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

"Woooooo!"

A long, joyous cry echoed across the battlefield.

At the same moment, a system prompt chimed in Lin Feng's mind.

[Congratulations to the host for raising Lapras's Happiness from 10% to 75%. Reward: Ten bags of Golden Fertilizer, one Rare Candy, and one C-Rank Water Stone.]

The instant Lapras appeared, currents of water began swirling gently around its body.

No one else could truly understand how it felt right now.

All this time, it had been suppressing its energy output. Its body felt like an overfilled plastic bag, being pumped with more and more water, the pressure building without end.

Inside, it suffered a growing ache and swelling discomfort.

Now that it was finally able to let go, it even felt a faint gratitude toward Lin Feng, who stood opposite it.

During all this…

Lin Feng wisely refrained from issuing any attack orders to Snivy.

Instead, he simply waited for Lapras's transformation to complete.

However…

"Wuuu…"

The initially ecstatic cries suddenly turned pained. Lapras's body began twisting and writhing in distress.

This abrupt change instantly caught the spectators' attention.

"That's strange… what's wrong with Lapras? Why is it crying like that the moment it comes out? The battle hasn't even started yet!"

"So weird…"

The crowd's excitement over the match shifted swiftly into concern for Lapras.

...

"Ref! Time out! Requesting a time out!"

Chi Chang's expression turned panicked when he saw Lapras's distress. He waved frantically toward the sky, shouting up at the referee.

Even though he'd only officially become a trainer recently, this Lapras had already been with him for several months.

High above, Li Bing also realized something was wrong. He frowned and immediately signaled his Aegislash to swoop down and examine Lapras's condition.

The swirling water vapor around Lapras was clearly a sign of energy leaking out from within. The surrounding grass had already turned soaked and glistening.

No wonder Li Bing had always felt something off about this Lapras.

In earlier battles, it never moved a step even when taking direct hits. It poured out energy without the slightest hesitation.

Now it was clear why. It had been suppressing a breakthrough for far too long.

"What should I do?!"

Chi Chang looked desperately at Li Bing, eyes glistening with tears.

He knew that Li Bing was a Gym-level trainer his father had specially hired, and surely knew more than he did.

But to his surprise, Li Bing merely shook his head. "I can tell it's because Lapras has suppressed its energy for too long, but I honestly don't know how to resolve it. We'll have to wait for professional medical staff to arrive."

This transformation process…

Chi Chang didn't dare to recall Lapras into its Poké Ball mid-way through. Instead, he seemed to snap out of his daze just long enough to fumble for his phone and call emergency services.

Li Bing's voice echoed through the speakers across the entire arena as he explained the situation.

The audience exploded into shocked discussions.

"What?! So they were deliberately suppressing Lapras's power just to fish for easy wins in the Baobao Cup? That's… isn't that going too far?"

"I mean… it's technically legal, I guess. But if you're going to suppress power, you should at least equip an Everstone. This Lapras looks like it's been bottling things up for ages and now wants to evolve all at once. Ugh… I'm afraid it could be life-threatening, like a flood tearing through a dam."

"Looks like Snivy's going to be the final winner after all…"

"What the heck?! That Snivy's trainer has no honor! He's telling Snivy to start attacking at a time like this!"

...

"Snivy?" (It looks like it's in so much pain. Is it going to die?)

Below, Snivy, who had been eager for a fierce fight, watched Lapras's agonized cries with worried eyes and couldn't help asking.

Lin Feng let out a sigh. "…Its energy is too powerful. Its body just can't handle the sudden surge. I'm guessing that by the time the medical team arrives, they'll be able to save it, but it'll probably suffer some lasting side effects."

"Alright, Snivy. The match is starting now. We have to keep fighting. In a moment, I'm going to guide you with Verdant Force so you'll know how to handle this."

"Snivy…" (Got it…)

"Grassy Terrain!"

While everyone's attention was focused entirely on Lapras…

The already green grass of the arena quietly began sprouting fresh shoots. Under the surge of Grass-type energy, the growth accelerated wildly.

Within moments, the grass had grown to over half a meter tall, completely obscuring Snivy from view.

A dense, emerald field now covered the entire area between Snivy and Lapras.

"Vine Whip."

Two slender green vines flickered into view, whipping forward with lightning speed. They deftly reached for Chi Chang, who was standing beside Lapras, looking utterly lost. The vines quickly coiled around him, hauling him out of harm's way and depositing him safely off to the side.

Afterward, Lin Feng let out a long breath. For the first time, he unleashed his Verdant Force.

An invisible wave of energy flowed outward from his body, swiftly channeling into Lapras while carrying Lin Feng's silent words. "Just fight normally. Tell Lapras to use Water Gun against Snivy."

These words weren't only delivered to Lapras they reached Chi Chang as well.

Chi Chang froze, baffled as to where the voice had come from. But in his panic-stricken state, he simply shouted out the command by reflex. "Water Gun!"

Amid the emerald sea of grass, glimpses of Snivy flickered in and out of view, moving with a strange rhythm.

Each time Snivy appeared, a jet of water blasted toward the spot it had just occupied.

"What?! This is bad!"

Li Bing's pupils contracted sharply as he watched.

Although the correct way to resolve Lapras's condition was indeed to help it release its pent-up energy…

Doing it like this forcing powerful skill after powerful skill was like punching a hole in an overfilled plastic bag. The massive water pressure inside would just tear that hole wider and wider.

That kind of internal damage would spread from the inside out.

Without specialized equipment, nobody could predict where that "hole" might rupture.

But in the very next instant, he froze in stunned silence.

Because…

With each burst of Water Gun…

Lapras's tortured expression was gradually easing. It no longer showed any sign of pain.

Water jets sprayed wildly across the Grassy Terrain, but not a single one managed to hit Snivy.

"Leaf Storm, Leech Seed!"

At that moment…

Lin Feng issued his next commands.

With the boost from Grassy Terrain, two whirling cyclones swiftly took shape, filled with sharp emerald leaves spinning at high speed. They surged in from both flanks, converging on Lapras in a pincer attack.

Lapras reflexively unleashed another Water Gun.

Its Water Gun was now flowing smoother and more precisely, as its body's energy found balance once again. It was only one step away from a complete breakthrough.

This final step was to drain away the lingering excess energy with Leech Seed.

The Leaf Storm on the left was blasted apart by Lapras's Water Gun, but the cyclone on the right slammed directly into its side. The swirling leaves tore at Lapras's skin, creating small gashes and embedding Leech Seeds within.

Lapras froze, its pained expression entirely vanishing…

And then, unexpectedly, it looked almost… blissful.