Chapter Sixteen: Departure Day
(First update, new book seeking flowers, seeking collection!! Thank you "Persi" boss for the reward, you are too kind!)
A week passed quickly, and the day of departure finally arrived. Xiao Zhi had been looking forward to this day, and he had prepared everything early in the morning.
Unlike in the anime, he didn't oversleep. He got up early, as usual, went for a run, and returned home. His mother, Huazi, was still asleep. Xiao Zhi had truly become a part of this family in the past three years.
Seeing that Huazi was still asleep, Xiao Zhi went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast. He often helped with cooking these past few years, and he wanted to make a special meal before embarking on his journey.
He placed Huazi's portion on the table and ate his own breakfast before going upstairs to take a shower and change clothes. The clothes were made by Huazi herself.
He put on his new clothes and stood before the mirror. While Huazi made them, she had designed the style according to his preferences, so they differed from the original design.
The outfit was mainly red. He wore a black short-sleeved T-shirt close to his body, a white collarless red sleeveless jacket, black fingerless gloves, black slim-fit jeans, and black and red high-top sneakers, with the extra length of the jeans tucked inside the shoes.
Compared to Xiao Zhi's initial outfit in the anime, he preferred this style, which resembled the outfit of the protagonist in the game - Red's attire when he appears as the game's main character.
Ultimately, they were the same person, one being the game protagonist and the other the anime protagonist.
Red was essentially Zhi, except one was silent and composed, while the other was a cheerful and careless goofball.
But in reality, they were the same. Red's silence stemmed from the fact that the game's protagonist was mute, with the game's focus naturally being on the player's enjoyment. Who would play the game if they never won the championship year after year?
So, the character design in the game was perfectly fine. People tend to immerse themselves in their game characters, naturally perceiving them as perfect. Conversely, in the anime, the character design is less mature to appeal to children. This is perfectly normal.
"Alright, let's go!" Having changed into his new clothes, he approached the table, picked up the hat placed there.
The hat was also red, with a white front and a green Poké Ball logo on the top left corner. He placed the hat on his head, picked up his prepared backpack, and walked out the door.
He glanced at Huazi's room, the door still closed. He didn't want to disturb her. With his backpack on his back, he went downstairs.
He left a note on the table, tucked under the breakfast, and went out.
Unbeknownst to Xiao Zhi, Huazi came downstairs shortly after he left. She didn't seem like she had just woken up.
After Xiao Zhi left, Huazi went to the kitchen. She looked at the beautiful breakfast on the table and her eyes welled up slightly. She saw the note on the table and took it out from under the plate.
It simply said...
"I'm leaving! Remember to eat breakfast and take care of yourself - Xiao Zhi!"
"This child..." Huazi's heart was filled with emotion as she read the note.
Over the past three years, Xiao Zhi had become increasingly mature and responsible, no longer the careless child he used to be. She should have gone to see him off, but Xiao Zhi's maturity made her reluctant to say goodbye.
Looking at the breakfast on the table, Huazi decided not to go. For her child's dreams, she feared that showing too much reluctance would put pressure on him.
...
"Xiao Zhi! Today is the day of departure, give it your all!"
"Good morning, Auntie! Thank you!" As he walked along the road, despite the early hour, many people were already awake. They greeted Xiao Zhi warmly as they passed by.
Warmth and early rising seemed to be the norm for people in this world. It was truly a testament to their genuine kindness.
"Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo, go for it! Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo, you're the best!!" Even from a distance, Xiao Zhi could hear these cheers coming from the front of Professor Oak's lab. He was speechless and could only give a "as expected" expression.
Looking up, he saw a large crowd gathered outside the lab, most of them there for the spectacle.
For Pallet Town, this was an annual tradition. While many people came to watch the excitement, only a handful would eventually become top trainers. Nonetheless, the adults still held high hopes for their children.
At the front of the crowd, there was a group of attractive young ladies, about eighteen or nineteen years old, standing by the entrance, shouting slogans like a cheerleading squad.
"Excuse me, can you please move aside?" Standing at the edge of the crowd, Xiao Zhi politely asked. Hearing his voice, many people from the town recognized him. Knowing that he was one of the protagonists today, they immediately made way for him.
"Xiao Zhi, you're so slow! Such a lackadaisical attitude won't do!" Xiao Mo had already arrived.
Those girls were his fan club. To be honest, he was handsome, came from a good family, and was naturally very popular.
"The Professor isn't guarding the door, and I'm not late. You're exaggerating, aren't you?" Xiao Zhi didn't care. They had been bantering like this for years. He glanced at the fan club and was speechless.
"Hmph! You just say that. Aren't you jealous?"
"If you say so... " Xiao Zhi couldn't be bothered to argue. Jealous?
To be honest, he had nothing to be jealous about. In his previous life, he was known by many titles in the anime, including "King of the Sea." Of course, it was just a meme.
Seeing Xiao Zhi's reaction, Xiao Mo didn't say anything else. Xiao Zhi also took a look around, noticing that the other two were there as well. There were four of them leaving today, apart from him and Xiao Mo, there was another boy and a girl.
He didn't have much of an impression of the boy, but the girl was someone he had met several times over the past three years. When he first saw her, he was surprised.
Her name was Xiao Lan, a fairly common name in this world.
But anyone who played the game or was familiar with the manga and some side stories and special episodes would know her.
She was the protagonist of the blue version in the Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green versions of the game. However, throughout the four versions, Xiao Zhi remained the playable character, and Xiao Mo was always the rival.
Xiao Lan only appeared on the promotional artwork for the blue version, but she was absent from the game itself.