svetikya Chapter 449 His Grandfather's Perspective
Chapter 449 His Grandfather's Perspective
"..."
Xiao Zhi fell silent; he didn't know what to say.
An apology? Comfort? These words are meaningless for him to say.
He could neither make up for the old man's pain at losing his grandson, nor could he change the fact that had already happened.
As the old man looked at Xiao Zhi's silent demeanor, the hatred in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by endless sorrow and helplessness.
He slowly released Xiaozhi's shoulder, sat back down on the bench, picked up the newspaper, and stared blankly into the distance.
"I'm sorry, I got emotional..." the old man said in a hoarse voice, his tone filled with exhaustion and despair.
He raised his head, gazing at the azure sky, his eyes vacant and lost.
“I know, none of this is your fault. This was bound to happen to that kid, Red Sun. Even if you hadn’t done it, Cynthia… the Elite Four, the Gym Leaders of the Sinnoh region, and the police would have done it anyway. And the real culprit is me…”
"If I had paid more attention to Chi Ri and understood his thoughts more, perhaps this wouldn't have happened..."
The old man's voice grew softer and softer until it almost became a muttering to himself.
The old man spoke haltingly, tears welling up in his eyes again.
“I can understand his thoughts, his wishes—but why did he choose this particular method?”
"He knew he had taken the wrong path, he knew he could never succeed on this path, and he knew it was just an escape."
"But I... I, as his grandfather, can do nothing. I can only watch him walk step by step into an abyss of no return..."
"Now he's gone, taking his dreams... taking his despair with him, leaving this world forever..."
"It's all my fault, and it's all retribution, all my retribution..."
The old man covered his face with trembling hands, sobbing painfully, tears of regret streaming from between his fingers.
He hated himself, hated his indifference and negligence, hated himself for ruining his grandson's future.
Xiao Zhi quietly watched the old man's sorrowful appearance, standing aside without saying a word.
After confessing his past mistakes, the old man's emotions calmed down a bit. He looked at Xiaozhi with a gaze that seemed to have no fear of life or death, and said in an old voice, "Would you like to hear his story?"
"of course."
Ash took a deep breath and slowly sat down next to the old man, while Pikachu quietly lay down on his lap.
The old man nodded, his gaze once again fixed on the distance, as if he had transcended the barriers of time and returned to the past.
"Chi Ri was a very special child from a young age..."
The old man's voice was soft, carrying a touch of tender reminiscence.
"Unlike other children who like to play, he always prefers to stay quietly by himself and think about some profound questions."
"He was full of curiosity about the universe, the world, and the origin of life."
“I remember that when he was a child, his favorite thing to do was to take a thick encyclopedia, flip through it page by page, and then ask me all sorts of questions.”
"Sometimes even I can't answer those questions."
The old man gave a wry smile, seemingly recalling the embarrassing moments when his grandson stumped him with his questions.
“I was very busy with work at that time and rarely had time to spend with him. However, based on my own experience, I always demanded that he do everything perfectly, just like my father asked me to do back then, and just like what I did to Chi Ri’s father later.”
“I always tell him to study hard, to make something of himself, and to become a…useful person.”
“I enrolled him in many tutoring classes so that he could learn all sorts of knowledge and skills.”
"I hope he can become a successful person like me."
The child was very obedient and didn't resist my discipline at all; he simply said he trusted his grandfather.
The old man's voice gradually lowered, filled with regret.
"But I was wrong, terribly wrong..."
"Although Chi Ri always completed the tasks I assigned perfectly, and although he always got first place in the exams, my mechanical education deprived him of the space to socialize with his classmates, so he became more and more withdrawn and unsociable."
"At school, he always kept to himself, had no friends, and was even ostracized by his classmates..."
"They mocked him, calling him a bookworm and a freak because he never had time to interact with his classmates, and because the knowledge he possessed far exceeded what was required for his age. So he felt the same way, thinking that there was no need to communicate with his so-called classmates at all, and I agreed with his thoughts at the time."
After I gave my approval and support, he became increasingly distant from children his age, and the rejection he faced intensified, eventually to the point where he was unable to attend school regularly.
The old man's eyes welled up again, and tears streamed down his cheeks.
"And it was in that desperate situation that a girl appeared. She didn't think that Chi Ri, who thought too much and knew too much, was a freak. Even though Chi Ri chased her away a few times, she still came to play with him every day with great enthusiasm."
"That girl was kind and lovely, like an angel who brought Chi Ri, who was completely alone, unprecedented warmth and joy..."
"From then on, Chi Ri lived more and more like a complete person."
"Every day they would read books in a small attic, make all sorts of handmade toys together, and discuss their dreams for the future..."
"That period must have been the happiest time of that child's life..."
As the old man spoke, a rare smile appeared on his face, as if he were seeing his once innocent and carefree grandson again.
"And during that time, he seemed to be favored by the world; a new, special partner found him..."
"That was a very special Pokémon; its existence had never been recorded anywhere before..."
"It has a very special ability to move freely between various electrical appliances. I remember when Chi Ri told me about their first meeting, Rotom suddenly possessed his robot one afternoon. He was quite startled when he saw his robot start moving on its own."
"But after learning that it was a little prank by a mysterious Pokémon, and that the other party had expressed goodwill and was willing to become friends with him."
“Red Sun named it Rotom.”
"Rotom's arrival brought the most brilliant light to the Crimson Sun's life..."
"It allows him to fully immerse himself in technology and manufacturing. Every time he builds a little robot or spaceship, Rotom would happily attach himself to it, letting the robot punch and the spaceship soar through the sky to amuse him."
"And so, the sun, the little girl, and Rotom became inseparable friends, spending every day in laughter and joy."
"If only everything could have stayed in that time..."
The old man's voice became low again, filled with sadness and self-blame.
But fate always likes to play tricks on people...
“And I was the accomplice who made it all happen—” The old man’s eyes lowered, and even his voice became weaker.
“At the time, I saw that the child was indulging in play every day, which caused his grades to drop. So I enrolled him in a tutoring class that was far from home, and let him study away from home for a month before coming back…”
"But when he returned, the girl who had grown up with him and her grandfather had been brutally murdered..."
"And Rotom has mysteriously disappeared since that day..."
P.S.: Thank you to Bai Gu from Xuantian Mountain Villa for the extra update and the celebratory gifts! Thank you to Shiwuhao Sikai for the extra update, the celebratory gifts, and the character summoning! Thank you to Wangshengtang Hutao Miao, Luo Tan Qian Lun, and Liang for the milk tea! Thank you to Shaiyou Duan for the inspiration capsule! Thank you to Beipingchuan from Alice Island for the update reminder and everyone for the gifts!
With this bonus chapter for those who donated, there will be double chapters tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that! Thank you all for your support! The update speed is still a bit slow; I'm running two books simultaneously, and maintaining one chapter per day is currently my limit. If I choose to continue the story as a new book, I will aim for 4 chapters per day.
(After that, there's only the Crimson Sun side quest and the two main tournaments left. The story that everyone has been waiting for is about to begin, so please look forward to it! The venue for the grand festival will also change along with this story, becoming a place with a more suitable atmosphere for reunion~QAQ~)