"Of course, Joy Sophia wasn't insulting anyone; she just found it strange. How could a child who wasn't that young be completely unaware of such basic knowledge? Didn't anyone teach him when he was little? Could he have run away from home? Or... was he someone who escaped from an orphanage?"
"…Sister Sophia, can you keep this a secret for me?" Victor rolled his eyes and then, with a serious expression, lowered his voice to ask.
Joy Sophia was taken aback by Victor's conduct. Then she nodded solemnly.
"Actually... I'm the child of a human and a Pokémon."(Note TL: ????????)
"Ah?!"
As a healthcare professional, Joy Sophia was shocked. Humans and Pokémon could have children? This was the first she had ever heard of this!
"My dad... he's a jerk!" Victor slammed his small fist on the table, gritting his teeth as he spoke. "Back then, after making my mom pregnant... he put her in a Poké Ball, and while she was asleep, he tossed her along with the Poké Ball into the forest."
"Later, my mother gave birth to me in the forest, and I grew up alongside Pokémon, so... I don't really know much about the human world."
Joy Sophia was completely stunned. This story completely reshaped her worldview.
Beside the chair, Umbreon also wore a puzzled expression.
Not understanding the human world? Just earlier on the way to the Pokémon Center, she saw him communicating with humans without any barriers.
"This, this is truly shocking. I never expected that humans and Pokémon could… ah, Victor, you've really been through a lot all these years…"
Joy Sophia immediately felt pity for him.
"Don't worry, Sister Sophia, I'm doing fine now, aren't I?" Victor felt a little sorry for his father who had passed away in a previous life.
He hadn't even considered a better excuse a moment ago and just put out N's background.
But thinking more about it, N might not necessarily have been born from a male human and a female Pokémon. A male Pokémon and a female human could also be possible, right? For instance, Gardevoir... after all, that fellow is also green-haired.
Finally, under Joy Sophia's sympathetic gaze, Victor successfully completed his identity registration as this black household.
Though she didn't help him pay the taxes for those ten years to become a registered trainer capable of receiving starters, at least with a formal identity, he could do much more than as an unregistered individual.
Afterward, Joy Sophia told Victor to return to the guest room and that she would help him find a host family tomorrow.
Upon hearing that, while Joy Sophia wasn't paying attention, Victor got up early the next day and left a letter expressing his gratitude.
Usually, he just learned little things from Momonosuke to gather some intelligence, but really moving into another family and playing a child for a few years? Wouldn't that cost him his life?
And although Victor thought Joy Sophia wasn't that kind of person, he was still afraid that someone would want to slice him open for research if she reported his "background."
Having spent so long in a world full of piracy and deception, Victor tended to think of the worst-case scenario.
Although in his previous life, he often used pirates or government dogs as test subjects, he definitely didn't want to be used for experiments himself.
...
"I have a general understanding of this world, but the issue of money remains unsolved."
Victor stretched lazily while walking down the street alongside Umbreon, casually chatting:
"If I want to help you complete the regression, I need to research your DNA composition, and for that, I'll need a lot of specialized equipment."
"Syringes, blood collection tubes, blood test devices..."
"These things cost quite a bit, yet I don't even have money for lunch."
"Bu yi~ Bu yi~ Bu yi~"
Umbreon replied apathetically and occasionally cast a look of disbelief at her new master.
No, he was serious?
Forget the Eevee family; even throughout the Pokémon history, Umbreon had never heard of a Pokémon evolving back down.
"Just because others can't do it doesn't mean I can't. I'm quite confident in this regard."
Victor gently stroked Umbreon's round forehead.
"Tsk~ But no matter how many times I look, it's just so beautiful. Those pitch-black fur, those red eyes, with a touch of golden patterns adorning them."
Since his previous life, the elegant and beautiful Sylveon, with the "Pixilate" ability— which was the best ability in the Eevee family — had become highly sought after.
Yet Victor still believed Umbreon was the coolest one.
There was a mysterious beauty about it.
Victor's praise left Umbreon dumbfounded once again. Was… was she really beautiful like that?
Knowing that last night, as she slept in the Pokémon Center, her dreams were filled with the terrified expression of her previous owner abandoning her.
As one person and one fox continued to walk the streets, Umbreon found herself stealing more glances at Victor.
She could sense it. What Victor had just said was not just to comfort or deceive her; he truly believed it.
Why... wasn't he her first owner?
"Hey, Cyndaquil, use Ember!"
"Wahh! Rattata! Dodge now!"
At that moment, shouts from children echoed ahead.
Victor and Umbreon looked up to see two boys, about the same age as Victor, engaged in a Pokémon battle.
The Pokémon they were using were Cyndaquil and Rattata.
Well, the boys' skills in commanding their Pokémon were on par, but the difference in their Pokémon made the outcome quite apparent.
Let's not talk about things like "there are no useless Pokémon, only useless trainers," or take examples like Giovanni's Beedrill or Ash's Pikachu.
As a scientist, Victor thought it was unreasonable to take those exceptions.
Let's put it this way: if you had to choose between Kaido's Azure Dragon Fruit and Hancock's two sisters' Snake Fruit, which would you choose?
Giovanni and Ash are anomalies of anomalies, after all.
Why hadn't he seen anyone else manage to raise Beedrill or Pikachu— these commonplace Pokémon— to such unmatched heights?
Even if those who transmigrated didn't have systems or cheats, if you aimed to become a top-tier trainer, you should still go for a Pokémon with higher potential.
Didn't Monkey D. Luffy's Gum-Gum fruit end up falling behind in the late game because of the battles with gods, forcing him into using Nika powers?
"Yay! I won!"
In the end, Rattata couldn't turn the tables with the miraculous skill "Dodge".
Cyndaquil's trainer claimed victory.
"According to our agreement, this pack of Pikachu chocolate biscuits is mine now."
The little boy took the pack with a Pikachu design on it from his opponent's hands.
Watching this scene, Victor's smile began to twist unnaturally.
Oh dear, how had he forgotten how he used to earn money in games back in his previous life?
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Patreon.(com)/Cmooi
40 chapters available