"Alright," Su Wen replied.

  As he walked toward the entrance, he pondered.

  His 16th birthday—what kind of gift had his dad prepared? Most likely, it would be a Pokémon.

  Su Wen, who had decided to pursue the path of a Pokémon trainer, had applied to the Pokémon Studies program at Yundu City's No. 1 High School. In the Xia Kingdom, 16 was the legal age to officially own your first Pokémon.

  Su Wen skillfully picked up a sign from behind the entrance and, under the watchful eyes of the challengers waiting in line, hung it on the door hook.

  "Closed for the Day?"

  The challengers behind him were stunned. What was going on? The Normal-type Gym usually closed around 8 or 9 PM, but today it was shutting down before 6 PM.

  "Ahem, the Gym Leader has some urgent matters to attend to today. Please make an appointment next time before coming," Su Wen expined.

  The people waiting in line hadn’t made appointments—they’d probably just had a spur-of-the-moment idea to come and get beaten up.

  But seeing the Gym closed, they could only shake their heads and leave.

  The Gym had security and management staff, so Su Chuan didn’t need to clean up. He simply changed out of his Gym Leader robe and left through the back door with Su Wen, driving off.

  "Dad, what’s the gift?" Su Wen asked from the passenger seat, pretending not to have any idea.

  Su Chuan pyed coy: "You’ll definitely be satisfied with this gift."

  "Dad, you said the same thing before," Su Wen suddenly recalled past birthdays when his dad had given him things like stuffed animals, toy trains, and even a Barbie doll for his 8th birthday! Was that even something for him to py with?

  Su Wen gave his dad a suspicious look, making Su Chuan feel a bit awkward: "Uh, this time, son, you’ll definitely be satisfied."

  Su Wen subtly rolled his eyes: "Dad, why don’t you just tell me? I’m really starting to get nervous here."

  Su Chuan couldn’t help but try to salvage his image in front of his son: "How about a Pokémon?"

  "Dad, is that even a gift?" Su Wen expressed his dissatisfaction strongly. "I’m starting school in a month. If you don’t get me a starter Pokémon soon, I’ll just go to the Pokémon League and get an egg to hatch myself."

  The Xia Kingdom’s Pokémon League had strict regutions—private ownership of Pokémon wasn’t allowed. You could only capture Pokémon as a trainer, and there was no barrier to becoming a trainer. As long as you were 16, you could register with the Pokémon League, so pretty much everyone in the Xia Kingdom was a trainer.

  The stronger you were, the more Pokémon you were allowed to own. Gym Leaders like Su Chuan could raise over 25 Pokémon under the Gym’s name.

  As for amateur trainers like Su Wen’s mom, they were only allowed to own one Pokémon.

  "If I’m calling it a gift, of course, it means you get to choose. Otherwise, I’d have already gotten you a Skoth," Su Chuan huffed, trying to show he hadn’t forgotten about his son’s upcoming school term.

  Su Wen didn’t have any particur fondness for Skoth. As the initial form of Sking, Skoth was even zier than its evolution, and his dad’s Sking was a one-of-a-kind case. Plus, Skoth’s appearance wasn’t exactly appealing...

  "I was pnning to ask you after you blew out the candles, but since we’re already talking about it, go ahead and choose. What Pokémon do you want as your starter? Your dad will make it happen," Su Chuan said with great confidence.

  "Dratini, Larvitar, Bagon, Beldum, Gible, Dreepy, Goomy, Deino."

  Su Wen listed all the pseudo-legendary Pokémon’s initial forms in one breath, then looked at Su Chuan with a smile and shyly added, "I’m fine with any of these."

  "..."

  After a long silence, Su Chuan said weakly, "Your dad’s been wanting a Gible for a long time..."

  The implication was clear: dream on.

  These eight Pokémon were in a league of their own. Among all known Pokémon, their potential was at the very top.

  Apart from Sking, which had slightly higher potential stats than these pseudo-legendaries, its Truant ability had rendered it almost useless.

  Having a pseudo-legendary as a starter Pokémon would undoubtedly be a huge advantage, but Su Wen had looked into it. The only officially recorded habitat for pseudo-legendaries was in the Xia Kingdom’s First Forbidden Zone: the Dragon’s Lair.

  All Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries, except for Goomy and Dreepy, had their own groups in the Dragon’s Lair.

  The inhabitants of the Dragon’s Lair had reached an agreement with the Xia Kingdom’s Pokémon League—trainers weren’t allowed to disturb the Lair, but behind-the-scenes deals were still happening.

