Saori's comment wasn't meant to offend—she was simply puzzled.
Why would a child, who wasn't exactly young anymore, be completely ignorant of such basic knowledge?
Had no one taught him anything since he was little?
Could he be a runaway? Or... had he escaped from an orphanage?
"Sister Saori, can you keep a secret for me?"
Stephen's eyes darted around mischievously before he lowered his voice, his expression suddenly serious.
Saori blinked at the abrupt shift in his demeanor but nodded solemnly.
"Actually... I'm the child of a human and a Pokémon."
"Wha—?!"
As a medical professional, Saori was stunned. Humans and Pokémon... could have children?
This was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing!
"My dad... he's a total scumbag!"
Stephen pounded the table with his tiny fist, gritting his teeth as he continued,
"Back then, after getting my mom pregnant, he captured her in a Pokéball. Then, while she was asleep, he abandoned her in the forest with the Pokéball."
"Later, my mom gave birth to me in that forest, and I grew up alongside Pokémon. That's why... I don't know much about the human world."
Saori was utterly dumbfounded.
This story completely shattered her worldview.
Even the Umbreon standing by the chair looked equally baffled, its expression saying: ꒰꒪꒫꒪꒱.
Not familiar with the human world?
When we were walking to the Pokémon Center earlier, didn't you interact with humans without a single hitch?
"This... this is shocking. I never imagined that humans and Pokémon could... Stephen-kun, you've had it rough all these years..."
Saori's heart brimmed with sympathy.
"Don't worry about it, Sister Saori. I'm doing pretty well now, aren't I?"
Inwardly, Stephen muttered an apology to his long-deceased father from his past life.
He hadn't thought of a better excuse at the moment and had just borrowed N's backstory.
But on second thought, even N's origins didn't necessarily mean he was the child of a human and a female Pokémon.
Couldn't it be the other way around? A male Pokémon and a human woman?
For example, a Gardevoir with a thick stem... After all, that Pokémon also has green hair.
Under Saori's sympathetic gaze, Stephen—a "person without proper identification"—successfully registered his identity.
Although she didn't help him pay the ten years' worth of back taxes required to qualify as a registered trainer eligible to receive a starter Pokémon, having an official identity still made life much easier compared to being undocumented.
Afterward, Saori arranged for Stephen to rest in a guestroom, promising to find him a host family the next day.
Hearing this, Stephen woke up early the following morning, leaving behind a thank-you note before sneaking away.
It was one thing to occasionally act like a child to gather information, but living with a family and pretending to be a kid for years?
That would be torture.
Besides, although Stephen didn't think Saori was the type to betray him, there was always a lingering fear that if she reported his background, someone might try to capture him for research.
Having spent so much time in the treacherous world of One Piece, full of schemes and double agents, Stephen had developed a habit of preparing for the worst-case scenario.
While he had often used the Marines and the World Government as test subjects in his past life, he had no desire to become a test subject himself.
"So, I've got a rough understanding of this world now, but the money problem still isn't solved."
Stretching lazily, Stephen walked down the street with Umbreon by his side, chatting idly.
"To help you devolve, I'll need to study your DNA. That means I'll need professional equipment—syringes, blood collection tubes, a blood test analyzer..."
"All of that stuff will cost a lot of money, and I don't even have enough for lunch."
"Umbre~ Umbre~ Umbre~," Umbreon responded casually, occasionally glancing sideways at its strange new owner with disbelief.
Wait, he's serious about this? Devolution?
Umbreon had never heard of such a thing in the history of Pokémon evolution.
"Just because others can't do it doesn't mean I can't," Stephen said, patting Umbreon's round head.
"No matter how many times I look, I can't help but admire your beauty. That pitch-black fur, those red eyes, and the blue markings..."
Ever since Sylveon was introduced in Pokémon XY, its elegant and beautiful appearance, combined with the Pixilate ability—arguably the best in the Eevee family—made it immensely popular.
But Stephen still thought Umbreon was the coolest.
It had a mysterious beauty.
Stephen's words of praise left Umbreon momentarily stunned.
I... I look beautiful?
Last night, even in its dreams, Umbreon had been haunted by the fearful expression of its previous owner abandoning it.
Now, as the two of them continued walking down the street, Umbreon found itself sneaking more and more glances at Stephen.
It could sense that his words weren't just comforting lies—he genuinely meant them.
Why... Why weren't you my first trainer?
"Cyndaquil, use Ember!"
"Ahhh! Rattata, dodge it!"
The sudden shouts of children interrupted their walk.
Stephen and Umbreon looked up to see two boys, roughly the same apparent age as Stephen, engaged in a Pokémon battle.
Their Pokémon were a Cyndaquil and a Rattata.
Both trainers were equally inexperienced, but judging by the Pokémon alone, the winner was obvious.
Let's not pretend with that old phrase, "There are no weak Pokémon, only weak trainers."
And please don't bring up Giovanni's Beedrill or Red's Pikachu as examples.
As a scientist, Stephen would argue: stop using outliers as evidence.
It's like comparing Kaido's Azure Dragon Devil Fruit to the Snake-Snake Fruit that Hancock's sisters ate. If you had to choose one, which would you pick?
Giovanni and Red were exceptions among exceptions.
Why doesn't anyone else seem to raise their Beedrill or Pikachu to invincible levels?
For any reincarnator without cheats or a system, if your goal is to become a top-tier trainer, please choose Pokémon with higher potential.
Didn't you see how even Luffy's Gum-Gum Fruit had to get a massive upgrade into the Nika form to keep up with the late-game power scaling?
"Yeah! I won!"
In the end, Rattata couldn't rely on the god-tier move "Dodge it!" to turn the battle around.
The Cyndaquil trainer emerged victorious.
"According to our bet, this pack of Pikachu chocolate cookies is mine now."
The boy took a pack of Pikachu-themed cookies from his opponent.
Watching this scene, Stephens's smile turned... peculiar.
Ah, how could I have forgotten how I made money in my previous life?