NOVEL WEB Chapter 3: 3
Nurse Joy Saori wasn't scolding Hirito—she was just puzzled.
Why would a child, seemingly not too young, be completely ignorant of such basic knowledge?
Had no one ever taught him?
Was he a runaway? Or had he escaped from an orphanage?
"…Saori-nee, can you keep this a secret?"
Hirito's eyes darted around cautiously before lowering his voice, his expression turning serious.
Joy Saori was momentarily taken aback by his demeanor, but she nodded solemnly.
"Actually… I'm a child born from a human and a Pokémon."
"…Huh?!"
As a medical professional, Joy Saori was utterly shocked.
A human and a Pokémon… had a child?
This was the first time she had ever heard such a thing!
"My dad… he's a bastard!" Hirito clenched his little fist and slammed it on the table. "After getting my mom pregnant, he put her inside a Poké Ball… and while she was asleep, he threw her into the forest."
Joy Saori gasped in horror.
"Later, my mother gave birth to me in the wild, and I grew up with Pokémon. So… I don't really know much about the human world."
Joy Saori was completely dumbfounded.
This story shattered her worldview.
Even Umbreon, who had been silently listening, narrowed her red eyes.
Doesn't understand the human world? But I saw you communicating just fine with humans on our way to the Pokémon Center…
"This… this is unbelievable. I never thought… humans and Pokémon could actually…" Joy Saori muttered, still in shock. "Hirito, these years must have been hard for you…"
"Don't worry, Saori-nee, I'm doing fine now." Hirito smiled.
Inwardly, he apologized to his deceased father from his previous life.
He hadn't been able to think of a better excuse, so he had just borrowed N's backstory.
Though, now that he considered it, N wasn't necessarily born from a human father and a Pokémon mother. It could've been the other way around.
Like… a certain tall and elegant Gardevoir—after all, that thing looked oddly human-like.
Finally, under Joy Saori's sympathetic gaze, Hirito, the unregistered individual, successfully completed his identity registration.
Although she didn't pay the ten years of taxes required to become a League-Registered Trainer, at least with a legal identity, he could now move more freely in the world.
Later that night, Joy Saori informed Hirito that she would find a host family to take him in.
Hearing this, Hirito immediately made plans to leave.
At dawn, Hirito slipped out of the Pokémon Center.
He left behind a simple letter expressing his gratitude.
Living with a foster family and pretending to be a clueless child for several years? No thanks.
He had endured enough of that nonsense back in the One Piece world.
Besides, even though Joy Saori seemed like a good person, he couldn't shake the fear that someone might one day decide to experiment on him due to his supposed "half-Pokémon" origins.
After living in a world full of spies, betrayals, and ruthless powers like the World Government, Hirito had developed the habit of always assuming the worst-case scenario.
And while he had used countless pirates and marines for experiments in his past life, he had no desire to end up as an experiment himself.
"I've got a general understanding of this world now," Hirito stretched lazily, chatting with Umbreon as they walked through the streets. "But I still haven't solved the money problem."
"To research your devolution, I'll need to study your DNA composition. That requires professional lab equipment."
"Syringes, blood collection tubes, hematology analyzers…"
"These things cost a lot of money. But right now, I don't even have money for lunch."
"Eevee~ Eevee~"
Umbreon responded idly, flicking her tail.
She occasionally shot him skeptical glances.
No way. Is he actually serious?
Throughout history, there had never been a case of an Eevee evolution reversing.
But Hirito only chuckled, reaching down to pat Umbreon's round head.
"Just because no one has done it before doesn't mean I can't." His golden eyes gleamed. "I'm confident in my abilities."
Then, after a brief pause, he clicked his tongue and grinned.
"But no matter how many times I look at you, you really are beautiful."
Umbreon froze.
"This jet-black fur, these glowing red eyes… and the golden rings adorning your body…" Hirito murmured in admiration. "It's elegant. It's mysterious. It has a unique beauty."
In his previous life, Sylveon had become the most popular Eeveelution after being introduced in Pokémon XY. Its Fairy Skin ability made it one of the strongest choices.
But to Hirito, Umbreon had always been the coolest.
It had a mystical beauty unlike any other.
Umbreon's eyes widened slightly.
I… I look beautiful?
The fear-stricken face of her former owner—the woman who had abandoned her—still haunted her dreams.
And yet, here was this strange boy, treating her like something precious.
As they continued walking, Umbreon found herself stealing glances at Hirito more frequently.
She could tell…
He wasn't saying these things just to comfort her.
He genuinely believed it.
Why… why weren't you my first trainer?
"Cyndaquil, use Ember!"
"Whoa! Rattata, dodge quickly!"
Hirito and Umbreon turned toward the commotion.
Two young boys—both about Hirito's apparent age—were having a Pokémon battle.
The match was between a Cyndaquil and a Rattata.
Watching their battle strategies, Hirito could tell…
They were both equally unskilled.
But given the difference in their Pokémon, the outcome was obvious.
Don't give me that nonsense about 'There are no weak Pokémon, only weak Trainers.'
People love bringing up Giovanni's Beedrill or Red's Pikachu, but as a scientist, Hirito dismissed that as statistical outliers.
That would be like comparing Kaido's Dragon Fruit to the Snake-Snake Fruit that Hancock's sisters had.
If given the choice, which one would you pick?
"Yay! I won!"
In the end, Rattata failed to pull off a miracle comeback.
The Cyndaquil Trainer emerged victorious.
"As agreed, this bag of Pikachu Chocolate Cookies is mine."
The winning boy snatched a bag of snacks from his opponent. The package had Pikachu printed on it.
Hirito's lips curled into a smirk.
Oh? How could I forget?
In my previous life, I made a fortune gambling in video games…
End of Chapter
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