Chapter 10: So That's How It Is, I’m Gradually Understanding Everything

Paldea, Los Platos. 

Several moving trucks were neatly parked outside a large villa opposite the Sunshine Gym.

The villa's gate, which Aiden remembered had always been closed, was now unusually wide open, with Machamps bustling in and out, carrying goods.

Aside from these Machamp employees, there were also maids, butlers, chefs, and others dressed in formal attire, standing nearby.

Clearly, this grand villa, which had been built some time ago, was finally welcoming its owner.

"Thank you so much, Miss Machamp!"

A high-ponytailed girl with green streaks in her hair stood by the roadside, thanking the Machamp movers.

Her right hand was covered by fingerless gloves, and her sporty outfit, combined with her healthy, sun-kissed skin and adorable freckles, gave her a youthful and energetic appearance.

"Machamp!"

The muscular Machamp, wearing their employee shirts like vests, enthusiastically gave a thumbs-up before quickly hopping into the truck under the watchful gaze of the black-haired girl.

"Truly, Pokémon are amazing creatures—Miss Machamp even knows how to drive…"

As the truck drove away, the black-haired girl couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

It was hard to imagine how inconvenient human society would be without Pokémon.

Three adults working together wouldn't match the efficiency of a single Machamp, right?

Not to mention super-efficient employees like Dragonite mail carriers, Porygon programmers, and Rotom AI systems.

Pokémon truly are incredible!

With that thought, the girl was about to turn back when she suddenly noticed a young man and his Pokémon walking down a side path toward the other end of Los Platos.

An unfamiliar black-haired youth—and an adorable Eevee?

Generally speaking, handsome or pretty people tend to leave a lasting impression, but Nemo didn't recall seeing him at all.

Before moving to Los Platos, she had made sure to greet all her neighbors…

Could it be that she had missed this guy? That would be so rude!

After finishing their brunch and packing dinner for the day, Aiden was walking back on the small road to the Sunshine Gym when he suddenly felt something, turned sharply, and his eyes widened instantly.

"Nemo?"

The sight of this familiar yet strange girl made Aiden's expression shift into something peculiar.

He never expected that the first local he'd encounter after being transported into the Pokémon world would be the rival of the protagonist from Scarlet/Violet?

Nemo, the human-shaped Pokémon future species, nicknamed "Unrequited Tough Love" Paldea Champion.

At first, Aiden hadn't recognized the building across from his gym, but once Nemo appeared, it clicked.

"Isn't this Nemo's beachfront mansion?"

Though many questions swirled in his mind, standing there frozen seemed impolite.

Aiden quickly snapped out of it, giving Nemo, who was still staring at him, a polite smile before turning to continue his walk home.

Based on the timeline of the game's plot, Nemo moving to Los Platos to recuperate should have happened two years before the main storyline began.

That meant… she wasn't a champion yet, and might not even be a Trainer?

"So that's how it is, I'm gradually understanding everything."

…

Back at the Sunshine Gym, Aiden eagerly opened his computer and began searching for information online.

Actually, last night, after receiving Blue's breeding notes, he had tried searching whether there was a "Trainer" recognized by Prof. Oak in this world.

But the result was—

No such person found.

Now that he thought about it, perhaps it wasn't that Blue didn't exist in this world, but that he hadn't yet appeared in the public eye?

After a precise search, Aiden quickly gained a basic understanding of the various regional leagues.

Since Professor Oak retired, the Kanto League hadn't had a Champion for a long time; currently, the position was temporarily held by Lance, the leader of the Elite Four.

The situations in other regions were more or less as Aiden remembered.

The Champions of Hoenn, Sinnoh, Kalos, and Galar—Steven Stone, Cynthia, Diantha, and Leon—were all young champions who had risen to the top in the past couple of years.

As for the Alola region, it hadn't joined the Pokémon League yet.

At this point, Aiden finally confirmed one thing:

The timeline he was currently in was earlier than he had thought—probably by about two years.

"Is this good news or bad news?"

Aiden's mood was somewhat complicated.

Bad news: He basically had no idea what would happen in the next two years.

Good news: At least there shouldn't be any major events in the next two years.

As everyone knows, big events usually only happen after the protagonist appears, so for now, he could stay low and develop quietly.

"But wait, I'm already a time traveler. Could it be possible that I'm the unlucky protagonist?"

This thought flashed through his mind for a moment before Aiden immediately squashed it.

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

I'm just a slacker Gym Leader! When the sky falls, there will be people to hold it up—it's not my problem!

Long-term concerns weren't Aiden's priority; he had an important task to do this afternoon—

Boost Eevee's combat power.

Now that he had fans, it was only natural to restart the operations of the Sunshine Gym.

Although according to the notes, Eevee's combat power before evolving was quite average.

But for now, he only had this one Pokémon, so he had no choice but to rely on Eevee stepping up.

Fortunately, his Eevee seemed somewhat… illegal.

Starting with the newly learned Sketch move, it might yield surprising results.

Apart from battles, there were many other ways to improve a Pokémon's combat power, such as…

Watching videos.

Of course, Aiden was a respectable person—he meant watching move tutorials on TMs.

Before returning home, he had bought a few discs from the Pokemon Center in Los Platos.

In the Pokémon games, you just had to tap a disc on a Pokémon's head, and it would instantly learn the corresponding move—very convenient.

Of course, such an outrageous function didn't exist in reality.

TMs didn't need to be crafted by collecting materials like in the games; instead, they were available for purchase based on a Trainer's level.

Although Aiden's certified Trainer level was still at Beginner, at least he wasn't short on money.

Aside from the operational funds allocated by the Paldea League, his parents' disappearance had left behind a compensation fund that he couldn't possibly spend in a lifetime.

It was hard to imagine how the original body had managed to step into the arms of a wealthy woman under such circumstances.

But that wasn't the point.

To teach a Pokémon the moves from the discs, they needed to repeatedly watch the instructional videos.

This afternoon, Aiden's task was to watch videos with Eevee.

While guiding Eevee to learn the moves and build up its courage for battle, they could also strengthen their bond further.

"Confuse Ray, Snarl, Skill Swap, Encore…"

(T/N: I already know the issue with these moves, dw the translation is accurate. Just gotta be patient, trust.)

"Let's start with these few moves~"

"Buii?"

Eevee, nestled in Aiden's arms, lifted its head and noticed the mischievous smile playing on its Trainer's lips.

Why did it feel like its Trainer's smile looked a little villainous…

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