The next morning, Wen Qi slowly opened his eyes, and the familiar sight of his own house greeted him.
He had originally planned to sell this house, but on second thought, if he ever needed to return to the city, it could serve as a place to stay.
So, he got up, tidied himself, and took a bus to Wenjia Village.
Along the way, the scenery outside the window remained the same, yet seemed to bear a few more traces of time.
Those once-familiar roads now appeared both strange and dear to Wen Qi’s eyes.
A surge of inexplicable excitement welled up in his heart, as if he were searching for memories of the past while also anticipating the possibilities of the future.
The bus jolted forward, and the fields outside glittered gold under the sunlight.
Every rice leaf seemed to wave at Wen Qi, welcoming him back to this familiar land.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and the long-missed scent of his homeland filled his lungs.
It was fresh and rich, refreshing his mind and spirit.
Upon arriving at Wenjia Village, Wen Qi couldn’t wait to get off the bus and step onto this land brimming with memories.
He trod on the ground, both familiar and unfamiliar, and an indescribable emotion surged within him.
Looking at the once-familiar houses, though people had changed, his attachment to his hometown grew even stronger.
Wen Qi decided to first find the village chief of Wenjia Village.
In his memory, the chief had always been quite kind to him.
He followed the route in his memory to the chief’s home and saw the white-haired old man sitting in the doorway, basking in the sun.
Wen Qi’s heart stirred, as if he had returned to those carefree childhood days.
He stepped forward and called out softly:
“Grandpa Chief, how are you?”
The chief looked up, a flicker of confusion in his eyes when he saw Wen Qi, but then a delighted smile spread across his face:
“Wen Qi, is that you back?”
The two sat down to catch up, and Wen Qi listened as the chief recounted the changes in the village over the years. Most of the once-familiar faces had left, replaced by a group of younger ones.
But the chief also shared good news: life in the village was getting better, and everyone was thriving.
After chatting for a while, the chief asked:
“Wen Qi, what plans do you have for coming back this time?”
Wen Qi took a deep breath and replied:
“I plan to go home and run the farm. Even though it’s been abandoned for years, I want to revive it. I’ll need your help then, Chief.”
Hearing Wen Qi’s plan, the chief was a bit puzzled as to why he wouldn’t continue his studies, but thinking of Wen Qi as a child he’d watched grow up, he gladly agreed to help.
He told Wen Qi that, despite his age, he would do his best to offer support and assistance.
Seeing that it was still early, Wen Qi decided to first check on his farm.
He politely declined the chief’s offer to accompany him, saying that although he hadn’t been there in a long time, he still remembered where the farm was.
He also told the chief that he might come back to ask for help later and hoped he wouldn’t mind the intrusion.
On his way to the farm, Wen Qi released his Pokémon—Turtwig and Venonat.
Considering that wild Pokémon might appear in the countryside, he had them protect him.
Venonat immediately climbed onto Wen Qi’s shoulder, while Turtwig followed behind him. Seeing these two little ones, a warmth spread through Wen Qi’s heart.
He smiled and said to them:
“You two little guys will have to protect me later, okay?”
Venonat seemed to understand Wen Qi’s words and pressed closer against him.
Turtwig, a bit jealous, watched them, but it knew its own strength might not be enough to help Wen Qi much.
Still, Wen Qi didn’t mind.
He led the two little ones toward the farm, his heart full of anticipation and excitement.
He knew he needed to find a riding Pokémon soon, or traveling like this every day would be too exhausting.
But just as they passed through a patch of grass, Wen Qi suddenly caught a foul stench.
He couldn’t help frowning and quickly covered his nose with his hand.
Even Turtwig and Venonat couldn’t stand the awful smell and scurried far away.
Wen Qi looked at this scene, feeling a bit helpless.
He turned back to see what was emitting such a stench, only to hear crying coming from the grass.
Looking closely, he saw it was a Gloom.
Wen Qi initially planned to leave, but out of habit, he checked the Gloom’s information through the system.
Pokémon: Gloom Level: 28 Type: Grass + Poison Ability: Stench (By releasing a foul odor, it may cause the opponent to flinch when attacking) Potential: Deep Green Moves: Acid (Proficient), Absorb (Proficient), Growth (Proficient), Sweet Scent (Proficient), Mega Drain (Proficient), Poison Powder (Proficient), Stun Spore (Proficient), Sleep Powder (Proficient), Giga Drain (Proficient), Toxic (Proficient), Moonblast (Proficient), Grassy Terrain (Proficient)
Seeing this stat sheet, Wen Qi immediately changed his mind.
He thought this Gloom was very rare and powerful, and if he could catch it, it would undoubtedly be a great help on his adventure.
So, enduring the stench, he walked up to the Gloom and tried to communicate with it.
“Gloom, what’s wrong? Why are you crying here?” Wen Qi asked gently.
Hearing Wen Qi’s voice, the Gloom stopped crying and looked up at this unfamiliar human.
Though Wen Qi also showed discomfort from the stench, he didn’t reject it like other Pokémon had.
This surprised and pleased the Gloom.
It replied in its own language:
“Gloom… Gloom…”
After listening, Wen Qi understood why the Gloom was crying here. Although it was relatively strong in this area, its stench meant no Pokémon was willing to accept it.
Even the ordinary Glooms found it too smelly and wouldn’t associate with it.
Knowing this, Wen Qi quickly figured out how to catch the Gloom.
So, he continued to comfort it: “Don’t worry, I won’t reject you. Tell me your troubles, and I’ll do my best to help you.”
As he spoke, Wen Qi used his Viridian Forest power to soothe the Gloom.
Feeling Wen Qi’s warmth and kindness, the Gloom gradually let down its guard.
It told Wen Qi about its experiences of being ostracized and rejected in this area because of its stench.
After hearing the Gloom’s story, Wen Qi felt a surge of sympathy and compassion.
He decided to help this poor Pokémon emerge from its shadow and regain its confidence.
So, he said to the Gloom:
“Would you like to be my partner? I can help you evolve and become even more beautiful!”
He even showed it a picture of its evolved form, Bellossom.
At first, the Gloom was surprised and hesitant that someone didn’t reject it and wanted to catch it.
But when it saw the picture of Bellossom, it was instantly captivated.
It imagined itself evolving into a beautiful, dazzling form, and its heart filled with anticipation and longing.
After some thought, the Gloom finally nodded, indicating it was willing to follow Wen Qi and become his partner.
Seeing this, Wen Qi was overjoyed and excited. Before he was fully prepared, the Gloom cheerfully pounced on him, beaming with happiness.
The Gloom was naturally satisfied, but Wen Qi suffered, feeling like he was about to be knocked out by the stench, yet he couldn’t show a pained expression to avoid hurting the Gloom’s feelings.
Suddenly, Wen Qi remembered his long-unused psychic ability. Though he rarely used it due to its weakness, it could temporarily block his sense of smell.
After using it, Wen Qi felt much more comfortable.
Seeing that Wen Qi didn’t reject it, the Gloom was even happier, and its joy only made the surrounding stench stronger.
Turtwig had already run far away, while Venonat, after seeing Wen Qi use his psychic power, quickly sealed its own breathing to avoid fleeing the scene.
At that moment, Wen Qi took out a Poké Ball and successfully caught the Gloom.
He planned to let the Gloom evolve further later when he visited the small world.
After all, the energy in the small world might help the Gloom make up for the malnutrition it had suffered from its difficult life.
He hoped that in this new environment, the Gloom would thrive and display even more brilliant splendor.