After chatting for a while, Chen Shi planned to take Cynthia and Steven to see Professor Oak.
After all, he had brought guests here. It was only proper to inform Professor Oak.
But not long after they entered the house and were about to head toward the research lab behind it, a lazy voice drifted down from upstairs.
"Gary, hurry up and bring Lord Dragon some food!"
The moment Gary heard that voice, his entire face scrunched up with displeasure.
Yet, for some reason, he still shouted back:
"Coming, Lord Dragon! I'll bring it right away!"
With that, Gary immediately turned to run off.
Chen Shi grabbed him and asked curiously,
"Gary, who's that? Why is he acting so arrogant?"
Gary pulled a miserable face.
"Uncle Chen, you have no idea."
"A couple of days ago, Grandpa somehow brought back a black dragon."
"The moment it arrived, it started acting like the king of the place."
"All it does every day is eat, sleep, then eat some more."
"And it eats a ridiculous amount."
"On top of that, it's super picky."
"If I don't bring food, it beats me up."
"And Grandpa doesn't do anything about it."
"These last two days have been miserable!"
"Uncle Chen, I can't talk anymore. I need to hurry and prepare its food. If I'm late, that dragon's going to complain again."
With that, Gary hurried off, presumably to prepare food for the dragon.
Chen Shi stood there blankly.
Then something suddenly occurred to him.
A black dragon?
Wasn't that the little Rayquaza he had sent to Professor Oak a few days ago?
That thing was living this comfortably here?
Thinking of that, Chen Shi immediately abandoned the idea of finding Professor Oak first.
Instead, he decided to check on little Rayquaza.
He headed upstairs and followed the direction of the voice.
Soon, he found little Rayquaza inside Gary's room.
But the moment he actually saw it, his expression became absolutely priceless.
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
The little Rayquaza before him was completely different from the one he had seen just a few days ago.
Its body had grown several sizes larger.
Its previously sleek and agile form had transformed into a chubby, round shape.
It looked exactly like an oversized caterpillar.
Chen Shi stared in disbelief and pointed at it.
"Y-You…"
"Did someone beat you until you swelled up?"
He would rather believe it had been beaten than believe it had eaten itself into this state.
Hearing his voice, little Rayquaza lifted its head.
The moment it saw Chen Shi, its eyes lit up.
"Benefactor! You're here!"
Then it slowly floated over, wobbling from side to side.
"Benefactor, you really didn't lie to me!"
"There's so much delicious food here!"
"You're such a good person!"
Chen Shi: "..."
He was tired.
So tired.
At this point, he just wanted the world to end.
Only two days had passed.
How was he supposed to explain this to the adult Rayquaza?
On his shoulder, Mew finally lost control and burst out laughing.
It swore that after living for so many years, this was the strangest Rayquaza it had ever seen.
"Benefactor, why aren't you saying anything?"
Little Rayquaza awkwardly raised its plump little claw and scratched its head.
Chen Shi's mouth twitched.
"What exactly do you want me to say?"
"Look at yourself!"
Rayquaza lowered its head and looked at its own pudgy body.
Seemingly realizing it looked ridiculous, it spoke awkwardly.
"Benefactor, I didn't mean to."
"It's just that the old man's food was way too delicious."
"I couldn't stop eating."
"So I ended up like this."
Before Chen Shi could respond, Steven and Cynthia walked over curiously and peeked inside.
The moment they saw it, both of them exploded with laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Old Chen!"
"T-This is your shiny Rayquaza?"
"I have to admit…"
"Other than being black, it certainly has a unique appearance!"
Even Cynthia struggled to suppress her laughter.
"How did it end up like this?"
Chen Shi's face darkened completely.
"You're going to train with Dragapult and the others from now on."
"You can't keep eating like this."
"Understand?"
Little Rayquaza shot Steven and Cynthia a vicious glare.
Then it lowered its head and replied softly,
"I understand, Benefactor."
It was still very willing to listen to Chen Shi.
After all, Chen Shi had helped it.
Its father had also told it to listen to him.
And Rayquaza knew that Chen Shi was only asking it to train for its own good.
At least it understood that much.
After that, Chen Shi completely gave up on finding Professor Oak.
Instead, he helped Cynthia and Steven clean out three empty rooms on the second floor.
As evening approached, Chen Shi took Gary into town and bought a huge pile of ingredients.
After returning, the three of them immediately got to work cooking.
Most of the cooking was done by Chen Shi.
Steven and Cynthia could only help with washing vegetables and passing ingredients.
Under Grandma Chen's guidance over the years, Chen Shi's cooking skills were actually excellent.
Before long, six delicious dishes and a soup were arranged on the table.
Gary's eyes shone brightly.
He eagerly picked up his chopsticks and prepared to attack the food.
But Steven suddenly spoke.
"Shouldn't we call Professor Oak?"
Chen Shi waved dismissively.
"No need."
"He's probably still busy."
"You may not understand researchers, but you've definitely heard stories."
"It's fine."
"Let's eat."
"Exactly!"
"We don't need to wait for Grandpa!"
Gary quickly agreed.
Steven and Cynthia thought about how obsessive researchers could be and nodded.
Just as the four of them were about to start eating, the door connecting to the laboratory suddenly opened.
Professor Oak emerged with messy hair and exhausted eyes.
Because of the angle, he hadn't noticed them yet.
"Gary!"
"What smells so good?"
"Did Delia bring food again?"
Gary simply pouted and silently stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth.
Seeing no response, Professor Oak removed his lab coat and peeked around the corner.
Only then did he notice Chen Shi.
"Oh!"
"It's you, Shi!"
"No wonder it smells so amazing."
"I thought Delia had come by."
Steven and Cynthia immediately stood up.
"Professor Oak, hello."
"Oh, it's you two."
"Welcome to my place!"
Professor Oak walked over with a smile.
"Sit down, sit down."
"No need to be formal."
Steven and Cynthia sat back down.
Then Professor Oak noticed Chen Shi staring at him.
Confused, he asked,
"Shi, why are you looking at me like that?"
Chen Shi smiled.
"Teacher."
"Shouldn't you explain Rayquaza to me?"
"Huh?"
Professor Oak froze for a second.
Then he remembered little Rayquaza's current appearance.
"Pfft—!"
Professor Oak immediately burst out laughing.
Chen Shi: "..."
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