While Zhou Yuan was still lamenting the difficulty of becoming a Trainer, he heard the front door open, followed by a cheerful voice: "Son, your dad's back! Come out and see what good stuff I brought you."
Hearing this, Zhou Yuan got up and walked out of his room, seeing a tall, imposing man standing at the entrance. That was Zhou Yuan's father, Zhou Tianqi.
Zhou Tianqi still had a few beads of sweat on his forehead. An Huilan, who had just walked out of the kitchen, wiped his sweat with a towel and asked, "Did you buy everything? Look at all this sweat."
Zhou Tianqi smiled, "Everything's been bought and sent to the shop. Arcanine is guarding the entrance." As he spoke, he waved to Zhou Yuan.
But at this moment, Zhou Yuan's attention was not on the thermos his father was holding.
Zhou Ba saw his son was a bit distracted, and his little desire to show off in front of his son wasn't satisfied, so he asked, "What are you thinking about, son?"
What was Zhou Yuan thinking about at this moment? He was thinking about who Arcanine was.
His distraction was due to Zhou Yuan searching his memories for information about this Arcanine. It was only when Zhou Ba called him that Zhou Yuan finally remembered.
Arcanine was a Ninetales raised by their family, Zhou Ba's initial Pokémon. It had been with Zhou Ba for over twenty years and was now responsible for guarding the hotpot restaurant and occasionally helping to light the fire when stir-frying hotpot base. Zhou Mu's initial Pokémon was a Delcatty, which usually lay on the cashier's counter in the shop, acting as a lucky cat. Zhou Mu also had an Audino, which worked as a server in the shop.
After remembering, Zhou Yuan shifted his gaze back to the thermos in Zhou Ba's hand.
"Dad, what's this? Is this the good stuff you mentioned?"
Seeing his son finally ask, Zhou Ba's lips curved into a smile.
"This is Miltank milk. Today, when I went to Uncle Liu's to buy ingredients, his ranch's Miltank happened to be producing milk. I originally wanted to buy a bucket, but Uncle Liu wouldn't take any money. This stuff is quite nutritious, so you should drink it."
Zhou Yuan took the thermos, turned to the kitchen to get three cups. After pouring three cups, he first brought out two and handed them to his parents: "Mom and Dad, you drink first. I poured one for myself too."
With that, he picked up the last cup and drank it all in one gulp, smacking his lips. The fresh milk had a certain sweetness, but it wasn't cloying, and it had a very rich aroma.
"Delicious."
Zhou Mu smiled as she watched her son finish the milk, saying, "It's good if it's delicious. Your father and I are already this old; we don't need much nutrition. You can drink the rest yourself."
Zhou Ba also raised his hand and drank the milk in one gulp, then wiped the circle of white milk stains from his mouth with his hand. He turned to Zhou Yuan.
"Son, have you decided what your initial Pokémon will be?"
"Not yet, I can't decide how to choose right now."
"Haha, let me tell you, your dad is actually very capable. I'll tell you about a Pokémon, and if you think it's good, I'll help you get it." Zhou Ba sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, his smile even wider than before.
Next to him, Zhou Mu's hand reached Zhou Ba's waist. With just a slight pinch, Zhou Ba begged for mercy.
"Wife, stop pinching! Wife, let go, please, wife." Zhou Ba hastily sat up straight and reached out to hold Zhou Mu's hand.
Zhou Mu twisted another turn before letting go, "You're such a slouch. In front of your son, can't you act a little more mature?"
Zhou Yuan, standing by, watched the interaction between his parents and felt like he was being force-fed, like a Poochyena on the roadside getting kicked as it walked.
"Wife, it's not that I'm immature, it's just that our son's luck is too good. This Pokémon is so much better than those common ones in the breeding house." Even after being lectured, Zhou Ba couldn't hide his smugness when talking about this matter.
Hearing Zhou Ba say that, Zhou Yuan also became interested and started to play along.
"Oh? Dad, what Pokémon are you talking about? Tell me to broaden my horizons?"
Zhou Ba cleared his throat and spoke in a rare serious tone.
"Do you know Growlithe?"
Zhou Yuan was stunned after hearing this. To be honest, he hadn't considered Growlithe as an initial Pokémon.
Although Growlithe were not entirely controlled by the police and there were a certain number outside, they were not as common as most Pokémon. Their rarity, even if not as high as the Starter Pokémon, was not far off. Although he felt a little surprised, Zhou Yuan still asked, "Ah? What Growlithe?"
Zhou Ba found his son's question a bit strange.
"No way, you don't even know Growlithe? That shouldn't be."
"So what exactly is a Growlithe?" Zhou Yuan continued to feign ignorance.
Seeing that his son really seemed not to know what a Growlithe was, Zhou Ba didn't know how to explain it for a moment, but he kept talking:
"Growlithe is... it's that kind, a very special kind of Pokémon. Its whole body is orange-red, with black stripes on its back and limbs, and creamy yellow fur on its head, neck, and tail. It's often used as a police dog."
As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his mother. Zhou Mu had already seen that her son was teasing his old man. As Zhou Ba was about to say more, Zhou Mu said, "Alright, Old Zhou, stop talking. Look at your son, he's about to burst out laughing. He's teasing you."
Zhou Father looked, and indeed Zhou Yuan was like that. He became furious: "You little brat, your dad is kindly helping you choose an initial Pokémon, and you're still playing around with me, your dad. Today, I'll let you know what 'Seven Wolves' is!" As he spoke, he made a gesture as if to pull out his belt.
