Get Stronger by Pleasing Pokémon? Who Needs to Be a Trainer!

[Pokémon: Snivy]

[Gender: Female]

[Ability: Contrary]

[Potential: Red Tier]

[IVs: HP (24), Attack (21), Sp. Atk (26), Defense (25), Sp. Def (24), Speed (31)]

[Level: 19]

[Moves: Leaf Blade, Grass Mixer (Triple), Glare, Vine Whip, Leech Seed, Grassy Terrain]

[Friendship: 85 (She trusts you deeply)]

[Happiness: 75 (She's excited for today's battle and wondering if she'll face any tough opponents)]

July 15th.

Lin Feng was up bright and early. He fed Snivy her final Rare Candy.

With that, Snivy, who'd been hovering somewhere between Level 18 and 19, officially reached Level 19.

According to her, she could already feel the faint stirrings of an impending evolution.

It was only a question of when.

After taking a quick look around the plantation to ensure nothing was amiss, he set off toward the exit of Wutong Town, Snivy nestled comfortably in his arms.

By the time he arrived, quite a few people were already gathered at the bus stop.

Just then, the bus to Wutong City pulled up, honking twice in greeting.

Lin Feng was just about to step aboard when a slightly breathless voice called out, stopping him in his tracks. He shot the driver a helpless look, signaling him to wait.

"Hold on! There's one more person coming!"

Qin Shu came running up to the bus door, panting heavily. She was about to thank the driver for waiting, when she looked up and saw Lin Feng staring at her as though she were some sort of fool.

She didn't care in the slightest.

Instead, her face lit up with delight. "Brother Feng?"

"Hop on. Aren't you heading to the Baby Cup today?" Lin Feng said casually, choosing a seat inside the bus.

Qin Shu let out a sheepish giggle. She knew perfectly well it was Lin Feng who'd held up the bus for her. Cheerfully, she scurried after him and plopped down in the seat beside his.

"Brother Feng, how did you know the Baby Cup was today?"

Lin Feng cracked open the window to let the cool morning breeze chase away the last vestiges of sleep. "Because I'm competing too."

Qin Shu's smile froze instantly.

"Wait… seriously?"

"Of course seriously. Do I look like someone who'd joke about this?"

Hearing Lin Feng's calm response, her expression collapsed, turning utterly conflicted. "What?! Then there goes my shot at first place!"

The first time they'd battled, she'd still had the guts to challenge his Snivy.

But after seeing Snivy unleash Grass Mixer and Grassy Terrain…

All that courage had evaporated.

So for the entire bus ride, she sat beside him, thoroughly drowning in her own sorrow.

When they got off the bus, though, Qin Shu's expression was back to confident mode. "Well… even if I can't get first place, second place is still pretty good…"

Lin Feng rubbed his forehead helplessly.

This girl really was hopelessly innocent, always full of optimism and hope for the future.

But perhaps that was a good thing.

To become a true Pokémon Trainer, you needed to start out a little naïve.

After all, Pokémon themselves were pure-hearted creatures.

Just like that "dumb creature" he remembered from his past life…

That kind of innocence helped Trainers bond with their Pokémon in the early stages of their journey.

Outside the entrance to Wangwang Supermarket, a lively crowd had already gathered.

Groups of teenagers clustered together, chattering excitedly about the upcoming Baby Cup.

Beside each of them were all sorts of Pokémon: Bellsprout, Rattata, Pidgey, Psyduck, Caterpie…

Well.

Let's just say there was quite a range in strength levels.

For example when a Caterpie runs into a Pidgey… was that just so the Pidgey wouldn't go hungry?

"Lin Feng?!"

A questioning voice rang out from the crowd.

Lin Feng turned toward the sound.

Standing there, conspicuous among the people, was a boy with a carefully styled side-parted fringe and denim overalls.

"Xu Kun…"

Lin Feng blinked in surprise, then broke into a smile.

Xu Kun was a classmate of his, someone who loved basketball and singing.

Their relationship was polite but distant the kind where you'd nod and say hello in passing.

"What are you doing here at the Baby Cup? I thought you were taking over your family's plantation business?" Xu Kun asked in astonishment.

Lin Feng had always been fairly well-known in their class.

For one thing, his grades were excellent, and he was always willing to help whenever classmates asked him questions.

Plus, he was good-looking, clean-cut, and charming enough to earn the title of "Class Heartthrob" among the girls.

The only unusual thing was that he'd held off choosing his first Pokémon for a long time. In the Pokémon Trainer Entrance Exams, he'd ranked in the top ten for liberal arts across the entire province

But in the practical Trainer Assessment, he'd scored a grand total of zero points.

Even so, with his academic record, Lin Feng could easily have gotten into any university he wanted.

"The prize money's pretty good. I figured I'd give it a shot," Lin Feng replied with a laugh.

"Is that your Pokémon?" Xu Kun asked, nodding toward the Snivy cradled in his arms.

"Yeah." Lin Feng nodded, glancing at the small orange chick standing beside Xu Kun's feet. "Your Torchic looks like it's about ready to evolve."

[Pokémon: Torchic]

[Gender: Male]

[Ability: Blaze]

[Potential: Blue Tier]

[IVs: HP (15), Attack (21), Sp. Atk (24), Defense (17), Sp. Def (19), Speed (24)]

[Level: 17]

[Moves: Ember, Peck, Quick Attack, Flame Charge, Sand Attack]

[Friendship: 15 (Seems to vaguely remember you)]

[Happiness: 50 (When is that Torchic-themed bakery at the corner going to open already?)]

Hearing Lin Feng's compliment, pride flashed across Xu Kun's face, though he spoke in a voice dripping with regret.

"Sigh, don't even mention it. I was convinced I could take first place this time. But the guy running the Baby Cup the owner of Wangwang Supermarket he went and gave his high school freshman kid a Lapras! And it's not just any Lapras either. It's a Peak Ordinary-tier Lapras. How the heck am I supposed to beat that?"

"Looks like second place is the best I can hope for…"

"That's really a shame," Lin Feng replied with a sympathetic sigh.

A Pokémon like Lapras had a natural advantage in the Baby Cup thanks to its excellent base stats. It definitely skewed the balance.

Still-

Over the past few days, Lin Feng had been feeding his Snivy a steady supply of Special Attack Potential Energy Cubes crafted from Yache Berries and stat-enhancing Energy Cubes made from Life Berries.

So…

Victory was still far from certain, one way or the other.

Truthfully, after discovering how valuable his own crops were, Lin Feng wasn't all that motivated by the tournament prize money anymore.

But he did care deeply about Snivy's feelings.

This little Pokémon had been working so hard for the competition these past few days.

She'd already mastered Double Grass Mixer…

And now she could even unleash Triple Grass Mixer, though it still wasn't entirely stable yet.

He couldn't let all that effort go to waste, could he?