The room was simply decorated. Apart from the basic furniture, there were only a few vases of flowers in the corner. The faint fragrance of bamboo drifted in from the window, and in front of him was a freshly poured cup of strong tea with white mist coming out.
"Please forgive me for the poor hospitality."
Sakura sat down opposite Qianye with a Yamato Nadeshiko-style smile, sitting in an elegant and dignified manner. Different from her temperament when dancing in the pool, she exuded a maternal aura at this moment, with a hint of imperceptible melancholy in her warmth.
The strange atmosphere made Qianye feel a little awkward. If it was someone he knew, it would be fine. However, he was not very good at bringing up topics with older people of the opposite sex... If he had known this, he would have asked Xiaomao to stay with him no matter what. Even though that kid's words were indeed irritating sometimes, his presence could at least help share some of the pressure.
He said he would hurry to the next town and then ran away, even though there was still plenty of time before the Quartz Conference started. Was it to avoid being caught up by Xiaozhi?
After all, as an old friend of those two guys, I have witnessed since childhood that they are always competing with each other in various fields. They are completely different from myself who has no ambition and only wants to live a stable life.
"That..." The soft voice brought Qianye's thoughts back to their gradually drifting away. Sakura gently twisted her golden hair, seeming to be hesitating about how to start the conversation.
"Little sister... I mean, how is Xiaoxia now?"
Finally, he asked the question, his emerald eyes trying to remain calm, but his grip on the teacup tightened unconsciously.
"Xiaoxia and I just met by chance, and we just happened to have a good chat. I'm afraid I can't guarantee anything about her current situation."
After secretly observing the other person's expression with his peripheral vision, Qianye continued, "But in my opinion, she is a girl with clear goals and a strong personality. At least she will have no problem taking care of herself."
"I see." Sakura picked up the teacup, blew on it a few times, and took a sip. "Xiaoxia is different from us. She has always dreamed of becoming an outstanding Pokémon trainer. That's why she left home."
"I... am not a competent sister." Her voice was a little suppressed, Sakura lowered her head, her eyes full of guilt.
"This gym was passed down from our father, but neither I nor my two sisters have any interest in Pokémon battles. I originally thought that I could support my family by performing water ballet..."
"But Xiaoxia doesn't want the Hualan Gym to decline?" After hearing this, Qianye probably understood why this family was in such an awkward situation.
As we all know, Pokémon gyms are responsible for testing the level of trainers and giving them experience, and are closely related to the training of a new generation of trainers in each region. Because of this important position, the Alliance will regularly send people to conduct qualification assessments for each gym. If a gym fails to pass the assessments consecutively, its qualification will be revoked and replaced by a newly certified trainer from the Alliance.
The first generation gym leader who is directly appointed by the alliance is rarely replaced unless he wants to retire. But when he announces his abdication and designates the successor of the gym, there will always be successors like the three sisters of Cerulean who are not interested in Pokémon. This is the crisis of the Cerulean Gym now.
"Yes, Xiaoxia doesn't want this Cerulean Gym to be discontinued. After the three of us sisters give up our responsibilities as trainers, she will definitely choose to succeed the Gym Leader. But..."
"But after becoming a gym leader, she can no longer leave at will, which means she can no longer pursue her dreams. Am I right?"
Qianye was the first to point out what Sakura was thinking. He looked at the calm water in the cup, where his face was reflected. He could almost guess the purpose of inviting him.
"The three Hualan sisters are indispensable. Even if you are willing to accept the job you don't like, the careers of the two sisters will be affected. But if you don't take over as the gym leader, it will delay Xiaoxia's ideal... So Miss Sakura, what do you want me to do for you?"
The teacup tapped lightly on the table, and the liquid in the cup swayed. Sakura took a deep breath, and her eyes were more determined than ever:
"If possible, I would like to hire you as the acting Cerulean Gym Leader."
…
Acting as gym leader, it's really confusing...
Lying flat on the soft mattress with his head in his arms, Qianye recalled what he had experienced during the day. Sakura did not ask him to make a decision right away, and even thoughtfully provided a room for him to rest.
As for the conditions, he can take all the salary that a gym leader deserves, on top of that there will be a high hiring fee. He only needs to accept challenges and assessments under the name of the Hualan Gym.
Just considering the generous treatment, it is impossible for Qianye not to be tempted. What's more, accepting the challenge only requires him to use the Pokémon in the gym, and his family will not be at risk of getting hurt. Considering this, it can be said that this is his ideal job.
But why is it so difficult to decide?
