32. The Way Home

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After three days of battling in Granite Cave, none of the Shiny Pokémon appeared.

Chris almost burst into tears.

Since the exam was over, he hadn't done any studying. Instead, he spent his time playing games and watching TV in his hotel room, only exercising for an hour each day.

Fifteen hours a day hunting, encountering nearly a thousand Pokémon.

"Maybe... I was just lucky to catch Ralts and Makuhita, not because the odds were actually that high..." Chris muttered, looking at his Makuhita. He had assumed that after three or four days of searching, he'd surely find another Shiny Pokémon, but now he realized they weren't as easy to find as he thought.

Whether in a game or in reality.

Even Chris's excitement about encountering Shinies had cooled.

"Maka~~ (oˉVˉo)" Makuhita, the little chubby Pokémon, sat on Chris's bed watching TV, with Frogadier and Combusken at its side.

Good buddies, sitting together.

Kirlia sat next to Chris, quietly doing Calm Mind training while keeping him company.

"Forget it, I'll push through the main story when I get home." Chris stood up, changed his clothes, and recalled all of his Pokémon.

Three days had passed—it was time to leave.

Dragon University had posted the final exam scores on its official website.

Out of a possible 450 points, Chris scored 425, ranking first.

He got 128 points in basic knowledge, 150 in Pokémon battles, and 147 in Breeder knowledge.

He had already calculated his basic knowledge score, and the Pokémon battle score was expected based on what the senior student had promised after the match. But the Breeder knowledge score surprised him, being just three points shy of perfect.

"I must have nailed that last big question," Chris thought, rubbing his chin. Even with everything else correct, only missing three points on that question was impressive.

His admission to Dragon University was confirmed.

The university sent him a message, notifying him to report on August 15th for military training. As for the acceptance letter, it had been mailed to his home, and it was expected to arrive tomorrow.

Chris had deliberately given his home address, planning to surprise his parents. Instead of explaining everything himself, he figured the letter would speak for him.

Leaving the hotel, Chris headed to the station and caught a train back to Redwood City.

Two hours later, he arrived in Redwood City and took a small bus towards the countryside. After a few hours of bumpy travel, he finally reached his hometown, Yangping Village, after what felt like ages.

In his past life, after graduating from university, Chris had decided to stay in the big city and pursue his career. He only returned home during the New Year every few years, spending the rest of his time in the city.

Now, after twenty years, things felt different.

As Chris stepped off the bus, he couldn't help but feel a bit... disconnected.

"Chris, back from the city?" His uncle, who was feeding the geese at the village entrance, called out to him.

"Good afternoon, Uncle," Chris greeted automatically.

But after the words left his mouth, he froze in place, feeling stunned.

Although time had seemingly returned to twenty years ago, and more Pokémon existed in this world than should be possible, the familiar faces of the people Chris knew were still there. Any sense of unfamiliarity was quickly swallowed by this comforting realization, and suddenly, everything felt alive again.

"Join me for dinner tonight! I just caught a big carp from the pond at the village entrance," Uncle Wang offered cheerfully.

"No, my parents are already cooking and waiting for me," Chris replied without looking back, continuing his walk toward the village.

At the village entrance, a river flowed down from Mountain, running through the entire Village. The most common Pokémon in the river were Magikarp, but occasionally you'd see Marill, Wooper, or Poliwag.

In Chris's memories, he used to play with these Pokémon in the river as a child. He had even raised a Poliwag once. If he hadn't traveled to this world and his past self had accepted being an ordinary non-Pokémon professional, he likely would have followed Trevor's suggestion and caught a Poliwag to start his own journey as a trainer.

"Psy Psy~~" As Chris neared his home, he spotted three Psyducks waddling in a line, swaying side to side along the riverbank.

Chris stared at the Psyducks, and they stared right back at him.

"Ga (oД`o)ノ"

"Ga," Chris greeted awkwardly, trying to say hello.

Psyduck: (0.0)

The three Psyducks exchanged glances, then turned away and continued walking.

Psyduck #1: *Gah* (That guy doesn't seem too bright.)

Psyduck #2: *Ga* (Agreed.)

Psyduck #3: *Ga* (Big brother's right.)

Chris: ...

"If you were just regular ducks, I'd stew you all!" he thought to himself in exasperation.

Chris's house was near the edge of the village, close to the mountain. As he approached, still about 100 meters away, a little Lillipup suddenly darted toward him.

Chris gently stopped Combusken, who was on alert, and scooped up Lillipup in his arms.

This little Lillipup had been with Chris for more than three years, never trained or officially caught—it was just a pet. Over time, it had become family.

When Chris reached the door, he didn't knock.

"Chris is back! Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner," his mother's voice called out.

"Mom, I didn't even knock yet," Chris said as he pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard.

"With how Lillipup was barking, who else would it be but you?" she replied, visible through the kitchen window as she prepared dinner.

"Where's Dad?" Chris asked.

"He's playing chess with your uncle."

Chris entered the house, greeted by a wave of smoke.

It wasn't just his father and uncle—his eldest uncle's family, second uncle's family, and younger uncle's family were all there as well.

His mother came from a large family. She was the third eldest, with two older sisters, a younger sister, and a younger brother. Nearly everyone was married, and with his father being the only child in his family, gatherings were almost always with his mother's side.

The men played chess, smoked, and chatted loudly, while the aunts gathered around with melon seeds, gossiping. Meanwhile, the younger cousins sat in a row, watching anime.

Two large tables were set up in the hall, covered with fruits and cold cuts, clearly waiting for the main dishes to be served.

"Big brother's back! Dinner time!" Uncle's son, Levi, shouted as soon as he saw Chris enter. He quickly put down the remote control and rushed over to the table, eager to start the meal.