gh

Dante said in reassurance as they reached the front gate of his home. Different from three months ago, the house had been renovated and expanded to have a third and fourth floor. 

The gate was also changed to a higher-grade one, with CCTV's outside that were connected to his phone and the police station in case a suspicious activity was detected.

As the youngest person to win 6 badges in their country, he obtained many privileges from the Alliance. In fact, if it weren't for his mother and father's reluctance, they could have moved to the land where high-ranking Alliance members live for extra security.

"Woof! Woof!"

A large dog with brown and gray fur, along with a white mustache rushed out from the inside right as soon as Dante opened the gate. She pounced at him, licking his face affectionately.

"Hey, Luna. Did you miss me? I miss you too, buddy."

Dante carried the Herdier in his arms while stroking it. When she calmed down, he turned to the girls and introduced.

"This is Luna, our family's pet. Luna, you already know Shinobu, the rest of them are my friends."

"Luna. Long time to see."

Shinobu stepped forward and pet Herdier in a familiar manner. She barked at her in greeting, and then turned to look at the other humans her master's son brought with curiosity. Why did he only have girls as friends? Were these his mates?

Shrugging off this thought, she jumped down from the warm and familiar arms and headed back inside. At some point, Dante's parents now stood at the door, watching the scene at the gate with a soft smile.

"Ma! Pa! I'm back!"

Dante rushed over and hugged the two. Three months had almost passed since he last saw them. And while they often speak through chats and video calls, that was very different from meeting in person.

The three of them had their brief reunion, with his mother also taking Pikachu from his shoulder to squeeze him. It was only after they finished that Dante gestured to the Shinobu and the others who were standing curiously at the gate.

"Ma, Pa, these are the friends I told you about. I invited them to hang out here today. We'll just stay for the night and leave tomorrow."

""Sorry for disturbing you!""

The girls greeted. Except for Shinobu, the others stared at the couple in curiosity. These were the two who gave birth to a monster like Dan, and even though Dante already told them they were just normal people, some of them still thought he was just being humble.

At first glance, they really do look normal. Dante's father, a white haired middle-aged man, seemed like a relaxed but strict father. Meanwhile, his mother had bob-cut red hair and a gentle aura.

"Oh, stay as long as you want~ But really, I didn't expect my son would become so popular one day."

His mother sighed as she invited the girls in with a smile. During their video calls, she had been worried when she learned Dante surrounded himself with women since the start of the university. She feared he was going down the wrong path- that he had let fame get to his head.

Fortunately, she still kept in contact with Shinobu. With the green-haired girl's constant reassurance, she felt relieved about Dante's situation. Based on her initial impression of Shinobu, she didn't seem like the type who would stay with Dante if he cheated on her- much less defend him.

Dante and his classmates were led to the patio on the fourth floor, where they sat around a large table and chatted. The time was approaching lunch, and Dante's father had gone back to the kitchen to continue cooking the dishes, leaving his wife to entertain the guests.

"What do you girls want to drink? You've traveled in such sweltering heat, you must be thirsty."

"It's alright, Ma. We took an air conditioned minivan. It has drinks there as well."

"Is that so? Oh, I know! How about some light snacks before lunch? I baked some cookies last night. Shinobu dear, could you lend me a hand?"

"Sure, Aunt Althea!"

The girls weren't able to get a word in as Dante's mother and Shinobu walked downstairs. On the way, the older woman constantly asked the green-haired girl whether she's doing okay, or gushing about how cute the Mincinno on her shoulder was.

"Wow. So Shinobu already got the approval from aunt and uncle?"

Candice asked from the side, a gossipy expression on her face. 

"Maybe? I'm pretty sure I hadn't told them she's my girlfriend yet. But Ma kept treating her as one from the day I introduced her."

Dante shook his head helplessly. And when he saw Focalors staring at the stairs from the side, he began to dread how to tell them that he already had two lovers. When he made his start-a-harem plan, he hadn't considered this aspect at all.

"What do you want to do after lunch? There's some card games here. We also have a set-up for karaoke. Oh, and if you want to release your Pokemon, feel free."

As he said that, Dante released Azumarill and the others. Now that he thought about it, this would also be the first time his other Pokemon would meet his parents.

When his mother and Shinobu came back, in addition to bringing the snacks she said, they also had tea, coke, and other drinks in their hands. Dante hurriedly stepped forward to help, but was shoo'ed away by his mother.

"There. Don't be shy now, girls. Eat and drink as much as you want. If you want anything else, I'll have Dan buy it outside."

Althea smiled as the girls thanked her. Then, her gaze inevitably wandered to the many Pokemon that had suddenly appeared in this room. As expected of her son's Trainer friends, each of their Pokemon are so unique.

"By the way, Ma. Let me introduce my other Pokemon as well."

"M-mawile~" (G-greetings, mother-in-law!)

"Riolu." (Hello.)

"Ursaring!" (Nice to meet you, Grandma!)

"Nine~" (Greetings, grandmother.)

"Eevee!" (Hi, grandma!)

Except for Eevee who was held in Furina's arms, the others came closer as they said their greetings. Dante's mother felt her soul being healed. Staring at the cute Alolan Ninetales and the shy Mawile, she hugged and petted their heads.

"Ahh~ I didn't know you had a cute Pokemon such as this, son! And your father and I closely follow all your battles, too!"

"Hmm, I just recently got them. Their debut matches would probably be in the University Tournament."

Dante replied while scratching Ursaring's belly. The bear Pokemon was apparently dissatisfied about not being called cute by his Grandmother.

Candice and the others also introduced their Pokemon. His mother similarly gushed over them as well. And during this moment, Dante's father called him to help bring the dishes to the table. 

His father cooked caldereta, a beef dish stewed in tomato sauce, with bell peppers, carrots, potatoes, and liver spread. There was also chop suey, rice, and other assortment of fruits.

Everyone heartily ate while laughing and talking about the things in school to Dante's parents. Things like where they usually ate and hung out, the classes, and the training with Professor Jomar. 

Finally, lunch ended. At this time, Dante's parents were already satisfied with what they learned during their conversation. They decided to leave and let the kids have their fun without the adults hovering over them.

—

At night.

Because their house had just recently expanded, there were plenty of empty rooms which Dante's parents hadn't decided on what to do yet. They now serve as a makeshift guest room for the others, while Dante slept in his own room.

Although his parents probably wouldn't bat an eye if he also slept with Shinobu, but for tonight, he had other plans- or in other words, he can finally achieve his real purpose of returning home.

He took out the spherical remote control from his inventory and called Regieleki. His words just fell, and the lightning golem had already appeared before him.

"BZZT! AWAITING FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS."

"Regieleki, have you confirmed the protection target?"

"AFFIRMATIVE. BZZT!"

"Good. I want you to remain here undetected and only act to protect them when they are in immediate danger. And here's their distress signal receiver. When it blinks, follow the electronic waves on the other side and perform rescue if appropriate. That's all for now."

"AFFIRMATIVE. BZZT!"

With a flash of yellow light, Regieleki disappeared. Its hiding technique was so good even Dante himself wasn't sure where it hid without using the Copycat eyes. 

Unlike in the PMD world, Regieleki as an electric golem can exert much more power here in the modern era. It could pass through the electric sockets of houses, and travel through the cables undetected. 

It was after learning this ability that Dante gained the idea of letting Regieleki serve as the final defense for his parents. And as for the first…

"Luna, you ready for another round of strengthening?"

Dante grinned evilly at the Herdier, causing her to subconsciously swallow her saliva.