The brilliant sunlight, like shattered gold, poured down, generously covering the pristine white sand beach and the azure sea.
Last night's dreamlike glow had faded, replaced by Hawaii's iconic, vibrant clear sky.
Chen Kai's maternal grandparents, dressed in comfortable, brightly colored Aloha shirts, lounged leisurely in the shade of the guesthouse's terrace, wide-brimmed straw hats on their heads, contentedly sipping cold Berry juice.
His maternal grandfather also wore sunglasses, attempting to conceal his dark circles, and slowly fanned himself with an old-fashioned palm fan in his hand, a smile on his face, watching the lively scene on the beach with great interest.
The Swablu beside his maternal grandfather was also happily drinking a cup of its exclusive Berry juice.
On the beach, Chen Kai's parents were completely immersed in the holiday atmosphere.
Chen Ba, clad in a colorful Hawaiian shirt and beach shorts, was enthusiastically trying to Surf with Boltund.
His movements were a bit clumsy, attracting several Wingull nearby to circle curiously, emitting clear chirps, as if cheering him on, or perhaps teasing him good-naturedly.
Tauros, meanwhile, was comfortably soaking in the sea.
Chen Ma, dressed in a flowing beach maxi dress, wearing large sunglasses, and barefoot in the cool seawater, bent slightly, intently searching for beautiful seashells and small corals in the intertidal zone with Chimecho and Xatu, as cool waves gently lapped at her calves.
Suddenly arriving in warm Alola from the cold Capital winter, Chen Ma, though initially displeased, was now thoroughly enjoying herself.
Chen Ma's Exeggutor walked close to an Alolan Exeggutor, looking up, seemingly communicating with it about something.
Chen Ba's Gogoat was afraid of the heat, so he and Musharna stayed in the hotel room with the air conditioning on.
Xiao Mei and Miraidon also put on colorful Hawaiian shirts, with sunglasses perched on their foreheads, lying leisurely under the parasol, extremely content.
Seadra and Dracovish were like “dragons” returning to the sea, swimming freely.
Grovyle, as always, followed behind Chen Kai.
At this moment, Chen Kai was having a Pokemon battle with Zhou Zicheng.
“Rowlet, fly up and use Peck!” Zhou Zicheng was the first to give an order.
Rowlet chirped crisply, its small body transforming into an agile green blur, its sharp beak glinting with white light, accurately pecking at the Exeggcute on the ground.
“Thunk! Thunk-thunk!”
The hard beak struck the eggshells, making dull sounds.
Flying-type moves were very effective against the Grass-type Exeggcute; each peck made the Exeggcute sway slightly, emitting sounds of pain.
“Exeggcute, hang in there! Use Reflect!” Chen Kai shouted loudly.
The Exeggcute perked up, and six eggs simultaneously emitted a soft light, as a translucent energy barrier instantly erected in front of them.
“Pop!”
Rowlet's next Peck struck the barrier, its power noticeably weakened, and the barrier rippled like waves.
Although the eggshells still vibrated with a buzzing sound, they at least avoided a direct hit to a vital spot.
Relying on their slightly higher level and the cushioning of Reflect, the Exeggcute barely held on under Rowlet’s fierce aerial attacks.
“Let's counterattack, Exeggcute, use Hypnosis!” Chen Kai's eyes were sharp as he issued the crucial command.
The Exeggcute, enduring the threat above their heads, simultaneously Lock-Oned the green figure in mid-air with their six small eyes, and rings of visible, pale pink light, imbued with hypnotic power, spread out towards Rowlet like ripples.
“Rowlet, be careful! Dodge quickly!” Zhou Zicheng shouted nervously.
Rowlet, relying on its small size and flying advantage, flexibly twisted and slid in the air, like a leaf drifting in the wind, narrowly grazing the edges of the pink hypnotic ripples again and again.
It sometimes swooped down in a feigned attack, and sometimes rapidly ascended, causing Exeggcute's Hypnosis to repeatedly miss, leaving only gradually dissipating ripples in the air.
