37 The Ultimate Bug Catcher!
[Note: Only Trainers who truly understand their Pokemon can unlock dungeons like this! Please Trainers, take good care of your Pokemon!]
Chen Yue opened Dragonite's information panel.
He noticed a small door behind Dragonite's avatar, with a swirling blue vortex inside, resembling a witch's teleportation portal in a magical world.
Chen Yue tried clicking on it but was informed that he couldn't enter at the moment and could only do so on Free Days.
Free Days were the seven-day intervals between dungeons.
"Onii-Chan, is dinner ready yet?"
Flower was nibbling on a Nanab Berry and peeked her head at the doorway.
Only then did Chen Yue recall that Flower was still hungry. He replied, "It'll be ready soon," and turned to start cooking noodles.
Soon, two bowls of fragrant boiled noodles were ready. The noodles were topped with two golden-brown crispy omelets, shimmering enticingly under the light.
Chen Yue carried the noodles to the living room and said, "Give them a try!"
Flower took a bite, and her face lit up with the brightness of a two-dimensional girl, saying, "Onii-Chan makes the best food!"
As they were enjoying their meal, the doorbell rang.
Chen Yue, feeling tired after a long day, called Flower to answer the door.
Flower obediently followed her Brother's instructions, stood up, and happily ran to the door, opening it with excitement, "Uncle Gus, you're back!"
A robust male voice responded, "Haha, of course, I'm back. Have you eaten? Little one, is your Brother awake?"
Flower proudly said, "Brother woke up in the morning! And Brother made my dinner!"
Chen Yue raised his head and saw a middle-aged man, around forty years old, about 1.8 meters tall, dressed in green overalls, entering.
"How are you feeling today?" Gus asked.
Chen Yue replied smoothly, "I'm feeling much better."
Gus seemed relieved, "That's good. By the way, I heard from our neighbor Peter that you had Dragonite and Mimikyu battle today?"
Chen Yue's hand hesitated for a moment, but he quickly realized that everything done by Infinite Players would automatically appear rationalized in the eyes of the NPC in the game.
He nodded and answered, "Yes, I wanted to earn some pocket money to buy Flower some new clothes."
Gus raised an eyebrow upon hearing Chen Yue's response and curiously asked, "Have you really made up your mind? No more pretending? You're going to come clean?"
Chen Yue looked at the other person, who seemed hesitant to speak.
What was with this sudden burst of heroic style?
Coming clean: I am the strongest Pokemon Trainer!
Urban: Coming clean, I, the contemporary Dragon King!
But it was unlikely that the game would provide such a script to players. That was a treatment only a favorite child would receive.
He thought for a moment and pretended to have amnesia, asking, "What did I used to do?"
Gus reached out to touch his forehead, worriedly saying, "Could it be that Linoone kicked you silly? You used to be Kanto's strongest Bug Catcher, you know!"
Flower chimed in, nodding, "Yeah, yeah! Onii-Chan was the best!"
Chen Yue was curious, "Tell me more. How exactly am I the strongest? Did I defeat the Elite Four? Snatch the League Champion title from Red's hands?"
Gus looked concerned, "Did you lose your memory? Don't tell me you don't remember all those times you challenged random Trainers and failed, eventually getting discouraged and moving to Fortree?"
"I heard that humans tend to selectively forget things they don't want to admit when their heads get injured," Gus muttered.
Chen Yue chose to ignore that statement and said in a speechless tone, "You said I was the strongest Bug Catcher, right? What's the deal with that?"
Gus nodded seriously and replied, "Of course, you were the strongest! Ten years ago, in the Viridian Forest, no Bug Catcher could last three rounds against you!"
Well, it turned out he was the strongest Bug Catcher among Bug Catchers!
And here he was, thinking he had been a badass who had punched Giovanni and kicked aside Blue.
It was way too absurd!
Gus wore a nostalgic smile on his face as he reached out to pat Chen Yue's shoulder and said, "Since you've made up your mind, then let's work hard together! I'm really looking forward to the day when you become the strongest Bug Catcher once again!"
***
The next morning at eight o'clock.
Youngster Peter knocked on Chen Yue's door right on time.
"Boss, ready to go?" Peter's eyes sparkled like a puppy's.
Chen Yue nodded, and as he was about to leave, he saw Gus next door directing a clueless Psyduck to water the plants.
When Gus spotted Chen Yue, a pleased smile appeared on his face, and he gave a thumbs-up gesture.
Then, he was accidentally blasted into the wall by Psyduck's misfired Water Gun.
Chen Yue and Peter: ...
"Goodbye, Onii-Chan! Work diligently!" From the second-floor window, Flower stuck her head out and waved to them.
"Stay at home and don't run around, and don't open the door for strangers!" Chen Yue reminded.
He felt mentally exhausted, being both the mother figure for Mimikyu and Dragonite and taking care of a bratty kid.
For some reason, this scenario gave him the feeling of being in a "Mother Simulator."
At this moment, Gus, with wet and disheveled hair, climbed up from the ground and patted his chest, reassuring Chen Yue, "Don't worry! Flower is in good hands with me, and there won't be any mishaps. Go pursue your dreams with peace of mind!"
Chen Yue left without any lingering attachment.
On the way, Peter said to him, "Uncle Gus is actually a very good person."
Chen Yue nodded. Yesterday afternoon, he had talked a lot with Peter and learned that this Youngster came from a single-parent family. His parents divorced when he was one year old, and his mother raised him on her own with the assistance fee from the Hoenn League.
Peter worked hard every day to earn money, hoping to provide his mother with a better life so she wouldn't have to work long hours every day.
The Hoenn League was actually quite good, providing generous subsidies to the lower strata of society living here every month. In a way, it fulfilled the concept of "support for the elderly and care for the young," as mentioned in books.
Chen Yue pondered this, as it was the first time he had heard of such a policy in the Pokemon world.
As they continued to talk, they arrived at Route 101.
However, today, there were no new aspiring trainers challenging them.
Chen Yue walked a few hundred meters ahead until he was close to Littleroot Town when he saw a crowd of people gathered in the grass by the roadside.
The scene was chaotic.
"Don't compete with me! This Poochyena was the one I encountered first!"
"Nonsense! It clearly came towards me! Move aside quickly!"
Chen Yue immediately understood what was happening here.
He politely suggested, "Actually, losing a battle can also give your Pokemon experience points. Would you like to have a Pokemon battle with me? I can be your training partner!"
A/N: Levels are just a rough assessment of a Pokemon's strength in the infinite space and cannot truly reflect a Pokemon's strength.
I could provide more specific values like base stats, attack power, and HP, but it would feel a bit out of place, and later on, power levels fluctuate. In battles, it all depends on levels and base stats. Sorry, I can't provide more detailed information.
