Chapter 154: Conversation with Misukiko and a New Mission

"Knock, knock, knock."
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Aunt Miexizi."
"Click."
"Ah, Cheng Cheng, what brings you here?"
"Aunt Miexizi, I came to check on you."
"It's so wonderful that you could come. Hurry in, please."
"Okay."
Cheng Cheng handed the gifts to Miexizi, then stepped inside the house.
"Have a seat."
"Thank you."
"Would you like something to drink?"
"Anything is fine."
Aunt Miexizi walked into the kitchen and, after a few minutes, emerged carrying a glass of fruit juice.
"I made this myself. Have a taste."
"Okay."
Cheng Cheng picked up the glass and took a sip. The initial taste was sweet, followed by a slight tang; it was remarkably delicious.
"How is it?"
"It's wonderful."
"I'm glad."
Hearing Cheng Cheng say it tasted good, Miexizi looked very happy.
"I watched your battles in the Unova region earlier. They were brilliant."
"I still have a lot of room to grow."
"By the way, Cheng Cheng, you're not that young anymore. Do you have a girlfriend?"
"I—"
Cheng Cheng hadn't expected Miexizi to bring this up and almost spat out his juice.
"I do."
"Is it that young lady you were battling against at the very end?"
"How did you know?"
Cheng Cheng was extremely surprised.
"Naturally, I could tell. The two of you look exactly like a couple."
"Not really, we haven't made things official yet."
"Then you should hurry up. If you're too slow, someone else will swoop in and take her."
"How could that happen?"
"Why wouldn't it?"
"If I had met your father any later, who knows, maybe you wouldn't even exist."
"Uh..."
Cheng Cheng really didn't know how to respond to that statement.
"Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"It's fine. I can tell how much you loved my dad."
"Yes. Even though you were quite the obstacle, I truly loved him."
"Cough, cough-cough—"

"Are you alright?"
"N-nothing, I'm fine."
"Right, Aunt Miexizi, have you ever thought about finding someone else to keep you company for the rest of your life? After all, Dad has been gone for so long."
"It's not that simple. Once you fall deeply in love with someone, it's hard to love anyone else. Besides, your father was such an exceptional man."
"Exceptional?"
Although Cheng Cheng had never met his convenient father, from everything he had learned so far, he hadn't seen a single trait that screamed exceptional. Still, he kept quiet—after all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
"Aunt Miexizi, could you tell me more about my father?"
"Of course. You can stay for dinner today, and I'll tell you all about him slowly."
"Okay, sorry to trouble you."
"Wait here, I'll go buy the groceries first."
"I'll go with you."
"Then I'll have to trouble you to carry things."
Cheng Cheng accompanied Miexizi out of the house and headed to the local market to buy the ingredients for lunch.
"Aunt Miexizi, that's enough, we won't be able to eat this much."
"It's fine, you can take some back with you later. The food in your refrigerator must be losing its freshness by now, right?"
"I suppose so..."
One had to admit that women could be quite enthusiastic when shopping, and Aunt Miexizi was no exception. By the time they headed back, Cheng Cheng's hands were full of bags. They had only set out to buy a few ingredients, but Aunt Miexizi decided they needed several other things as well. Consequently, Cheng Cheng ended up carrying twenty or thirty pounds of goods in both hands.
"Alright, Cheng Cheng, take a break for now. I'll go make dinner."
"Okay."
Cheng Cheng sat in the living room and watched television, where a broadcast of the Hoenn League Conference was replaying. He watched carefully and noticed that the four Pokémon he had given to Xiaosi and the others were all participating in the tournament. Moreover, their battle prowess was quite impressive; it was clear they had been training them with genuine care.
Cheng Cheng was somewhat surprised by how much they had grown. But upon reflection, it made sense—commoner trainers often possessed greater hidden potential. Given the right opportunities and enough hard work, they could easily surpass trainers from prestigious families.
By the time the match ended on screen, Aunt Miexizi had finished preparing the meal.
"Cheng Cheng, come and eat."
"Coming."
"How does it taste?"
"The food Aunt Miexizi makes is naturally delicious."
"Then eat as much as you like."
"Aunt Miexizi, can you tell me about my father now?"
"Alright. Let's start from when you first moved here. I remember you were still very young when your father brought you here to settle down. Back then, you were such a shy little boy, and now, in the blink of an eye, you've grown up so much. Your father used to be a Pokémon trainer. He told me that when he was young, he traveled all over the place and participated in various tournaments. Then he met your mother, and after that, he decided to settle down.
After coming here, you two began your lives. Your father tried his hand at many things in this area; he opened a flower shop and ran a restaurant. Everything he did was quite successful. Later on, he wanted to open a Pokémon Daycare, but unexpectedly, just as he was preparing to launch it, he passed away."
"Aunt Miexizi, how did Dad actually die?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"That's right, I truly don't know. Rather than saying he passed away, it would be more accurate to say your father went missing."
"Missing? Why? I was under the impression that he died."
Kiki Cheng Cheng's memories told him that his father had indeed passed away.
"I'm actually quite in the dark about the whole thing myself. The news of your father's death came from the police station, but they never recovered a body. All they knew was that your father had been in a car accident, and his entire vehicle plunged off a cliff. Given the terrain of that area, survival was utterly impossible. At the same time, because no remains were found, his death was officially declared by default."
Cheng Cheng did recall that his father had died in a car accident, but he hadn't realized that no body was ever recovered, nor even the wreckage of the car. That ravine was notoriously terrifying—there were no routes out and no way to climb down, which was how things had been left.
"Then, do you think my father might still be alive?"
"Impossible. If your father were still alive, he would definitely have come back to find you. After all, he loved you so much; how could he ever abandon you on his own? Back then, your father even talked about running the daycare properly, saying he wanted to turn it into the number one daycare in the world."
"I see. Is there anything else you know about Dad?"
"Nothing else."

