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"Meow~~"
A soft and soothing cat's meow, carrying a hint of dampness, broke through the first rays of morning sunlight.
A new day began with the household cat waking him up.
Li Xiang sat up, rubbing his groggy eyes, and greeted the hefty figure beside his bed, "Morning, you chubby cat."
"Meow!!"
The massive tabby cat, with gray fur, a white face, and a white chest, let out a disgruntled growl. Stretching out its hefty forelimb—without extending its claws—it swatted Li Xiang's thigh with its paw.
"Hiss—!! You really don't hold back, do you?!"
Li Xiang was instantly jolted awake by the pain, clutching his thigh and rubbing it furiously, glaring at the cat.
"Meow~"
The sassy large cat, with a mix of gray and white fur, purple ear pads shaped like hands, and a plump body almost as tall as a golden retriever, licked its paw dismissively. Without paying Li Xiang any mind, it turned and sauntered out of the room.
Its only job was to wake Li Xiang up—how it woke him was entirely up to it.
Li Xiang was powerless against the cat. He could only watch it leave, muttering under his breath.
"You chubby cat, you're not cute at all. Who even named you Biscuit?"
He paused for three seconds while sitting on the bed.
Dragging his feet, Li Xiang slowly put on his clothes and pants, then shuffled into the bathroom to freshen up. He repeatedly exchanged glances with his reflection in the mirror.
His name was Li Xiang.
Once twenty-seven years old, he was now eleven years old boy.
He used to be a resident in a county in Zhejiang, China, but now he was born in Qingcheng, Yuzhou, in the Zhu Xia region.
Once a young man with a buzz cut and a skinny frame, he was now a chubby-cheeked little boy with fair skin and a touch of baby fat.
In short, he had followed the trend of the times and gloriously transmigrated—or rather, to be precise, he was half-reborn, half-transmigrated.
After all, his parents, relatives, and friends were still the same, just younger.
He hadn't suddenly gained any older siblings or younger ones; he was still an only child.
By all accounts, this should be considered good news.
But...
"My family's demolition project had just started! It finally got to my house and we were going to be paid big bucks; the good days were just about to begin—so why did I transmigrate?!"
When Li Xiang first crossed over, every time he thought of this, he could feel tears welling up inside him.
From graduation onward, he'd struggled in poverty until twenty-seven. A life of being a carefree landlord was just within reach. No more back pain from sitting too long, no more corporate nonsense about "blessings of hard work."
But reality slapped him in the face and said:
"Go back to childhood and do it all over again!"
Honestly, if Li Xiang didn't have strong mental resilience, he might have already broken down.
The above feelings, however, were before he fully understood the new world he had entered.
.....
Later, after adapting, the situation took a turn for the better.
After his rebirth, due to changes in the world, his parents' jobs also changed, and the family became wealthier. From an average household barely getting by, they had upgraded to a comfortably well-off family.
From then on, they walked with their heads held high. No more envying other kids for eating KFC—he could afford it now.
No more walking to school alone—he had a car and driver to take him.
As for tutoring classes—those weren't necessary.
In short, with a better family environment, Li Xiang felt that being a child wasn't so bad anymore. No need to worry about saving for a house, car, or marriage.
But none of that was the main point.
The main point was - This world had turned into something akin to the urban Pokémon novels he had read in his past life!
As a Pokémon fan, nothing could have made him happier than this.
All kinds of incredible creatures coexisted with humans, living together in this concrete jungle.
In the skies, on the streets, in the grass, inside office buildings, and even in the sewers—Pokémon could be seen everywhere.
Billboards along the highways no longer featured just human celebrities but were a mix of humans and Pokémon. The massive screens in malls played content entirely related to Pokémon.
Globally popular events like the NBA and the World Cup had been replaced by Pokemon Battle Tournaments and Contests.
It was like the Ryme City from the Detective Pikachu movie, but there was a subtle difference from other urban Pokémon settings.
In most urban Pokémon stories, the Pokémon either came from another world or suddenly appeared as invasive species, with a history of less than a hundred years.
Here, however, Pokémon were natives, as were humans.
The two species had supported and helped each other since ancient times, evolving together into the modern era.
It was a setup very similar to the Sinnoh region's myths in the Pokémon world, with some touches closer to the anime.
When Li Xiang first read up on the relevant literature, he couldn't have been happier.
The anime's world was great! Sure, there were villains and all kinds of unpleasant events, but overall, it was positive, uplifting, and peaceful.
Far better than the grim worlds in some fanfictions.
There were no oppressive factions crushing commoners under the guise of the Pokémon League, no trainers arbitrarily deciding the lives of ordinary people, no aristocratic family monopolies over pseudo-legendaries and starters, nor any blood-soaked selection processes by evil organizations.
It wasn't that Li Xiang lacked ambition or disliked the idea of striving for success. It's just that, given the choice, who would want to live a life filled with constant fear and darkness?
Li Xiang was more of a cautious person, and he felt this world was wonderful.
Even better -
At eleven years old, after this summer, he could enroll in a specialized trainer academy. No need to sit in a primary school classroom, eating snacks with little kids.
In three years, when he turned fourteen and became fully legally responsible, he could even further his education at more advanced institutions.
Now this was proper!
Sending frail little brats on a journey?
That's just asking for trouble!