Seeing that the situation was not right, Zhou Yuan quickly ran behind Zhou Ba and helped him massage his back and shoulders.
"Oh, Dad, don't be angry, don't be angry. We're family, these are small issues. You keep talking, what about Growlithe? Do you have a way to get one?"
Zhou Ba saw his son's posture and couldn't maintain his feigned anger, scolding with a laugh, "You little brat, you really are..." At this point, Zhou Ba also got stuck, unable to think of a particularly suitable word to describe his son for a moment.
Zhou Mu, standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh when she saw the two father and son.
After this interruption, Zhou Ba also couldn't maintain that serious feeling anymore. He leaned lazily on the sofa, enjoying his son's attentiveness. He organized his thoughts and began to speak:
"You know Uncle Liu, right? He's my childhood friend, we grew up together. After growing up, he got into the police academy and joined the force. About six years ago, he was ambushed while on an outdoor mission to catch a Pokémon hunter. Almost all of his Pokémon sacrificed themselves, only an Arcanine survived. After that incident, he felt it was his responsibility that the Pokémon died, and he lost his drive, so he retired."
"After retiring, he couldn't stay idle. I was worried about him, so I took a bottle of wine to find him." As he spoke, Zhou Ba fell into a memory...
Six years ago.
Zhou Tianqi arrived at Liu Yongming's house with a bottle of Erguotou. He put the wine down without saying a word, then turned and went into the kitchen. He rustled up a few small dishes, placed them on the table, poured the wine, and called Liu Yongming to eat.
The two didn't talk much, just drank and ate.
After three rounds of drinks, Liu Yongming finally couldn't hold it in anymore, and tears dripped into his wine.
"Brother, I really regret it so much. If I hadn't been so eager for achievement and just waited for backup to arrive, wouldn't things be different? They all died because of me." Liu Yongming became more and more emotional as he spoke, the tall man, over 1.9 meters, collapsed on the table, weeping uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Zhou Tianqi didn't know what to do and could only comfort him: "Yongming, don't be too sad. What's past is past. Since you feel they died for you, then you should live even better, otherwise wouldn't you be letting them down? Besides, even for the sake of Arcanine who follows you, you should live better. It doesn't matter if you're hungry alone, but you can't let Arcanine go hungry with you."
As he spoke, Arcanine, Liu Yongming's Arcanine, heard its Trainer's cries. It dragged its injured body to its Trainer's side and licked him with its tongue.
Liu Yongming, licked by his Pokémon, no longer lay on the table crying. He turned and embraced his big dog, wailing. It was truly heartbreaking to hear and see.
After crying for a long time, Liu Yongming stopped and turned to Zhou Tianqi, saying, "Zhou Ge, you're right. I need to live well, whether it's for Arcanine or the others. I have to live well. I've cried enough. The most urgent task is for me to find a livelihood first; I can't just sit around and do nothing."
Zhou Tianqi thought for a moment and suggested, "How about this? My family runs a hotpot restaurant, and we're always changing suppliers because of ingredient issues."
"You're an honest person. How about you use your demobilization pay and pension to open a ranch? That way, I can find a suitable and stable supplier, and I can also introduce other shops to you to help you get customers. You'll also have a stable income, and even Arcanine can help you herd and guard the gate there. What do you think?"
Liu Yongming agreed without hesitation: "I trust your judgment, Big Brother. If you say this is suitable, I'll do it."
......
The memory ended, and Zhou Yuan had also finished listening to Zhou Ba's past. He wanted to say something, but for a moment, he didn't know how to begin, only feeling a sense of emotion.
Zhou Mu, sensing the somewhat heavy atmosphere, took the initiative to change the subject.
"So the Growlithe you mentioned, is it from Yongming's family?"
When this topic came up, Zhou Ba's spirits lifted again.
"Wife, you don't know, but last time, didn't I take Arcanine to Yongming's house? As a result, Arcanine and Arcanine took a liking to each other. I don't know why they didn't notice each other years ago. Some time ago, Yongming told me his Arcanine was pregnant, and after much thought, the culprit seems to only be Arcanine. Hahahahaha, truly my Pokémon! It didn't take long for Arcanine to get pregnant. Truly Arcanine!"
Hearing Zhou Ba's words, Zhou Mu's face flushed slightly, and she gave him a glare.
Zhou Ba pretended not to see it and continued to speak to himself:
"Yongming knows our son needs an initial Pokémon this year, so he said that after Arcanine lays eggs, he'll give one to our son. I didn't tell you before because I wanted to give you a surprise."
"Today, wasn't I going to buy ingredients? Yongming told me Arcanine gave birth a few days ago and laid two eggs. Tomorrow, we'll take our son to his Uncle Liu's ranch."
After speaking to his wife, Zhou Ba turned to Zhou Yuan and said:
"Son, what do you think? Do you want Growlithe to be your initial Pokémon? Although I think it's pretty good, I can't force my ideas on you. The decision is always yours."
Zhou Yuan hadn't spoken yet when Zhou Ba stood up, patted his clothes, and walked towards the entrance.
"Alright, you think about it. Your mom and I are going to the shop. Just let us know when you've decided."
With that, Zhou Ba didn't bother with his somewhat stunned son, turned around, took his wife's hand, and leisurely walked out the door.
"You should have let me finish talking... I didn't say I didn't want it..."