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Li Xiang's Mom.
Her name was Yin Tao, 31 years old.
A stunningly beautiful woman with grace and elegance, her good looks were clearly passed on to Li Xiang, who inherited her fair and delicate features.
In the era before Li Xiang's reincarnation, many people at her age hadn't even gotten married yet—some didn't even have a boyfriend or girlfriend.
But the distinguished Mrs. Yin? She not only dated and married young, but her child was already running all over the place.
However, unlike her counterpart in Li Xiang's previous life, who gave up her education early to help with her husband's business while raising a young Li Xiang, the Mrs. Yin of this world chose a different path.
Before Li Xiang was born, she independently passed the entrance exams to a prestigious Pokémon Breeder Academy, earned numerous certifications, and graduated with honors amidst cheers and applause.
In short, Mrs. Yin of this world was a highly educated graduate of a prestigious institution and a genuinely talented professional in high demand.
With such a strong starting point, her ambitions were naturally lofty.
After much deliberation, Mrs. Yin decided to join the Pokémon Association and work at a Pokémon Conservation Base as assigned.
What is the Pokemon Association?
To understand, we must first touch on an old topic: the Pokémon League.
In this world, the concept of "nations" has been largely replaced by federations known as Leagues. These Leagues are further divided into regional branches based on geography and continents.
Within each League, numerous organizations work together—such as those focusing on healthcare, public security, academia, technology, industry, and rangers.
At the core of it all is the Pokémon Association, the most crucial organization.
Every other League member organization is obligated to follow the Pokémon Association's directives, including the master-class trainers and regional champions, who are also part of the Association themselves.
The lovely Mrs. Yin joined the Association not just for her career but also to ensure a promising future for Li Xiang once he grew up.
Instead of starting a Pokémon grooming salon or similar business, she chose the path that offered more stability and influence.
Eventually, she was assigned to a Pokémon Conservation Base as a full-time employee.
Today, however, she had risen through the ranks and now served as the director of the conservation base, overseeing dozens of breeders.
What is a Pokemon Conservation Base?
It's not the same as a Pokémon Daycare. Their functions were simply worlds apart.
A Conservation Base is similar to an animal shelter or wildlife sanctuary in Li Xiang's previous world.
Its main duties include, but are not limited to:
Rescuing abandoned Pokémon, Caring for Pokémon harmed by humans, Treating injured wild Pokémon, Controlling dangerous Pokémon that accidentally wander into cities, Rehabilitating protected Pokémon rescued from illegal trafficking.
In short, it's a field deeply connected to Pokémon welfare.
The Conservation Base works closely with police, healthcare providers, and the Ranger Corps, a division of the League focused on nature and Pokémon conservation. The rangers are highly skilled and equipped with their own unique systems, separate from trainers.
Simply put, Mrs. Yin was a grassroots leader within the system—her position wasn't particularly powerful, but her work was critical, and society would struggle without it.
As a result, Mrs. Yin had a wide network of connections, which greatly benefited Li Xiang when it came to choosing his first Pokémon.
Unfortunately, because Mrs. Yin became a director at a young age, her position attracted envy. Otherwise, Li Xiang could have had a Pokémon long ago—there'd have been no need to wait until he turned 11.
....
Next Morning.
Once again, Li Xiang was woken up by Purugly.
After tidying himself up, he went downstairs for breakfast.
"Morning, Mom."
"Morning. By the way, when are you going to start waking up on your own? Stop making Purugly run upstairs twice."
Mrs. Yin asked from the kitchen while serving congee.
Sitting at the dining table, Li Xiang yawned. "Running around is good for its health. Look how chubby it is."
"Meow!"
Purugly, unhappy, slapped its metal food bowl, creating a sharp clang. Can we just eat in peace without your commentary?
"You two are peas in a pod—neither has room to criticize the other."
Mrs. Yin chuckled as she brought over two bowls of congee.
Trailing behind her was a blue-and-white cat-like Pokémon with a fluffy tail, standing upright like a child.
It was her Meowstic, a Psychic-type Pokémon.
"Good morning," Li Xiang greeted it and thanked it for bringing over a plate of pickled vegetables.
The Meowstic said nothing, its big, adorable eyes blinking quietly as if contemplating the universe.
'And here we go again.'
Li Xiang mentally grumbled about how weird his mom's Pokémon were, though his face remained neutral as he started eating.
Between a chubby Purugly that fancied itself a stealth expert and a mostly-silent Meowstic that meditated half the time, life with them was certainly colorful.
"Wait, where's Florges ?" Li Xiang asked, noticing the absence of the Fairy-type Pokémon.
Mrs. Yin sipped her congee calmly. "It's on the balcony, sunbathing with your dad's succulents."
"Oh, doing that again?" Li Xiang muttered.
Mrs. Yin simply nodded.
That explained it. Florges had a peculiar hobby: it loved "chatting" with plants. The behavior was akin to people calling their figurines their "wives."
These three Pokémon—Purugly, Meowstic, and Florges —had been with Mrs. Yin long before Li Xiang was born.
Over the years, they had made significant contributions to raising him.
While their number was relatively small, it didn't matter—Mrs. Yin was a breeder, not a trainer. Quality over quantity.
Quirks aside, Li Xiang adored them. After all, cuteness was justice.
"Dad's not coming back again?" Li Xiang asked, eating his congee while chatting with his mom.