However, prolonged high-intensity evasion consumed a great deal of Rowlet’s stamina.
The frequency of its small wings flapping began to become chaotic, and its breathing also became rapid.
“Hold on, Exeggcute! Try again!” Chen Kai’s voice was full of encouragement.
Another wave of pink hypnotic ripples spread out, and this time, the range seemed even wider.
During a rapid ascent after a dodging dive, the tired Rowlet's movements showed an extremely subtle delay.
In this fleeting moment of vulnerability, it failed to completely dodge the persistent pink aura.
“Row?!” Rowlet's body suddenly stiffened in the air, its eyes instantly becoming hazy and unfocused.
The pink light enveloped it gently but irresistibly.
Its will to resist instantly collapsed, its heavy eyelids slowly closed, and its small wings stopped flapping.
“Plop!”
Rowlet, having lost its ability to fly, fell straight from mid-air like a ripe Berry, softly landing on the grass with a faint snore—it had fallen into a deep sleep.
“Ah! I surrender!” Seeing Rowlet fall, Zhou Zicheng quickly conceded, running over and tenderly helping Rowlet up.
Chen Kai found it a bit amusing, then called off the Exeggcute.
“Zhou Zicheng, Rowlet is just asleep, he’s not injured.”
“Is that so?” Zhou Zicheng checked Rowlet and found that he was indeed fine, even snoring.
“He didn’t fly very high, and Pokemon generally have good physiques, so a fall like that doesn’t even require a Potion,” Chen Kai explained.
Then Chen Kai asked, “Didn’t your teacher teach you these things?”
Zhou Zicheng scratched his head awkwardly: “The teacher really didn’t teach us these things.
Kai Ge, battling you, this is my first time truly engaging in a Pokemon battle.”
Chen Kai was a little surprised, and Boss Zhou, who was nearby, walked over and said, “Zicheng just started junior high, and the school isn’t particularly strict about education; it mainly focuses on cultivating hobbies.
Other classmates privately engage in Pokemon battle sparring, but he usually helps me manage the guesthouse, so he really hasn’t had a Pokemon battle.”
Zhou Zicheng then sighed: “Am I not suited to be a Pokemon Trainer… Some classmates in my class already have very strong Pokemon.”
Boss Zhou chuckled, patting his son's shoulder: “Zicheng, don’t think that way; everyone has their unique talents.”
Chen Kai also comforted him: “You’re still young, you have plenty of time to consider.
Besides, being a Trainer isn’t the only option; I have a friend who wants to be a painter with his Smeargle, and that’s pretty good too.”
Hearing Chen Kai's words, Zhou Zicheng brightened up: “Hmm, then I’ll make sure to run the guesthouse well!”
After speaking, Zhou Zicheng cheered up and ran to the side, getting busy with his guesthouse.
“This kid is very motivated,” Chen Kai said with a smile to Boss Zhou.
Boss Zhou, however, responded with a bitter smile: “Yes, this child has been sensible since he was little.
It’s just that being here with me, in a strange place, and with only average relationships with his classmates, it’s really been tough on him.”
Chen Kai hadn't expected this underlying reason: “Then have you considered letting him go back to our country to study?”
Boss Zhou shook his head: “My elders are all gone, so I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting him live alone in the Capital.”
Only then did Chen Kai realize that Zhou Zicheng’s situation was somewhat similar to his own; he was still relatively lucky that his maternal grandparents were in the Capital, but his parents still weren’t at ease and wanted to keep him close.
He himself didn’t talk much in class, but fortunately, he had friends like Huang Mao, and life was still quite happy.
Zhou Zicheng came here so young, and his language skills weren't fluent; he must have faced many difficulties, right?
Moreover, Boss Zhou must still have a glimmer of hope for his son to become a formidable Pokemon Trainer; otherwise, he wouldn't have prepared a starter Pokemon for him.
