SWNOVELXO Chapter 13: Chapter 13: When New Love Meets Old Love
Chapter 13: When New Love Meets Old Love
In the living room of the Victor family, a quiet atmosphere enveloped the house.
The focus shifted to Victor, who had just arrived home. Earlier, a challenger qualified to take on the Rising Sun Gym had appeared unexpectedly. As a result, Victor's father flew to the gym on Charizard, leaving Victor to walk home alone.
On his way home, Victor posted pictures of Litten in their group chat.
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Group Chat: [The Four Future Kings]
16:35
[Pokémon Master]: "[Picture][Picture][Picture] I have a litten now too!"
[Why Isn't Gyarados a Dragon?]: "Wow, Brother Victor got his second Pokémon so quickly!"
[Clear Mirror of Time"]: "My family is helping me look for my second Pokémon too. You should prepare for it as well."
[Why Isn't Gyarados a Dragon?]: "I haven't found my destined partner yet~"
[Pokémon Master]: "Starting this semester, all exams will be at least 2v2 battles. If you don't want to fight solo against two opponents, you'd better find one soon. [Doghead.JPG]"
[Why Isn't Gyarados a Dragon?]: "What?! There's such a rule? [Dementia.JPG]"
[Clear Mirror of Time" ]: "I'm going to a breeding house to pick a Pokémon soon. You can come with me to look around."
[Why Isn't Gyarados a Dragon?]: "Alright, let's meet up then! [Sweating Pandaman.JPG]"
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Back at home, Carbink was sitting properly on the sofa three meters away from the big TV, watching a cartoon.
When Carbink heard the door open, it paused the show using the small pointed diamond under its body and jumped slowly toward Victor.
Victor had just put on his indoor slippers when he saw Carbink approaching. Waving his hand, he used his Aura powers to ask Carbink to wait since he had promised to introduce a new partner.
Walking over to Carbink, Victor took out Litten's Poké Ball.
"Come out, Litten!"
"Meow~!" With a graceful leap, Litten landed perfectly.
"Meow~" (Hello~) Litten thought to itself that the human had mentioned a "sister" at home. Best to greet her and live in harmony!
"Hello, we're partners from now on," Carbink responded.
Victor had told Carbink the day before that a new family member would be joining. However, Carbink declined to join him in selecting Litten because the latest episode of its favorite show was airing.
The two Pokémon exchanged greetings and then stared at each other in silence. Victor was a bit puzzled by the tension in the room.
As they locked eyes for a full five minutes, Carbink suddenly extended its tiny diamond-shaped appendages to shake paws with Litten. The tension dissolved as the two Pokémon jumped onto the sofa together.
Victor let out a sigh of relief. He'd read plenty about the conflicts that could arise between "siblings" in the family. Balancing relationships between Pokémon was an art, after all.
Thankfully, there were no major issues between the two. Still, Victor resolved to treat both Pokémon fairly to prevent future conflicts.
Watching Carbink and Litten happily enjoy cartoons together, Victor realized that being a trainer wasn't just about battles—it was also about managing relationships.
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Carbink's Identity Crisis
Pokémon like Carbink generally lack distinct gender traits. However, after watching plenty of cartoons and dramas, Carbink had developed an understanding of gender.
One day, while lying on its small bed wrapped in a blanket, Carbink asked Victor a profound question:
"Am I a girl?"
At this point, Carbink began identifying more with the traits of a female Pokémon.
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Sharing the Bed
Since Litten's bed wouldn't be delivered until the next day, Victor decided to let Litten sleep on his bed for the night.
While many trainers allowed their Pokémon to sleep with them, Victor was mindful of the future. As his team grew, he wanted to ensure every Pokémon had its own space to avoid jealousy or tension.
So, Victor decided that for each new Pokémon he captured, he would prepare a comfortable bed for them.
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Exploring the Spiral Secret Realm
The next day, Victor planned to take both Carbink and Litten to a nearby secret realm for training and exploration. Since Litten was still at a low level, Carbink would be the main force during the trip.
The secret realm they were heading to was officially named the Spiral Secret Realm by the Shenzhou Alliance.
The realm's name came from the central feature of its forest—a massive, dilapidated tower with countless spiral staircases.
The Spiral Secret Realm was one of the earliest developed by the Alliance, and almost all of its locations had been thoroughly explored.
Many years ago, dragon-type Pokémon were said to inhabit the area around the tower. Unfortunately, a poaching incident decimated the population, and the remaining rare Pokémon were relocated to the Alliance's nature reserves.
Nowadays, the Spiral Secret Realm was populated mostly by low-level, common Pokémon.
Victor couldn't help but notice how similar the tower in the Spiral Secret Realm looked to the Dragonspiral Tower in the Unova region.
According to pre-time-travel lore, the Dragonspiral Tower was the oldest structure in Unova and possibly the resting place of the legendary Dragon Gods: Reshiram and Zekrom.
Legend had it that the Tao Dragon, the original Dragon God of Unova, had split into three beings:
1. Kyurem, the empty shell seeking truth and ideals.
2. Reshiram, the dragon of truth.
3. Zekrom, the dragon of ideals.
As Victor reviewed this information, he couldn't help but wonder if this secret realm held connections to those ancient legends.