Chapter 1

Liyue Harbor

"Hey, when did this store open? Yesterday I came to this area to promote the business of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, but I didn't see it..."

A girl with twin ponytails put her hands on her hips and looked at the sign of the store in front of her, her signature plum blossom eyes flashing with interest.

She is Hu Tao, the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

Whether it's the robe on her body or the "Yin-Yang Hat" on her head, she exudes an ancient and traditional temperament.

But in contrast, she wore hot pants.

Her two slender long legs fully revealed her youth and liveliness.

Hu Tao is just such a contradictory girl.

At a young age, she was already in charge of Liyue's funeral affairs, but her daily behavior was eccentric...

As far as advertising and getting business for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor... it was a disaster.

The residents of Liyue Harbor changed their routes after hearing her approach.

"When the big Hilichurl is sick, the two Hilichurls look at it; the third Hilichurl collects medicine, and the fourth Hilichurl moans~~"

Humming her masterpiece as a dark limerick poet of the alley style, Hu Tao clasped her hands behind her back, swaying as she walked, and entered the newly opened store with the sign clearly stating "Pokémon Home."

"Welcome—"

No one had been seen yet, but the voice had arrived.

The gentle voice had an inexplicably comforting aura.

"Ah, what a young shopkeeper~"

Hu Tao's plum blossom eyes became more interested when she saw the boy coming out from the back of the store.

As the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, she had followed the old director since she was a child to learn the arts and conduct funerals, and she was also good at reading people, calculating everything.

If the ghosts at the junction of yin and yang are also included, she can be regarded as having a pair of piercing eyes in both the mortal and spirit worlds.

This boy was not much older than her, with simple clothes, a clean temperament, and eyes that were like that guest, Zhongli, hiding a heart-stopping wisdom and profundity.

"Hello."

After greeting him, Hu Tao suddenly changed from her usual business-promoting style.

She didn't plan to promote funeral activities, discounts, group packages, and so on.

Instead, she observed the store quite carefully.

Then Hu Tao was a little confused.

There were a lot of "equipment" and "devices" that she couldn't understand.

Those cabinet-sized machines had the style of high-end precision instruments from Fontaine, and they looked expensive at first sight.

But... what are the Pokémon on the signboard of the store? After looking around, Hu Tao still didn't understand the business content of this new store, and her heart was filled with questions.

Although it had only been open for one day, this was not the first time that Takumi had seen guests express similar doubts. But this time was different. Takumi really didn't expect that a popular character would come to his door.

"Hello, our store mainly deals in Pokémon business, including breeding, training, battles, and very importantly, initial Pokémon sales..."

Hu Tao still didn't understand.

"That... ahem, what I want to ask is—"

"What is a Pokémon?"

Takumi remained at ease, displaying the store manager's calm smile.

"It's a bit difficult to explain."

"However, you can think of Pokémon as beings and pets with elemental powers."

"Pokémon possess extremely high intelligence and require investment of resources and energy in their cultivation. Just like the owners of Visions, they also need constant special training to become stronger."

Hu Tao was a little disappointed when she heard this.

A pet with elemental power.

Ah, this.

In the continent of Teyvat, elemental life is not a rare species.

Just talking about Slimes, there are seven major categories: Anemo, Pyro, Hydro, Geo, Dendro, Electro, and Cryo.

In the wild, they're all over the map.

Once you eliminate one wave, another wave will be nourished by the elemental energy.

When Takumi saw Hu Tao's expression, he knew what she was thinking and shrugged.

"Those are monsters, and they are not very intelligent."

"If there is no growth potential, it's not worth spending time and resources to cultivate!"

Observing Hu Tao's reaction, Takumi decided to throw out a big revelation to attract her.

"Let's put it this way, do you know Barbatos, the Anemo Archon?"

"Yes, the ruler of Mondstadt. His true form is actually a wind spirit..."

"You see what I mean: Pokémon are not monsters, let alone Slimes."

"They are magical species favored by heaven and earth, with infinite possibilities and futures. Some legendary Pokémon have even taken over the authority of gods and are no weaker than the Seven Archons!"

Hu Tao, a skilled salesperson, was stunned by Takumi's big revelation.

Mondstadt's Anemo Archon, his true form is a wind spirit?

No way!!

If the news is true, that would be big news.

All of Teyvat would be excited.

But after hearing Takumi's words—that legendary Pokémon are not inferior to the seven rulers of Teyvat—Hu Tao suddenly changed expression and murmured with emotion:

"Is it really that powerful?!"

Seeing the quirky Hu Tao rarely show a serious face, Takumi secretly smiled.

He sells all day long, but he didn't expect that one day he would be counter-sold.

This is the first solid business since opening!

Hu Tao's reaction and expression were a tempting signal.

"Come on, Master Hu Tao, this is the 'Pokédex.' You can start to draw your initial Pokémon..."

Takumi handed Hu Tao a tablet-like device on the table and added an explanation.

"There are a total of 905 types of Pokémon in the 'Pokédex.'"

"The best thing about our store is that we have a complete range of products. It's possible to draw any kind of initial Pokémon."

"Please note in advance that each initial Pokémon has a different selling price based on its species and attribute qualifications."

"Furthermore, I suggest you determine your 'initial Pokémon' as soon as you draw it, rather than drawing repeatedly. Believe in fate and destiny!"

Hu Tao opened her plum blossom eyes wide in shock.

"There are actually 905 kinds of Pokémon?"

Raising the Pokédex tablet in her hand, Hu Tao continued to have question marks on her forehead.

The equipment was too advanced, and she didn't know how to operate it!

"How do I use this?"

Seeing this, Takumi slapped his forehead.

"After registering and logging in, you will automatically enter the initial Pokémon extraction step."

Hu Tao did as she was told.

Suddenly, frames of unidentified Pokémon flashed across the tablet's screen.

Looking at the strange shadows in the frames, including reptiles and flying ones, Hu Tao couldn't help but feel nervous, her heart rising to her throat.

"What initial Pokémon will I draw?"

Beep!

There was a soft sound, and the frames stopped.

Hu Tao held her breath and looked.

On the screen where the darkness faded, there was a newborn Pokémon with a round head and body, short arms and legs, chubby, and although its mouth was wide open and full of sharp... teeth, it had a strange cuteness.