"I blew the evening breeze you once blew.We shared the same warmth.Yet when the dream ended,My hands were empty…And so was my heart."
Humming softly, Su Yu left the campus, holding the water-soaked Pokémon egg and a stack of freshly issued certificates.
He stopped at the school gate and glanced back at the university behind him.
…Graduated.
From this moment on, Trainers, championships—none of that had anything to do with him anymore.
Su Yu shook his head lightly.
Hadn't this already been decided?
Make money first.And if one day he had enough, maybe he'd become a Trainer then.
As long as you had money, raising Pokémon was never the problem.
With that thought in mind, Su Yu headed toward the bus stop, his plans already clear.
Most of his classmates had graduated and left as well.
Some of them had already become Trainers and embarked on their journeys.
Perhaps one day, he would see a familiar face on the news—a classmate who had risen to fame.
Or perhaps… most of them would simply fade into obscurity.
After all, even during simulated battles, none of them had ever come close to matching him.
A bunch of amateurs, he scoffed inwardly.
Even if he quit being a Trainer, what could they possibly do?
Sitting by the bus window, Su Yu watched the scenery roll past and fell into quiet thought.
Occasionally, Pokémon could be seen along the roadside.
Sometimes, Trainers rode atop their Pokémon, traveling freely.
Everything looked so peaceful. So harmonious.
What a pity.
He had come to such a wonderful world—yet couldn't walk the Trainer path simply because he lacked money.
If only he had money…
That thought was probably shared by countless people.
Su Yu lowered his gaze to the Pokémon egg in his arms, then felt the Poké Balls in his pocket.
All of them had been given to him by Professor Wang.
Poké Balls.Even an Ultra Ball.
More than enough for now.
They were supposedly school-issued items—equipment Professor Wang no longer needed, casually handed over to him.
Su Yu silently etched that kindness into his memory.
He would repay it someday.
Poké Balls and Pokémon eggs weren't cheap. Even with school allocations, such items couldn't be handed out freely every month.
At best, this was a graduation reward.
When he left, Professor Wang had given him six Poké Balls.
The intention was obvious.
The professor still hadn't given up on him becoming a Trainer.
Su Yu sighed and looked down at the egg.
"How can you become an amazing Trainer without money?"
"Isn't that right, Charmander who stores water?"
…
"Pfft—!"
A sudden laugh broke the quiet.
Su Yu blinked.
There were barely any passengers on the bus—only a girl seated behind him.
He hadn't paid much attention before, but now he turned around.
And froze for a moment.
She was beautiful.
Soft, youthful features. Big, expressive eyes. Short blue hair that framed her face.
At a glance, she gave off a clean, gentle temperament—the kind that made people feel at ease.
"Uh—sorry," she said quickly, waving her hands."I didn't mean to laugh. I overheard you by accident."
Su Yu shook his head.
"It's fine."
"There's barely anyone on the bus."
"I was just joking anyway."
A Charmander that stored Water-type energy…Even he found that funny.
If this were the anime, a single Water Shuriken would've already sent Charizard flying.
The girl smiled and asked curiously,
"Charmander's normal Ability is Blaze, and its Hidden Ability is Solar Power, right?"
"You just graduated this year, didn't you?"
"Why would you say that egg is a Water-type Charmander?"
"There must be a reason?"
Her gaze drifted to the egg in Su Yu's arms.
It did look like a Charmander egg.
But… the color was off.
There was a faint bluish tint to it.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Something's not right.
As a breeder, she could tell at a glance.
Su Yu didn't bother hiding anything and replied helplessly,
"Yeah. There's a big problem."
"I heard it's a Charmander egg that was fished out of the sea."
"Ridiculous, right?"
He couldn't help but complain.
Soaked in water for who knows how long, yet still intact?
That made zero sense scientifically.
The girl fell silent.
She had never seen anything like this.
Normally, an egg in this condition would've already cracked—or worse.
…
Su Yu didn't continue the conversation.
He wasn't particularly interested in strangers.
Women, after all, only slowed down the speed at which one threw Poké Balls.
Though… he did admit she was entirely within his strike zone.
Still, she was a stranger.
Better not get involved.
The girl—Chen Xi'er—watched him with curiosity.
She found him… interesting.
But seeing that Su Yu had no intention of continuing the conversation, she didn't force it.
If fate allowed, they could meet again someday.
The bus soon arrived at Su Yu's stop.
He stood up, stepped off, and headed toward the orphanage.
This area was already part of the suburbs.
Aside from the orphanage, there were only scattered houses nearby.
Most of the land was forest or orchard.
A few luxury villas dotted the distance—far from the orphanage itself.
Su Yu knew this place like the back of his hand.
Even with his eyes closed, he could find his way home.
On the bus, Chen Xi'er watched the direction he left and suddenly seemed thoughtful.
"…The orphanage?"
She recalled hearing that the old director had passed away recently.
So this must be the college graduate who took over.
Impressive.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
But she didn't dwell on it.
Putting her headphones back on, she lowered her head and returned to reading.
"I'm back."
Su Yu pushed open the orphanage gate and spoke naturally.
At once, several small heads peeked out from inside.
When they saw it was him, they rushed out excitedly.
"Brother Su Yu!!"
In moments, more than a dozen children surrounded him.
The oldest was barely twelve years old.