Even though the people of this world are far more physically capable than in his previous life, sending an eleven-year-old out into the wilderness for adventure still didn't seem like a good idea to Li Xiang.
Wasn't it better to stay in school, forge friendly bonds with classmates, and chat the day away? Traveling could wait until adulthood—it just seemed more sensible.
Content with his circumstances, Li Xiang spent his time devouring the world's knowledge using the family's bulky computer and the books stacked neatly on the shelves.
A chance to live again in such a fascinating world—he had to make the most of it.
....
Reality, however, always seemed to take delight in delivering a hard slap when least expected.
After nearly two weeks of adapting to his reborn life and convincing his parents that everything was normal, Li Xiang was hit with a new realization—he had somehow acquired a childhood best friend.
The friend's name was Lin Feng.
Li Xiang only discovered this after his parents questioned why he hadn't been sneaking out to play with Lin Feng, as he usually did during summer breaks. That's when a long-delayed package of memories arrived in his mind.
Scenes he had no recollection of experiencing began to flood his thoughts—not painful, but surreal, as if glimpses of a dream. It was then that he realized his close family ties had remained unchanged, but his friendships and school life were completely different due to his new circumstances.
Back in his previous life, he didn't have a best friend named Lin Feng.
Piecing the memories together, a nagging feeling grew. Logging into a chat platform he now recognized as [WeChat], Li Xiang combed through past conversations and recent messages from Lin Feng, who had been asking why he hadn't come over to play.
The messages, along with their chat history, confirmed it: his memories weren't scrambled.
As the pieces fit together— Lin Feng, best friend, parents still alive but ordinary folks, and a younger sister named Lin Lan, all while living in a modest household—Li Xiang's heart sank.
These were all hallmarks of a modern protagonist!
Lin Feng ticked every box for a classic lead character of contemporary stories:
- a close-knit family
- a loyal sibling and
- humble beginnings.
And Li Xiang himself? Let's see:
- Comes from a well-off family.
- Has a cute baby-faced look with a bit of chubbiness.
- Exhibits early signs of being a support character.
- Is an only child.
- Refers to him as "Brother Feng."
Was… was he here just to cheer for the protagonist?
Had the universe cast him as a sidekick destined to help Lin Feng shine? Maybe he wouldn't even get a chance to cling to Lin Feng's coattails properly.
Li Xiang, as the token chubby friend, was likely to have a few moments of relevance in the early stages and then fade away.
The realization was like a hammer to his soul, shattering his confidence into shards of despair.
Still, as a forward-thinking individual, Li Xiang wasn't one to wallow in self-pity.
Whatever Lin Feng's potential or fate might be, it didn't change what Li Xiang needed to do for himself.
Even if Lin Feng was destined for greatness, what could Li Xiang do about it? Certainly not something absurd like eliminating him out of envy.
That would be madness.
Lin Feng had done nothing wrong. Harming someone for something as intangible as jealousy? That would require an entirely antisocial mindset.
Besides, Li Xiang had read enough subversive novels to know how stories like these could twist and turn. The eventual outcome was anyone's guess.
—-------------------
Morning.
Li Xiang met Lin Feng at the entrance to a park near his home. The two had previously agreed to watch Pokémon battles being held inside.
Seeing Lin Feng in person, the boy finally seemed real in Li Xiang's mind.
What a handsome kid!
The first thought that popped into Li Xiang's head was a flicker of appreciation.
Lin Feng, who seemed to embody the "chosen one" aura, stood around 1.4 meters tall. With a clean and fresh look, he wasn't dazzlingly attractive but had an easy charm that left a favorable first impression.
Of course, Li Xiang's thoughts might have been influenced by the memories he had gained.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Lin Feng asked curiously, noticing Li Xiang's lingering gaze.
"Grounded again? I messaged you a bunch of times, and you didn't respond. If it weren't for the fact that your house is so far away and I was helping my dad recently, I would've come to find you earlier. By the way, where's your bodyguard?"
Lin Feng's family used to live a few doors down from Li Xiang's, but some events had caused them to move. If not for attending the same school, their friendship might have faded.
As for the "bodyguard" Lin Feng mentioned, he was referring to none other than Biscuit—the massive gray-striped Purugly who had woken Li Xiang earlier that day.
Li Xiang's mother, worried about her son's safety, often sent Purugly along whenever he left the house alone.
"…It's hiding. Lately, it's been hooked on some TV drama called The Infiltrator," Li Xiang replied smoothly, adopting a tone that fit the memory of their usual banter.
Still, there was something slightly awkward about conversing with an eleven-year-old in this way. Perhaps he hadn't fully internalized the reality that Lin Feng was now his peer.
Fortunately, Lin Feng didn't notice anything unusual, even though Li Xiang's behavior had changed slightly.
(Maybe it was because the concept of reincarnation stories hadn't yet become popular in this world, lol)
"By the way, did you watch yesterday's Champions League match? Xia Chunyu's Charizard was absolutely incredible!" Lin Feng's eyes lit up as he changed the topic enthusiastically.
"In a desperate situation, it pulled off a 1v3! The opponent didn't even get a chance to retaliate! I'm sure this match will end up in the global Top 10!"
Excitement radiated from him as he recounted the match, his arms gesturing animatedly.
Li Xiang quickened his pace to keep up, occasionally nodding and chiming in to match Lin Feng's energy
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