Chapter Fourteen: The Arrival of Miss Junsha

Once again, it was a bright and sunny day.

Cheng Cheng rose early, prepared his own breakfast, and then went downstairs to make food for his Pokémon. After feeding them, he finally opened his store at eight o’clock sharp.

Today, Cheng Cheng had nothing else on his agenda; he simply needed to tend the shop, selling Pokémon, and at the same time recruit new staff. However, since he had only posted the job advertisement yesterday, he doubted anyone would show up today.

Around nine o’clock, a man entered Cheng Cheng’s breeding house. He wasn’t there to buy an egg, but to apply for the job.

“Hello, I’m here for the job interview.”

“All right, welcome. Could you introduce yourself?”

“My name is Guan Mu-zuo. Here’s my résumé.”

Cheng Cheng took the documents from his hand and read through them.

The résumé detailed his basic information and some personal and work experiences. This man had even been a Pokémon Trainer, so he must have a decent understanding of Pokémon.

After reading the résumé, Cheng Cheng thought he seemed like a good candidate.

“Very well. Do you have any questions for me?”

“I’d like to ask, how many Pokémon will I be taking care of?”

“Around ten for now, but the number will increase. Sometimes I go out to catch more Pokémon, so the number will keep going up. But according to the situation, I’ll hire more people.”

“Is this a new shop?”

“You could say that. The shop originally belonged to my father, but he passed away not long ago, and I inherited this breeding house.”

“Have you taken the official breeding exam?”

“No, not yet, but I do have the license to sell Pokémon. As for the breeder certification, I’ll take the exam in the future.”

“All right, I understand. However, I’d like to think it over.”

Think it over? Cheng Cheng was a bit exasperated—who was applying for the job here? He almost felt like he was the one being interviewed.

“All right then, here’s my business card. If you decide, give me a call.”

“Okay, goodbye.”

“Hope to see you again.”

Cheng Cheng sighed. He hadn’t expected the first applicant to almost turn the tables on him. Hiring someone was truly not easy!

All morning, he neither encountered any more applicants nor sold a single Pokémon or egg.

In the afternoon, Cheng Cheng kept the shop open. To relieve his boredom, he brought Gothita and Spoink inside the shop. Watching the two Pokémon interact, his mood lightened.

Suddenly, the sound of police sirens rang out from outside. Cheng Cheng was about to step out to see Miss Officer Junsha, a member of one of the two most famous families in the Pokémon world, when she walked into his store.

He suddenly tensed. Was Miss Junsha here to buy an egg? That didn’t seem right. Was she here to check his business license? Thank goodness he had taken care of that earlier, so he wasn’t too worried.

“Hello, sir.”

Miss Junsha came up to Cheng Cheng and gave a crisp salute.

“Is there something I can help you with, Officer Junsha?”

“There’s been a report that you are illegally selling Pokémon, so I’m here to conduct an inspection.”

“How could that be, Miss Junsha? I have a license to sell Pokémon. I can show it to you.”

Cheng Cheng felt slightly nervous at her words.

“I’m not referring to the sale of Pokémon itself, but that you’ve been catching wild Pokémon and then selling them.”

“Isn’t it allowed to catch wild Pokémon for sale?”

“It’s not forbidden. Anyone can catch wild Pokémon, just like Trainers do. But if you intend to sell them, there must be official paperwork and records. As the owner of a breeding house, you are required to register any wild Pokémon you intend to sell with the League. There’s also a monthly limit to the number you can sell.”

“I see. I’m sorry, I honestly didn’t know about this rule. My breeding house just started operating.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but we will need to conduct a tally of the wild Pokémon you’ve sold and then determine the appropriate penalty.”

“Officer Junsha, actually, I haven’t sold a single Pokémon yet. All the Pokémon I’ve caught are still in the backyard.”

“Really? If you haven’t sold any wild Pokémon, then you won’t be penalized. You’ll just receive a warning.”

“Miss Junsha, I truly haven’t sold any wild Pokémon. You’re welcome to investigate.”

Cheng Cheng explained again.

“I will conduct a thorough investigation. If you have privately sold wild Pokémon, I will enforce the law strictly. If you haven’t, then please be mindful in the future—any wild Pokémon for sale must be reported to the League.”

“Understood. I will be more careful from now on and cooperate fully.”

After two hours of strict inspection, Miss Junsha issued a few more warnings before finally letting Cheng Cheng off the hook.

