"Dad, you really don't want me anymore?"
Shinichi Miki stood outside the estate's gate, holding his Ralts in his arms.
"Get another Pokémon. She'll never amount to anything," Shiniki Miki said coldly, looking at his son from inside the gate.
Ralts looked up, her eyes hidden behind her hair, dim with sadness.
She let out a soft cry, aware that her imperfection was affecting the person she loved most.
"Old man, don't even think about it."
Shinichi Miki patted her head and turned to leave.
"I'd better see you come back and win a championship with her," Shiniki Miki sneered, reaching out to close the gate.
The gate slammed shut with a loud bang, and the climbing roses on either side shed a few withered leaves in the breeze stirred by its closing.
"Ralts, Ralts..."
Ralts struggled to break free from Shinichi Miki's embrace and run away.
She felt that if she were gone, Shinichi wouldn't have to clash with his father.
"Don't worry, even without the family, I can raise you well and keep you healthy," Shinichi Miki reassured her, patting her head.
He held Ralts tightly in his arms and walked along the flower-lined path into the distance.
He wasn't originally from this world but an ordinary office worker from modern times who had somehow been reborn as an infant here.
This world resembled the Pokémon universe from his previous life but was also quite different.
His family was a lineage of Psychic-type specialists, renowned throughout the region for their Psychic-type Pokémon and psychic abilities, with Gardevoir and Gallade as their signature partners.
The Ralts in his arms had been born alongside him. According to the Miki family tradition, she was meant to be his lifelong partner.
But...
Shinichi Miki looked down at the horn on Ralts' forehead.
Unlike a typical Ralts, her horn was broken, as if sliced in half.
It had been that way since birth.
She had lost the ability to sense the emotions of humans and Pokémon, along with the innate talent to connect with psychic energy.
An ordinary Ralts, when evolved into Gardevoir, would have a Special Attack stat equivalent to 125. His Ralts, however, might only reach 60, or even lower.
But it didn't matter. Stats were just a hypothesis; this world didn't operate on such concepts. His Ralts had simply lost the ability to sense emotions and was not favored by psychic energy.
No one said a Ralts couldn't focus on physical attacks. This wasn't a game.
A Pokémon's potential wasn't predetermined by heaven!
They weren't data, nor cold models with pre-set destinies.
"A championship?" Shinichi Miki murmured.
The Pokémon League was the most important competition in his region.
It was also the primary path to selecting the Elite Four and the League Champion.
"Just a League championship? That's as easy as pie~"
He remained optimistic.
Even with only a few months left.
--------------------------
Inside the estate.
Shiniki Miki looked at the blue Gallade before him.
"You think I went too far?"
Gallade nodded.
"It's just a Ralts. Even if she were nothing more than a decorative piece, I could support them both for life. But that boy Shinichi needs to grow up."
"You think he's still too young? Fourteen isn't young. When I was sixteen, I set out on my journey with you. We only traveled through seven of the nine regions—what a regret."
"Will he resent me? That kid isn't foolish enough for that. But even if he were…"
"Perhaps I could be the mountain he needs to overcome on his path to growth."
A tiger may be fierce, but it doesn't eat its own cubs. How could he disown his son for making the right choice?
It was just that some matters weren't for children to be involved in.
He silently patted the forehead of his old partner beside him.
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Ralts stood on the train windowsill, watching Verdant Leaf Town fade into the distance.
Shinichi Miki sat in his seat, squinting at the progress bar only he could see in mid-air.
"After over a decade, it should be full by now," he thought.
"100%!"
In an instant, the number shifted.
The progress bar turned from blue-white to gold.
And then...
Nothing happened.
"Broken? Did I really get the 'trashy protagonist' start?"
"Ralts?"
Having lived together for over a decade, Ralts could sense the subtle change in his mood and tilted her head in confusion.
One of her large red eyes, partially visible, blinked.
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"Memories are pearls, friendship is diamonds."
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
Please support the original author: 失渝光
Raw:宝可梦:我的冠军老婆沙奈朵