"Mm."
Mrs. Yin nodded, then added, "Alright, don't worry about your dad. It's nothing serious. He'll be back in a while. Give him a call tonight."
"…Alright."
Li Xiang swallowed the last bite of his porridge, let out a small burp, and said, "I'm full."
He then dashed upstairs to pack his things.
Today was a big day—he would finally receive his first Pokémon. He needed to prepare.
Li Xiang's father, Li Zhehan, was 32 years old, a year older than Mrs. Yin.
The two had been desk neighbors back in school.
This burly man, whose arm muscles could probably crush a durian with ease, graduated from a basic Pokémon trainer school.
However, instead of pursuing further studies, he attended a regular university for two and a half years before dropping out to join the maritime shipping industry.
In just a few years, he caught the wave of rapid growth in the logistics and transportation trade, climbing from an ordinary sailor to the owner of a shipping logistics company.
In the early days, the so-called "owner" often had to sail himself. It wasn't until the company expanded in recent years that he settled onshore to manage operations as a true behind-the-scenes boss.
Last week, however, he took on a significant contract and decided to personally oversee it.
Unfortunately, after just a few days at the destination, the region was suddenly subjected to a lockdown of its coastline, borders, and airspace for undisclosed reasons.
Even cargo ships like Li Zhehan's, and those from other regions, were barred from leaving, stuck at the docks.
The local Pokémon Association demanded that they remain where they were.
When Li Xiang found out, he scoured news sites, browsed countless forums, and even asked Mrs. Yin, but no one could explain what had happened.
Clearly, something big was going on there.
Safety wasn't a concern. With the Zhu Xia Pokémon Association backing them, the local authorities wouldn't dare do anything rash.
Most sailors had their own strength to rely on, and the ships also employed trainers to handle potential threats like pirates or the sea's infamous trio: Tentacruel, Sharpedo, and Crawdaunt.
The only real worry was how long it would take for him to return.
Hopefully, not until the New Year.
But the New Year was still far off, and Li Xiang often used long-distance calls to chat with his dad, asking about his situation and sharing recent happenings.
In this world, people still used button phones. After getting used to touchscreen devices in his past life, Li Xiang found the tiny screen and cramped text a bit jarring.
It seemed smartphones were still a couple of years away.
Sitting in the car, Li Xiang rubbed his slightly sore eyes.
He'd been too excited last night and stayed up late, leaving him groggy this morning.
"Take a nap. There's no rush," Mrs. Yin said, glancing at him through the rearview mirror. "Let Florges sprinkle some powder on you."
By powder, she was referring to Aromatherapy, a Grass-type status move used to alleviate negative conditions.
For humans, the pollen from Florges could help relax the mind and make it easier to fall asleep.
Before Li Xiang could respond, the Florges floating beside him began gently shaking its body. A soft green powder wafted into the air, some of it blending into his body while the rest was inhaled.
Almost immediately, Li Xiang's expression relaxed, his eyelids grew heavy, and before long, he was slumped over on the back of Purugly.
Purugly shot him a disdainful glance but didn't budge.
Mrs. Yin chuckled, fastened the seatbelt for Meowstic in the passenger seat, and slowly started the car.
With the peaceful atmosphere, Li Xiang quickly drifted into dreams.
In his dream, his first Pokémon was a Rayquaza, a Mewtwo, or even an Arceus.
Countless Pokémon lined up to become his first partner. There was no need to choose—he could have them all.
Soon, legendary Pokémon from all over gathered, vying to enter his PokéBall.
Unfortunately, just as he stepped onto the global championship stage, basking in the crowd's cheers and preparing to toss his PokéBall, a sharp noise jolted him awake.
He opened his eyes abruptly and saw, through the car window, three people in thick gray jumpsuits and fully enclosed steel helmets in the distance.
Each held a thick silver rope, which was looped around the neck of a large bird-like Pokémon with three round heads and long beaks.
It was unmistakably a Dodrio.
At that moment, the Dodrio was resisting with incredible strength, dragging the three individuals along and emitting a sharp, discordant cry as it bolted towards a nearby field.
The three people dug in their heels as if in a tug-of-war match.
"What are you doing?!"
The sudden shout startled Li Xiang.
Turning to the voice, he saw Mrs. Yin with a dark expression, her brows furrowed in anger.
Meowstic in the passenger seat had its eyes glowing blue, sending out an invisible psychic wave that enveloped Dodrio.
In an instant, the bird was immobilized mid-air, its frantic struggles rendered futile.
It flailed for a moment before lowering its heads in resignation, letting out a helpless chirp.
The three handlers, seeing this, quickly dropped the ropes and pulled out five black iron rings from their belts.
They clamped the rings onto Dodrio's three beaks and its leg joints. Only then did Meowstic release its psychic hold.
Dodrio landed with a thud. Thinking it was free, it tried to run again, only to be stopped by the restrictive rings.
Realizing it was futile, it reluctantly gave up.
The three handlers removed their helmets, revealing young, sweat-drenched faces—clearly rookies, all male.
"Director! Thank you so much!"
One of them, with slightly flamboyant hair, called out loudly.
The other two quickly echoed their thanks.
But Mrs. Yin's expression remained grim. She tapped her finger against the car door and glared at them.
"Who gave you permission to take Number Fifteen out?!"
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