Pokémon would be more intimate with their trainers and easier to train.
Lu Cheng nodded. He had researched that breeding houses rarely sold rare Pokémon, mainly offering affordable options like Rattata, Pidgey, and Caterpie.
Rattata's market price was between two to three thousand, Caterpie about a thousand, and Pidgey was a bit more expensive, generally over five thousand. Pidgey was his preferred starter Pokémon.
Being a common bird Pokémon with three evolution stages, it was affordable, and once it evolved into Pidgeot, it could save on travel costs. Most importantly, Lu Cheng had seen Pidgey's appearance!
Not scary at all!
His neighbor, Uncle Wang, raised a Pidgey, which looked similar to the original Pidgey but with sharper edges and a fiercer appearance. But for a raptor, it looked even cooler!
This was a blessing for Lu Cheng!
Bird Pokémon were much friendlier compared to the Bug-types!
As Lu Cheng daydreamed, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it.
"Senior sister: (file)"
"Senior sister: I organized the score lines and enrollment guidelines for the Pokémon Training program at Jiangnan University for you. Make sure to read them carefully!"
"I'm full!" he exclaimed and hurried upstairs.
"Still say he isn't in early romance. That must be a girl messaging him," his mom whispered to his dad.
Knowing the dangers of speaking out, his dad pretended not to hear, quickly finishing his meal and lay on the sofa playing on his phone. Annoyed, his mom lost her appetite and put down her chopsticks.
In the kitchen,
Magmar, wearing a heart apron and chef's hat, brought out a steaming bowl of chicken soup, only to find everyone had finished eating. It showed a look of deep sorrow.
---
TL Note:
Just to let you know I am reading and translating at the same time so idk will Happen in the story.
Just to let You know this is AI Translated and I just Edit some stuff to make it readable.
..
If you find any mistakes in translation feel free to comment. ( I might Correct it ... Maybe?)
And give me Powerstones
--