  Any trainer who reached Elite Four level could enter the Dragon’s Lair to capture a Pokémon or request a specific Pokémon, and the Lair would provide the initial form or an egg.

  It was a btant exchange of favors.

  And everyone was more than willing to owe this favor. Who wouldn’t want a pseudo-legendary? Even if they didn’t need it themselves, they could leave it for their children.

  As for the non-Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries, Larvitar and Beldum, they were also incredibly rare.

  Larvitar didn’t have a fixed habitat, but wherever it was found, it was likely in deep, remote forests, often accompanied by two adult Tyranitar.

  Beldum was found deep in caves rich in Steel-type minerals, usually in forbidden zones, making it just as hard to come by.

  Su Chuan had also wanted a pseudo-legendary for a long time but hadn’t managed to get one.

  He’d probably only be able to get one after breaking through to Elite Four level.

  For now, it was best not to think about it.

  Su Wen couldn’t quite understand why the Dragon’s Lair wouldn’t invest in his dad, who clearly had the strength of an Elite Four trainer.

  "How about Froakie, Charmander, Riolu, Eevee, or Torchic? Dad, can you find ones with good potential among these?"

  "Froakie, Charmander, Torchic, and Riolu should have their hidden abilities. Eevee should have the Adaptability ability."

  These five Pokémon were the result of Su Wen’s careful consideration. Leaving aside the elusive concepts of Mega Evolution, Bond Phenomenon, and Dynamax for now.

  Froakie’s hidden ability, Protean, allowed it to change its type.

  Torchic’s hidden ability, Speed Boost, was an incredibly powerful and practical battle ability, increasing its speed periodically during combat.

  Su Wen’s strong Aura would likely synergize well with Riolu, a Pokémon known for its Aura abilities.

  Charmander was a versatile Pokémon, capable of filling multiple roles. Its hidden ability, Sor Power, boosted its Special Attack by 50% in sunny weather, though it drained stamina rapidly. Still, it was an extremely potent ability.

  Eevee had multiple evolution paths, allowing Su Wen to choose based on how he wanted to train it.

  These five Pokémon were Su Wen’s top choices for a starter Pokémon.

  Most importantly, these Pokémon were all good-looking. Su Wen couldn’t help but admit to himself that he was a bit of a sucker for aesthetics.

  Listening to Su Wen’s requirements, Su Chuan thought carefully. "Forget about Froakie. They’re mostly in the Western European Federation. High-quality Froakie are hard to come by in the Xia Kingdom."

  "As for Riolu, there’s a Fighting-type Gym in the capital. I know the Gym Leader there, and they have six or seven Lucario. But getting a Riolu with a hidden ability won’t be easy."

  "I can try to pull some strings for Torchic and Eevee, though, and see if I can get one for you."

  "For Charmander, the Charicific Valley is the best option. Your Uncle Zhu owes me a favor, and it’s currently Charmander hatching season. I’m sure a lot of people are already contacting him. I’ll take you there tomorrow to see if there’s a suitable one. If not, I’ll help you look for Torchic or Eevee. How’s that?"

  With Su Chuan’s status, finding these five Pokémon wasn’t difficult. The challenge was Su Wen’s requirement for hidden abilities, which were much rarer.

  Most Pokémon species had standard abilities and hidden abilities, like dominant and recessive genes. In any given group, most Pokémon had standard abilities.

  The probability of a hidden ability appearing was about one in several hundred, though it varied by species.

  But like pulling an SSR in a gacha game, every Pokémon with a hidden ability was a treasure.

  Most hidden abilities had incredibly powerful effects, though some were underwhelming.

  Seeing that Su Chuan had a detailed pn, Su Wen nodded. "That works."

  On the way home, Su Chuan chatted with Su Wen about various Pokémon-reted topics, feeling quite satisfied. Su Wen’s theoretical knowledge was solid, and he showed great talent for Pokémon training.

  As a top-tier trainer, Su Chuan naturally hoped his son would grow into an even better trainer than himself.

  When they arrived home, Su Wen knocked on the door. Neither he nor Su Chuan carried keys.

  With a click, the door opened, and a small head peeked out.

  "Indeedee, is Mom done with dinner?" Su Wen wasn’t surprised. This adorable Pokémon was his mom’s only Pokémon, an Indeedee.

  Indeedee wasn’t his mom’s starter Pokémon, though. Her first Pokémon had been a Beedrill, which had long since...