"Leaf Storm!"
Su Yuan shouted with high spirits. He had been so flustered by Onix's attacks earlier, but now that he had a chance to get back at it, it felt really good.
"This is our full—uh..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Su Yuan's words were cut off, as if he were a duck being choked by a farmer.
"Chirp...?"
Fomantis, who was ready to cooperate with Su Yuan, was also stunned. It tilted its head, ran to Su Yuan's feet, and poked its foot with its leaf scythe, as if to say, "Should we continue with Leaf Storm?"
"..."
With his breath stuck in his throat, Su Yuan felt incredibly frustrated. Didn't we agree that wild Onix are just big dummies? Didn't we agree it was going to Double-Edge into us? Why did you just dig a hole and run away???
"Pokémon aren't as simple as they used to be..." Su Yuan shook his head and sighed. Who would have thought that the Onix, which had charged at him with such determination, would suddenly turn and dig a hole to escape? What was the point of charging at him, then?
"Chirp, Chirp..." Fomantis's disgruntled chirps interrupted Su Yuan's thoughts. He crouched down, getting his first close-up look at this rare shiny Pokémon.
Beautiful. It was truly beautiful. The yellowish-green, round face and body, combined with the small, grass-like crown on its head, gave this shiny Fomantis a calm and elegant feeling, unlike the original pink version.
The four leaves on its neck swayed, absorbing sunlight and performing photosynthesis. Then, from the energy converted inside its body, Fomantis's crown released a faint, fresh, and sweet scent.
This is the kind of Pokémon a true man should have! What are Charizard, Rhyperior, Cinderace, or Rillaboom? Can any of them be as adorable as my Fomantis?
I want it!
Once the thought appeared, Su Yuan could no longer suppress his desire. He genuinely loved Pokémon. Before, his ability had prevented him from having one, but now, a Pokémon had finally appeared that didn't reject him, seemed to have a good impression of him, and was incredibly adorable. If he didn't try his best to get it, how could he ever be satisfied?
So, Su Yuan carefully reached out and touched Fomantis's body. After seeing that it didn't resist, he slowly picked it up.
"Hey, Fomantis, will you be my starter Pokémon?" Su Yuan tried his best to suppress his excitement, keeping his voice gentle. "I want to be with you."
"Chirp...?" Fomantis tilted its head. Although he didn't completely understand what Su Yuan was saying, his desire to be with it was conveyed through the emotion in his eyes.
Then, with a hopeful look from Su Yuan, Fomantis gently nodded.
Staying by his side is not bad at all. At least he'll play hide-and-seek with me.
Fomantis thought to itself. It raised its little leaf-like hand and gently wiped the mud from Su Yuan's face.
"I look forward to our future together!"
After getting an affirmative answer, Su Yuan could no longer hide the smile on his face. He was different from others. While others might have to go through a lot to become a Pokémon trainer, he was different. Thanks to his family background and his excellent performance in school, he had already met all the conditions required to become a Pokémon trainer. He was only missing one thing: a starter Pokémon.
Back when he was in high school, the school had more than once selected a few recently-hatched Pokémon with excellent potential for him, and he was even allowed to choose two. This was a reward given to the school's best students. Generally, as long as a high school student wasn't a total jerk, they would get one chance a year to choose a Pokémon to be their starter. But only one. However, for the most outstanding students, the school would apply to the League on their behalf for the right to have a second Pokémon.
And that student was Su Yuan.
He should have become a trainer a long time ago.
Fortunately, even though Su Yuan didn't become a Pokémon trainer in high school, his right to have two Pokémon at the same time wasn't affected. Although he didn't know when he would find a second Pokémon he liked, this was more than enough for him to be happy.
"So, what now..."
After getting a Pokémon's acknowledgment, the rest was just a formality. Su Yuan reached for his waist and fumbled around, his expression becoming a little strange.
"I forgot to bring a Poké Ball..."
Of course. He had woken up early to go to the station to pick someone up. He never expected to run into a Pokémon he liked. Even without a Poké Ball, it wasn't a big deal; he just had to wait a little longer to catch it.
But what really made his face change was...
"It's already past 8:20 AM!!!"
The fastest he could get to the station was at least half an hour! Su Yuan's expression was ugly. He looked pointedly at the hole Onix had left when it ran away, feeling a little frantic. If it weren't for that moronic Onix, he wouldn't be in such a rush.
"Fomantis, hold on tight!" Su Yuan placed Fomantis on his shoulder and continued, "I'm going to accelerate!"
As he ran, Su Yuan silently roared in his heart: Onix, get out of my Pokédex!
Fortunately, his physical condition wasn't too bad, so running from here to the station wasn't too difficult. But "not difficult" didn't mean he wouldn't get tired. It was also rush hour, so there was no other way to get there besides running.
"Chirp, Chirp!"
Fomantis sat on Su Yuan's shoulder, one hand gripping his collar, the other waving in the air. It looked so happy. This was an experience it had never had before. As it looked at Su Yuan's face, Fomantis's chirps became even more cheerful.