Chapter 7, Round Island City, Friendship Store,the next morning.
Sunlight streamed through the window, waking the sleeping Growlithe and Riolu.
They slept soundly, not waking up all night.
Normally, Xia Mu would be awake by this time, but after a night of excitement and a long day, he wouldn't wake up easily.
Growlithe and Riolu didn't disturb Xia Mu's sleep, tiptoeing out of the room and downstairs.
Early that morning, Mu Xiuli had already prepared breakfast, and Xia Mu was sitting at the table eating snacks while checking her phone for new messages.
As the head of the group company, Xia Mu was very busy, leaving for work at the company every morning.
Mu Xiuli also went to the company to help with affairs, but unlike Xia Mu, she could choose not to go too early.
"Growlithe and Riolu are awake, but Xia Mu isn't awake yet?" Xia Mu asked with a smile as she saw the two little ones come downstairs.
The two little ones nodded in response and affectionately approached her.
"This child rarely sleeps in late; he seems really exhausted these past few days," said Mu Xiuli.
Xia He nodded, but he actually thought it was for the best: "If he were still like before, it would be worrying. The child is growing up, and besides, he's already 18; it's time for a change."
"Mm," Mu Xiuli nodded, then smiled and went to the kitchen to bring out special dishes for Growlithe and Riolu.
Mu Xiuli was a very good cook; she had always cooked herself.
Xia He had suggested many times that they hire a nanny or a professional chef so Mu Xiuli wouldn't have to work so hard, but Mu Xiuli always refused.
She wanted to take care of the family because she felt it was her duty.
Xia He couldn't refuse, so she could only show more care and share some of the burden.
After breakfast, Xia He had urgent business to attend to and had to go to the company first.
After confirming that she didn't need any help, Mu XiuLi saw Xia He off.
Actually, the two usually went out together, but these days were an exception. Partly because the company was busy with business, and partly because it had only been ten days since Xia Mu fell into the water, Mu XiuLi was worried, so she wouldn't be at ease until she saw Xia Mu was alright before leaving.
This was also why Xia Mu didn't continue leveling up outside at night—to avoid worrying her parents in this life.
...
It was nine o'clock in the morning when Xia Mu finally woke up.
After stretching, she went to the bathroom to wash up, and only after fully waking up did she change into clean clothes and go downstairs.
She happened to meet her mother, who was about to leave, and after exchanging a few words, Mu XiuLi left,
leaving Xia Mu with the two little ones.
After playing with them for a while, Xia Mu naturally didn't forget to check on the Shiny Magikarp.
After a night, the Shiny Magikarp hadn't changed much, neither in terms of affection nor mood.
To further strengthen their bond, Xia Mu purchased Magikarp's exclusive Energy Cubes from the system shop and fed them to Magikarp.
He didn't forget Growlithe and Riolu, of course.
Initially, the golden Magikarp, having already eaten plenty of its mother's food that morning, wasn't very interested.
But when the Energy Cubes dissolved in the water, the unique aroma attracted it, causing it to immediately change its mind and devour the Energy Cubes in one go.
The effect was remarkable.
Because he could see the data changes, Xia Mu saw that his affinity with Magikarp had increased by 3 points.
Even if it was only 3 points, it was a good start; at least Magikarp acknowledged him as its master.
However, its mood was still so-so, mainly because it was confined to the fish tank and unable to jump.
"Go into your Poké Ball first, Magikarp. I'll take you swimming in the great river in the forest later." After getting Magikarp's consent, Xia Mu took out its Poké Ball and put it in.
Then, Xia Mu went to the dining table.
Breakfast was a must, otherwise he would go hungry.
Mu Xiuli had prepared a hearty breakfast for him: a large sandwich, ham, a fried egg, a bowl of vegetable and fruit salad, and a glass of milk.
Actually, Xia Mu wasn't that picky, as long as he could fill his stomach.
But Mu Xiuli said that he was growing and needed to eat well.
After ten days, Xia Mu got used to it.
After breakfast, Xia Mu cleaned up the dishes, made sure he hadn't forgotten anything, and then took Growlithe and Riolu out the door.
He didn't put them in their Poké Balls because they wouldn't run around or cause trouble.
...
Yuujima City wasn't very big, but it wasn't small either.
According to the classification, it should be able to squeeze into the ranks of first-tier cities.
As the only major city on the entire island, all development revolves around Madoka City.
In fact, the surrounding islands also develop around Madoka, including the well-known Cinnabar Island and even the Seven Islands (Fate Island, Friendship Island, Mother and Child Island, Ice Island, Frozen Cave, Time Island, and Lucky Island), all influenced by Madoka to some extent.
In a sense, Madoka, Cinnabar Island, the Seven Islands, and even some smaller islands, although connected to the Orange Islands and not far away, are under the jurisdiction of the Kanto Regional League and therefore not considered part of the Orange Islands.
Even New Island, located on the Orange Islands' border, is not recognized by the Orange Islands due to the regional boundary.
Ultimately, New Island is a rather pitiful island.
It's not large, has no special species, and no valuable minerals, so the Orange Islands don't want it, the Kanto region disdains it, and it ultimately became an isolated island targeted by Team Rocket, becoming a secret experimental base.
Of course, it is now occupied by Mewtwo.
Under Mewtwo's control, New Island was transformed, becoming a massive Pokémon City.
...
Walking the streets of Tulip City, Xia Mu quickly arrived at the League's official Friendly Shop.
It sold Poké Balls, Pokémon items, and some useful healing items.
The old Xia Mu wouldn't have come here, as he hated Pokémon and would never have bought anything related to them.
Luckily, the people inside didn't recognize him, so he could ask questions without worrying about word getting out.
Of course, he couldn't just pull out items and ask if they would be recycled.
Having lived two lives, Xia Mu knew how to quickly build initial goodwill with strangers.
So, he first had the shopkeeper help him choose some Poké Balls, common healing items, and Pokémon food.
After becoming familiar, he suddenly asked, "I heard that Friendly Shops in other places recycle Pokémon evolution stones and some valuable items. I have some here; I wonder what the buyback price is?"
...
PS: To standardize the prices of items in the system shop, most are based on the highest prices in the Pokémon games, as there are slight discrepancies between generations.
(End of this chapter)