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

After a brief catch-up, the two of them fell silent.

Meanwhile, Qin Shu was deep in a heated discussion with another boy.

Lin Feng guessed that this was probably the same boy who kept texting her all the time.

But the moment he caught sight of the boy's hair, Lin Feng frowned.

Dyed yellow hair?

That was never a good sign.

He picked up Snivy and strode quickly toward the two of them.

…

"Qin Shu, just give it up. Your Squirtle can't beat my Bulbasaur," said Michael Zhang as he flicked his bangs of bright yellow hair, convinced the gesture made him look cool.

The two of them had already battled once. Even though they'd both received their starter Pokémon around the same time, Michael was well aware of Squirtle's weaknesses.

Water Gun was weak and feeble, hardly enough to damage a Bulbasaur.

And as for Tackle… well, that was even more laughable.

Squirtle couldn't even lift its head when attempting it.

That kind of tackle might only work on something as immobile as a Metapod.

Qin Shu glared at him fiercely. "Michael Zhang, the match hasn't even started yet. Who knows who's going to win?"

Michael's eyes lit up with a mischievous glint. "Well, if you're so confident, why don't we make a bet? If you lose, you have to be my girlfriend."

"You!"

Qin Shu grew even angrier. No matter how naïve she might be, there was no way she'd agree to that kind of demand.

But her mind was so clouded with anger that she couldn't even figure out what to say.

"If you're feeling horny, go rub up against a tree instead of broadcasting it to the whole world. That's not exactly great publicity."

Just as she was lost for words, a clear, cold voice rang out beside her.

Lin Feng placed a hand on Qin Shu's head and stepped forward, staring at the yellow-haired boy with a frosty look.

He'd overheard the entire conversation. At first, he'd thought it was merely a typical romantic pursuit. Now it sounded a lot more like harassment.

So he'd rushed over without hesitation.

"Brother Feng! That's the guy!"

Seeing Lin Feng come to her defense, Qin Shu's eyes lit up as if a parent had arrived to rescue her.

In her memory, whenever she'd been bullied as a child, all she had to do was run to Lin Feng, and the problem would be solved.

Whether it was a shouting match or a physical fight, he'd never once lost.

Even when she herself was in the wrong, Lin Feng would only scold her afterward, never abandoning her.

Michael Zhang stared in shock at Lin Feng, unable to react for a moment. When he finally did, his face turned bright red. "Who the hell are you?"

"An idiot, that's what you are," Lin Feng shot back without bothering to explain further. Then he turned to Qin Shu. "With guys like him, don't waste your time. Delete his contact info, block him in the class group chat, and don't bother talking to him again."

He was teaching this innocent girl how to say no to people.

"Mm-hmm!"

Qin Shu nodded furiously, like a chick pecking at rice grains.

Ever since she was little, Lin Feng had exuded a sort of "grown-up" aura. He'd cleaned up her messes countless times when they were kids, so over time, she'd learned to listen to him without question.

"You…!" Michael Zhang was trembling with rage from the humiliation, but just then, the tournament organizers arrived with security personnel in tow. He had no choice but to swallow his anger, feeling dizzy and flustered.

…

"Welcome, all you young new Pokémon Trainers! I'm Chi Heng, the general manager of Woof-Woof Supermarket in Wutong City…

To thank everyone for your tremendous support of Woof-Woof Supermarket, we've partnered with Wutong City Television's Battle Channel to bring you this event live…"

"Sni…vy…" (He sure talks a lot…)

Clearly, Snivy was growing bored from the supermarket owner's long-winded speech up on the stage.

"That's called boosting publicity," Lin Feng explained softly to Snivy.

Still, from everything he knew so far, Lin Feng could pretty much guess why this Baby Cup was suddenly being held right at the end of summer vacation.

It was obviously a father setting the stage for his kid's future.

Working with the local Pokémon League branch and securing a full television broadcast…

They were trying to build up an image of a brilliant young Pokémon prodigy.

"Man, having money and connections really is something. The road's paved smooth for them," Lin Feng couldn't help muttering with a sigh.

But he didn't envy them either.

After all, he already possessed the greatest "background" in the world.

About ten minutes later, the balding man onstage finally finished his speech.

"Alright! Now please board the buses, and we'll head into Wutong City proper for the Baby Cup competition at the sports arena."

A collective sigh of relief went through the crowd as everyone began lining up for the buses.

Lin Feng glanced around.

There were three buses in total.

He counted the seats after getting on board. One bus had forty-two seats.

Which meant the total number of participants this time was at most 126 people.

The bus sped through the city streets.

Feeling a bit bored, Lin Feng pulled out his phone and saw a new message from Uncle Chen on GreenBubble.

Uncle Chen: Xiaofeng! The fruits and veggies you're growing are selling like hotcakes. When will the second batch be ready? Let me know if you're short on help…

Lin Feng: The crops that keep producing should be ready in another four or five days. As for the others, it's hard to say.

Actually, the other crops would also be ready in four or five days.

But tending them all the time felt like a hassle to Lin Feng.

So he was thinking about switching over to watermelons.

Big, easy to sell, and perfect for the summer heat.

Uncle Chen: Great! I'll come pick up the next shipment in five days!

Lin Feng: Okay.

With the screech of brakes, the bus finally arrived at the Wutong Sports Arena in Wutong City.

Lin Feng gathered his things and stepped off the bus, eyes shining with determination.

Normally, he wouldn't even bother participating in competitions like this.

But if he was going to fight, he was going all out. Winning first place would be the best outcome.

After all, he'd spotted plenty of journalists nearby, armed with massive cameras and telephoto lenses.

If he performed well enough in this tournament…

He could use the opportunity to launch a huge advertisement for his own breeding center!

Imagine Snivy standing in front of the cameras, holding up an Energy Cube and saying, "This is from Next Door Breeding House."

Wouldn't that be perfect marketing?

That way, a steady stream of Trainers would bring their Pokémon over for him to happily pluck rewards from the system!