Having a Pokemon Trainer System but only one Pokemon would also be a waste. "Mom, these eight years have been hard on you. From now on, you do not need to hold yourself back anymore. Go and chase a better future."
These words were meant for Akemi Aki, and also for Akira himself. Eight years of endurance were all for the day he no longer had to endure. The boy stood up, holding his mother's hand with one hand and Gardevoir with the other, conveying his resolve.
With the two most important beings in his life beside him, he would move forward without hesitation. Akemi Aki did not agree right away, nor did she refuse. After hesitating for a long time, she finally asked a question.
"About the choice you mentioned earlier, I want to hear your opinion. Do you want me to stay, or return to Kenki's side?" "For me, it is about the same. If you stay, I will take care of you for life. If you go back to Kenki, you are still my mom. Can I not visit and be filial then? If Kenki dares to complain, I will beat him up. Just do not favor him too much."
With reason, one can go anywhere, and without it, one cannot take a step. Besides, Akira had both reason and physical strength. "I understand."
Hearing this answer, Akemi Aki finally relaxed. "You have grown up. A mother cannot control you forever. If you want to move, then move. This place is indeed a bit too quiet now."
"Mom is the best." Out of habit, Akira tried to lift Akemi Aki up.
Tokyo, here I come. A broader world, more Pokemon, and greater opportunities awaited. There was also Akira's own ambition, since coming to another world meant showing real ability and not wasting this second life.
He was immediately smacked on the head by Akemi Aki. "No manners at all. I am not some little girl you are raising. By the way, what is her name now?"
"Gardevoir." "Sa." Gardevoir responded obediently.
"Then Gardevoir, from today on, you will sleep in a separate room from Akira." "Sa?" x2 "It was fine when you were little, but you have both grown up. This is not appropriate," Akemi Aki said firmly. "Or are you planning to have a child together?"
Akira fell silent. If he remembered correctly, humans and Pokemon were reproductively incompatible. He glanced at Gardevoir and saw her looking back at him, her large eyes filled with pure confusion.
Akira slapped himself. What was he thinking. Humans should not, and at the very least, should never think like that.
More importantly, she was only eight years old. Only eight. Disgusting.
Tokyo, Taito Ward, a very ordinary three-bedroom apartment. The three members of Ake Clan, Akemi Aki, Akira, and Gardevoir, sat around an oak dining table and raised their glasses together. The room was simple, but it finally felt like a place they could call home.
"To our new home, and to our new life. Cheers."
Nearly half a month had passed since the mother and son talked late into the night. Although they had decided to move to Tokyo, they had lived in the countryside for eight years, so packing up, choosing a place to live, and handling the procedures all took careful planning. Without the modern internet, it would have taken a month or even longer.
After finally finding an apartment they liked and settling down, it was only right to celebrate properly. The three members of Ake Clan worked together and put together a small home banquet. It was modest, but it carried a sense of relief and excitement.
Akemi Aki handled the cooking, Akira chopped vegetables, and everything else was taken care of by Gardevoir. To be honest, Psychic Power was an excellent ability. It was useful in battle and just as convenient in daily life.
Take washing vegetables as an example, Gardevoir could easily control the flow of water with Psychic Power and clean them thoroughly. At the same time, it also counted as practice. Even ordinary chores became a form of training.
Akira's "Pokemon Trainer System" could indeed see a Pokemon's level, but reality was not a game. In games, you just picked a move and attacked, while in real life you had to consider many factors. The same kitchen knife was completely different in the hands of a professional chef and a novice.
Because of that, from the moment Ralts was born, Akira had focused on training his partner's control and fine manipulation. There was also the practical reason that the countryside did not have many monsters to fight, so most training had to be done on their own. The current Gardevoir was fully capable both in the living room and in the kitchen, and even more so on the battlefield.
Three hands brought three glass cups together, making a clear clinking sound. Akemi Aki took a small sip, while Gardevoir held the glass with both hands and drank carefully. Akira was the least restrained, gulping down more than half in one go and even letting out a burp.
Seeing this, Akemi Aki frowned slightly. "Mind your manners. You're not a little kid anymore."
"We're at home. There are no outsiders," Akira said with a smile, not taking it seriously.
Even after leaving Kamo Clan, Akemi Aki still kept many habits from her time there. Akira was different, as habits from his previous life took priority. The contrast between them showed clearly in moments like this.
"Be careful, or Little Sha might dislike you," Akemi Aki said, using her nickname for Gardevoir.
"Would you dislike me?" Akira asked Gardevoir.
She shook her head hard, even adding an extra sound compared to usual. "Sha~ Sha~"
"Good girl, good girl, good girl," Akira said, deliberately dragging out the sounds as he rubbed Gardevoir's head. Her eyes narrowed into crescent shapes under his touch.
"Why does it feel like making you sleep in separate rooms only made you closer?" Akemi Aki muttered softly.
"It's like a spring. When there's no pressure, you don't notice it, but once it's pressed down, the rebound is stronger," Akira replied.
He could feel that Gardevoir had become more attached to him than before, probably because they now spent eight to ten fewer hours together each day. If the system had not labeled her personality as "reserved," calling her "afraid of being lonely" would not have felt out of place. He even briefly thought about giving her a name, before dismissing it.
"As long as you're happy," Akemi Aki could only say that much.
If this were before they left Kamo Clan, she would have talked about traditional etiquette and rules. Now, she no longer held onto those things and only hoped that her child would live well. To her, Akira, Noritoshi Kamo, and even Gardevoir were all family, and she had always raised Gardevoir as a daughter.
So Akira once again shouted, "Mom is the best," while Gardevoir obediently leaned her head forward. Akemi Aki stroked her head just as skillfully and smiled. "Little Sha is such a good girl. Don't worry, I won't interfere with your normal interactions. From now on, I'll be going out to work during the day."
"Why would you think that?" Akira asked, feeling slightly puzzled.
Kamo Clan had given them a severance payment that ensured they would not lack food or clothing. His mother had not worked for eight years, spending her days tending flowers, practicing calligraphy, and enjoying tea. Her life had been calm and comfortable.
"Because this is Tokyo, not the countryside in Shikoku," Akemi Aki explained briefly.
With that, Akira understood. Living in Tokyo had never been easy, whether in ancient times or today. It was a true capital and an international metropolis, with high prices and an equally high cost of living.
In the mountains of Shikoku, the Ake Clan family lived in a two-story house with plenty of space. In Tokyo, they could only afford a three-bedroom apartment. This single expense alone used up most of the severance money.