Miexizi shook her head.
"Everything else was just trivial matters, nothing important."
"Aunt Miexizi, do you really intend to live the rest of your life all alone like this?"
"It's not that I want to... But if I were to ever meet someone even more exceptional than your father, I might consider it."
"I see."
"You, though—you haven't even sorted out your own affairs, yet you're sticking your nose into mine! When will I get to drink at your wedding banquet?"
"Aunt Miexizi, I'm still young."
"Young? What do you mean, young? Your father already had you at your age!"
"Uh..."
"Alright, hurry up and eat. The food is getting cold."
As Cheng Cheng ate the rice in his bowl, he couldn't shake a heavy feeling in his chest. He felt an immense sense of guilt toward Aunt Miexizi.
After the meal, Cheng Cheng left Aunt Miexizi's house. Today's visit had given him far too much information. Although the police claimed his father was dead, no body had ever been found. He wanted to find his father's remains; it was something a son ought to do. Even though he wasn't the original Kiki Cheng Cheng, he occupied this body and shared the blood ties and bond of father and son.
Upon returning to the daycare, Cheng Cheng immediately began training his Pokémon. Previously, his strongest Pokémon, Gardevoir, had looked like a mere child in front of Reshiram. Although she had managed to stall Reshiram's attack at the time, the truth was that Reshiram hadn't even used its full power. Most of Reshiram's energy had been spent breaking free from control. If Reshiram had genuinely wanted to battle Cheng Cheng, Gardevoir probably wouldn't have lasted three moves.
At the same time, the appearance of the Dark Ball monster left Cheng Cheng deeply worried; he couldn't shake the feeling that something ominous was about to happen.
Raising Pokémon was not an overnight endeavor; everything had to be done step by step.
"Ding! A mission is now available."
"Another mission?"
It had been a long time since the system issued any missions. The previous system update had completely removed the lottery feature, leaving Achievement Points usable only for purchases in the shop.
"System, what kind of mission is it this time?"
"Ding! Mission One: Travel to the site of father Kiki Kai's car accident, investigate the surroundings, and recover any related items. No reward."
Going to the site of the car accident was something Cheng Cheng hadn't considered. Still, it made sense—he really ought to recover his father's remains. As for rewards, they weren't particularly important.
"Mission Two: Travel to the Kalos region for a journey. The reward will appear randomly."
"Head to the Kalos region? So soon? What does a random reward mean?"
"There is no requirement for the host to depart immediately; it is simply a mission. As for the random reward, it will be granted to the host during the course of your journey."
"Anything else?"
"Does the host want more?"
"Another one would be fine. After all, I need to accelerate my growth now."
"Very well, granting the host's request."
"Ding! Mission Three: Successfully pursue Saionji Mutsumi and establish a romantic relationship. Time limit: the duration of the Kalos region journey. Reward: Upon establishing a romantic relationship, 1,000 Achievement Points; upon establishing an engagement, one Master Ball; upon marriage, one Mewtwo."
"What? System, what kind of mission is this?!"
"What's wrong? The mission is so simple, and the rewards are so generous. Does the host disapprove? This was specially tailored for the host."
"Is that Mewtwo reward actually real?"
"Of course. The moment the host gets married on the spot, Mewtwo will be delivered immediately."
"In that case, I have a bold idea."
"Hehe."
"Good luck, host! The system will now undergo an upgrade, so it won't be able to assist with the host's problems for a while. Wishing the host swift success."
"Goodbye."
"Mewtwo... hehe."