Anderson, the son of the president of Dewen Manufacturing Co., Ltd., is the champion of the Hoenn League and a Pokémon trainer proficient in steel-type Pokémon. He has a deep passion for collecting rare stones.
This hobby directly led him to be classified among the three Pokémon NEET families, alongside Denji and Agen.
"NEET" originally refers to individuals who neither study, work, nor participate in job training, spending their days idly. Here, it humorously describes Anderson, who spends all day digging rocks in caves instead of fulfilling his duties as a champion; Dianci, who plays with circuits all day and causes blackouts across entire cities; and Woakes, who stays on Steel Island playing with his Pokémon.
To this day, Albus still remembers Anderson's infamous mistranslated pirate line: "In the end, I am number one, strong and powerful."
As he watched the trainer appear on the screen, Albus fixed his eyes on the young man with silver-blue hair and matching eyes. The current Anderson should be around sixteen years old, his youthful face exuding confidence.
"It's starting, it's starting!" McGrath shouted excitedly.
Since he already knew the match's outcome, Albus didn't react much.
As the referee's whistle blew and the crowd erupted in cheers, both trainers sent out their Pokémon.
Anderson's first Pokémon was a well-trained Skarmory, while his opponent, a supporting character whose name Albus couldn't even remember, sent out a Pidgeot.
The League Competition—regardless of the region—is the pinnacle of Pokémon battles. Every trainer who makes it this far has honed their skills through countless experiences and challenges.
Under Anderson's composed commands, Skarmory swiftly and decisively defeated its opponent.
Pidgeot collapsed, unable to continue, while Skarmory stood before Anderson, nearly unscathed.
"Si...Si Guoyi!" McGrath gasped in admiration.
Anderson continued to showcase his prowess, using Skarmory to take down three opponents in succession.
What was even more astonishing was that throughout the battle, his face remained calm and composed, as if everything had unfolded just as he expected.
Even by the end of the match, Albus never got to see Anderson's ace, Metagross.
With only two Pokémon, Anderson secured a landslide victory, leaving everyone stunned.
"Can I ever become a trainer that strong?"
Albus reflected on every precise decision and prediction Anderson had made throughout the battle.
Compared to the previous battle between Mianbao and Crawdaunt, the league finals felt like the difference between a graduate student and a kindergartener.
The two were on completely different levels.
"How will you know if you don't try?"
At that moment, Albus made a firm decision.
He would train hard alongside his Pokémon and strive to become one of the strongest trainers.
But before that, he had to save money.
Early the next morning, Albus was washing up in the bathroom, preparing to take Mianbao out for more battle practice.
As he looked into the mirror, Gengar suddenly floated out of it, making a mischievous face.
Unfazed, Albus continued wiping his face with a towel.
For the first time, Gengar doubted its prank-playing abilities.
Shocked, it asked, "Are you really not scared?"
Albus glanced at it and, with complete honesty, replied, "I just think you're really cute."
Once cursed by ancient humans, Gengar could only cause nightmares and emit cold air, which could function as an air conditioner in summer.
Compared to other ghost-type Pokémon, this Gengar was already quite gentle and innocent.
Moreover, it had an amusing love for ice cream and small cakes. Its combination of sinister expression and sweet cravings created a contrast that Albus found adorable.
No one had ever called Gengar "cute" before. It blushed slightly and muttered, "Then I won't tell you where the other treasures are."
With that, Gengar vanished into the mirror.
After washing up, Albus headed out with Mianbao and Will Young as usual.
Late autumn had arrived, and winter was just around the corner.
The cold wind made Will Young shiver and instinctively snuggle into Albus's arms.
"Ni~ It's so cold!"
Albus took note of this.
After some thought, he brought his Pokémon into a store and bought scarves for them.
"There you go," he said, tying a scarf around Mianbao's neck before helping Will Young with its own.
He gently stroked Will Young's head and warned, "Don't go into the water while wearing this. It'll get wet. Also, you don't need to bring food home—we have plenty."
At first, he hadn't noticed, but later, he realized that Will Young seemed to bring food home as if afraid he would starve.
"Gah?"
Will Young tilted its head, still confused.
Albus sighed.
No matter what, he had already decided—he would take care of Will Young for the rest of its life.
This time, aside from the scarves, Albus also bought some daily necessities, including basic healing potions and snacks favored by grass-type Pokémon.
Most of the purchases were for Mianbao and Will Young.
As for himself, he had minimal needs—just enough to get by.
Looking at the various items in his bag, Albus suddenly had the illusion that he was raising children.
Shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, he decided to drop off the supplies at home before heading out for training.
Gengar observed the scarves around Will Young and Mianbao with envy.
For the first time, it wished it had met this human earlier.
But unfortunately, the world does not deal in "what ifs."
With a heavy heart, Gengar retreated into its sealed orb.
Albus noticed Gengar's reaction.
From his bag, he pulled out another scarf—a pink one featuring a chibi-style Eevee pattern.
Gengar was a lonely, wandering spirit, temporarily staying with him.
While at the store, Albus had remembered their conversation that morning. He had spotted the scarf and thought it suited Gengar well, so he bought it.
After paying for it, he realized Gengar couldn't physically touch it.
Still, since he had already bought it, he decided to leave it as a winter gift for a lonely ghost.
Albus rolled the scarf into a ball and wrapped the orb inside it before stepping out with Mianbao.
The room fell silent again.
Gengar slowly emerged from the orb.
It froze upon seeing the scarf.
Floating toward the desk, it reached out and gently stroked the fabric with its paws—though it could not actually feel it.
The cold wind blew in through the window, rustling the pages of a book on the desk.
The sound echoed through the room, resonating deep in Gengar's heart.
For the first time in a long while, it felt an overwhelming urge to cry.