Elf: Who told him to be an investigator!

Chapter 13 The Three Families

"what?"

Dr. Yamanashi paused for a moment, looked at the earnest young man before him, and then burst into laughter. "Of course! Of course! Not only can I get reimbursed, by the way, I still don't know your name."

Ze Shu nodded and gave his name: "My name is Ze Shu."

"Sawaki. Um... Hello, Sawaki." Dr. Yamanashi murmured, seemingly confused, then his eyes widened. "You're Sawaki?!"

"Is it Sawaki, the one who subdued the Pokémon hunter and saved my lab from exploding?!"

"I was hoping to find you to thank you! I never expected you to appear before me and save me again! Really, really..."

"I must thank you!"

Dr. Yamanashi gripped Uesawa's hands tightly, his mouth babbling incessantly. Suddenly realizing that Uesawa was the one who had saved his research institute from disaster, he couldn't maintain his usual calm and stern demeanor and was deeply moved.

Zeki could only close his eyes, somewhat unable to resist Dr. Yamanashi's enthusiasm.

"Bu-i?"

Under its shadow, Glaceon could only blink in confusion, its ears twitching, bewildered by Professor Yamanashi's actions. It wondered if it should pull Professor Yamanashi away to help Sawaki escape his predicament.

But soon.

Dr. Yamanashi realized that his "enthusiasm" seemed to have overwhelmed the young man, so he quickly stepped back, apologized, and then said, "Come to my research institute, I'll treat you well!"

……

……

Dr. Yamanashi's research institute is located not far from the western entrance of Masatake Town. It is a large, three-story, flat building.

In the living room.

"Oh? Sawaki, are you having trouble finding accommodation?" Dr. Yamanashi, having figured out Sawaki's problem, patted his chest and assured him, "In my research institute, I'll provide you with a room. You can stay as long as you like!"

"After all, without you, Ze Shu, my research institute would have to be rebuilt!"

Dr. Yamanashi laughed heartily, his voice tinged with relief.

After thinking about it, he realized that this small amount of "gratitude" was not enough to repay Ze Shu for helping him twice.

He added, "I can also help take care of your Pokémon, Zeju. Just register, and any Pokémon that need care can be transferred over via the Pokémon Device. I have dedicated caregivers here to handle the basic feeding."

"Hmm? You only have one Glaceon Pokémon? You don't need it for now? That's alright, this access to Professor Yamanashi's lab will always be reserved for you, Sawaki."

"and……"

Professor Yamanashi looked at the Glaceon being held in Sawaki's arms. With his discerning eye, he could naturally see that this Glaceon was well-trained, had excellent strength, and had a very close relationship with its trainer.

Not to mention he saved him twice before. A trainer who treats his Pokémon this well must be trustworthy.

Professor Yamanashi continued, "You only have one Glaceon Pokémon? That's not enough for a trainer... Sawaki, would you like to raise another Pokémon? To form a bond with the 'Starter Pokémon' that we provide for new trainers in the Sinnoh region."

"Those are Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig; they're all pretty good Pokémon."

Ze Shu was taken aback: "The starter three? Are these things you can just provide to me like that?"

Dr. Yamanashi laughed and said, "Of course! I still have that authority."

Through his explanation, Ze Shu also understood the logic provided by the three main families.

The number of starter Pokémon isn't huge, but it's not small either. Even so, it's still not possible for every child to start with them as their first Pokémon.

The distribution rules prioritize the children of alliance staff, as this is one of the benefits. Other eligible children are then distributed free of charge by research institutes in various locations, overseen by the professor.

Ash's mother, Hanako, was an assistant at Professor Oak's lab when she was young, so Ash was also eligible. However, by the time he arrived late, all the starter Pokémon had already been claimed…

"How is it?" Dr. Yamanashi asked.

"Hmm..." Ze Shu hesitated for a moment, not agreeing immediately. "I can go and take a look. As for whether or not to subdue it, that depends on whether it's suitable."

After all, for him now, the cost of raising a Pokémon again is considerable. Even if Sawaki has a 'learning machine', it's still the same.

However, this is indeed a necessary step.

"Hahaha..." Seeing Zeju's attitude, Professor Yamanashi laughed heartily, "That's right! Being cautious is a good thing; it means I can entrust my Pokémon to you with complete peace of mind..."

Completely relieved, he picked up the cake on the table, ready to take a satisfying bite.

Just then, Ze Shu saw a colorful, noisy bird flapping its wings and flying in: "Coo-caw~ Is it suitable~ Suitable~ Coo~"

Judging from the bald patches on its back that look like it was violently hit by a ball, it should be the noisy bird that was knocked unconscious by Ze Shu not long ago.

It flew and landed on Dr. Yamanashi's head, waving its claws wildly and messing up Dr. Yamanashi's meticulously combed white hair.

It kept calling out, "Giggle~ Perfect~"

Ze Shu: "..."

Dr. Yamanashi jumped up angrily: "You noisy bird, don't push your luck!"

……

……

That afternoon.

Dr. Yamanashi locked the noisy bird in confinement and then, with great speed and urgency, dragged Sawaki to the Yamanashi Research Institute's breeding sanctuary, to a specially designated area in a corner.

The area isn't large, but it's not small either.

The grass is lush and green, and several large trees stand beside the small pond.

"This area is specially designated for new trainers, mostly containing starter Pokémon suitable as their initial Pokémon," Professor Yamanashi said. "Alright, I'll leave this to you; I have other work to do."

After saying that, he hesitated for a moment, then added, "Well... with Ze Shu's strength, there's nothing to worry about."

After saying that, he covered his messy head and left.

Zeshu was a little puzzled, but seeing that Professor Yamanashi had already walked away, he didn't ask any further questions. Looking up into the breeding area, he could see many Pokémon living leisurely there.

Several plump blue penguins, chests puffed out, lined up proudly around the pond, pawing the ground.

But the lead Pogaman didn't notice the stone beneath its feet.

With a slip of the foot, a pebble was kicked away with a snap, revealing a small, trembling yellow pointed hat emerging from the soil beneath the stone. The lead Piplup fell face-first to the ground, and the row of silly Piplupes following behind, not reacting in time, were tripped and fell over. In an instant, the group of Piplupes collapsed like dominoes.

Ze Shu: "..."

"Mmm-boo, chirp-chirp-chirp—"

Three little fire monkeys with flames coming out of their butts pointed at the group of fallen Piplup on the tree and laughed without any regard for the consequences.

Hearing the noise, the four grass turtles resting under the tree opened their eyes in confusion, seemingly not understanding what was happening.

Then very quickly.

"Poga~!"

The group of proud Piplup were not convinced. They scrambled to their feet, spitting directly at the little Flame Monkey in the tree.

"spread--"

The little fire monkeys scattered in all directions, their saliva spraying onto the saplings on the backs of the grass turtles under the tree, making the grass turtles squint their eyes comfortably.

So the Piplup were even more indignant—indignant at the Chimchar's mockery of them, and indignant at the Turtwig's satisfied expression after being attacked by them.

The water guns spewed out one after another.

The scene was very chaotic.

Zeju, holding Glaceon, did not join the "battle" but stood aside, watching the scene with a strange expression.

"Is this the Pokémon Professor Yamanashi was talking about that's perfect for novice trainers?"

He couldn't help but worry about those 'new trainers'.

By any measure, aside from those grass-fed turtles, they're all problem children.

Especially those Bogamen, they're such troublemakers.

Is this what Dr. Yamanashi was hesitant to say before? It really happened so fast…