Chapter 5 The Golden Magikarp
More than ten minutes passed before Xia Mu's father, Xia He, drove home.
The parking was quite a commotion, and Xia Mu and Mu Xiuli came out to greet him.
Xia He looked spirited; although middle-aged, he was the mature, steady, and handsome type.
It was fortunate that his mother, Mu Xiuli, was a great beauty, intelligent, and understanding, completely able to keep her father, whose looks alone could attract countless admirers, in check.
Xia Mu spoke first, greeting him.
His mother's earlier words had filled him with great anticipation.
Xia He nodded, then laughed heartily, "I just heard from your mother that you went out for another day of training. Dad is really happy; you've finally taken this step."
For him, his son seemed like a different person after waking up ten days ago. He was initially worried, but now he was grateful that his son had survived this ordeal, thus overcoming the shadows of his childhood.
He was even more grateful to Riolu, because it was the Pokémon that suddenly appeared after Xia Mu woke up. He assumed it was Riolu that made Xia Mu start to trust Pokémon and want to become stronger.
After some pleasantries, Xia He put his arm around Mu Xiuli and Xia Mu's shoulders and went through the door.
Growlithe and Riolu followed behind, obediently making no noise.
Actually, Mu Xiuli and Xia He's Pokémon should still be at home, but because Xia Mu was afraid, they had been fostered by the Gym Leader Blaine on the neighboring Cinnabar Island, rarely returning for more than a few days a month.
Now that Xia Mu's fear had disappeared, Mu Xiuli and Xia He also had the idea of bringing their Pokémon back, but they hadn't put it into practice yet.
"Dad, Mom said you prepared a surprise for me, can you tell me now?" At the dinner table, Xia Mu seized the opportunity to ask.
His expectant expression was undisguised.
After all, he had long since adapted to this identity, merging with everything about the original body; he was Xia Mu.
"Haha, it seems your mother couldn't resist telling you, it's this." Xia He said with a laugh, pulling a Poké Ball from his pocket.
"What's this?" Xia Mu was even more confused.
Giving him a Pokémon?
Seeing Xia Mu's stunned expression, Mu Xiuli explained, "The day after you woke up in the water, didn't you mention a golden Magikarp?
Our cargo ship travels by sea, and your father has been asking around and instructing all the crew members to catch any golden Magikarp they encounter."
A golden Magikarp?!
Xia Mu was shocked.
Recalling it now, it seemed that on the second day after he transmigrated, he saw quite a few Magikarp on the shore and remarked that he wished he had a golden one.
After all, as the first Shiny Pokémon he always wanted to get in the game, his obsession was still deep.
He didn't expect that his casual remark would be remembered by Xia He.
He was inevitably moved, and suddenly felt ashamed.
At first, he had been thinking about how to get along with his parents in this life, and how to carefully plan his life to make it better for himself.
He had been too calculating.
"What's wrong? Don't you like it?" Seeing the slight flicker in Xia Mu's eyes, Xia He patted Xia Mu's shoulder and asked.
Xia Mu quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, I just... suddenly feel sorry for you..."
This was also him speaking on behalf of the original owner, completely resolving his inner conflict.
"Silly child, isn't it all in the past? Besides, you've never caused your parents any trouble." Mu Xiuli patted Xia Mu's head, making Xia Mu feel the satisfaction of family affection.
"Alright, don't think about unhappy things. Do you still want this Golden Magikarp?" Xia He used his words to change the atmosphere.
Xia Mu stopped pretending and nodded, taking the Poké Ball: "Yes, this is a Shiny Magikarp. It will evolve into a Shiny Gyarados."
"Planning to evolve Magikarp into Gyarados? It seems Dad can rest assured now; you've completely shed the past." Xia He wasn't worried at all.
He saw Xia Mu's growth; he was no longer the little kid he used to be.
Mu Xiu watched this scene, smiling with satisfaction.
...
The family had a very harmonious dinner. After dinner, the three of them took Growlithe and Riolu for a walk, greeting the neighbors. Xia Mu also saw many more Pokémon.
It wasn't until they returned home that Xia Mu released the golden Magikarp.
The house didn't have a large tank, so Xia He had one custom-made and delivered overnight.
The golden Magikarp was clearly unfamiliar with its new environment, but being a Magikarp, it was simple-minded and didn't overthink things, quickly adapting.
[(Shiny) Magikarp]
[LV: 14]
[Gender: Male]
[Type: Water]
[Nature: Slow]
[Ability: Swift Swim (Speed increases in rainy weather)]
[Move: Jump]
[Friendship: 10 (Initially acquainted, still needs improvement)]
[Mood: Average (The tank is too small to jump)]
[Magikarp's Individual Values]
[HP: 20 (Very good)]
[Special Attack: 30 (Amazing)]
[Special Defense: 8 (Average)]
[Attack: 26 (Excellent)]
[Defense: 0 (Maybe not good)]
[Speed: 5 (Average)]
[Overall Rating: Above average!] Looking at the Shiny Magikarp's stats, Xia Mu gained a comprehensive understanding of it.
To be honest, this Magikarp's aptitude was actually quite average, and its personality wasn't particularly outstanding. However, it could be viable if built as a dual-attack Pokémon.
Its Individual Values (IVs) were poor, but wild Magikarp rarely had high IVs; they all needed to be improved through training. In the game, high IVs were usually achieved through breeding.
It was quite a coincidence.
Xia Mu's original plan was to take a trip out to sea in the next couple of days to catch a large Water-type Pokémon, making it easier to cross the sea to the new Pokémon City in ten days.
Alternatively, he could catch a Pidgeotto, quickly level it up to 36, and evolve it into Pidgeotto, which could then carry him across.
Now, with this Shiny Magikarp, he could quickly level it up and evolve it.
Crossing the sea wouldn't be a problem.
However, evolving a Shiny Magikarp wouldn't be easy.
It's currently uncertain whether carrying the Magikarp while not battling will grant experience points.
Even if Magikarp battles, it can't use any moves other than Leap, making it unable to finish off opponents.
Xia Mu remembers that Magikarp can only learn Tackle at level 15, and then there's Frenzy at level 25.
In the absence of other options, the only solution is to buy a Rare Candy to reach level 15 and see if it can learn Tackle.
If that doesn't work, then other methods will have to be considered.
Perhaps, like in the original story, Riolu and Growlithe could act out a scenario, making Magikarp think it defeated them?
That's worth a try, but Magikarp can only evolve at level 20.
Although it seems only 6 levels away, it's still a long way to go.
(End of Chapter)