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

"You…"

"What, I'm not good enough?" Qin Shu puffed out her chest defiantly. She knew Lin Feng was definitely going to be short-handed for a while.

Since that was the case, why should he bother hiring someone from outside instead of using her?

"All right then. You can be the cashier. Work starts at six in the morning. As for when you're off work… it's whenever we sell out of that day's stock, but no later than four in the afternoon. Meals included, but lodging isn't."

The reason for no lodging was simple: there were no rooms left.

If Mewtwo moved in, it could stay in Lin Feng's parents' old room.

"Okay! Thanks, Bro!"

Qin Shu immediately broke into a grin.

"So… is this what it means to experience an ordinary life?" Mewtwo asked in confusion.

"How would you know if you don't try?" Lin Feng replied with an ambiguous smile.

Mewtwo let out a sharp exhale, half scoffing, half amused.

Still, it reminded itself that it possessed overwhelming power. If worst came to worst, it could just destroy this place.

"Bro Feng, I'm heading home then!"

Having secured this good news, Qin Shu seemed to completely forget whatever else she'd planned to say. She simply turned and dashed off toward home.

"Wait a second," Lin Feng called after her, tossing her a key. "Remember to show up at six tomorrow morning."

"Okay, okay!"

Qin Shu caught the key, looking even happier.

In the orange glow of the setting sun, her footsteps were brisk and light as she hummed a cheerful tune.

Lin Feng stood watching her for a moment, then turned his gaze to Mewtwo. "Come on in."

Mewtwo silently followed him inside.

"Name and home address. That's all I need," Lin Feng said, adopting a businesslike tone.

"…Mewtwo. From New Island in the Kanto Region."

"Mewtwo, huh? That's kind of an odd name. A Trainer from the Kanto Region, coming all the way across the ocean to here… that's pretty rare," Lin Feng remarked as he jotted down the information, utterly unfazed by the fact that this was a "Champion-level" Trainer showing up in the Donghua League.

"Come with me."

Having finished the registration, Lin Feng treated Mewtwo just like any regular person as he led it over to the plantation.

He reached out and picked a ripe Tamato Berry.

"See these fruits and veggies? Your job is to pick anything that's ripe each day and store them in the storage balls. Sometimes, you might also help me plant new crops."

Mewtwo, still in its human guise, raised its eyebrows slightly. Its tremendous psychic power instantly transformed into a set of invisible hands, neatly plucking all the ripe Tamato Berries at once and suspending them midair. "Like this?"

Lin Feng blinked in surprise.

"I'm a Psychic Pokémon," Mewtwo explained.

"Even better. I'll double your salary," Lin Feng said without missing a beat.

He wasn't the least bit shocked.

If anything, this confirmed for him that a powerful Psychic Pokémon was exactly what he'd been missing.

Of course, most ordinary Psychic Pokémon could never achieve this kind of precise control.

Usually, they'd end up crushing the Tamato Berries into a pulpy mess that burst and sprayed juice everywhere.

That was why Lin Feng wanted an exceptionally skilled Psychic Pokémon.

"Uh…"

Mewtwo couldn't care less about human concepts like money.

Yet what intrigued it far more was the curious sensation it felt.

In the brief ten or so minutes since it had landed in this small town, the furious turmoil in its mind seemed to have inexplicably calmed.

Why was that?

"The day's getting late. I'll sort out a room for you in a bit. For now, let's get ready for dinner," Lin Feng said.

As he spoke, he waved up at the pine tree overhead.

A bird Pokémon fluttered down, looking puzzled.

Pidgeotto was the newest member of Lin Feng's team. As long as a Pokémon could come indoors and share in energy cube meals, Lin Feng liked to let them all eat together.

Eating alone was a mark of loneliness, after all.

"Pid-geo?"

"Come on. Time for dinner."

Lin Feng held out his arm. Pidgeotto perched on it, and he could feel the sharp claws shifting against his skin, though surprisingly, they didn't hurt at all. He couldn't help finding it fascinating.

"Pid-geo…"

Pidgeotto understood eating, but not the concept of a meal.

After dropping a few energy cubes into the water for Milotic, Lin Feng gathered up Snivy and Pidgeotto and headed back toward the breeding house.

Mewtwo hesitated briefly, then followed along as well.

Back home, Snivy sat primly and elegantly on a chair, waiting to be fed by its Trainer.

Pidgeotto, meanwhile, kept looking around nervously.

Being inside a house with no sky overhead stifled its nature and made it uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Snivy quickly noticed its unease. Two slender vines extended from its body, pulling the curtains aside in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The evening glow spilled into the room, soothing Pidgeotto considerably.

Pidgeotto even threw Snivy a grateful look.

Mewtwo, on the other hand, stood to one side, seeming like an outsider.

Yet for some reason, it felt an unfamiliar sense of contentment welling up inside its heart.

It wasn't until it heard the rhythmic thump, thump, thump of chopping that Mewtwo wandered into the kitchen.

There, Lin Feng was busily chopping up a slab of steak.

It was perfectly ordinary meat, sourced from regular animals.

He'd picked it up the day before on a trip to Wangwang Supermarket.

While the vegetables from his own garden were delicious, there was no way he'd forgo meat entirely.

Thanks to the master-level culinary skills that came as part of his title of Divine-level Breeder, Lin Feng moved with swift, expert motions.

His knife deftly separated each piece of meat, then he rinsed them briefly in flour water, patted them dry with paper towels, and cut them into small cubes. That finished the prep work.

He poured a small amount of canola oil into a pan and heated it until it was around medium-hot, then dropped in the steak cubes, searing them gently over low heat.

Taking advantage of the brief wait time, Lin Feng set up a second pot, chopping a large white radish and chopping pork ribs into smaller chunks. He placed them all into a clay pot along with slices of old ginger and a few seasonings.

He poured in clear water.

"How's your control over your psychic powers?" Lin Feng asked casually.

Realizing Lin Feng was speaking to him, Mewtwo nodded. "…Very good."

"Great. Help me control the heat."

Mewtwo blinked. "Huh??"

Lin Feng, unfazed, simply turned on the second gas burner.

Mewtwo: …

It felt oddly powerless, as though events were simply unfolding around it without consultation. Still, it chose to extend its psychic power to increase the flame under the soup pot.

Just then, the steak was nearly done. Lin Feng sprinkled in a bit of sea salt and tossed in some fresh rosemary leaves. The dish was ready.

As for dipping sauce, it was simple a spicy blend flavored with Tamato Berry.

[Pan-Seared Steak — Grade B Cuisine. Cooking Effect: After eating, reduces damage taken from Ice-type Pokémon by 10% for a short duration.]

After stir-frying a few more side dishes, Lin Feng carried everything over to the dining table.

He called over to Mewtwo. "It's ready."

Then he lifted the lid on the clay pot of simmering soup.

[Steak Soup — Grade B Cuisine. Cooking Effect: The aroma is even richer. Drinking it soothes the mind and calms the spirit. Evaluation: A bowl of steaming hot soup is the best way to warm the heart, isn't it?]

"All done?"

Mewtwo ceased channeling its psychic power.

Standing there in the kitchen, there were only two words echoing through its mind so fragrant, so fragrant…

It felt positively light-headed from the delicious aromas.

Yet somewhere invisible to Mewtwo's eyes, a faint, greenish light connected Lin Feng and itself.

It was the stabilizing, calming power of the Viridian Force, quietly linking their emotions…

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