Watching her leave, Cheng Cheng felt relieved that the matter was temporarily resolved. He decided to close the shop for the rest of the day and went to the backyard to tend to his Pokémon.

Sensing his low spirits, the Pokémon all gathered around to comfort him. Their concern cheered him up again.

Looking at his Pokémon, Cheng Cheng began to think of other non-Psychic-type Pokémon. How wonderful it would be if he could have those as well!

He suddenly remembered that, after the system had collected certain Pokémon, he was never told where they had gone. He planned to ask, but then realized the system was still upgrading, so he put the matter aside for now.

That evening, after dinner, the system finally completed its upgrade.

“Ding! System upgrade complete. This upgrade brings new items to the shop, adjusts the lottery system, and unlocks the host’s profile panel.”

“My profile? System, open my profile.”

“Ding! Host profile opened:
Cheng Cheng
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Achievement Points: 200
Psychic Power Level: Seed
Bound Pokémon: None”

Looking at the profile, Cheng Cheng was puzzled. Why did it need to state his gender as male? Was that necessary? His psychic power level was “Seed”—did that refer to the seed of thought in his mind? Could there be other stages? He recalled Slowking mentioning that he hoped Cheng Cheng’s “seed” would sprout—could it one day become a great tree?

“System, what does it mean to bind a Pokémon?”

“The host can choose Pokémon to bind with. After binding, there will be great benefits for you.”

“Benefits? What kind of benefits?”

“That is not for you to know yet.”

“…,” Cheng Cheng was speechless.

“Does the host wish to bind with any Pokémon?”

“Of course. Bind me with Chimecho, Ralts, Abra, Gothita, Natu, Spoink, and Slowpoke—all of them.”

“Your Pokémon are now officially bound.”

After binding, Cheng Cheng felt a new connection with his Pokémon.

Suddenly, he recalled the matter of the other Pokémon.

“System, where did the Pokémon you collected go?”

“That is a system secret. Rest assured, the system provides a proper environment for those Pokémon.”

“Can’t you tell me? You didn’t just turn them into energy, did you?”

“Of course not. The system’s energy reserves were full before your vacation—enough for decades. As for the collected Pokémon, they are placed in a special environment and live just as well there. You needn’t worry.”

“Really? System, you’re not lying to me?”

“Of course not. The system’s goal is to nurture you into a top-tier Pokémon breeding master. To achieve that, you must have absolute rapport with Pokémon. If you mistreat them, it will hurt your affinity and make it more difficult to become a master.”

“In that case, I’m relieved. I’ll go prepare dinner for my Pokémon.”

Hearing the system’s response, Cheng Cheng felt much lighter at heart. If the Pokémon he caught weren’t living well, he would have felt guilty.

Since his mood was good that day, he decided to make something special for his Pokémon.

He brought out flour specifically for making Pokémon food—not the kind humans use, but one made from the roots, stems, and leaves of various plants, rich in nutrients essential for Pokémon growth.

Today, he planned to make three flavors, so he also took out Kee Berry, Mago Berry, and Leppa Berry.

Berries are not only used for making energy cubes; they can also serve as flavorings in Pokémon food.

Sweet and slightly tart Kee Berry was a favorite of Ralts; the tangy-sweet Mago Berry was preferred by Gothita. As for Leppa Berry, Cheng Cheng had never tried it before. This was his first time using it, and he was curious about the result.

He mixed the flour with water, juiced each berry, and blended them separately into the dough. Then, using a warming pot, he cooked them for a while. Soon, three different Pokémon foods were ready.

He had tasted the ones made with Kee and Mago Berries before, but never the Leppa Berry. Trying a piece himself, he found the taste light, fragrant, with a hint of bitterness. He wondered which Pokémon would like it.

Cheng Cheng took the food to the backyard, placed the three types on the ground, and let his Pokémon choose freely.

Ralts, true to form, picked the Kee Berry food; Gothita and Chimecho went for the Mago Berry batch. The Leppa Berry food, however, was untouched—until Abra rolled over, tried a piece, found it to his liking, and began to eat.

Cheng Cheng made note of another Pokémon’s flavor preference, jotting it down in a small notebook. In the future, he would make personalized meals for each.

For the foreseeable future, Cheng Cheng planned to spend time with these Pokémon, learning their habits and preferences so he could care for them better. Additionally, after Miss Junsha’s visit, he didn’t dare go out for a while.