Pokemon: I Raised Three Dumb Birds and..

"Huff... huff... huff..."

The third stage of training was completed even more smoothly than usual.

Looking at the Pokémon lying on the ground, panting heavily, Leaf shook his head and decided to end today's training. With the current state of the three dumb birds and the fish and shrimp, the training simply couldn't continue. Moreover, the difficulty increased progressively—if the third stage was already this exhausting, forcing the fourth might bring more than just fatigue.

> "Awoo!"

"Trash!"

"Can't you keep going? I still want to train!"

Given Charmander's height, calling its gaze "condescending" might not be entirely accurate—but the Mythical Pokémon immediately had that word pop into their minds.

> "Master, I request to proceed with the fourth stage of training!"

"It must be done!"

"Strongly demand it!"

"Let's do it! Today, we either go insane or we die trying!!"

Seeing the three dumb birds and the fish and shrimp so fired up after being provoked by Charmander, Leaf didn't know whether to laugh or feel helpless. But since they were all determined, he decided to give it a try.

Soon, each of the Mythical Pokémon carried a 20-pound stone on their backs. Leaf didn't let Ralts, a delicate little girl, participate in the fourth stage—even though her participation would increase the points gain, he couldn't bear to let her suffer.

For fairness, and under the Pokémon's strong demands, Leaf also prepared a 20-pound stone for Charmander. Despite not even being a first-stage evolution yet and having a relatively small body, Charmander still gave its all trying to carry the weight.

The Mythical Pokémon didn't feel anything from the 20-pound stones either—at first.

But none of them took it lightly. If the fourth stage had been that easy, they wouldn't have waited until now to attempt it.

> "Fourth stage of training, begin!"

"Everyone, give it your all!"

"Whoever finishes first gets extra food tonight!"

As soon as Leaf's words fell, the Mythical Pokémon were immediately pressed down, their bodies bending forward from the crushing force.

Extra food? At this point, that promise meant nothing.

It didn't feel like a mere stone anymore—each of them might as well have been carrying a mountain.

---

> "Roar roar roar—!"

Charmander charged ahead.

The island was large, and carrying weight mostly consumed stamina. So starting off with a run was the most efficient tactic.

Watching Charmander quickly cover dozens of meters, the Mythical Pokémon exchanged glances. They knew—they had lost again. Completely.

With what felt like a mountain on their backs, even moving one step was difficult. Running was out of the question.

> "This... this is too heavy."

"No way I can finish this stage!"

"We still have to try—are we really going to let that Charmander mock us again?"

"Look how fast it's going, and we can barely walk. It's over. We're going to get laughed at again."

"One step at a time. Everyone, let's chant. We can do this!"

"One two one! One two one!... one... two... one..."

Each step left a deep footprint in the ground. Especially on the sandy beach, progress was painfully slow.

But every time one of them wanted to give up, the thought of Charmander's mocking face fired them up again, fueling their rage enough to keep going.

Through sheer determination—and pure rage—they neared the finish line. The five Mythical Pokémon were close. Tears welled up in their eyes.

Then suddenly...

At the finish line stood Charmander, with one foot on the stone. Its posture arrogant. Its expression smug.

And then—it smirked.

> "You—"

"You little bastard!!"

"WAAHH—!!"

That action, that smile—Groudon immediately vomited everything it had eaten.

The others trembled violently and collapsed on the ground, as if paralyzed.

---

> "Whoa!"

Seeing them all fall over, Leaf panicked and rushed over. Thankfully, they had only fainted from exhaustion. No serious injuries.

Indeed, they had pushed themselves to their absolute limit.

Normally, after the third stage, they'd need an hour of rest to recover. And yet today, they'd managed to finish the fourth. It had to be said—

Charmander was a major reason for that.

Looking at Charmander standing with one foot on the stone, Leaf felt helpless and amused. He gave it a thumbs-up.

---

> ?Ding-dong...?

?The fourth stage of training is over. Reward: 100,000 points.?

?The fifth stage of training rewards double points. Completion will unlock a Super Gift Pack.?

?Host is encouraged to complete the full set of basic training as soon as possible.?

---

100,000 points?!

Leaf was stunned. The training rewards were on par with fighting wild Pokémon!

If only the five Pokémon could do the fourth stage daily... he could rack up 3 million points in a month—enough to exchange for a Mega Stone.

But looking at the three dumb birds and the red shrimp lying unconscious, it was obvious... it would take a long time.

If not for Charmander's provocations today, they would've stopped at the third stage, just like always.

Leaf wasn't surprised by the doubled points and the gift pack promised for the fifth stage.

What did surprise him was—

> This was just basic training?!

What kind of monster training would come after this?

If basic training already turned them into dead dogs, wouldn't advanced training kill them outright?

---

They rested for two full hours.

Only then did Leaf bring the exhausted Pokémon back to the wooden house.

Everyone was clearly drained, so Leaf wasn't stingy. He used a third of his stored ingredients to cook up a lavish dinner.

> "Charmander, this is your reward for finishing first."

Leaf brought out large wooden platters, and the hungry Mythical Pokémon eagerly prepared to eat—until Leaf suddenly presented an extra large iron platter.

On it—a juicy steak.

The Mythical Pokémon froze.

Then their eyes widened.

Then—rage.

> "That's not fair!"

"Master, how can you be so biased?!"

"What about our reward?!"

"Why only Charmander?!"

"I'm not convinced!!"

> "Roar..."

Charmander strutted forward, took the iron platter like a trophy, then turned to face them, full of disdain.

> "This is Master's reward for me."

"Want some? Jealous?"

"Then beat me in training, you trash!"

I... I'm going to kill it!!

The Mythical Pokémon lunged, filled with fury.

> "Hey! What are you doing?! Eat or don't!" Leaf shouted, startling them back.

"It's not favoritism, and it's not that I don't want to reward you."

"But think about your own performances—do you really deserve one?"

"Train hard from now on. I'll buy you whatever you want—even if it costs me everything!"

After a pause, Leaf added seriously:

> "Let me make it clear—"

"If you can complete the fifth stage of training, I'll buy you 100 servings of the best, freshest steak."

---

> Again?!

The Mythical Pokémon exchanged uneasy glances.

They'd already nearly died today.

Carrying a mountain around the island? Even for them—it was a death sentence.

Meanwhile, Charmander was happily chewing away at its steak, mouth full of oil, looking completely satisfied.

The decision was made.

Tonight, when they went to sleep... they would blanket and beat Charmander to a pulp.

But before they could act, Leaf recalled Charmander into its Poké Ball.

He said he was afraid the constantly burning tail might set the house on fire.

Just before it vanished, Charmander stuck out its tongue and made a face at them.

That night, the Mythical Pokémon were...

Sleepless.

Furious.

-----------More Bonus Chapters!!!!

Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter