Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Arrival of Dr. Otamaki

Zhao Fang took out his old, battered phone. Its design was somewhat reminiscent of the old "HelloHello" models, those basic handhelds that were little more than pagers. Forget about apps—this phone could only make calls and send text messages, which, he supposed, fit the fundamental purpose of a phone. Still, Zhao Fang found it rather inconvenient; perhaps he was simply too accustomed to smartphones. Using this relic felt thoroughly unnatural.

But whether it suited him or not, this was all he had, so Zhao Fang powered it on and dialed a number. The call went through after a few rings.

"Hello, Zhao Fang? Did you need something?" Xiaoyao’s voice came through from the other end.

"Xiaoyao, I’d like to ask Dr. Odamaki something. Are you free right now?" Zhao Fang asked directly. By now, he and Xiaoyao could be considered friends, and based on what he knew of her, she would never refuse a favor.

"What’s up? I’m out in the field helping Dad collect Pokémon data!" Xiaoyao’s voice was steady; if Zhao Fang hadn’t heard a Torchic chirping in the background, he would’ve thought she was at home.

"It’s like this—I just caught a Pokémon, but it’s rather special. Its coloring seems off, so I wanted to ask Dr. Odamaki if there’s any way to make it look like a regular Pokémon." Zhao Fang explained carefully, wanting to make sure Xiaoyao understood.

"A special Pokémon? Wrong color? A Shiny? Oh my goodness, Zhao Fang, your luck is amazing! Where are you right now?" Xiaoyao’s excitement was palpable. After all, this was a Shiny!

"I’m on Route 104, right next to Petalburg City," Zhao Fang replied, scratching his head.

"Wait there, I’ll tell Dad right away!" Xiaoyao exclaimed, then hung up in a flurry.

Zhao Fang was left with a puzzled expression. For now, all he could do was wait for Xiaoyao to speak to Dr. Odamaki.

He decided to set up camp, then released his Magikarp to continue training its Tackle and Splash moves. Meanwhile, Dreepy coiled itself calmly around Zhao Fang’s neck, making no move to join in the exercise.

As for Dreepy’s training, Zhao Fang hadn’t settled on a regimen yet. But he remembered how, in his previous life, Dreepy’s reputation as a pseudo-legendary was built on its speed. Zhao Fang resolved to focus on developing Dreepy’s speed—after all, in the world of martial arts, nothing beats swiftness. He wanted Dreepy to become the vanguard of his team’s offense.

"Let me think… How should I train Dreepy…" As Zhao Fang pondered this, a clear birdcall reached his ears. Instinctively, he looked up to see a Skarmory descending from the sky.

"Zhao Fang!" Even before the bird had landed, Zhao Fang saw Xiaoyao waving to him excitedly from its back. Seated behind her was a middle-aged man with a mustache—Zhao Fang recognized him instantly as Dr. Odamaki.

"Xiaoyao! Dr. Odamaki!" Zhao Fang stood up at once. He hadn’t expected Dr. Odamaki to rush over in person—he had assumed he’d be asked to return to the lab in Littleroot Town instead.

"So it’s you, Zhao Fang! Looks like your journey is off to a great start~ Where’s your Pokémon?" Dr. Odamaki didn’t recall Skarmory, instead letting it stand nearby, a deterrent to any wild Pokémon. He looked eagerly at Zhao Fang, rubbing his hands together.

"Right here… Dreepy, come out!" Zhao Fang pointed to his neck, and as he spoke, Dreepy obediently slipped out of its camouflaged state.

Dr. Odamaki paused in astonishment at the sight of the Pokémon before him. He’d never seen this species in Hoenn. Xiaoyao’s eyes widened as well, and she immediately whipped out a Pokédex, aiming it at Dreepy.

"Unable to identify. No matching data found," the device intoned.

"Xiaoyao, your Pokédex hasn’t been updated yet—it can’t recognize this one," Dr. Odamaki explained, excitement coloring his voice as he pulled out his own Pokédex and scanned Dreepy.

Although Dr. Odamaki had a hunch about Dreepy’s identity, he needed confirmation.

"Dreepy. A Pokémon from the Galar region. Ghost and Dragon type… Although an individual is weak—so much so that it can’t even match a child—it trains together with companions and becomes stronger through evolution." As the Pokédex’s voice recited the entry, Dr. Odamaki’s face lit up with even greater excitement.

His gaze was so intense that Dreepy instinctively shrank back behind Zhao Fang. Zhao Fang could only shake his head in exasperation—why did Dr. Odamaki look so much like a crazed fanatic?

"This is incredible! A Dreepy from Galar! And it’s a Shiny, too!" Dr. Odamaki swallowed hard.

A Dragon-type Pokémon, and a pseudo-legendary at that, was already rare and prized on its own. With Dr. Odamaki’s status, he could certainly arrange to study one. But a Shiny? That was a whole other level of rarity.

Its value had just soared to unimaginable heights.

"Zhao Fang, you’re amazing! I can’t believe you managed to catch such a Pokémon!" Xiaoyao exclaimed, her face alight with shock before breaking into a delighted grin. She hurried over to Zhao Fang, chatting happily by his side.

Watching his daughter so happily engaged in conversation with Zhao Fang, Dr. Odamaki was suddenly seized by the feeling that his precious little cabbage was being eyed by a pig.

"Ahem… Zhao Fang, I heard you’re looking for a way to change Dreepy’s color back to normal?" Dr. Odamaki stepped forward, quietly pulling Xiaoyao behind him.

"Yes, Dr. Odamaki. As you know, Shiny Pokémon are extremely rare. I want to continue my journey, but if others discover that I have a Shiny, it could cause a lot of trouble." Zhao Fang nodded at once—this was the real reason he’d sought Dr. Odamaki’s advice.

Yet, the more Dr. Odamaki looked at Zhao Fang, the stranger his feelings grew. At first, he hadn’t known Zhao Fang, but after noticing that his beloved daughter often chatted with this young man, he began to pay attention. Now, they were even exchanging phone numbers.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed Zhao Fang was after his precious daughter. And now, he was trying to win over both father and daughter with a rare Pokémon? If this kept up, would the next step be a confession, dating, marriage, and children?

"Dr. Odamaki, about that…" Noticing the doctor’s dazed expression, Zhao Fang ventured a cautious question.

"It’s far too early to be calling me father! You rascal, you’re not qualified to marry my daughter yet!" Dr. Odamaki suddenly bellowed.

?