In the evening, at the Smith Family Farm in Green Canopy Town.
"Food's here!"
Alex brought the Pokémon food prepared by Grandpa John and Grandma Mary to the table outside the villa.
A large group of Pokémon cheered in unison and promptly sat down.
Alex smiled, "This certainly isn't enough for all of you. Remember to eat more meat and Energy Cubes, okay?"
Then, he distributed enough food to each Pokémon according to their size, along with a cup of honey.
Togepi and Eevee couldn't wait any longer and immediately started eating.
"Charlie~" (It's so delicious!)
"Buddy~" (Exactly, exactly!)
The two little darlings were so happy they were almost fainting.
Even Florges began to gobble down her food. And Dratini's head was already buried in its food bowl, with only a small section of its tail sticking out.
As for Swampert... let's not even mention it.
Looking at Grandpa and Grandma's Pokémon, Alex couldn't help but swallow.
King-tier peak Salamence, Sceptile, Venusaur, and Garchomp.
King-tier intermediate Swampert, Empoleon.
King-tier initial Gengar, Breloom.
Quasi-King-tier peak Roserade, Gardevoir.
There were four King-tier peak Pokémon, which was incredibly powerful.
The string of skills displayed made Alex dizzy.
Grandpa John and Grandma Mary were definitely hidden big shots in the Alliance.
Among them, the King-tier intermediate Swampert and Empoleon were the parents of Alex's Swampert.
.....
Alex suddenly thought of something and ran to Grandma Mary's Garchomp, asking:
"Shark Bro, it's been seven or eight years, hasn't it?"
"You and Dragon Sister still haven't made a baby yet?"
"I'm waiting!"
Grandpa John's Salamence, who was Garchomp's mate, snorted lightly, exhaling two puffs of white air from her nose and turning her head away, not wanting to bother with these two.
Garchomp scratched his head with his large claw and shouted two sentences with a fierce aura.
"Garchomp~ Garchomp~"
(Why are you in such a hurry? I'm already working very hard, just wait a little longer!)
Alex smiled and didn't mind. Dragon-type Pokémon naturally have a pitifully low birth rate, not to mention Garchomp and Salamence, who are pure-blooded Dragons.
Plus, with their strength reaching King-tier peak, Alex had never held out any hope.
He only said that to tease Garchomp.
Before, when Alex was nine years old, this guy stole a bottle of wine from Grandpa John and drank it, and to his surprise, he got completely drunk.
He even declared that he would work hard with his mate to have a baby in the future to travel with Alex.
He thought Alex couldn't understand him, but he didn't expect Alex to be dishonorable and able to understand Pokémon's words.
Perhaps it was due to being a transmigrator, but Alex had been able to understand Pokémon's words since he was a child, and he was also a natural psychic.
Although he couldn't compare to freaks like Sabrina and Caitlin, telepathy and moving small objects with telekinesis were no problem.
So, Alex remembered Garchomp's words at the time and often used them to tease him.
"Here, Shark Bro, I've got something good for you!"
Alex pulled a bottle of wine from his pocket and handed it over.
Garchomp's eyes immediately lit up. He quickly took it and then patted Alex's shoulder.
You rascal~
You're sensible, oh~
At this moment, Grandma Mary called out, "Alright, Alex, stop bothering him. Come and sit down quickly."
Alex chuckled, ran to sit beside Grandpa John and Grandma Mary, and grabbed the roasted meat in front of him to gnaw on.
This world also has ordinary animals, but they are all domesticated and raised for consumption.
Grandma Mary asked with concern, "Alex, how was your year in Sinnoh?"
"Did you encounter any dangers?"
Grandpa John, who was beside them, also perked up his ears, wanting to hear his grandson's travel stories.
Alex smacked his lips and said, "What danger could I be in?"
"You know I didn't plan to challenge the Gyms; I was just traveling around and looking at things."
"But Sinnoh is indeed a beautiful place, and I also met three companions there."
Alex looked at Florges, Leafeon, and Togepi with gentle eyes.
Alex continued, "At that time, Florges was still a Floette."
"She was captured by poachers from the Kalos region and brought to Sinnoh for sale. By chance, I rescued her."
"I originally wanted to hand her over to the International Police so they could send her back to the Kalos region."
"But she insisted on staying with me and wouldn't leave."
"You wouldn't believe it, but at that time, her expression was so pitiful."
"Later, she joined my travel team."
Togepi and Leafeon looked at Florges with strange expressions.
They never would have thought that the caring big sister in their team had such an experience.
The two little ones exchanged glances, chuckled, and continued to bury their heads in their food.
Florges's face had already turned completely red, but she still pretended not to have heard anything.
The two elderly people exchanged knowing smiles, and Grandma Mary asked, "What about the other two little ones?"
Alex looked at Leafeon and Togepi and said with regret, "I found them in an underground cave."
"At that time, I heard news of a shiny Beldum and decided to go look for it."
(The shiny Metagross that appeared in the anime, according to the timeline, the author set it as still being a Beldum here.)
"But after searching for two months, I didn't find the Beldum, and finally encountered these two little ones."
"At that time, the two of them were much more miserable than Florges."
"The two little ones were born and lived in a dark cave. Because they couldn't defeat other Pokémon, they usually survived by eating moss."
"When I met them, they had already fainted from hunger."
As soon as Dratini heard this, he immediately puffed up with pride.
"Dura~"
(I found them!)
Leafeon and Togepi buried their heads deeper into their food.
Florges snorted lightly and glanced at the two little ones.
How dare you two mock me?
Grandpa John then asked, "Alex, do you really like Metagross?"
"Do you want Grandpa to negotiate with the Anderson Family to exchange one for you? Your team isn't full yet."
"Let's not," Alex waved his hand, "Shiny Metagross looks better!"
"At the time, I was only interested because I heard that Beldum was shiny."
"Is that so?" Grandpa John thought for a moment and said, "Shiny ones are no problem. The Anderson Family definitely has them."
"If you want one, at most we'll pay some price, and Grandpa guarantees to get you one."
Alex asked in surprise, "Is shiny Metagross that worthless now?"
"I heard that the Anderson Family's young master's ace is also a shiny Metagross."
"How many are there now?"
Grandpa John chuckled and replied, "The Metagross species is quite special."
"They have no gender; their reproduction relies on splitting."
"So, as long as there is one shiny Metagross, it can split into two to three Beldum in its lifetime."
"Is that so?" Alex's eyes lit up.
Shiny Metagross, who wouldn't be tempted?
In his previous life, watching Steven appear in the anime riding his shiny Metagross was simply too cool!
However, Alex changed his mind and decided against it. He already had a shiny Dratini, so there was no need to be fixated on Metagross.
If he were to exchange for one, Grandpa John and Grandma Mary would definitely have to pay a huge price.
It wasn't worth it.
So, Alex still shook his head and refused Grandpa John's suggestion:
"No need, Grandpa, I'm not that fond of it."
"Let's just leave it at that!"
The two elderly people exchanged glances, and Grandma Mary nodded slightly.
Understanding his wife's meaning, Grandpa John immediately knew what to do.
He made up his mind: since his grandson liked it, no matter the cost, he would find the Anderson Family and exchange for a shiny Beldum.
Suddenly, Alex thought of something and said excitedly, "Grandpa, what if I offer a location full of ancient Pokémon in exchange?"