"Tick, tick, tick—"
The clock on the wall ticked away, its hands making crisp sounds in the otherwise silent room.
Two people sat on the bed in silence.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, the two Pokémon stayed quietly by the door, not daring to make a sound.
"I want to die..." Shiyu looked utterly defeated, muttering, "Let the world just end already..."
Rick let out a dry chuckle and said, "It's really not that bad, you know. Think about it—we used to bathe together when we were kids."
"How old do you think we are now?!"
Shiyu let out an adorable shriek, then collapsed face-down onto the bed, burying her face into the pillow.
"Being seen by Rick..."
"My bad."
Rick honestly hadn't expected Shiyu to be taking a shower in the middle of the day. Still, he admitted his mistake sincerely.
Shiyu lifted her head, eyes glistening with tears. She looked at Rick for a while, then blushed and asked softly:
"Was it... nice?"
"Eh?"
The unexpected question caught Rick off guard, but he smiled and gave a thumbs-up:
"Yeah, really nice—felt like I could eat three bowls of rice just from that."
"Pervert Ye!"
Shiyu blushed furiously and began playfully punching Rick's shoulder. After a brief scuffle, Rick realized she hadn't been angry at all—mostly just embarrassed.
Shiyu stood up with a huff and walked out of the room.
"Dinner's ready, you perv."
Rick smiled helplessly. It seemed that nickname would be sticking for a while. Still, filling their stomachs was the top priority now—both he and Charmander were starving.
Downstairs in the dining room, Shiyu had already regained her usual composure. But when she noticed Rick looking at her, she puffed her cheeks slightly.
"What are you staring at, perv?"
"Nothing."
"What time did you get up this morning?"
"Around seven. Threw together a quick breakfast and went to the sports center to train," Rick said, chewing on stir-fried beef. "Your cooking really is the best. If only I could eat it every day."
"That's... not impossible," Shiyu mumbled, turning her head away.
"We can't eat together forever," Rick joked with a grin. "Unless you're planning to marry me?"
Shiyu's face instantly turned bright red.
"Id... id... idiot...!"
She then grabbed a rice ladle and started heaping more rice into Rick's bowl.
"Hey, that's too much!"
"You're the one who said it was worth three bowls of rice!"
"..."
An hour later, Rick and Charmander waddled home, both full and satisfied.
"Burp—So full."
Rick returned to the second floor. Despite how stuffed he felt, he was quite content—after all, the meal had been delicious.
Charmander burped too, and even let out a few sparks from its mouth.
The afternoon was naturally set aside for studying. After a short rest, Rick sat in his study, reading books on Pokémon knowledge.
Charmander stood nearby, curiously peeking at the pages.
Rick glanced at it, then gently picked it up and placed it on his lap, continuing to read.
The reason Rick could accurately sense a Pokémon's emotions was thanks to his Aura powers. While advanced abilities like "aura vision" required focusing aura into the eyes, emotional sensing was more of a passive skill—he couldn't shut it off even if he wanted to.
That was why, when he first met Charmander, Rick had stopped the staff from subduing it—because he had sensed it clearly:
Charmander was terrified.
Its entire body radiated fear, which was why it had lashed out at everyone like a frightened hedgehog.
"Really is a handy ability."
A soft blue glow covered Rick's eyes, and the house began to appear semi-transparent under aura vision. His gaze drifted toward Shiyu's house, where, on the second floor, a deep blue silhouette lay on a bed.
A moment later, the figure rolled around under the blanket... and then accidentally fell off the bed with a thud.
Rick: "…"
He quickly canceled the aura vision and pretended he saw nothing, refocusing on his book.
Charmander, now curled up in his lap, had fallen asleep.
"Tick, tick, tick—"
In the quiet study, only the ticking clock and the rustling of pages could be heard. Rick was completely immersed in his reading.
The entrance exam for Yinshan High School's Pokémon Department had both written and practical components.
The written test focused on Pokémon knowledge, and Rick's memory was far superior to most. As long as he read something a few times, he rarely forgot it. But the most challenging—and important—part was the practical exam. Without real combat application, knowledge would just be empty theory.
In a city full of talented and well-resourced people, competing for a single guaranteed admission spot meant Rick would face opponents who not only had talent but also connections.
Still, none of that shook his resolve.
"I really have to give it my all."
Rick smiled faintly to himself.
By 7:00 PM, he put down the book and stretched.
He'd spent the entire day training and studying, but he felt he was holding up well.
After having dinner at Shiyu's house, he returned home, took a shower, and went to bed early, giving himself an hour of free time before sleeping.
He believed in balancing work and rest.
He opened Bilibili and watched an anime he'd recently become obsessed with—"Kaguya-sama: Love Is War". It was about two thunders trying to make the other confess first.
"Chika is such a bro," Rick muttered after watching the latest episode, then turned off the lights and went to sleep.
That night, he had a dream—
He dreamed he had become a powerful Pokémon trainer, leading his Charizard to victory after victory. From class tournaments to city-level, then to provincial and even national championships. In the end, Rick held up the World Pokémon League Champion's Trophy.
Not only that—he dreamed he had a beautiful wife who could cook incredibly well, and every time he came home, she'd ask him with a smile:
"Want to eat first, or... eat me first?"
"Beep—"
The alarm clock brought him back to reality.
Sunlight streamed through the window. A new day had begun.
"I couldn't even see her face clearly..."
Rick sat up, recalling his dream, and shook his head.
Just as he was about to get up, he heard a noise from the balcony.
A familiar figure climbed in smoothly and opened the door.
"Rick, time to wake up~!"
Standing there was Shiyu, smiling brightly, her eyes crescent-shaped with joy.
On her head perched Rowlet, wings spread wide, seemingly greeting him:
"Boo!"
"…Wife." Rick blurted out without thinking.
Shiyu blinked. . "Huh?"