"Ouch~"
Black claws climbed up the head of the bed, and the furry wolf head popped out from underneath, wagging its ears and tilting its head towards him.
A white light flashed, and the beautiful girl with wolf tail and beast ears who he had seen not long ago appeared in front of him again. In the other party's somewhat confused eyes, her white and tender palm was placed on the top of her head, ruffling her black hair into a mess.
"Kuroko...what are you doing?"
Heizi looked very happy, his eyes narrowed into two crescents: "I will be very happy if I am patted on the head~ If I am happy, Qianye will forget the troubles~"
His heart was struck at once, and looking at that innocent and cute smiling face with a little tiger teeth showing, Qianye felt that his stamina bar was emptied in an instant.
Reaching out and stroking the hair between the ears, Heizi's whole body relaxed, leaving only his big tail shaking behind him, making a purring sound, and he was obviously enjoying it.
"Where's Kokodora? Is she out training again?"
"The big sister said she was going to practice new moves~ I don't know why... it seems like she's in a hurry lately."
He is eager to improve himself. Considering his competitive personality, it is not difficult to figure out the reason. It is because he feels that he is lagging behind in Kuroko's evolution.
The problem is that it is difficult for me to persuade her. Kokodora is very stubborn and will never change her mind. Rather than persuading her to relax, maybe it would be better to support her silently.
"Thousand Nights and Thousand Nights!"
"What's wrong?" Qianye lowered his head and saw that Heizi was no longer satisfied with just resting his upper body on the bed, but had climbed onto the bed with his entire body.
"I want to sleep together~"
It wasn't an unexpected answer. After all, when Heizi was still a coyote, he often slept with her in his arms. But now it was a different time. Heizi had grown from a puppy to a big girl. It felt a bit dangerous to sleep with her in his arms.
However, being stared at by the other party with "round pupils", Qianye had no intention of refusing. However, if Heizi were to change back to beast form, how could he hold such a large body? He always felt that he might be suffocated to death under it...
Between the possibility of causing death and the possibility of "causing death", the boy chose the latter. He opened his arms helplessly, allowing the excited Heizi to rush into his arms, his head rubbing against his chest.
The palm of his hand went around his waist, and his back was very smooth, a completely different touch from his animal form. Two lumps of elastic soft flesh cushioned his body, and the sliding touch caused his body to have some subtle reactions.
The human-shaped Kuroko was very beautiful. In terms of appearance, among all the women he had seen, only his troublesome mother could be compared to her. In fact, when he was still young, he might have imagined this scene countless times.
But... now is not the time. He knew very well that the various intimate behaviors that Kuroko showed to him were still stuck in the past pattern. There was no love and desire between lovers, but just the kind of intimacy and dependence that a pet has on its owner.
After all, can a simple-minded Pokémon really fall in love with a human? Qianye doesn't know. Is having a human form just a convenient shell, or... does it also inherit the complex thinking and emotions of humans?
While thinking about this, he fell asleep without realizing it. His body remained close to Kuroko, but his consciousness seemed to have sunk into another world.
A dreamlike world surrounded by bright stars.
Qianye walked forward in confusion, not knowing where he was going, but just kept walking and moving forward. Until a childish and ethereal voice woke him up:
"Xiaoye Xiaoye!"
He stopped and stood still, looking around, but apart from the still shining stars, he didn't find anything else, let alone a living creature that could speak.
"Xiaoye! Look at me, look at me, I'm here!"
The voice sounded again. Qianye looked left and right, but still couldn't find the other party. He half-closed his eyes and spoke with a slightly warning tone:
"Who is playing tricks? Come out now!"
As he spoke, his hand quietly touched his waist, but the feeling of nothingness made the boy's body stiffen slightly.
The Poké Ball is gone... Where was I kidnapped? Kuroko, Kokodora, and Eevee... Damn it, I don't know what happened to them.
"I'm down there! Look down there!"
This time, the voice was more angry, but there was no momentum in that cute voice. Qianye lowered his head as the other party said, but what he saw almost stopped his thinking.
She was a little girl whose height only reached her waist. She was wearing a spotless white dress and had short golden hair hanging down from her cheeks. There were three green ribbons attached to her hair, which seemed to be some kind of decoration.
She had her hands on her hips, and there were two tear-shaped blue lines under her clear eyes like glass. Her angry look with puffed cheeks made her already soft and cute face even more lethal.
"Where did this little Lolita come from?" His brain was still short-circuited, and his speech was as stiff as a rusty clockwork. However, before he could recover, the little Lolita in front of him said something even more explosive:
"She's not some little loli! Xiaoye, you should call me mom~"
"huh?"