Today is Chén Nuò's fourteenth birthday, and like a devoted father, Shàngshān Píng flew back home to celebrate his good son's birthday.
The table was laden with delicious food and a large birthday cake. There were only three people in the house: himself, along with his mother and father.
Chén Nuò looked at his busy mother and his flustered father, who was struggling to unwrap the cake, and felt that the warm scene before him was truly comforting.
He felt extremely grateful that the truck had brought him here. Unlike in his past life, where he was all alone, here he had his beloved father and mother.
He was no longer the hot-headed person he had been in his previous life. On the contrary, in this lifetime his temperament was exceptionally calm and composed, thanks in large part to having such reliable parents backing him up.
This filled him with confidence in everything he did, while also making him even calmer and more level-headed.
He had come to deeply understand the kind of impact having good parents could have on a child—even if he was still far from being just a child.
"Son? Starting today, you're fourteen. You can have your own Pokémon and go on a journey."
As the family sat around the cake table, his father spoke up first.
"Son, do you have any thoughts about going on a journey?"
His mother asked with a hint of worry, wanting to know her son's thoughts. If Chén Nuò truly wanted to go on a journey, she would naturally support him; but driven by a mother's selfishness, she still hoped her son wouldn't go out and take risks.
"Mom, I want to go on a journey. I plan to start from Hoenn."
Chén Nuò's idea had been thoroughly considered. Although he currently possessed only the body of a fourteen-year-old, he had the wisdom of an adult, so traveling outside would naturally pose no problem.
The reason he chose to start from Hoenn was mainly because Alola was not suited as a starting place for a beginner.
There were no Gyms or League conferences there, and Chén Nuò still hoped to improve himself through Gym battles and official League competitions.
As for why he didn't choose the Kalos region? It was mainly because his father was far too familiar with the place.
Going there under his father's protection felt like it wouldn't offer any real growth.
Therefore, choosing an unfamiliar region was best. As for choosing Hoenn, it was mostly because the Pokémon there were quite good.
Moreover, the challenge difficulty wasn't particularly high, making it suitable for a beginner's start.
"Since you've already made up your mind, I won't stop you. But as your fourteenth birthday present, your starter Pokémon has already been chosen for you by your dad and me."
Seeing that she couldn't stop her son's plans, Píng Kāngjìng felt a sense of relief in her heart. After all, this son of hers had always behaved with remarkable maturity.
She had to learn to let go! After all, her son had grown up, and if she kept shielding him under her wings without letting him experience any wind, rain, or setbacks, he would end up like a flower in a greenhouse—looking delicate and vibrant, but actually vulnerable to a single blow, completely unable to withstand the slightest storm from the outside world.
How could her son ever truly grow up like that? Only by letting him venture out, gain experience, and face all kinds of difficulties and challenges could he become strong, brave, confident, and a true man.
"My starter Pokémon?"
Chén Nuò looked puzzled for a moment, then thought about it briefly and realized that his family wasn't an ordinary one. He didn't need to go to the League to receive one.
They could completely afford to buy one themselves. After all, having money meant there was no need to panic.
"Is it one of the starters from the Kalos region?"
Chén Nuò was slightly puzzled. Since his dad was the mayor of Lumiose City in the Kalos region, naturally his starter should be from Kalos.
If that was the case, Froakie would actually be a pretty good choice.
Shàngshān Píng smiled faintly and shook his head: "Not quite, it's a Pokémon you like."
Hearing his father's reply, Chén Nuò froze for a moment.
A Pokémon he liked?
Had he ever said what kind of Pokémon he liked?
Watching Shàngshān Píng intentionally being mysterious, and then looking at his son's puzzled expression, Píng Kāngjìng took the initiative to explain.
"Don't you remember when you turned eight, your dad asked you what kind of Pokémon you liked?"
Píng Kāngjìng offered a hint.
"Eight years old?"
Chén Nuò recalled the memory and immediately remembered what had happened on his birthday that year.
On his birthday that year, his dad had arrived late, making him wait until midnight—long after his birthday had already passed—before finally coming home.
Although Chén Nuò wasn't one to throw a huge tantrum, he naturally felt some internal resentment.
Then his dad had asked him what kind of Pokémon he liked.
Just to talk back to him, Chén Nuò had replied that he liked Whimsicott.
And when asked what Pokémon he disliked, he had answered Whimsicott again.
Chén Nuò remembered that incident now; his old man had been given a pretty hard time by his sassy answer.
"Could it be that they got me a Whimsicott?"
Chén Nuò felt a headache coming on!
"That's right, you like it, don't you?"
Shàngshān Píng said with a smug look of utter satisfaction, as if he was extremely proud of having seen right through his son's inner thoughts.
Chén Nuò was simply left speechless.
He did indeed quite like Whimsicott; back when he used to play Pokémon games, he loved using Whimsicott because the creature was utterly annoying to opponents.
However, if that Pokémon belonged to someone else, it instantly became Chén Nuò's most hated Pokémon!
Regarding this Pokémon, he believed most people who played Pokémon games felt a love-hate relationship toward it.
Yet using this thing as a starter Pokémon? His old man must have lost his mind!
It wasn't that Whimsicott wasn't powerful enough, but rather that it was a support Pokémon. With so many strong starter Pokémon available to choose from as a first partner, they just had to pick something like this.
Píng Kāngjìng seemed to sense her son's thoughts and probed gently, "Son, do you not like Whimsicott?"
"It's not that I don't like it, it's pretty good, but choosing it as a starter... isn't very suitable."
Chén Nuò shook his head without making a big fuss, reaching out to take the Poké Ball containing the Whimsicott from his father's hand.
"Come out, partner."
Chén Nuò took a deep breath to steady his emotions. No matter what his first Pokémon turned out to be, he intended to accept it.
After all, a first Pokémon held extraordinary significance for any Trainer.
"Mimi!"
As a red flash of light swept past, a large, fluffy white ball of yarn appeared before Chén Nuò.
"Oh, a Cottonee!"
Chén Nuò had thought it would be the evolved form, but he didn't mind too much. For his family, evolution stones weren't prohibitively expensive items.
Raising affection while it was still a Cottonee and choosing to evolve it later was a great option, because having a Pokémon with too high a level wasn't very friendly for a beginner Trainer.
Need one look further than how difficult an evolved Pikachu was for Ash Ketchum to tame in the beginning?
Therefore, it was best not to choose an evolved form as a starter Pokémon.