“Xiao Zhi, do you believe me? I’ve always thought of you as my best friend.”
Listening to the cloying words from the silver-haired young man in front of him, Xiao Zhi’s face was numb as he said without emotion: “Oh, really? Thanks for the compliment, will Mikuri get jealous?”
The silver-haired young man hugged Xiao Zhi and said: “Don’t worry about Mikuri! Come on! Xiao Zhi, quickly tell me where that huge! Beautiful! Moon Stone is!”
Xiao Zhi was hugged by Daigo and felt utterly hopeless. He pushed Daigo away and said: “Alright, I’ll take you to see your dream lover, but remember, make sure you and the Pippi protect it well.”
Daigo’s heart was filled with excitement upon hearing that he was going to see the Moon Stone. However, Xiao Zhi made him wait a bit. Then, under the dumbfounded gazes of Xia and Gang, and the accustomed stare of Professor Oak, Xiao Zhi took out a small medical lamp and examined Daigo’s eyes.
“Meowth, give me the otoscope.”
Meowth also took an otoscope from the toolbox and handed it to Xiao Zhi.
“For my boss, Meow.”
Xiao Zhi carefully examined Daigo’s eyes. After finishing the examination and putting a few drops of eye drops in Daigo’s eyes, Xiao Zhi said with some surprise: “I didn’t expect you to come so quickly. I thought you’d be very tired.”
Daigo, who was closing his eyes, smiled and said: “Humph, I knew you’d check me out, so I took a good rest on my way here, even though I was excited. Besides, these eyes were finally cured by you, and I don’t plan on letting your hard work go to waste.”
Hearing Daigo’s words, Xiao Zhi shivered and said: “Brother, can we not be so mushy?”
Zizukichi Daigo, the son of the CEO of the Devon Corporation, was also the Champion of the Hoenn region. His hobbies included rocks and Steel-type Pokémon. He also had an eye disease, and Daigo’s eye problems were actually difficult to treat in the Pokémon world, where medical technology was advanced, simply because there were few cases.
However, the problem that might be difficult to solve in the Pokémon world was nothing to Xiao Zhi, who had learned a lot of medical knowledge in his previous life for his girlfriend. After discovering that Daigo’s eye disease was a minor problem in his previous life, Xiao Zhi had specifically used Daigo as a case study for treatment explanations.
Therefore, after receiving timely treatment, Daigo's eye disease only required regular checkups to be completely cured.
This was why Xiao Zhi asked Daigo to help him find diamonds. Daigo would not have agreed even if Xiao Zhi had helped his Pokémon get nutritional supplements.
For Daigo, who loved rocks, the super-huge Moon Stone was simply like a beautiful woman. Its attraction to him was terrifying, so he directly used the power of the Devon Corporation to quickly arrive at Mt. Moon.
When Daigo saw the huge Moon Stone under the guidance of Xiao Zhi and the others, he was ecstatic.
“Oh! Oh, wow! It's so beautiful! There’s actually a Moon Stone this big! This is a miracle!”
Looking at the excited Daigo, Xiao Zhi patted him speechlessly and said: “Remember to tell the Pippi clearly so you don't cause trouble. Meowth, translate for Daigo-bro.”
Meowth, who was happily playing with his new gold coin, nodded happily and said: “No problem, Meow! With this new gold coin, this cat is so cool, Meow!”
Looking at the extremely happy Meowth, Xiao Zhi asked Pikachu beside him: “Is Meowth's good looks due to gold coins?”
“Pika pi.”
Pikachu shook its head, indicating that it didn’t know.
Xiao Zhi then said to Xia and Gang with a little embarrassment: "Sorry, but we have to wait a little longer. I'll make something to eat later. For now, let Daigo-bro and the Pippi discuss things.”
However, Gang was not concerned with waiting at all. He grabbed Xiao Zhi and asked: “Xiao Zhi! Do you know who he is? He’s Daigo!”
Seeing Gang like this, Xiao Zhi said with a little annoyance: “Of course I know. Why else would I call him over?”
“Xiao Zhi, who are you exactly! Daigo is the Champion of the Hoenn region! That’s the Champion!”
Gang couldn’t help but be excited. After all, Champions and Gym Leaders like them were not on the same level. Champions were the pinnacle figures of a region.
However, unlike the excited Gang, Xiao Zhi said calmly: “Oh, being a Champion is pretty normal. Besides, I know more than one Champion.”
“......”*2
Gang and Xia were speechless. They were now beginning to imagine whether Xiao Zhi's true identity was someone from a powerful family.
However, they would never have imagined that Xiao Zhi wasn't actually from a powerful family. Xiao Zhi's assets were all due to his knowledge from his previous life, as well as the help of Professor Oak and some other families. Of course, with Xiao Zhi's current ability, he could be considered a family himself.
“Well, Xiao Zhi, do you know a lot of Champions?”
Xia suddenly realized that she knew very little about this caring companion.
“It’s okay. Champions are nothing special, really. They have their own preferences, like Daigo-bro who likes rocks. There’s another guy I know who has extremely poor self-care skills and suffers from indecisiveness. And then there’s another one, um......”
Xiao Zhi thought for a moment and then said: “Perfect! She’s on the same level as a goddess. Yeah, that’s right! That’s it.”
Thinking about what would happen if he told the story of how the crying queen of Kalos, Korrina, was a crybaby, Xiao Zhi felt that he might face Korrina’s wrath.
Hearing what Xiao Zhi said, Xia, driven by an uncontrollable urge, asked about her idol.
“That Ice-type Champion from our Kanto region, the great Cynthia.”
“I don’t know her! I’m telling you, I don’t know that woman! Absolutely not! Please don’t mention that name!”
Hearing the name Cynthia, Xiao Zhi immediately exploded, and Pikachu beside him stiffened.
Xia and Gang looked at each other after seeing Xiao Zhi like this.
‘There's a story here!’
“Xiao Zhi, you really don’t know Cynthia? She’s one of our Kanto Elite Four, you know.”
“No! I absolutely don’t know that woman! I’ll go find Daigo-bro first. Let’s go, Pikachu!”
“Pika pi!”
Seeing Xiao Zhi leave with Pikachu, Xia and Gang were certain that Xiao Zhi definitely knew Cynthia and even had a close relationship with her!
Professor Oak looked at Xiao Zhi, who exploded at the mention of Cynthia, and chuckled disrespectfully.
“Oh, I’m not going to interfere with the karmic bond between Xiao Zhi and Cynthia. Aiyai, I forgot I already told Cynthia about Nana carrying the ring. Cynthia might be in Cerulean City soon. Xiao Zhi, you’re on your own!”
Meanwhile, in Cerulean City, a woman with glasses was giving orders to her Pokémon.
“Remember, you have to catch him. There are some things we need to talk about.”
The woman then looked at the direction of Mt. Moon and said: “You can’t escape, Xiao Zhi.”