"Old Chen, I really think you should reconsider this carefully."
Seeing that Chen Shi truly intended to catch the two Froakie, Steven finally couldn't help stepping forward to persuade him.
In Steven's eyes, these two Froakie not only lacked Abilities, but their potential wasn't particularly outstanding either.
There really wasn't much reason to catch them.
Chen Shi shook his head, remaining completely firm.
"No."
"If Professor Sycamore doesn't have any better arrangements for them, then let me take them."
Then he looked seriously toward Professor Sycamore.
"Professor, are there any conditions for taking these two Froakie away?"
After all, these Pokémon technically didn't belong to Professor Sycamore himself.
The League had merely entrusted them to his laboratory so they could later be distributed to beginning Trainers.
In other words—
The starter Pokémon were only temporarily staying under Professor Sycamore's care.
So whether taking them away would be easy or difficult depended entirely on Professor Sycamore's attitude.
Watching Chen Shi's unwavering expression, Cynthia's eyes flickered slightly.
She had known Chen Shi for a very long time.
Back when they traveled together, they practically ate and slept side by side every single day.
Later, they even became lovers.
It could honestly be said that aside from Chen Shi's grandparents, Cynthia was the person in the world who understood him best.
And she knew one thing very clearly—
Chen Shi was absolutely the type of person who never acted without purpose.
If there wasn't some special reason behind it, he would never willingly do something troublesome with little benefit in return.
Especially when it came to Pokémon—
Once Chen Shi decided to catch one, he fully intended to take responsibility for it forever.
Because of that, he was always extremely cautious regarding new captures.
And those two distant Froakie—
Pokémon with no Abilities and only decent potential—
Clearly didn't meet Chen Shi's normal standards for catching Pokémon.
So why was he so determined to catch them?
There absolutely had to be some hidden reason behind it.
Cynthia carefully observed the two Froakie once more.
But no matter how she looked at them—
They still appeared to be completely ordinary Froakie.
Nothing special stood out at all.
Meanwhile, after thinking for a moment, Professor Sycamore finally replied:
"This honestly isn't a major issue."
"However, since you're not a beginner Trainer, if you want to take them away, you'll probably need to pay the League a certain fee."
"No problem."
Chen Shi immediately agreed.
In this world, once a child turned five years old, families with sufficient financial ability could pay the League one hundred thousand Pokédollars every year.
This continued for ten years.
Then after the child turned fifteen, they would become eligible to receive a League-raised starter Pokémon from a regional professor.
But if Chen Shi intended to directly take these two Froakie away now—
It naturally wouldn't be that cheap.
The cost would definitely be much higher.
Still, for the current Chen Shi, anything solvable with money barely counted as a problem at all.
Professor Sycamore nodded gently.
"Then you can try communicating with them."
"As long as they're willing to go with you, and you pay the League afterward, there won't be any issues."
"Thank you."
Gratitude appeared on Chen Shi's face.
He knew very well that if Professor Sycamore hadn't agreed, taking away the two Froakie wouldn't have been nearly this simple.
Professor Sycamore waved it off with a smile.
"What's there to thank me for?"
"If anything, I should be thanking you instead."
Chen Shi froze briefly before laughing together with him.
Then he suddenly turned toward Steven.
"Do you want to catch one of the Froakie?"
After Cynthia received Goomy previously, Steven had complained about it for quite a while.
And since Chen Shi obviously couldn't catch both Froakie himself—
He might as well give one to Steven.
However, Steven simply shook his head.
"I'll pass."
"I'm not really interested in Froakie."
At this point, Steven had already vaguely guessed these two Froakie weren't ordinary.
Even so, he still had no desire to catch them.
Because what he truly loved were Steel-types and Rock-types.
He didn't really want to train a Water-type Pokémon.
Chen Shi's mouth twitched.
Damn it.
I'm literally handing you an opportunity and you still can't make use of it.
Still, just to prevent Steven from whining later, he asked one more time:
"You seriously don't want one?"
"Nope."
"I genuinely have no interest in Froakie."
"Alright then."
"Cynthia, do you want to catch one instead?"
Seeing Steven's firm attitude, Chen Shi stopped persuading him and turned toward Cynthia instead.
A faint smile immediately appeared on Cynthia's lips as she agreed without hesitation.
"Sure."
"I'd actually like to see what's so special about these two Froakie that makes you value them this much."
"They definitely won't disappoint you."
Chen Shi shrugged before walking directly toward the two Froakie.
Cynthia followed beside him.
Meanwhile, the two Froakie who had been training suddenly noticed the sunlight above them disappearing.
Subconsciously, they stopped their movements.
Their round eyes blinked curiously as they looked upward.
Two figures now stood before them, blocking the warm sunlight and casting shadows over their small bodies.
Chen Shi spoke gently:
"Training here won't help you very much."
"Would you be willing to leave with us and let us become your Trainers?"
"We can help you become stronger."
"Froa?!"
The two Froakie instantly froze.
Their large, lively eyes first filled with uncontrollable excitement, as though a beautiful dream they'd never dared hope for had suddenly appeared before them.
But that excitement only lasted briefly before rapidly dimming again.
Like a tiny flame instantly extinguished by cold water.
To see the outside world.
To challenge powerful Pokémon.
To grow stronger through their own hard work.
Those had always been the deepest dreams hidden within the siblings' hearts.
Countless nights, they stared silently toward the skies beyond the laboratory, imagining themselves one day displaying their strength freely across the vast world.
But cruel reality had shattered those dreams.
Because their bodies were flawed.
Compared to their kin, they lacked something essential.
And because of that flaw, their previous Trainers abandoned them without hesitation after discovering the truth.
That experience—
Being returned.
Being mocked and isolated by others of their kind—
Had become a deep scar engraved within their young hearts.
So when facing Chen Shi and Cynthia's invitation—
The two Froakie shook their heads and refused.
"Froa…"
The older brother Froakie pointed toward the other Froakie playing nearby, indicating Chen Shi should choose them instead.
"No."
"They aren't the partners I'm looking for."
"You are."
Chen Shi's gaze remained deep and unwavering as he stared directly at Froakie's older brother.
Cynthia stepped forward and spoke sincerely:
"Come with us."
"We know about your condition."
"But none of that matters."
"We won't abandon you."
"We'll help you become stronger and take you to see a much wider world."
Facing Cynthia's sincere gaze, the younger sister Froakie wavered.
She could tell—
This human wasn't lying.
Which meant…
Even after knowing about their defects, these humans still genuinely wanted them as partners.
"Froa…"
The younger sister softly called out toward her brother.
The older brother Froakie remained silent for two seconds.
That tiny body seemed to carry countless complicated emotions within it.
Finally, he gathered his courage and called toward Chen Shi.
"Froa… froa…"
(Why us… instead of the normal Froakie over there?)
Chen Shi still wore that warm smile like sunlight itself.
He slowly crouched down so his eyes met theirs directly before softly saying:
"Because you possess something they don't."
His voice was extremely gentle.
So gentle it felt like a feather drifting quietly through the air.
Yet those seemingly soft words exploded inside the Froakie siblings' minds like thunder.
Their eyes immediately reddened slightly as faint mist gathered within them.
They felt overwhelmingly moved.
We possess something the others don't…?
The words repeated endlessly inside their hearts.
Ever since being abandoned because of their flaws, they had always believed they were defective.
Inferior to the others.
But now—
Chen Shi's words felt like a ray of light shining into the darkness of their world.
Our determination and hard work must have moved these two Trainers…
It has to be that.
...…
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