Early the next morning, Chen Shi woke up before the sun even rose.
Togekiss—wake up. You all get a day off today. I'm taking you out for a picnic."
"Cha-koiii~?"
Togekiss—who had been planning to pretend-sleep for ten more minutes—instantly sprang to life.
Her eyes sparkled like morning stars.
A picnic?
A rest day?
She was awake.
Chen Shi snorted.
"Look at you. So much enthusiasm when it's time to play.
Learn from Leafeon—so calm and steady."
On the bed, Leafeon had just woken up, expression blank.
Who am I?
Where am I?
Why am I involved?
"Cha-koiii~"
Togekiss ignored every word and fluttered in delighted circles.
Chen Shi sighed helplessly and went to wash up.
Before long, he carried both Pokémon downstairs and headed out of the Oak Research Lab. Today was the meeting day—everyone would gather at the entrance.
Sure enough, Professor Oak was already there.
"Teacher, I'm not late, right?"
"No, no," Oak waved casually.
"I just arrived myself. The children haven't shown up yet. We'll wait."
Chen Shi nodded and released his Pokémon. They had slept in their Luxury Balls, which had spacious interiors—comfortable enough for all sizes.
He took out Pokéblocks and handed them out.
"Eat up. Today is a break day. We'll relax and keep an eye on the kids."
The Pokémon chirped and growled happily.
After days of brutal training under Dragonite, a break felt heavenly.
While they were eating, a graceful brown-haired woman approached, holding the hand of a tiny blonde girl in a hat.
"Good morning, Professor Oak. I'm Grace—Serena's mother. We were invited to the summer camp."
She nudged the girl forward.
"Serena, greet the professor."
Serena froze for a moment, gripping her mother's hand tightly.
But she forced herself to speak softly:
"H-hello… Professor Oak… I'm Serena…"
"Welcome, welcome!" Oak replied kindly.
"We're happy to have you."
He gestured to Chen Shi.
"This is Chen Shi, my student. He'll be handling security today."
Chen Shi smiled warmly.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Grace. And you too, Serena."
Serena peeked up timidly—
But her gaze wasn't on him.
It was on Togekiss.
Chen Shi chuckled.
"No trouble at all. Please wait with the others. More children will arrive soon."
Grace nodded and led Serena aside.
But Serena's eyes remained glued to Togekiss, full of innocent wonder.
Chen Shi whispered:
Togekiss, if you're done eating, go play with the little girl."
"Cha-koiii~"
Togekiss let out a satisfied burp, turned to Serena—
And fluttered toward her with a soft chirp.
Serena startled at first—but Togekiss's gentle aura soothed her instantly.
She hesitated…
then extended a tiny hand.
Togekiss leaned in.
Serena gasped softly—
then hugged her with all her courage.
Her laughter rang sweet and clear.
The entire entrance of the Oak Lab filled with that bright, cheerful sound.
The adults simply smiled quietly.
Chen Shi murmured:
"Togekiss has never liked someone this quickly. This child must have a pure heart."
Oak nodded thoughtfully.
"Indeed. To earn Togekiss's affection so fast… her heart must be very kind."
Grace smiled knowingly but stayed quiet.
Then—
"WOW!! SO MANY POKÉMON!! They all look so strong!"
A black-haired boy sprinted toward them, eyes sparkling like he'd discovered treasure.
"Big brother! Are these all your Pokémon?!"
Chen Shi looked at him—
and recognized him instantly.
Goh.
Future "one-shot catch king."
"Yes, they're all mine. And you are?"
"I'm Goh! I'm joining Professor Oak's summer camp too!"
He practically buzzed with excitement.
"You must be super strong! How did you catch them?! I wanna catch amazing Pokémon too!"
Chen Shi's eyelid twitched.
Careful.
One wrong sentence and this kid might try catching Dragonite with a Poké Ball.
He responded safely:
"To catch a Pokémon, you need sincerity."
"When I first met them, they were all weak—
Some couldn't even beat a Caterpie."
Every Pokémon slowly turned to look at Dragapult.
Swampert smirked.
Leafeon snickered.
Metagross' red eyes glowed with amusement.
Dragapult's eyelids trembled.
Please.
It's been years.
Let it go.
Goh nodded hard—whether he understood or not was questionable.
Chen Shi didn't care.
He reminded himself:
He was dealing with the child version of Goh.
If Goh were grown, Chen Shi would've tossed a sack over his head and taught him manners in the forest.
But now?
He chose peace.
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